Farm Focus

Supporting farmers for over 40 years

Back in the late 1970s when Wairarapa farmers, Ian and Isabel Campbell were thinking about how to create a better system for farmers to manage their finances, most computers were huge machines that took up a whole room. Owning a personal computer, as the Campbells did, was un-heard of. This year, the company that the Campbells founded, now called Farm Focus, is celebrating 40 years in business. Current CEO, Brian Eccles, has been involved with the company from the early days, and says that it’s hard to comprehend just how visionary Ian’s thinking was.

“Ian was very focused on what he wanted to achieve as a farmer, and how technology could work for him. I have no idea where he got his computer from!” says Brian.

At that time, record-keeping was very much about looking back, using accounting methodology. The company founders wanted to be able to look ahead, to plan for the next season. Brian says that this forward-looking, farmer-led approach is just as important as ever.

“This philosophy hasn’t changed. We are an independent, farmer-led company, and our focus continues to be on enabling farmers to test scenarios, forecast and plan. Planning gets you to a good place,” he says.

Given this approach, Brian says that one of the company’s biggest assets is its farming heritage and large customer base.“We’ve been out and about doing a series of Roadshows around the country recently. At each venue I asked our customers how long they had been with us. For many, it is over 30 years. This lengthy history with our customers gives us a real advantage. It sets us up to understand the practicalities of farming. We can tap into what’s happening in the rural community. ”While the company’s philosophy and objectives haven’t changed, the way software is delivered certainly has.”

Early computer programmes needed to be optimised for efficient data entry.

“When we started out, your computer was an island. Everything you put into it came from your fingertips. These days, software programmes are part of a wider data ecosystem. Our latest application, Farm Focus, is cloud-based, meaning that it can exchange information directly with other cloud-based applications, once authentication has taken place. For example, once you have entered your Inland Revenue credentials in Farm Focus, you can file your GST returns from within the application directly to the IRD,” Brian explains.

Because data input is automated, information arrives ready to be consumed. Rather than spending their time gathering data, customers are working with the outputs of that data, really bringing to life the company’s vision of informed farmers making confident planning decisions.

Not all other technology companies are cloud-based yet, but most are heading in that direction. Brian says that building Farm Focus as a cloud-based application has set it up to be ready for the future. “We know that our younger customers want a product they can rely on for the next 30 years or more. Farm Focus is a good horse to back!” he says.