May 6, 2025
Communication & attention to detail essential to success
Kent farmer Graham Mackenzie believes that a strong, long-term relationship with a key advisor he can trust and rely on is a recipe for success.
Graham, and his son Alastair, run Elliotts Farm in Penshurst, Kent. The diverse business includes 200ha of arable cropping, with a further 100ha under contract farming agreements. They also supply contracting for local farmers and run a sheep enterprise selling direct to local butchers.
With a busy workload, building strong relationships with trusted advisors is essential for the business to run smoothly. This is one of the reasons Graham has been working with Justin Smith, regional technical manager at ProCam.
“The relationships we have with important people that support the farm are essential to us being progressive and evolving, and, becoming better at what we do,” explains Graham.
“I was taken by Justin’s enthusiasm and commitment. His attention to detail when crop walking and supplying recommendations, along with his constant communication, have benefited the farm in many ways.
“I believe that an agronomist that gets application timings right far outweighs the cost of what he’s recommending me to apply. If the timing is wrong, the application isn’t going to perform as well as intended.”
Communication
Justin started by looking after a small area of the farm but has progressively taken the whole acreage, including the contract farmed land.
Graham continues: “Justin is a great communicator, and I can discuss everything with him, which helps to build trust.
“He’s set up a WhatsApp group between the three of us who handle the crop nutrition and crop protection on the farm. This allows us to quickly take pictures or highlight areas of concern when we’re in the field to help Justin focus his time when he’s on the farm.”
Although Graham likes to walk some crops, he cannot be everywhere, so trusting Justin to communicate what is happening and advise on the appropriate action is invaluable.
Reactive
The commitment from Justin to ensuring Graham’s crops get to harvest in the best position was highlighted in a 2024 wheat crop.
“We planted Crusoe, which we knew was susceptible to brown rust, but it took hold earlier than we expected. Justin spotted this and advised me to apply a T1.5 fungicide.”
The treatment of tebuconazole and pyraclostrobin was targeted to three fields and prevented the active brown rust infecting a greater area of the crop.
Graham continues: “If we’d waited until T2, the yield and quality of the crop would’ve struggled to recover. The T1.5 spray took care of the rust and allowed us to move forward with a healthy crop. This is where attention to detail, finding a solution quickly and being communicative has been a real benefit.”
A WhatsApp group has improved communication between Justin and the farm operators who can quickly highlight areas of concern spotted during applications.
Progressive
Justin sends pictures with every recommendation to justify his suggested investment on a crop. Graham says this shows every decision is well thought out and helps to illustrate what is happening across the farm and how previous applications have performed.
Graham will also discuss new chemistry and varieties with Justin to ensure the farm is moving forward. The mutual goal is to keep the farm progressing.
“I walk the farm every 10 days to ensure we aren’t missing anything,” Justin explains.
“I know when I send a recommendation to Graham that the application is done on time and in the right conditions. This means we’re maximising the investment in the agronomy and achieving the right results at harvest.
“Graham’s willingness and ability to adapt to the seasons is a large reason why he’s growing excellent crops. Last autumn his Horsch Avatar drill was struggling in the wet conditions, so he turned to the trusted power harrow combination drill to carry on drilling. The crops now look excellent, and we’re in a great place,” Justin concludes.
