Having started my career at the end of the food chain as a qualified butcher, followed by managing large dairy herds for 14 years around the North Island I developed an interest in soil biology and how best to profit from it.
This led to a career change, becoming a soil consultant. And the choice to work for Kiwi Fertiliser was an easy one as I believe in their principals and systems.
With a soil Audit we can determine exactly what your soil needs and work with you to achieve your desired goals.
Born and raised in the Rangitikei/Manawatu, Craig is very much a country boy with farming in his blood. Educated at Feilding Agricultural High School he has been involved in many aspects of farming, from sheep & beef, dairy grazing, venison, to calf rearing. Currently living on a lifestyle block near Marton.
As Store Manager at our Mt View Store on SH1 near Marton, he has been involved in the fertilizer industry for 18 years now either spreading it, mixing it and as well as the logistics of carting products around the country. He knows his products well and most importantly is a soil adviser under the Kinsey Albrecht model. Under this model, farmers can improve productivity and profit while pushing back against climate change by increasing the carbon content (humus) in the soil. As much less applied nitrogen and phosphate is involved, water pollution is also reduced.
That is why Craig wants to tell more people about Sechura RPR (Natural Phosphate) as well as Dolomite and custom blends that Kiwi Fertiliser produce. He is very passionate about soil health and keeping soils productive.
A balanced soil is the key. DON’T TREAT IT LIKE DIRT.
Not sure what you need? A soil audit is the cheapest thing you can buy for the farm. Fact.
Bob has spent most of his life in the foothills of the Tararua Ranges. The qualification he completed at Flock House Agriculture Centre and the joint purchase of his family farm with his brother in 1978 have both contributed to his love of the land. The passion he has for the agriculture industry is endless and he is excited about the positive change ahead for New Zealand farming.
He has an evolving knowledge base of the Albrecht/Kinsey system of soil fertility, which he is gaining through the Kiwi Fertiliser Company. This shows in his enthusiasm towards providing farmers with accurate support and proactive goal setting, increased growth, and profits.
Bob understands that decision making within a farm business can be difficult, especially making a choice on pasture and crop management systems. He is here to answer your questions, provide guidance, and deliver results.
The answer is simple. It’s in the soil. Increase your yields, increase your profits.
Bernard Lilburn has had a lifetime of living and working in the agricultural and rural community, so he understands how it all works. His working life started as a shepherd in both the North and South Island, before returning to the family farm, near Hunterville. The next phase of working life involved buying a local transport company in 1983 to complement the family farming enterprise. And so Bernard became a truck driver and, as the business grew, became an operator that transported everything rural and also people; a business that he still has today, with school buses contracted to the Ministry of Education.
Bernard returned to and went farming on his own account in 1987 – a great year to start! In 1990, the transport operation was contracted to move 3500 tons of Sechura RPR, imported from Peru, off the wharf in Wellington to a store near Marton. After transporting the product, he thought some should be applied to the property – on the worst ground. The results were spectacular, and he quickly became a convert. The property today still uses RPR based fertilisers.
In 1997, Bernard moved from the farm to a lifestyle block in the Manawatu. He has continued his involvement with the fertiliser industry, running the storage and distribution business near Marton that has been in existence since 1991. The best farming years have seen over 10,500 tons of product go through the Mt View Store, all custom blends for farming clients, requiring the need to employ a storeman.
Bernard now focuses on consulting to farmers, using experience and knowledge gained over 26 years of being in the fertiliser industry, covering an area from Wanganui through the Rangitikei and Manawatu down into the Horowhenua.
A consultation with this fertiliser specialist, in conjunction with soil audit information, will give you advice and a blend that fits your farm or requirement, not something off the price list or what the corporate head office tells him to sell.
One of the things that he finds amusing is dairy cockies tearing around dusting paddocks with magnesium at their busiest time of the year! Put it in the fertiliser – it’s cheaper, it’s there and saves time – and money. Fact.
Production = profit, and our aim is to increase your production.
Talk to Bernard for a different perspective.
Jamie Lawson is Kiwi Fertiliser’s Hawkes Bay soil fertility advisor.
Jamie was born and raised on the family farm and started his formal education in Agriculture at Napier Boys High, Scinde House, doing the ag course in the 3rd form. 38 years later Jamie is still studying and researching the fields of soil science and animal health.
His experience should be measured by the amount of well-respected farmers that he advises to in Hawkes Bay and the East Coast region.
Jamie says the best piece of advice that was ever given to him is that you cannot listen when your mouth is open.
Marg was raised on a dairy and sheep farm near Hamilton and started her career in the dairy industry at Ruakura Research Centre (now Innovation Park). Having researched mastitis, including work at Louisiana State University USA, and worked on optimal dairy performance through nutrition, she is now enjoying her work with Kiwi Fertiliser following the methods of Dr William Albrecht and working with Neal Kinsey to improve soil fertility, maximise DM yields and provide sustainability of the land in N.Z.
Marg and her husband Pete own a dairy farm at Otorohanga and have experienced first hand the benefits of the Kiwi Fertiliser way and can see huge benefits from the farmer perspective in terms of feed produced on farm, animal health, cost savings and meeting environmental requirements.
Alastair, originally from Gisborne, grew up in northern Hawkes Bay and went to school in Napier. He developed an interest in Agriculture from a young age helping his dad who was a sheep and beef farmer and contractor. He’s been involved with soil fertility since late 2009 and has completed all of Neal Kinsey’s training courses. He’s passionate about helping farmers achieve the best from their soil, pasture, and animals using Albrecht science. Alastair is based in Taupo and is available to service farmers in the Central North Island area.
Gerald is based in Waitetuna, Raglan and was born and raised in Te Aroha on a Dairy Farm.
After leaving the farm, Gerald worked in Factory Management for about 25 years before answering the call to return to some land.
He joined the Fertiliser industry and still enjoys helping farmers grow more grass and increase fertility and profitability across all areas of farming.
Gerald joined Kiwi Fertiliser in February 2012 and has since completed Introductory Training as well as Advanced 1 and 2 Training programs with Neal Kinsey on the Albrecht Model of Soil Fertility. Area covered is mostly the Greater Waikato.
David was raised on a dairy farm in the Edgecumbe area and was milking and contracting from a young age. He ran the family farm as a 50/50 sharemilker for 30 years, starting with 180 cows and progressing to 550 cows as more land was purchased. He also reared beef, experimented with different feeding options, and project managed the building of a new 52-bale Rotary cowshed on the property. In 2012 he made the decision to make a change in direction and do what he has always longed to do “drive round in a car and talk to people”.
David is extremely passionate about the biological approach to farming, and became Kiwi Fertiliser’s first client back in 2002, thus experiencing first-hand the excellent results that are achieved by following the Albrecht system.
David currently operates his own business, Forward Farming Consultancy Ltd, where he specialises in Fertiliser (working as part of the Kiwi Fertiliser team), Effluent Management (NZ Distributor for Slurry Bugs), and General Farm Consultancy.
Sam was raised on dairy farms in Northland and grew up in Ruawai. After leaving school Sam worked on various farms before joining the Northern Wairoa Dairy Company. During this time he studied Dairy Technology at Massey University.
Sam and his wife Linda travelled extensively in 2016 where they went through South America, Europe, and the top parts of Australia.
While overseas Sam realised his passion for agriculture and in particular the Ecological farming methods taught by Neal Kinsey from the USA.
Sam is available for service from the northern Waikato region to Cape Reinga and looks forward to helping farmers improve soil health, pasture production, and profits.
Brett's farming experience includes several years in Australia being involved with wheat, linseed and other cereals, cotton, and tobacco cropping. In NZ his involvement was with mixed cropping, dairying, and various horticultural crops including kiwifruit, berry fruit and flower growing. Brett has had many years in the agricultural sector, including the Valuation Department and Department of Maori Affairs. When he left government employment, he carried on with running the businesses of large Maori trust farms, mostly on marginal land. The properties were mostly developed into dairy farms, but also included maize cropping and other activities. It was here that he learned that so-called "conventional" farming practices were creating more problems than they solved; fertiliser use being at the core of most problems. Brett has also sucessfully grown tamarillos and passionfruit organically and has had a stint as an OANZ inspector. He has attended many alternative agricultural workshops and courses in NZ, Australia, and the USA. Brett is at 55f McLean Rd, RD 3, Whakatane 3193.
Kiwi Fertiliser Company Limited was formed as a result of declining results, particularly with pastures, kiwifruit and avocado’s. However the work we do is not limited to these crops as our programme works with ALL crops, trees and vines.
We work exclusively with Kinsey Agricultural Services of Missouri USA with soil audits conducted by Perry Agricultural Laboratory also of Missouri USA.
Currently we have five years of solid results behind us that has proved to us the Base Saturation theory of Dr William Albrecht. Albrecht was born in 1888 and died in 1974, at the age of 86. He was Emeritus Professor of Soils at the University of Missouri and his work has been diligently continued and taught by Neal Kinsey of Kinsey Agricultural Services Missouri USA, who audit soil globally. The programme works exceedingly well here in NZ.
As General Manager of Kiwi Fertiliser I am proud to champion and lead a team of talented soil fertility advisors who are well educated in their field of expertise.
“The race to the bottom” is a lousy goal; our goal is to change agriculture in New Zealand for the better. We know how to do this, and are producing nutrient dense pasture, crops and food fit for consumption by animals and humans.
The Albrecht/Kinsey system of soil fertility provides the results to previously unknown answers - we work with great clients who want to join “The race to the top”.