Values-led farming with Alexis Wadworth

Alexis Wadworth is a farmer who fully reflects a proactive, opportunities-focused approach to agriculture. She has had a successful career in the agribusiness sector, as well as holding governance and leadership roles that align with her values. Her journey, alongside her husband, Nick, led them back to Southland to lease, and eventually buy Nick’s family farm. 

Bare Hill is a sheep and beef farm running almost 8,000 stock units. What is unique about their farm is that it is 2000 hectares but only 800 hectares of that is effective land area. The ineffective areas are made up of a mix of tussock grasslands, forestry, scrub, and natives. Despite this large area of ineffective land, this has not stopped Alexis from finding opportunities to use this land in different ways, and they have not been afraid to adjust their farming systems to make better use of these areas. Nick and Alexis were 2023 finalists in the Balance Farm Environment Awards, and recipients of the Norwood Farm Efficiency Award, which is deserved recognition for their passion for being land stewards and building a sustainable farming business that creates an environment that future generations can thrive in. 

Sustainability and Values 

There are two key elements to what sustainability means to Alexis. The first element is stewardship. Alexis and Nick define stewardship for them as a way of having pride and respect for the land, but also focusing on contributing to their community and developing people within it. The second element is making sure that they are farming in a way that is sustainable for future generations. 

“So are we leaving a financially viable business that can withstand future challenges? Are we operating in a way that’s sustainable to the land and environment, soils, plants, animals and are we being sustainable for us as people?”

Another key part of what guides Alexis in her approach to farming is having values which she lives by and can integrate into her farming business. The strong focus on values came about when Alexis and Nick undertook a 12-month farming business course and they were set the challenge of finding values that relate to them as people, not just as farmers. 

“But the challenge that was set in front of us was finding values that relate to you as people, not just you as, farmers. So is it a value that you can take into coaching a sporting team or if you owned a hairdressing business or whatever, you know, it would still be relevant. So, we often fall back on those values now, and it’s been a really, really big help for guiding decisions.”

Alexis and Nick have three main values: stewardship, courage, and kaizen. Courage for them is all about thinking outside of the box and taking a few risks, while doing their homework to make them educated risks, but at its core, they are not afraid of doing things a little bit differently. Kaizen is a Japanese term which means improving efficiency and is a nod to their continual pursuit of trying to find improved ways to do things. This value is quite innate to both Alexis and Nick, with Alexis’ banking background focusing on being able to operate as efficiently as possible, and Nick’s engineering background where he always looks to try new things. Having these values to reflect on, as well as guide their decision making on and off farm, has been a game changer for Alexis and Nick. 

Embracing new ways of doing things, and the unintended benefits

It is evident that embracing new ways of doing things is something of prime importance to Alexis and this is reflected in some of their initiatives on farm. A quick win they have achieved has been the use of technology and one that stands out is the use of a drone. Their approach to lambing is fairly hands-off with minimal shepherding, however, they were still having to spend hours each day driving around to pick up cast ewes. Flying the drone to look for cast ewes, and then being able to drive directly to those that need help has saved Alexis and Nick time and money but has also had other unintended benefits. 

“The first year we started using a drone we thought we were in need of replacing a bike. We ended up actually getting another season out of a bike because we weren’t running around as much . And the best part, it hasn’t interfered with our lambing performance at all, and I think actually in hindsight, there’s a whole lot of things that we didn’t expect to happen. You know, when we fly the drone up, just prior to say a storm coming in, you’ll notice all the ewes have tucked their lambs away under tussock and in sheltered spots and are out grazing. And if we were driving through the middle of a paddock at that time, we obviously would’ve disturbed lambs and scattered the ewes So it’s really nice just to be able to leave them to their own devices.” 

Purchasing a direct drill was also an action that had many side benefits come from it. 

“When we first purchased our direct drill, we ran the numbers on, you know, the payback period of the drill based on reducing cost of the tractor, saving time, etc, etc. But what we didn’t really appreciate is combining that with multi-species crops. Some of the benefits we just wouldn’t have dreamt of, like the massive improvements to soil structure we’ve seen, the competitive yields from the crops, the multi grazing opportunities from those crops, reducing inputs, worm life, animal health benefits.”

Alexis and Nick have also created a new rubbish policy on farm, which was sparked by clearing the contents of an old dump on farm. It didn’t sit right with them that one day their grandkids may have to dig up their rubbish so now the only items that go in the hole on farm is either biodegradable or fit for burning safely. This is an example of how their values have guided their decision making. Everything else goes off farm in some form of recycling whether it be through Plasback, AgRecovery, household recycling to the recycling centre, or scrap metal away to scrap dealers. This is a huge values-led commitment to stewardship of their land, thinking of the future while making decisions in the present. 

Another win has been around data capture. Alexis loves data and figures, so being able to monitor and test different aspects of farm management allows another tool for decision making on farm. Data capture is such an important part of farming and is only becoming more so, so embracing this change has allowed for Alexis to be able to provide the data and proof needed to validate the impact of what they are doing on farm. More regular fecal egg counts ahead of drenching, or herbage tests as well as soil tests ahead of fertilising and vaccination, or water quality testing have been just some of the areas in which Alexis has focused in on.  

Finding the opportunity in the ineffective 

As mentioned earlier, the greater proportion of Alexis’ farm is ineffective hectares. To account for this, Alexis and Nick have altered their farm systems to try and utilise these areas. One way in which they have done this is by starting the process of converting from Romdale to Wiltshire sheep, which are a shedding sheep breed. The development opportunities for their farm are reduced when having an ewe that needs management for veggie matter in her fleece. The move to convert to Wiltshires will allow for the utilisation of areas on farm that currently can’t be utilised (such as scrub), or to the extent that Alexis would like them to be. Additionally, Alexis and Nick employ two calving times of year, Spring and Autumn, which allows for cows to get in the scrub and do a bit of work in there. These changes have meant maintaining productivity but also allowing for greater management of marginal areas on their farm.  

“So just trying to change policies a bit to get the stock to work for us really and make the most of that ineffective area.” 

Standing up to face the challenge

It’s clear that Alexis and Nick aren’t afraid of giving things a crack, are passionate about being ahead of the curve and being led by their values. When asked about how she approaches the constant and fast pace of change, as well as preventing overwhelm and burnout, Alexis had an answer that can only be given justice by direct quotation. 

“I guess first and foremost the reality is we choose to do this. We choose to be farmers, and we choose to be farmers with our family. So, you know, if you wanna look at this negative or positive, that’s your decision, right? I personally think a lot of the change coming to the industry right now is not necessarily negative, but where it can become negative is when we haven’t done the preparation to manage that impact. So for us, the key is preparing our business for change and remaining open to the opportunities that come our way and align with our values. So I guess like for example, we don’t know where the emissions pricing is going to land yet, but what we do know as farmers, that the consumers are asking and those we use for services such as banks are going to need to know our emissions information, so, you know, whether that be as a producer or food, or to complete a company’s profile as scope three emissions So for now, we are focusing on preparing our business so that we can clearly evidence when the time comes.  And I just guess we  know that we’re creating a product that meets consumer preferences, and we’re doing what we can to make sure we’re farming in a sustainable way. So I just, really look forward to being rewarded in the future, whether that be premiums for our meat or discounts for our interest rates or whatever. Just making sure we’re really in a position to take advantage of those opportunities as they come.”

Alexis’ farming business and the Sustainable Development Goals

When looking at how the SDGs are integrated through Alexis’ farming business from the full podcast conversation, it was hard to pick a top five:

SDG #17: Partnerships for the Goals 

  • Alexis, Nick and Addison are really striving for continual improvement across the board. They are passionate about working together as a farming family, as a wider farming team alongside valued key professionals, and within their wider community, to think outside the box, challenge the status quo, and embrace diversity of thought and value people within the partnership. 

SDG #9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure 

  • Innovation is a key feature that has been introduced through Alexis and Nick’s value of Kaizen – a Japanese lean management concept of efficiency and continual improvement. This value drives their decision making. It is informed by extensive data recording and leads to the introduction of other innovation on farm, the use of a drone, alongside other supporting technology such as data recording software, proof of placement, GPS and integrated weigh scales. 

SDG #15: Life on Land

  • Another one of Alexis and Nick’s values is stewardship which aligns with SDG 15. Pride and respect for the land is evident through their ongoing protection of native bush, large scale pest control, and the focus on soil health with stocking policies, multi-species cropping and permanent pasture, and minimising chemical inputs. 

SDG #12: Responsible Consumption and Production

  • This is evidenced through their farm waste policy, where they have cleared out, and responsibly disposed of the contents of, an old waste site on farm and now the only waste that stays on farm is biodegradable or safe to burn. Alexis and Nick showed just how possible this is through a combination of solutions including Plasback, Ag Recovery, scrap metal recovery and recycling centres. The key point here is that they don’t have to do this. They choose to do this so that their grandchildren won’t have to dig up their rubbish. 

SDG #11: Sustainable Cities and Communities 

  • Alexis and Nick demonstrate values-led altruism. They recognise the importance of being active members of their rural communities, but they don’t take these decisions lightly. They consider where their values align, and where their skill sets and energy could be of best use to not only ensure that communities thrive, but that they do too so that they can continue to play an active part in their communities for many years to come. 

 

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