Graeme and Judy Evans farm one of the original blocks of Masterton’s 1850s small farm settlement, at Upper Plain on the town’s south-western edge. They’re the fourth generation of the family on the block, and the last of the founding families still farming there. The way the farm is run has changed with every generation. For Graeme, today that means running the farm business in Farm Focus, the farm accounting software he’s used since the Cash Manager days.
“Overall, I’m happy with the switch – Focus does what I need and if the system stays simple and easy to use, I’ll be a happy chap!”
A farm with roots in Masterton’s beginnings
Masterton began with the Small Farms Association, formed in 1853 so that working families could buy their own land. In the first ballot in 1854, members drew a town acre and a 40-acre country section. One hundred 40-acre bush-clad blocks were laid out around the new town. Graeme says the other ninety-nine have since been sold. The Evans family block is still farmed by the family that drew it.
The farm is 68 ha effective. Graeme and Judy ran a cattle stud there for many years. When we sat down with Graeme a few years ago, they had recently sold the stud and moved to trading dry stock, and that’s where he found Farm Focus a great help. Farms change with the seasons and the generations, and what follows is how Graeme ran the business at that time.
How do you keep track of trading stock day to day?
Trading lambs and cattle means stock is always arriving and leaving. The Livestock Trading Report in Farm Focus gives Graeme the numbers he needs.
“The Livestock Trading Report is a new add-on that’s been particularly helpful in my situation. I trade dry stock (lambs and cattle) and need to keep a close eye on stock arriving and leaving the property. I need to know what I’m holding day to day and the report delivers this information in an easy-to-understand format.”
A little and often, not a month-end pile
Graeme doesn’t save the farm accounts for the end of the month. He goes online and enters information most days, “well definitely every couple of days”.
“With Farm Focus it’s easy to dip in and out and, by doing a bit of work regularly, I’m not confronted with a pile of information that has to be dealt with immediately.”
Can farm accounts show if a decision paid off?
With codes he sets up himself, Graeme can follow every dollar, and he has the figures to back his decisions.
“Now I can use my own codes to code everything out, so I know exactly where money is being spent and can easily see if a project is cost effective right down to the last bolt. Having control over your own codes allows for a greater depth of detail. One example is I now have the figures needed to support my decision to grow our own fodder crop rather than buy in which gives confidence you’re on the right track.”
Invoice scanning helps too, because he issues invoices regularly when he trades stock.
“I trade stock so issue invoices regularly and having this information securely recorded in the system where I can see it is a time saver.”
Accounts online, no trips into town
Graeme dropped his last set of accounts in at the accountants years ago. Since then, his accountants have had online access to the farm’s accounts.
“If they need additional information this can be accessed online which removes the hassle of having to trot into town. Works for them too because they’re not waiting around for me to deliver the piece of paper they need.”
Tradition and progress
More than 170 years after the first ballot, the Evans block is still a working farm. The technology has changed a long way since the 1850s, but the aim is the same: to know the numbers and look after the farm for the next generation. Graeme still uses Farm Focus today, keeping a working budget and coding his transactions as he goes. Since July 2026, he can also ask the AI Farm Assistant quick questions about his actuals, plans and reports.
Every Farm Focus customer gets free onboarding and phone support from a team that knows farming, in New Zealand and Australia.
