Philippa (Phil) and Grant McKenzie are Southland dairy farmers based near Invercargill. Phil has run the books for their businesses for more than twenty years, starting with Cash Manager in the early 2000s. In May 2021 they moved to Farm Focus, the cloud version, and Phil was surprised by how easy it was.
“The worst part was the thought of changing whereas the switch itself was pretty easy. The secret is to do your housekeeping …have your databases up to date and the rest falls into place.”
Is it hard to move from Cash Manager to Farm Focus?
When the couple started out, Phil looked for a farm smart planning package, and their accountant suggested CRS Software’s Cash Manager. Twenty years on, the technology had moved a long way.
“That was back in the early 2000s so naturally over twenty years later times have changed especially in the technology area. I’m not a big fan of change but I do know it’s a must especially when you’re in business. Compliance for example is becoming quite complex and having a package that is up to date with latest requirements is a big help.”
The Farm Focus team helped her bring across her bank accounts and opening livestock numbers, and find her historic transactions. After that, she learned as she went.
“There are a number of new processes and practice makes perfect! I’m enjoying using Focus and have found my way around quite easily.”
One clear system for a diverse business
The McKenzies run more than a dairy farm. When we spoke with Phil in 2021, they had two dairy farms and a runoff, milking 1,250 cows plus replacements, run by a long-serving contract milker.
“We put a contract milker on who has been with us for ten years and, to give him a fair go, we wanted to move so he wouldn’t feel we were looking over his shoulder.”
They also manage a family trust, a bloodstock company and racing syndicates, and each has its own set of accounts in Farm Focus.
“For example, there are a number of people involved across the racing syndicates and Focus makes it possible to keep them updated regularly so they can see everything is done to the letter of the law and above. This is a real time saver and provides peace of mind for all of us.”
How does cloud farm accounting help with GST?
Phil uses Farm Focus most days, so GST is never a surprise.
“The invoice scanner is helpful - I download invoices as these arrive and store them until I need them. GST is another win. It’s simpler to complete returns as you already have the details plus, I get a clear view of how our GST is looking well before month end which is new.”
Their accountant can log in too.
“I also ticked the box giving our accountant access to the accounts. They can look up what they need without waiting around for us to respond or drop into town with the information.”
Software that keeps improving
Moving to the cloud wasn’t a one-off change. Farm Focus keeps adding new features, and Phil keeps learning them. At the time, the Stock Reconciliation Report was next on her list.
“As I said I like Focus and am pleased I got on and made the switch. Times change and keeping up with the times is still important even for us oldies! Now next on my learning list is the Stock Reconciliation Report.”
Five years on, Phil still runs the family’s businesses in Farm Focus. The dairy farm’s bank feed, Fonterra and Farmlands accounts flow straight into Farm Focus, and the Invoice Scanner handles the bills. Working budgets sit alongside the actuals, and GST is filed from the same numbers. Their accountant and bank manager see the same live figures. In 2026 Phil was one of the early users of the AI Farm Assistant, which answers quick questions about 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.
