Wilkins Farming
Success isn’t something you inherit.
Mike Wilkins is part of an innovative generation that's focused on growing successful businesses, rather than waiting to inherit them. The Wilkins family have transformed their extensive family property, into an active sheep, beef, deer, and dairy farm that also involved in cropping and finishing stock. In addition they offer grazing and run a contracting/trucking business. It's a level of diversity that's rare to see in an agricultural business.
With so many different facets to the farm, it's a huge amount for anyone to stay on top of. But the Wilkins family are as level headed as they come. For them it's about integrity. They're creating win-win relationships with other farming enterprises and mitigating risk and losses, rather than maximising trading profits at anyone else's expense.
The scale at which the Wilkins Farming operates has also helped shaped their success. The sheer size and breadth of what the business does, puts them in touch with major players in the industry, and allows the highs and lows of various enterprises to balance each other out. So, if lamb export prices aren't favourable, sheep grazing can be put on the back burner, while the business shifts its focus to a more lucrative area.
Because Wilkins Farming is involved in so many different aspects of the agriculture industry, they cultivatestrong client and supplier relationships. Being continually exposed to market issues, gives them insights into new opportunities. So, if they can address someone else's market problem with a solution from their own portfolio, they'll have a crack at it.
Of course having the right backing is critical for this success. The family continually adjust plans and reassess land usage, and hold regular planning sessions to keep the bank in the loop when they are amending forecasts and setting new targets. They've also found that our in-depth understanding of agriculture has made BNZ a good fit for them. The family can talk about investing in new capital or systems for new ventures and it feels like a discussion between partners, rather than a meeting with a bank. They're free to concentrate on what they do best. And with their genuine belief that success is something you should grow, rather than wait passively for, you can bet Wilkins Farming is a company we'll keep hearing from.