Learn why we call our approach Performance Agronomy™ with a free one-on-one session with your local agronomist. We’ve forged a reputation for having the most technically astute agronomy field staff across the pastoral retail sector, achieving extraordinary yield results for winter-feed crops, including frequently winning yield competitions across regions.
Your free no obligation farm review includes:
We understand the nuances of South Island soil and conditions and how plants grow. That’s why 95% of our seed mixes are tailored and prescribed exactly when and where they’re necessary. We also tailor chemical and fertiliser solutions to each paddock and crop; this is not only more cost effective, in our experience it gets better results.
We’ve developed our own growing programmes including the cultivation of specialised formulations for kale and fodder beet. And we were the first to consider different ways of planting – a university- backed study that saw us build our own drill designed to sow seeds at a spacing rate we know works best in South Island soil.
To ensure our agronomy-led solutions reach their full potential, we’re on-farm regularly walking each paddock corner to corner to see how crops are tracking throughout every stage of growth and into the next season and the season after that.
Derek is a Bachelor of Agricultural Science graduate from Lincoln University. He brings to the company a wealth of knowledge in fertiliser having worked in this industry for five years prior to joining Catalyst in 2018. Derek is based out of Christchurch where he resides with his family.
Growing up on a dairy support farm in Rangitata, Reg developed a deep-rooted passion for agriculture at a young age. After attending Timaru Boys High School as a boarder, he embarked on a journey in farming, starting with the family farm before transitioning to share milking with his wife Emma. Prior to joining Catalyst, Reg successfully managed a large-scale dairy support operation under CPW irrigation. His dedication to sustainable practices and personalised approach makes him a valuable asset to the farming community in the North Canterbury region.
Harry grew up on a beef, cropping, and deer farm in South Canterbury. He earned a Bachelor of Agricultural Science with Honours from Lincoln University, focusing his thesis on beef wintering systems. Harry has worked on dairy and high-country farms. In 2023, he gained international experience in Argentina, Chile, and the UK. He joined Catalyst in late November. In his free time, Harry enjoys hunting, fishing, diving, reading, and skiing.
Luke brings valuable experience from his time working as a pastoral agronomist in the South Canterbury area. With previous roles in finance at PGGW, Elders, and Farmlands, Luke's expertise is backed by a Bachelors degree in Agricultural Science from Lincoln in 2010. Off the field, he's a dedicated rugby player, representing Pleasant Point and South Canterbury in the heartland championship. Based in Timaru, Luke will serve our clients from both the Ashburton and North Otago stores.
A graduate from Lincoln University, Bridget studied Agricultural Science for four years before being becoming one of our Junior Agronomists. After her initial tutelage under James Smith in Central Otago, Bridget now works closely with Patrick Davis to execute the SureYield™ fixed price agronomy programme.
After completing his studies in Agronomy at Stellenbosch University in South Africa, Wouter has amassed over 10 years' experience in agronomy, including nine as an agronomist in South Africa specialising in arable and vegetable crops. Wouter enjoys the diversity of his role – from desk to paddock, and the satisfaction that comes from seeing a crop through from planting to harvest. Wouter and his young family immigrated to NZ in August 2019. They love the outdoors and are all enjoying travelling to different parts of their new home country and look forward to the many beautiful places they are yet to see.
Evan joins the Mid Canterbury team as an Agronomist, working to provide technical advice and support to farmers and the team throughout the season. He comes to us from New Zealand Arable, where he worked as a field research technician, delivering field trials for a wide range of clients. During this time, he completed a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Management at Lincoln University. His career also includes a short stint with the New Zealand Navy in 2019. In his spare time, Evan enjoys running and biking - he’s competed in several half marathons and has a goal of completing a sub-3-hour marathon.
Paul is a highly skilled and dedicated professional serving as the Warehouse Manager at our Ashburton location. Known for his strong leadership and organisational skills, he fosters a positive work environment that promotes teamwork, exceptional service and customer satisfaction. Paul's attention to detail and commitment to excellence drives the success of our Ashburton operation.
Known for his exceptional customer service and always going the extra mile to ensure client satisfaction, Mike is responsible for the smooth and efficient execution of our on-farm delivery operation. With his expertise, commitment, and friendly demeanour, Mike plays a vital role in the overall success of our Ashburton operations team. In his spare time, Mike enjoys playing golf and indulging in his passion for horse racing.
Every day, we work closely with farmers and farm managers to grow crops that deliver great commercial results. We’re side by side with them in the field delivering tailored agronomy advice on the correct seed variety, planting methods, fertilisers and chemical controls.
Mitch Russell owns Delos Dairies, a 460ha milking platform split across two farms with 60-70ha stitching-in grass each year and 50ha of new grass. In addition, there’s a 230ha wintering block with a mix of fodder beet, kale and swedes. Mitch says, “We’ve been working with Catalyst for a long time now, and the level of knowledge they bring to the table is impressive. On the wintering block, we’ve been working on getting the mix of crops just right; our agronomist has been scaling up our kale in combination with the fodder beet and we’ve been happy how the results work for our herd’s condition. Catalyst is exceeding our expectations year in, year out.”
We're set up to service farms face to face with our team of dedicated agronomists, but our mindset keeps us nimble and dynamic. If there's a better way of doing something, we'll embrace it. If a problem needs to be solved, we won't rest until it is.
We recognise that our customers, much as they love the land, are running big businesses with big financial commitments. We work to deliver real commercial results for them and add value to their bottom lines.
