Brendon Tierney was the ‘young gun’ consultant on the team when I joined Planfarm in 2005. He was universally known as one of the smartest consultants and was liked by everyone who knew him. It was inevitable that he would move on from Planfarm, but he has been missed since. It is great to hear from Brendon about his time with Planfarm, where he was tutored by founder Peter Falconer, as you hear from him here. – Cameron Weeks
What has been your involvement in Planfarm?
My first of three stints at Planfarm were during the first half of 1998 when I completed the professional practice component of my Muresk degree. Then, at the end of 1998, I spent the summer university break working at Planfarm before I took up a full-time role starting in December 1999. Initially I was based in the West Perth office under the guidance of Peter Falconer before shifting out to Wongan Hills in September 2000. In 2006, I moved back to our family farm at Bindi but continued with a part-time consulting role until I finished my time at Planfarm towards the end of 2014.
What major change in agriculture did you witness in your time at Planfarm?
The major change that sticks in my mind for how quickly it was adopted was the GPS guidance/precision farming technology. Initially, the paddocks sown up and back really caught your eye when you were driving around. Within a couple of years, it seemed the paddocks that weren’t sown up and back were the ones catching your eye. The other aspect of the GPS revolution that resonates with me is that while I was still in primary school, I remember my Grandfather saying that one day, I would be able to sit in a chair, press a button and watch the tractor drive around the paddock. I’ve always thought that was remarkable foresight, and I also remind myself that he was part of the generation that saw machines replace horses, which at the time must have been equally impressive. It makes you wonder what aspects of farming now will be redundant in 50 years’ time.
What are some of the major changes in the industry you see now compared to your time with Planfarm?
The amount of capital involved in farming now has escalated so much since I finished at Planfarm. Whilst the land prices had started to move significantly in the mid 2000’s, to see them continue to grow at the rate they have sets the bar so much higher for the standard of management required for those looking to grow their businesses through purchasing more land. Similarly, with rising input costs and machinery costs, the pressure to maintain your operating margins each year seems greater than ever before.
What was one of the more humorous things you experienced with your time at Planfarm?
When I started at Planfarm, I was warned that Peter Falconer was not one to tolerate fools lightly. While completing my professional practice, Peter shared with me a previous student’s report that stated approaching Peter’s office was best done like a bombing raid: Get in there, get the job done, and get out quick before things blow! That all left me completely unprepared for Peter’s penchant for practical jokes. Towards the end of my professional practice, I asked Peter if he would be kind enough to write me a reference for my time at Planfarm. A couple of days later Peter produced an envelope with my “reference”. I was very grateful as I slipped it into my desk drawer. I should have known something was amiss because I remember Peter poking his head around the door several times that day before eventually suggesting I should have a look at the reference to make sure it was OK. Peter had written a very thoughtful reference for me – and had also taken the opportunity to slip in a sledge or two about my fondness for a cinnamon bun at morning tea time and likened my cricketing results to Mark Taylor, who was also struggling at the time. There were also a couple of spelling and grammar mistakes, so it was just enough to leave me squirming about whether I should risk a trip to Peter’s office to request a few changes. Finally, I worked up enough courage to head into Peter’s office, and by this time, he couldn’t keep a straight face any longer!
Any pearls of wisdom that you lived by throughout your time with Planfarm that still apply nowadays?
Something that Peter shared with me about his, John Abbie’s and Ken Boughton’s ethos in starting Planfarm was that any business should exist to serve the people – and not the other way around. It’s easy to get caught up in the pressures of day-to-day life but we really do need to take time to step back and ask ourselves whether our businesses are indeed the best way to serve our needs as individuals and families – or whether we have become slaves to doing what is best for the business.
If you were to have your time again with hindsight, would there be anything differently you would do?
Now that I have spent time with the ‘hands-on’ side of farming, I think I have a better insight into the importance of operational efficiency and how that impacts your bottom line. If I were starting my time again, I’d be keen to use the opportunity to benchmark things like spraying and seeding operations to tease out what the top operators are doing to optimize their output during what are often limited windows in which a job can be done.
What did you most enjoy from your time with Planfarm?
The clear highlight of my time at Planfarm was the people I was involved with at that time – those working at Planfarm itself and the clients I was fortunate enough to work with. Without fail, I found people to bewelcoming and understanding – particularly as I was starting out in the industry and very generous in sharing their knowledge and expertise.