Farm Focus marks 45 years serving farmers in Australasia

Farm Focus has marked 45 years in business. The New Zealand farm software company now supports more than 10,000 farmers, growers and advisers across New Zealand and Australia.

The business was incorporated in Masterton in 1981 as CRS Software by founder Ian Campbell, who recognised an early use for computers in farm finance. Its Cashmanager RURAL product went on to become widely used in farm offices for GST, cashflow, budgeting and livestock records.

Over that time, farm software has shifted from expensive desktop machines to cloud-based systems used across multiple locations. When the company started, an IBM computer cost about $20,000, underlining how different the technology environment was.

Chief Executive Marie-Claire Andrews said the company's basic aim had remained constant despite those technological shifts.

"Farmers need to understand where their business stands and what's coming next," Andrews said.

"That means having a clear view of their finances, whether they're managing a difficult season, planning an investment or bringing the next generation into the business.

"For 45 years, our job has been to make that easier."

A people business

Farm Focus traces much of its development to long-standing relationships with farming customers and rural advisers. User feedback has shaped product development, while training and customer support have remained central to its model.

Brian Eccles, who joined the business in 1989 and later owned it, said those relationships mattered as much as the software itself.

"People have often said to us, 'You own a software business.' I've always said we're actually in a people business," said Brian Eccles, Former Owner, Farm Focus.

"The software has just been our way of helping farmers.

"Farmers have a unique and special need that other generic software could never deliver. Meeting that need has always been the point."

The company also works with rural accountants, advisers and banks, using farm financial data in discussions around lending, business performance and planning. That places the software within a wider advisory network, rather than solely as an accounting tool for individual farms.

Cloud shift

In 2022, Cashmanager RURAL was renamed Farm Focus as customers shifted to cloud software. The move reflected a broader change in how farmers and advisers access financial information, with more current data available wherever they are working.

More recently, the company has added AI tools through a product called Farm Assistant. It has also introduced in-app insights designed to flag issues that may need attention, including cashflow pressure ahead of mating or summer, for both farmers and advisers using Focus Professional.

Farm Focus said decision-making remains with farmers and their advisers. Andrews said the test for adopting new technology was practical value rather than novelty.

"New technology has to earn its place," Andrews said.

"For us, the test is whether it saves farmers time or helps them understand their business better."

Australia growth

Although the business remains headquartered in Masterton in the Wairarapa, it now operates within a larger international ownership structure. Farm Focus is part of Constellation Software, a Canadian-listed company, through Vela Software.

Andrews said that ownership provides backing for continued investment as the company serves New Zealand farmers and expands in Australia. The business recently launched Focus Payroll in both Australia and New Zealand, allowing payroll to sit alongside farm finance, and introduced Focus Professional for advisers working with farm clients.

The anniversary also highlights how long some customers have stayed with the business. Some have used its software for 20 or 30 years, reflecting how deeply financial record-keeping systems can become embedded in family farming operations across generations.

"Some of our customers have been with us for 20 or 30 years. They've told us when we've got it right and when we haven't, and that has made us better.

"We're proud of our history. The most important thing is making sure we keep being useful to the farming families who rely on us."