In the Shed
Getting the Foundations Right: Where Good Systems Start
Kia Ora & welcome to our very first episode of In the Shed with Trev. This episode we're having a yarn to FarmRight’s Ed Tapp and Mahesh De Silva who share how they approach choosing the right digital tools across a complex farming business.
Good decisions on farm don’t just come down to experience. They come down to having the right information, in front of the right people, at the right time. Sheryl Haitana sits down with FarmRight’s Ed Tapp and Mahesh De Silva to talk through how they approach choosing digital tools across a complex farming business.
FarmRight manages dairy, beef, and horticulture operations across the country, with teams making calls every day on multiple properties. At that scale, small gaps in how tools are set up can quickly turn into bigger issues. This one’s a practical look at how to approach it, from being clear on the problem through to getting the team on board before anything gets rolled out.
What you'll hear
- Why it pays to start with the problem, not the tool
- What starts to strain as farm businesses grow and spread out
- How to assess tools across different parts of the business
- What good integration looks like day to day
- The early signs something’s not working on farm
- Why simple tools tend to stick
- How getting people involved early makes adoption easier
Who's in the Shed?
Sheryl Haitana, Host
With a background in ag journalism and communications, Sheryl Haitana leads SpadeWorks Communications and focuses on New Zealand’s primary sector. She brings strong industry knowledge and hands-on experience, offering a practical perspective on farm businesses, people and day-to-day operations.
Ed Tapp, FarmRight
At the helm of the NZ Super Fund Rural Portfolio at FarmRight, Ed Tapp oversees dairy, horticulture and beef operations across the country. His work spans both strategy and on-farm execution, with a focus on building systems and teams that can deliver consistently at scale.
Mahesh De Silva, FarmRight
Driving technology across FarmRight, Mahesh De Silva leads investment, infrastructure and rollout across the business. He focuses on making sure systems are practical for on-farm use, integrating tools effectively and helping teams capture data to make better.
A few takeaways worth chewing on
- If you’re not clear on the problem, the tool won’t fix it
- The real cost isn’t just the subscription, it’s people’s time
- If it’s clunky to use, it probably won’t last
- Clean, timely data makes decisions easier to back
- Getting the right people involved early makes a big difference
- The best tools make the day-to-day job simpler
Listen Now
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