Farm Tender

Unlocking Ag with Adam Gardiner

This article is bought to you by Wallaloo Park.

At just 19, he made the move to Deniliquin and has never looked back!

DelayPay and Farm Tender chat to Adam about getting ahead in the drought, and what it takes to survive long term in farming.


Picture - Adam and Peter Gardiner

On any given day you’ll find Adam out working on his broadacre farm, situated just west of Deniliquin in the mighty NSW Riverina region.

Growing up on his parent’s farm in Echuca, even as a nipper Adam knew he wanted his own farming operation. That’s when he decided to make Deniliquin his home.

“There was just a better scale for growth up here, and although it was all irrigation at first, I saw an opportunity to basically get some better machinery in and just pull out the existing infrastructure.”

Later joined by brother Peter, what started out as an 800 acre block is now the 12,000 acre operation known as Gardiner Bros Farms, the result of Adam’s early vision in making the changes that would set up him up for the long term.

So what inspires Adam to go further and grow bigger?

It’s working right alongside Peter that inspires Adam to keep getting bigger and better. He says having his brother as his work mate makes dealing with the pressures of running the business easier.

 “We mainly grow hay up here for export and domestic. There’s a lot of pressure in producing hay, what with the balers, telehandlers and the trucks. We have 6 full time workers and will need another 15 to cope with harvest.


How does Adam setup for future success?

Being in the hay trade also brings the pressure of balancing supply with demand, which Adam says is made even harder with the drought.

“There’s a big unreliability in the hay game, you can go from all demand to none at all.”

Adam knew increasing his storage capacity was key to meeting demand when it peaked, with cashflow the biggest factor in helping him expand his infrastructure and, in turn, seeing domestic growth.

“We’re building a shed to store 20,000 bales. Livestock producers will buy up for 12 months from us when we lock in the price early. This way they can commit to us, have enough carry over and storage is taken care of.”

And what does Adam keep top of mind to survive the next 30 years in ag?

“We have to move with the times. Every year or two can be different- water for example. In five years we may have to go back to irrigating. It’s about being flexible enough to make the changes that will set us up for the long term.”

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