A South Island farm boy schooled in the big city, Matt came back to the lure of the country by joining Altum in 2008.
‘I left St Bede’s College in Christchurch and did some fencing on the East Coast to raise funds to study at Canterbury University. I’ve had a few careers over the years from rugby coach and teacher to working in the rugby industry, and now back to agriculture.’
‘Outside work I keep a hand in occasionally with rugby and I enjoy my young family and lifestyle block outside of Hamilton.’
Anna-Lena grew up on a sheep and beef farm in Te Kauwhata. After spending five years at boarding school in Hamilton she headed to the bright lights of Palmerston North to study at Massey University.
On completing her BSc in agricultural science Anna-Lena joined Altum as a field cadet. ‘The cadet role was great because it allowed me to learn about what we can do for farmers without any added pressure while I was still new.’ She graduated to the role of sales consultant in June 2011, and enjoys having a balance of both dairy farms and sheep and beef farms in her patch.
Owing to her German heritage Anna-Lena likes to make the occasional trip back to Germany whenever the chance presents itself and has racked up five visits so far.
Originally from South Africa, Stuart joined us in the land of the long white cloud in 1999 and settled into running a successful dairy farm at Tapora, near the Kaipara Harbour.
After a run in with a bull left him with a broken back, Stuart realised he needed a new career, one that still used his passion for farming but that didn’t involve a lot of hard, physical labour.
‘Working as the Altum sales consultant for the Cambridge area is great because it gives me the chance to give good advice to people and I really enjoy speaking to farmers about their needs.’
Stuart is also a keen fisherman and musician, with musical tastes that range from jazz to ‘anything goes’.
Fred hails from a Rangitikei farming family. After seven years at boarding school he spent five years working on sheep, beef and cropping farms around Marton.
'In the 1960s I started a sheep-shearing run in the UK, eventually handing it on to other Kiwis.'
He joined Altum in 1993, covering from Taupo to Coromandel to East Cape. 'Now my wings are clipped to mainly the Central Plateau.'
He farmed in Upper Atiamuri until taking on a 6.5ha lifestyle block north of Taupo, where he supports horse trialling and enjoys fly fishing.
After high school David worked on farms to fund an agricultural economics degree at Massey University. A spell of post-graduate OE took in Europe and the Middle East before he returned to work on the commissioning of the Litchfield Cheese Factory, and later to manage a 400-cow dairy farm near Gordonton.
'I joined Altum over 10 years ago and love helping our farmers increase their profitability and environmental protection.'
He likes to run, cycle, swim and kayak and devotes time to his family, the Waihi school board and the Bible in Schools programme.
Born and bred in Whitford in south Auckland on a sheep and beef farm, Brett was educated at Kings College before going on to Lincoln College to round out his learning.
Brett has made his home in the Bay of Plenty for over 20 years, and has been with Altum for more than four years selling in the Bay of Plenty.
‘Through Massey University I have passed the Nutrient Management and Advanced Nutrient Management courses. I have a partner and two sons, and my favourite cat is called Meow.’
Originally from India, Manjit went to primary school in Hamilton, going on to graduate with a Masters degree from University of Waikato.
His early career was in the cosmetics industry in Auckland, after which he bought a 280-cow dairy farm near Tahuna and moved on farm with his wife and two children.
'I joined Altum in February 2009 and have really enjoyed getting to meet so many farmers and doing the best we can for them. I like to read non-fiction books, and compensate with road running to try to keep fit.'
