Career story

Crop manager

Gareth Holder manages 1,600 hectares of vegetable and grain crops each year in Hawke's Bay. His main responsibility is to ensure all the crops are grown to export quality.

"A lot of focus is on the quality of the product rather than the quantity, as we only get paid on the quality of the fruit that arrives at its final destination," he says.

Being a crop manager means more than just sowing seed, irrigation and harvesting. "Prior to planting, a lot of evaluation takes place where we look at our overall performance on a paddock by paddock level to see which are performing and which ones are not," he says. "We do a lot of trials on our crops, on sustainability, fertility and water management. We also trial different growing techniques and harvest timings."

The ability to keep up-to-date with technology and interpret research is also key to Gareth's role. "I use growing software so I can keep track of everything. There is a lot of paperwork and auditing as we need to be able to trace what we grow from day one to the end. Budgeting is also a big part of the job.

"Once the crop is being harvested and it is coming off well it is a really big buzz. The positive feedback from the buyers at the final destination is a big tick for me. I don't consider the job done until it has arrived, they've paid the money and there is a happy customer at the other end."

Meeting and dealing with different people is also an essential part of the job. "I talk to a lot of seed merchants and breeders, and our buyers usually visit in April from Japan, Asia and Europe while we are harvesting," he says. "I think being someone who is flexible and able to communicate on different levels is a big plus."