Arable farm boasts 14 income streams
Lancashire's Olly Harrison has become a successful farmer and entrepreneur as well as being a popular YouTuber since leaving school at 16 after struggling with dyslexia.
He's grown his farm from 70 hectares to 600ha and used earnings from his YouTube channel — OllyBlogsAgricontractfarmer — which has nearly 150,000 subscribers, to build up his machinery fleet.
Over the past month, he's put out posts about "flailing off" a roadside verge, inspecting emerging millet and canary grass crops in a drought year, oil leaks in a tractor and the minutiae of farming life.
His farming business has 14 different income streams including cropping, dog walking fields, chipping tree waste for biomass, sunflower mazes and office and holiday rentals.
The farmer always seeking new ways to commercially get the most out of his land and assets will be one of the main speakers at Foundation for Arable Research's (FAR) two-day two-yearly conference at Lincoln University from June 30.
Mr Harrison will be outlining his farming journey via video link.
The conference theme of Show Me the Money,will tackle the ongoing concern of profitability as farmers balance greater costs with trying to bring in more income.
A range of international and local speakers will combine with FAR staff to outline ways farmers can reduce costs, improve productivity, diversify into additional income streams and adopt new tools and technologies.
FAR spokeswoman Anna Heslop said growers provided regular feedback on the financial challenges of increasing input costs, flat crop contract prices, increased regulatory compliance and extreme weather events.
Keynote speaker will be New Zealand's special agricultural trade envoy and Methven arable farmer Hamish Marr.
He will be accompanied in the lineup by South Australian grain grower James Venning talking about how to make technology pay.
Over varying soil types, he uses a wide range of technologies to help his decision-making and to micro-manage areas in his cropping programme focusing on productivity, efficiency and cost effectiveness.
The chairman of his local grower group Northern Sustainable Soils, is a board member of the Hart Field Site Group and a grower director of Grain Producers South Australia.
Also appearing via video link will be the founding director of the Centre for Evidence Based Agriculture at Harper Adams University in England, Prof Nicola Randall, to discuss whether regenerative agricultural systems add value.
Farmer discussion panels will provide examples of different approaches and technologies growers are adopting to improve their farm business performance.
A conference dinner will double as a farewell to FAR chief executive Dr Alison Stewart, who steps down at the end of June.
Who is Olly Harrison?
United Kingdom farmer and entrepreneur Olly Harrison is the face behind popular YouTube channel OllyBlogsAgricontractfarmer.
Daily videos starting in the Covid-19 lockdown provide an insight into the challenges and triumphs of farming, marked by humour and diversification stories to fund his "tractor addiction".
His online presence reaches an audience of more than 350,000 followers across his social channels, with 110,000 of them on YouTube.
The farmer's 1500-plus videos have been watched more than 77 million times with his content resonating with farming enthusiasts and urban people curious about rural life.
Mr Harrison was named the International Agricultural Influencer for YouTube by the German Agricultural Society and recognised by the National Farmers' Union as a Community Farming Hero.
His ability to explain the complexities of farming in straightforward language has made him a regular contributor on BBC News and BBC Radio 4.
By last year his farming business had 14 different income streams, including a merchandise operation grossing more than £100,000 in 2023.
After vowing he would own a brand new combine harvester by the age of 40, and achieving the goal, he decided to drive his Claas Lexion combine from John O'Groats to Land's End for charity.
His charitable contributions so far total more than $1 million from events ranging from tractor runs through Liverpool to YouTube fundraisers.
He has promised to leave a farm to each of his three children as he continues to build his farming business.
tim.cronshaw@alliedpress.co.nz
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NZ Herald
a day ago
- NZ Herald
On The Up: Georgie Woods to aid Waimakariri farmers with environmental goals
'Get to know more about their farming operation, their family, their goals and their plans for the future.' Woods grew up in Rangiora, and both of her parents had agricultural roles with her mum, Gendie, working as a specialist farm accountant and her dad, Mark, working in the stock and station industry. They also leased a sheep and beef farm near Amberley, where Woods spent many weekends working with her dad. That's where her love of agriculture began. While at Rangiora High School, Woods enjoyed agricultural studies and being able to put what she'd learned into action on the school's farm led to her pursuing a career in agriculture. After graduating from Lincoln University in 2023 with an Agricultural Science degree (Hons) and an additional major in Environmental Management, Woods spent just under two years working as an environmental advisor for Enviro Collective, based in Ashburton. Her role focused on providing environmental support for the Barrhill Chertsey, Acton Farmers and Rangitata South irrigation schemes. When the environmental advisor opportunity with Waimakariri Irrigation came up, Woods jumped at the chance to work in North Canterbury. Waimakariri Irrigation is a shareholder-owned cooperative that manages a large run-of-river irrigation scheme in Canterbury, providing water to around 200 shareholders and irrigating approximately 23,000ha. Now, a month into her new job, she is learning about the scheme and has been out and about meeting shareholders. She's also enjoying the shorter commute time from Rangiora to the scheme's Oxford office. 'I was spending about three hours per day driving from Rangiora to Ashburton, so it's lovely to have a few more hours in the day for myself,' she said. 'I have been on a tour around the scheme and have met some of our shareholders who are all so welcoming. 'I am joining WIL at an exciting time where I will have lots of opportunities for learning and development, but for me, the main thing is to be out on the ground with the farmers and getting to know them and their farming businesses.' Initially, Woods' role will focus on Farm Environment Plan (FEP) updates and coordinating the scheme's FEP audit programme, along with supporting environmental manager Ben Howden and the wider team with various projects. When Woods isn't working, she enjoys playing netball for the Amberley Netball Club, baking, photography, volunteering for organisations such as the Northern A&P Show and working on her newly purchased first home with her partner, Reegan.
Otago Daily Times
3 days ago
- Otago Daily Times
Family's Lincoln scholarship back
A Cricklewood farming family's commitment to agricultural studies has seen scholarship applications open for a second year. The O'Sullivan Family Scholarship Fund is available to support a South Canterbury student in pursuing an agricultural degree. Working alongside the Aoraki Foundation, the O'Sullivan family created the fund to help a student achieve an agricultural degree from Lincoln University. The family has a long-standing connection to Lincoln University that spans five decades, beginning with William (Dermott) O'Sullivan who graduated in 1973. All four of his sons — Ryan, Brett, Tim, and Chris — followed in his academic footsteps, creating a generational bond with the university. After starting his career with Lands and Survey in Timaru, Mr O'Sullivan and his wife Bronwen built a farming legacy in Cricklewood, expanding Glenire Farm into a 500ha dairy operation. All four sons returned to help in 2007 — shortly before Mrs O'Sullivan's death later that year. Mr O'Sullivan said the family was now giving back in a way that reflected their gratitude and commitment to the region's future. "Lincoln University, we believe, has played a major part in our family's success in getting us to where we are today. We would like to give something back, and one way is to support a student from South Canterbury in pursuing an agricultural degree," Mr O'Sullivan said. Mr O'Sullivan established a named endowment with the Aoraki Foundation to provide the scholarship annually. "The foundation staff have been great to work with, and we were stoked to get nine applications from South Canterbury students in our first year, thanks to the great promotion work they did in conjunction with Lincoln." The inaugural scholarship was awarded in 2024 to Jack Neal, a former Timaru Boys' High School student now studying for a BLPM at Lincoln University, with a focus on rural valuation and agricultural management. Mr O'Sullivan said he firmly believed an agricultural degree not only helped address the nationwide shortage of rural valuers, but also equipped students with versatile skills that opened doors across the agricultural industry. He said the family also believed that a strong foundation in education could build legacies that served both the land and the community for generations, and that a good education could shape both their personal and professional lives. Applications for the scholarship fund can be made to Lincoln University and close on October 31. — Allied Media
NZ Herald
3 days ago
- NZ Herald
Covid wage-subsidy cheat Luke Daniel Rivers cooked up fake employees to steal nearly $1 million
He spent a term at a local grammar school but couldn't afford the fees, so he went to work, then studied and became an accountant. He changed his name by statutory declaration in June 2004, believing an English-sounding name would enhance his career prospects. In July 2006, he got a new Inland Revenue Department (IRD) number under the name of Luke Rivers. However, he did not tell the tax department he still held another tax number under his birth name. Prosecutor Fiona Culliney said the offending Rivers was charged with started in 2011, when he evaded child support by filing multiple tax returns misrepresenting his income. But when the Covid-19 pandemic presented a new opportunity, the scale of his offending escalated. As the Government rolled out wage subsidies and small-business support schemes, Rivers cooked up an elaborate con. He pocketed about $906,000 and attempted to swindle a further $724,105.60. The fantasy world of his fraud scheme included the names of three Indian 'employees' who had never been in New Zealand. He made 28 applications on behalf of eight companies he controlled, with a dozen of those applications fraudulent. Luke Daniel Rivers's fraudulent applications for wage subsidies named three "employees" who had never been to NZ. Photo / Dean Purcell In the small-business cashflow scheme he acquired about $29,000 and made failed applications for a further $41,600. The court heard Rivers was the sole director and shareholder of Your Payroll Limited, Your Refund Limited, Accounting 4 Me Limited and Save On Mortgage Limited. In multiple wage-subsidy applications he named himself as a full-time employee. Rivers was charged in June 2023 and initially denied the allegations. By October that year, it seemed a trial lasting four or five weeks would happen. But in April this year, Rivers admitted 29 charges. Culliney said Rivers' offending was prolonged and involved the abuse of his position as a chartered accountant. 'On that basis, [the chances of] a discount for character, if any's available, must be very slim.' The court heard Rivers cited his Chinese culture and 'expectations on him to be financially successful' as influencing the offending. 'He's well-educated and a successful businessman,' Culliney said. 'This is a particularly sophisticated and deliberate scheme of fraud. It's opportunistic in the sense that the country was in crisis, but it wasn't a situation where it was easy enough to dip into client funds.' In November 2020, Rivers opened an Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation (OCBC) account in Singapore and sent $100,000 to it. In June 2021, he opened an account with Standard Chartered bank under a Chinese name. In total, $696,243.50 was sent to that account. In December 2020, he sent $250,000 to the OCBC account on the same day he received that money from the Government. Defence counsel Baden Meyer said Rivers was not a demonstrative man, but he was remorseful. The defendant had already repaid $1 million. 'The payment of reparation …. is a practical demonstration of his remorse," Meyer said. Chartered accountant Luke Daniel Rivers used his skills to cheat the wage subsidy scheme. Photo / Dean Purcell The prosecution said seven years' jail should be the starting point, and the defence said six years. Judge Kathryn Maxwell said the amount of money in the fraud was an aggravating factor. She said Rivers' use of two IRD numbers allowed him to misrepresent his income for seven years. He forged documents to get three IRD numbers for the Indian people and also made false employment returns. Rivers used real people's names and details to give the wage-subsidy applications a veneer of legitimacy. Rivers abused subsidies which were established to support businesses in need at a time of high stress, Judge Maxwell said. 'It is, more broadly, fraud against taxpayers as a whole.' Rivers received a 10% discount for the reparations he made and a 5% discount for his guilty pleas. He was sentenced to five years and 11 months' imprisonment. Judge Maxwell told him: 'You did not take what you needed. There was a smorgasbord of dishonesty and considerable personal gain.'
