A word from one of our Shareholders
Evan Chisnall - Ruralco Shareholder and Dairy Farmer
Evan Chisnall is a dairy farm owner and investor based just outside of Hinds in Canterbury. He is no stranger to the rural life, and as a 5th generation Canterbury farmer, he bought his own farm in 1992 and converted it from a sheep, beef and cropping farm with border dyke and wild flood irrigation, to a pivot irrigated dairy farm. He has grown his business over the years and now owns and runs 6 dairy farms, 1,650 hectares with 6,000 cows across the region.
Evan really loves the business and people aspect of his operation, relationships with his staff, reps and customers. He also loves getting out on his farms, connecting with the land and his cows, the climate and what’s happening on the ground. He finds motivation in his son as he learns the ropes of being a dairy farmer, so will be the 6th generation in his line to become a farmer.
He is proud to hold one of the first 300 Ruralco memberships, handed down to him from his father. Their family have had a long standing ties with Ruralco and this has gained him strong relationships with their local reps and agents.
“We really value Ruralco. If farmers don’t have co-ops they end up paying full retail and we need any help we can get to keep our costs down. With Ruralco being local this helps them to understand our businesses, they know our land, our people and they can provide a great service as a result. We all have unique issues and they understand that. They look after the farmers.”