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Leader in the limelight: Russ McKenzie
Tuesday, 5 November 2024
In this AgriLeader feature, we profile leaders from across our industry. We ask them probing questions to find out what makes them tick and how they’ve become the leader they are today.
Russ McKenzie
Russ McKenzie (pictured) manages 995 ha of arable land on the Cambridgeshire/Bedfordshire border alongside undertaking several trials – from varieties to agronomy inputs – while also providing independent consultancy for two different companies. In addition, he runs the diversification side of the business with his wife Ellie.
Russ also sits on the AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds Sector Council, was a 2014 Nuffield Farming Scholar and Yield Enhancement Network (YEN) innovator of the year 2022. It goes without saying, Russ is a busy man.
Let’s get to know Russ a bit more
What’s the best advice you have ever received?
My wife Ellie telling me to believe in myself. She has been instrumental in encouraging me to apply for a Nuffield Farming Scholarship, take opportunities when they arise and make sure I take a holiday!
What was the best decision you ever made?
Ignoring my sixth-form tutor who, upon asking me what I wanted to do as a career, was horrified when I said I wanted to go to agricultural college and go in to farm management. “But you’re doing two languages at A-level and there’s no money in farming.” I know, I replied (I am a reasonable linguist), but I only saw them as a passport to going to agricultural college, and I haven’t looked back with any regrets.
I still love (nearly) every aspect of farming as much now as I did then.
Who do you admire most and why?
There are three people who have had a very significant influence upon my career at different stages: David Earey, Brian Reynolds and Dr Christopher Green.
David was the farmer who gave me the chance to work on his farm during my school holidays as a 13-year-old. Not being from a farming background made it a real challenge to get started on my chosen career path. He gave me the opportunity when most probably wouldn’t have; he had decent machinery and was very forward thinking.
He was also unbelievably competitive, to the point where he once challenged me to a game of tennis (he was an excellent sportsman) – double or quits for my harvest wages. As much as I would have loved to have played him, I knew I couldn’t win and I didn’t fancy losing my entire wages!
Brian Reynolds had a huge influence upon my development as a farm manager during my time at Albanwise Farming Ltd., in the early stages of my career. Very forward thinking and ahead of his time, I really learnt the art of variety selection, thinking ahead on varieties, as well as the pursuit of excellence in crop husbandry while maintaining a tight rein on crop and machinery budgets.
Brian’s approach as farms director was so unique that I think it has been lost on a generation. He has also written an excellent book about his experiences.
Dr Green (sadly no longer with us) took my approach to crop management to the next level. His meetings were incredible for the knowledge he shared and showcasing innovative, forward-thinking ideas that no one else had thought of; I could leave a meeting with 20 A4 pages of notes filled with information.
He was at least two years ahead of anyone on new variety selection and was rarely wrong with up-and-coming varieties.
A brilliant orator – witty with a masterful delivery and the ability to make everyone feel valued. It’s not very often that you can describe someone as indispensable, irreplaceable or peerless, but Chris is the exception to that. I haven’t come across anyone before or since who could think outside of the box to such a level that it was already outside of a box; he challenged me not to accept anything second rate and to value myself and the knowledge I had gained.
It's been my absolute privilege to have known all three of these amazingly inspirational people.
What is your biggest regret?
You can’t change the past, but maybe one regret I have (that I can have no influence upon) is that my dad never got the chance to see me achieve my dream of going into farm management and managing some wonderful farms. He would have loved it as, although he was a painter and decorator, he loved farming and secretly I think he would have loved to be driving a tractor instead of painting!
What has been the highlight of the year to date?
Being invited to speak at the prestigious Rank Prize Symposium for Net Zero in Penrith. It was an incredible three-day event with a select audience designed to give everyone the chance to engage and network; it was amazing to be involved with it.
The other highlight, and there’s always something cricket related with me, was seeing my youngest in an U19s game score 52 off 27 balls and then take a hat-trick bowling in the same game.
What keeps you awake at night?
I do most of my worrying at night and I think that’s directly related to the fact I can’t do anything about whatever the concern is out of normal office hours. Usually, it’s about spray programmes and if I’ve made the right decision!
What’s been the best AgriLeader activity you’ve participated in?
The AgriLeader Forum 2024 in Manchester was a good event to take you out of your comfort zone and listen to some great speakers.
What one item (other than a spouse, child or pet) would you rescue from the flames?
I’ve got a photo album/scrapbook that I collated when I worked on that farm back home as a teenager. There’s some great documentation of harvests, autumns, showing cattle at summer shows, and people, especially a great picture from a local paper that celebrated one of the employee’s 50 years on the farm.
So many great memories that started me on my journey into a career in farming. One look at some of those pictures transports me back to a time and cascade of memories and what the events were, something that’s maybe lost nowadays when you can take a plethora of pictures that soon become irrelevant.
When or where do you get your best ideas?
It’s probably the same thing that keeps me awake at night, but I do think a lot about business and farm-related things at night. I also go over a lot of things while driving or field walking.
What superpower would you choose?
To make anyone who becomes the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in the Government (we’ve had some dreadful ones in recent years) get a grip on understanding the real challenges farmers are facing and commit to being proactive – rather than them standing on stage at a large conference and telling the audience what they want to hear without the remotest bit of interest or intention of actually doing anything.
Ian Oliver