After growing up on the family sheep and beef farm in the Bay of Plenty, Russell started his career in the dairy industry in 1989 and worked his way up to a 50/50 sharemilker position near Whakatane. 

While farming, Russell was puzzled as to why pastures deteriorated so quickly and New Zealand farms required so much nitrogen to maintain grass production. Eventually he began on-farm trials with various fertiliser and management regimes to find solutions to these problems.

Attending a Dr. Elaine Ingham course opened his eyes to the world of soil microbiology and he began experimenting with different products and methods of increasing the natural nutrient cycling processes that already exist to enhance pasture production.

Dr. Arden Andersen’s biological farming course put the puzzle pieces together for him and he founded Abron Living Soil Solutions to provide real solutions to the problems affecting farming business and a focus on results not a product push. The vision was about lifting the performance of farms, making them more efficient and profitable as well as environmentally and economically sustainable.

Russell and his wife Jacqui have two young children Cameron and Abby. On weekends he enjoys creating a self sufficient food supply for his family on their property in the Kaimai Range near Tauranga as well as a spot of kayak fishing.  His curiosity about fertilisers and complex soil processes, all with Jacqui’s passion to create nutritionally dense food and wellbeing for people fuels his innovations in sustainable farming systems.

Click here to ask Russell a question.