Alec and Ann Webster have been farming all their lives, the past twenty seven years dairy farming in the Wairarapa. Nestled beneath the Tararua ranges and close to Featherston, their 385 hectare farm, ‘Oakridge’ is noticeable for its rich green pastures, surrounded by rows of imposing and necessary windbreaks. Living close to the ranges, wind is always an issue, with Featherston regularly having some of the strongest winds in the region. Despite the drought that has affected the region, their property with careful irrigation and due to being close to the hills has not been so badly affected. Like other farmers, the couple, are only too familiar with the challenges of working with nature, the land, and managing the practicalities of running a successful business. Originally sheep and beef farmers at Whareama in the Wairarapa, they took a change of direction when they decided dairy farming offered them more., “Sheep farms were struggling and the way things were looking financially the best direction for us was in dairy,” says Alec. This was a total change for a couple who had little or no experience in dairy farming. Moving from Whareama, they did share milking in Dannevirke, learning by ‘hands on’ experience. When Ann’s parents, farmers themselves, decided to sell their farm at Featherston in the early eighties, Ann and Alec bought it. Since then they have added to the original property by buying neighbouring land. They also own a number of small blocks in the area that are used for stock, crops and Ann’s horse’s. Ann is a keen rider with a special interest in dressage. Their son James works on the farm with them and manages to find some spare time to train racehorses, something he is proving to be quite successful at. The couple, never keen on using insecticides or chemicals on their stock or property made the decision to go organic, producing organic milk. They are now one year into organics and have another two to go before they can have their property certified. This has been another huge learning curve for them, but one they both feel is in line with how they want to see their farm develop. Fonterra pays a seven percent premium for their milk for the first three conversion years, this rises to twenty percent once the farm is certified. Incentives like this help couples like Alec and Ann make the change. While Alec, son James and sharemilker Andrew manage the physical running of the farm, Ann has managed and been in charge of the finances from the beginning. As any farmer knows, the right tools are vital and Ann decided from the start she wanted a software program that was designed for farmers, was easy to use and kept her in the picture. She was no longer happy doing books the “old way.” Knowing the importance of budgeting and keeping clear, accurate records, all vital to avoid financial pitfalls, she purchased a copy of “Budget,” better known today as Cashmanager RURAL. That was in 1983, the program’s name may have changed over the years, but it is still produced by the same company in Masterton, CRS Software Ltd. Ann is a great advocate of the program and says, she would recommend it to anyone, “I have used it for twenty five years and I regard it as another farm tool.” “This year” she says, “my accountant was impressed I was only out by fifty dollars on my estimated tax, that’s because Cashmanager RURAL gives me a clear picture of how the finances are.” Alec believes the program is excellent, “ I would definitely recommend it, “I can come in and ask Ann to give me some figures and she just prints them out, its all there at our fingertips.” It’s also easy for their accountant, “we just drop the disc off to the accountant and that’s it, done, its that simple.” As Ann and Alec have worked hard as a team to ensure their farm continues to grow and thrive, the same is true for the team behind Cashmanager RURAL. CRS Software are constantly working on the development of their program, ensuring they can meet the differing needs and requirements of farmers. Recently they introduced CMR online, an online version of Cashmanager RURAL. The software and your data are run and stored from a central server which you can access via the internet. This means several people can share information from anywhere in the world. Where two or more people need to share information, being online is a major advantage. Clients like Ann and Alec Webster are valued and appreciated greatly by the company, who over the years has worked at providing support and service second to none to people they regard now as friends.