Meet Pursehouse Rural Business Manager for Fertiliser and Anhydrous Ammonia.
From early beginnings commencing as a forklift driver in 2005 to now the Business Manager for Fertiliser and Anhydrous Ammonia, Adam has seen almost every step along the way, gaining over 20 years of experience in the industry.
Born and raised in Tamworth, Adam has spent most of his life living around the Tamworth region, with a few years spent living in Toowoomba and Narrabri before returning to his roots. With a background and passion for horses, Adam was raised riding horses and was a horse breaker for some years before commencing the forklift driver role with Pursehouse Rural Tamworth in 2005 (previously Tamworth Co-Op). Having attended a local agricultural-focused high school, Adam was well and truly invested in the agricultural sector and gained many contacts within the industry.
After Adam’s initial role in the company, he experienced a change of scenery, making his way to the front counter, serving customers and staking shelves. Not before long, Adams's passion and previous experience in the equine industry led him into a specialty equine role focusing mainly on the racing industry. During this time, Adam held a series of equine information evenings, including foal handling clinics, guest speakers, and demonstrations around natural horsemanship.
Adam then moved into a Merchandise Manager role for over 8 years before progressing to a Branch Manager. After 12 months as Branch Manager, Adam stepped into the role of Business Manager for Fertiliser and Anhydrous Ammonia in 2021, “I’ve seen almost every step along the way from a forklift driver to what I do now,” says Adam. “What led me to this role is the challenge of trying to buy the product at the right price, and there are a lot of big decisions to make as far as when to purchase and how to purchase”.
Adam's role as the Business Manager of Fertiliser and Anhydrous Ammonia involves purchasing and forecasting fertiliser demands and ensuring Pursehouse Rural has the right products at the right time for growers. “We need to keep an eye on global market trends, international trends, and what we are going to apply and when we are going to apply it,” says Adam.
Adam's previous experience in the role included booking, buying, and selling fertiliser as a Merchandise Manager. This was a “very small role of buying and selling fertiliser and then gradually built up to what we do now”.
Adams enjoys the many aspects of the industry with a passion for fertiliser, “I do have a soft spot for fertiliser now and particularly trading and buying big lots of products, it can give you some sleepless nights but it’s pretty good.”
Adam states “It’s a very dynamic role and it moves very quickly, things can change within 2 or 3 hours massively, so it’s exciting and very fast-paced.”
Adam shares that the most interesting part of managing fertiliser and anhydrous ammonia is global factors and export policies have huge impacts on the cost of materials for farmers. “There are so many different things that go into the pricing that we see here domestically that you’ve got to keep an eye on so many different factors to keep your head above water” says Adam.