Growing a Legacy: South Canterbury AG Services and The Future of Contracting
Agriculture has long been the backbone of South Canterbury, shaping the land, the people, and the economy. The region’s rich farming tradition is more than just history—it’s a way of life. Having grown up surrounded by the industry, one young entrepreneur has taken the opportunity to continue a legacy and grow a contracting business that supports local farmers and ensures the land continues to produce for generations to come.
Sheep farming became dominant in the 19th and early 20th centuries, with South Canterbury playing a key role in New Zealand’s booming wool and meat export industries. The development of irrigation schemes in the mid-20th century allowed the land to become more productive, leading to diversification into cropping and dairy farming. Today, contractors play a vital role in maintaining that productivity, providing essential services that keep farms operating efficiently. South Canterbury Ag Services is a business rooted in opportunity, hard work, and a deep commitment to the local farming community. Indeed, South Canterbury’s agricultural history is a testament to the resilience and innovation of its people. Over the years, technological advancements and improved farming practices have transformed the landscape, but the essence of agriculture remains the same— hard work, adaptability, and a commitment to the land. At the heart of it is South Canterbury Ag Services co-owner Henry Lightbourne, a young contractor who has steadily built his place in the industry since leaving school just four years ago.
His journey into agricultural contracting is a testament to the opportunities that arise from dedication and a willingness to learn. Henry’s start in the industry was shaped by Cam Scott, who at the time was farming in South Canterbury while also running a contracting business. What began as a summer job turned into something much more significant when the opportunity to buy into the business arose. "It started, four years ago,” Henry explains. "I left school and worked for Cam who owned half of the business that I bought into, Cam Scott. Cam was farming in South Canterbury and running the contracting as a summer business to keep his machinery moving and build up our client base. That’s how I got into it. The opportunity came for me to buy into it, and now my business partner is Hamish Rowley.” Based half an hour west of Timaru, the business covers an extensive area, servicing farms in Cave, Pleasant Point, and as far as an hour north and south of Timaru.
Their work is broad-ranging, encompassing round baling, square baling, cultivation and drilling. "We try to cover it all really,” Henry says. "Round baling is our bread and butter, but we do square baling, cultivation, and drilling—we try and cut everything.” Naturally, as the seasons shift, so do the priorities for South Canterbury Ag Services. This autumn, the focus remains on baling—predominantly straw—with some baleage work still ongoing. At the same time, cultivation is beginning to take an increasing presence as the harvest draws to a close. "It's good actually,” Henry notes. "It's a lot wetter than normal, and it has been a challenging harvest for grain, which makes it challenging for us, baling the straw. But it happens eventually, and there's still a lot of grass around, so it'll probably drag our season out until the end of April.” The choice of machinery is a critical factor in the business’s success. Henry runs a mix of Case and John Deere tractors, supported by Fendt, Massey, and Claas implements. Case remains the dominant brand in their fleet, but having a mix of machinery ensures they can handle a range of tasks efficiently. What Henry enjoys most about the contracting industry is being out in the community, working with farmers who have built strong relationships with his business. "We have a really good loyal client base, and they look out for us , and we do the same for them. I like working with good people.”
When it comes to favourite tasks, Henry finds himself most often on the round balers. "It’s all sort of the same thing,” he says, "but I’m normally on the round balers—that’s what I cover.” Running a contracting business comes with challenges, particularly when it comes to staffing. This being his first year at the helm, Henry has been fortunate to have a good team around him. "We've had a couple of older guys, semi-retired, that are quite happy to help us out, do the odd day here and there,” he says. "Then, we've got our full-time staff. I've got one full-time, and my business partner has two full-time. So, yeah, we are working together, and there are normally five of us working at one time. During busier times, we obviously need to pull more people in.” Looking to the future, the business is in the midst of a major expansion. Henry and Hamish are currently in the process of acquiring another contracting business in Pleasant Point. "He's just the same as what we do, and he's been at it for 50 years. He's come to the stage where he wants out, and we're keen to scale up.” Despite competition from larger contracting firms, Henry is confident there’s plenty of work available. The key, he believes, is keeping operations simple. "We try to keep it relatively simple, running the least amount of machinery possible, he explains. " This season has been a blinder. Normally, the weather holds us up and makes things difficult, but there seems to be plenty of work out there.
Obviously, competing with bigger companies can make things difficult a lot of the time, but we sort of stick to what we know and do our own thing, which is serving us well.” One of the business’s strengths is its ability to handle maintenance in-house. Henry estimates that 90% of their machinery upkeep is done by the team themselves. We do 90% of the maintenance ourselves,” he says. "I've got a local engineer just up the road. He's awesome—he's happy to take phone calls at midnight or whenever there's a breakdown. But, for anything major just goes through them.” The increasing complexity of modern machinery is something Henry is well aware of. While technology can offer efficiencies, he prefers to keep things as simple as possible. "Yes, it is actually getting harder to maintain gear,” he admits. "So I’m trying to keep everything simple, because there’s a lot of technology out there now. We will demo pieces of machinery here and there, but for us, we just keep to the simple side of things. It seems to be lower cost, a bit more maintenance, but at least we can do it ourselves. On a rainy day, I can just get in the workshop and strip my baler down and build it back up myself.” Despite the demands of the business, Henry does manage to find time for himself. While spare time is scarce, he makes the most of it when he can, particularly in summer. "I don’t have a lot of spare time, but when I do, I like getting out on the lake and hunting,” he says.
And farming—I love the farm and contracting environment as well. Whilst it’s a job, I enjoy doing it.” Hunting is a particular passion, and he makes a point of taking a couple of weeks off in April to get away for the stag roar, combining it with some jet boating for a well earned break. Reflecting on the broader significance of farming, Henry is clear about its importance to New Zealand. "It’s hugely important to the economy,” he says. "There's a lot of employment that comes out of farming and the industry in New Zealand, and farming is what our country is built on. You can’t get better conditions for farming than Canterbury.”