Meet Piers Costley

Farmplan Director
Piers has worked at Farmplan for almost 30 years, joining us fresh faced straight from agricultural college. Initially, Piers joined as a Trainee Salesman, until later becoming Sales Manager, Managing Director and, more recently, VP Operations for Proagrica.

Having worked within the agricultural sector for many years and in many guises, I focus my time on helping to drive Farmplan to deliver outstanding customer service as well as product innovation and development.

When I joined Farmplan in 1991 the company was already successful and thriving in the sector. We were leading the way in terms of computerising the farm office, and whilst we have continued to evolve and embed significant developments in the way we support farming today, the fundamentals of our business remain the same. Software is our business, but farmers are our focus.

We have worked over the years to develop our relationships with farmers, estate managers, accountants and business owners to create valued and respected farm management solutions. Our software is a useful tool for many to achieve better farm management, profitability and performance analysis. We’re proud to say that many customers have been with us since day one.

Meet Helen Davies

Software Service Manager
Helen joined Farmplan in 1999 and has seen the business evolve and grow dramatically over the last decade.

Growing up on the farm: I have been around agriculture all my life and it’s a lifestyle which I am very passionate about. From a young age I was outside, getting stuck in as much as possible, from being chief lambing assistant to driving a tractor and trailer at harvest time. We were very lucky as children to grow up on the farm and experience so many life skills.  All this taught me a lot about agriculture from a practical and business perspective.

I still live in the rural community with many friends who are involved in agriculture, food production and retail. It is embedded in my life…and I wouldn’t have it any other way!

Meet Ben Hatton

Head of Sales
Ben joined the Farmplan team more than a decade ago, originally in a joint sales and training role and gradually developed into a more senior commercial position. Ben now heads-up the sales department, ensuring the customer is at the core of our commercial strategy.

Putting our customers first: My passion has been and continues to be working with our customers and helping them achieve maximum potential and answer key challenges they face in their farming business.

Prior to Farmplan, I trained as an aircraft engineer and served with the RAF; studied Land Management at Riseholme Agricultural college and I have also worked with rural businesses to produce grant scheme applications. When not working, I am a keen cyclist.

Meet Andy Wolff

Gatekeeper Product Manager
Andy joined Farmplan in 2016, following the acquisition of Gatekeeper. His in-depth knowledge of the Gatekeeper platform helps to ensure our customers get the most value from their software.

A passion for technical innovations for the modern farm: My grandfather owned a farm in New Zealand, so tales of farming life were enjoyed from a young age. I later travelled the world and experienced life on-farm first-hand and I soon became fascinated with the science and often the art of managing the lands characteristics – this is key to producing crops or raising livestock.

Agriculture as an industry is without doubt the most important on the planet, with food production being essential for every human being to survive. Modern agriculture is more than just farming – it encompasses both plant, animal and land/soil sciences. It is increasingly about technological innovations and meeting engineering challenges as well as conservation and sustainability of resources.

Meet Thomas Marshall

Senior Support Engineer
Tom joined the Farmplan Hardware team in 2014 and works closely with our customers to ensure their software is running on the most reliable kit that is fit for purpose.

I enjoy pairing our customers with the best tools for the job: My core focus is ensuring our customers can fulfil their important daily tasks using reliable and efficient hardware.  Having access to the right kit, operating at the right speed and with the most up-to-date software can make your daily tasks easier and quicker to complete. I can diagnose faulty hardware, pin-point software issues and recommend the best approach for our customers. I particularly enjoy the technical aspect of fixing PCs and laptops that appear to have stopped working.

It’s important that we make the process of buying new equipment as easy as possible for our customers, so we set everything up, transfer all data of emails, documents, Farmplan programs and more.

Meet Becky Smith

Customer Engagement Manager
Becky joined our Customer Support team in 2011, and later formed a new department in 2018 in order to focus on the customer journey.

The friendly ‘family’ feel of the farm: I have grown up in agriculture, helping on the neighbouring farm as a youngster and later studying at Hartpury College. I had a keen interest in livestock from a young age, and I have grown up to understand the arable and business side of farming. I love the friendly ‘family’ feel of a farm, and the passion and dedication that goes into it.

My background helps me to understand and see things from a farmers perspective. I am able to focus on the things that really matter to the industry, which is crucial for helping and supporting our customers.