- Fiona Grigg and Richard Cobcroft sold a healthcare business, went sailing, and ended up buying a run-down 35-acre macadamia farm in northern NSW in 2019. "The learning curve has been incredible."
- They started with three spreadsheets. Over two growing seasons, Farmable replaced two of them entirely, and the third went when Product Inventory Management launched.
- A Davis weather station integrated with Farmable gives them precise, verifiable weather data for every spray job, essential on a farm surrounded by sensitive natural areas and a community that pays attention.
- "We don't run any other system and I don't even keep my book anymore."
It started with a curiosity for farming and a willingness to learn something entirely new. Fiona Grigg and Richard Cobcroft had built a successful healthcare business together before deciding it was time for a different kind of challenge. In 2019, they purchased a 35-acre macadamia farm in the Northern Rivers area of NSW, not far from Alstonville, a little run-down, in their words, but full of potential.
“The learning curve has been incredible.”
Fiona Grigg
Today, Zest Macadamia is an efficiently run operation managed day-to-day by Fiona and Richard alone. They supply into the Marquis Macadamias network and are producers for one of Australia's largest macadamia co-operatives.
Coming in fresh, and finding the compliance reality
As experienced business owners, Fiona and Richard brought strong organisational instincts to the farm. They set up three spreadsheets from the start: fertiliser applications, chemical applications and inventories, and harvest data.
But they also quickly discovered how much they hadn't anticipated.
“We were naive about the legal and compliance piece of farming coming into this business.”
Fiona Grigg
Zest Macadamia is surrounded by sensitive natural environments and sits close to popular towns including Byron Bay. The local community takes a keen interest in how farms use chemicals, and that scrutiny places a premium on being able to demonstrate clearly, and verifiably, what was sprayed, when, and in what conditions.
Finding Farmable
When Fiona and Richard wanted to move beyond spreadsheets, they asked their Grower Liaison at Marquis Macadamias, Matt Weinert, what other growers were using.
“Matt suggested a few different options and we tested them out. It became clear that Farmable was a solution developed specifically for tree crops.”
Fiona Grigg
They started with Farmable in their 2021 growing season, using the free features to plan, delegate, and track daily farm tasks.
“I can think about jobs to be done and get them scheduled right away for the future.”
Fiona Grigg
Moving to Farmable Pro, and the weather station connection
Over two growing seasons, Fiona and Richard began using Farmable Pro, gaining automated mobile alerts for withholding periods, re-entry intervals, and application limits when creating new spray jobs. They could export fertiliser, spray, and harvest job data as PDF reports or spreadsheets on demand. Two of their three original spreadsheets became redundant.
They also invested in a Davis weather station for the farm, and connected it to Farmable Pro.
The combination matters. Conversations with auditors or concerned local residents about weather conditions during spray activities now have a clear answer, not based on estimates from a nearby weather station, but on verified data from Zest Macadamia's own location, logged automatically alongside each job in the app.
“There is no doubt what the weather conditions were at the time of our spraying work because we can see it in the app while we spray and in our completed job logs.”
Fiona Grigg
Spray reports from Farmable Pro include the exact date, time, field location, crop type, product used, and local weather at the time of application, as recorded by the farm's own station. That's the kind of documentation that satisfies auditors and quiets community concerns.
Thinking ahead, FreshCare compliance
Fiona is already working toward FreshCare compliance. Not because any buyer is currently requiring it, but because she wants Zest Macadamia to be ready for whatever comes next.
The data infrastructure to support that is already in place. Farmable's records are audit-ready by design: complete, timestamped, exportable, and verifiable.
The one spreadsheet that remained, product inventory, went when Farmable's Product Inventory Management module launched. Fiona, who is now a Farmable Ambassador in the Northern Rivers community, was first in line to trial it.
“We don't run any other system and I don't even keep my book anymore.”
Fiona Grigg
Giving back to the local grower community
Alongside testing new Farmable features, Fiona has volunteered her time to share her experience with data management with other growers in the Northern Rivers, the farming community she has come to value over several growing seasons.
“We wanted to share what worked for us and hopefully give back and help others make farming a little easier.”
Fiona Grigg
Frequently asked questions
Does Farmable work for macadamia farms?
Yes. While Farmable was founded on the experience of fruit farms, the platform works equally well for macadamia and other nut orchards. Field mapping, spray records, job tracking, weather station integration, and compliance reporting are all fully customisable to any tree crop operation.
What is the Farmable Ambassador programme?
Farmable Ambassadors are growers who use the platform and volunteer their time to share what they've learned with other growers in their community. Ambassadors also provide early feedback on new features. If you're interested in becoming an ambassador, contact the Farmable team via [email protected].
Can Farmable be used on a farm managed by just two people?
Yes. Zest Macadamia is managed day-to-day by Fiona and Richard alone. Farmable's job planning, task scheduling, and compliance reporting tools are designed to work for operations of any size, from large commercial farms to small family operations running without additional staff.