Cultivating more than Crops

Nick Proudfoot has spent more than 20 years immersed in the horticulture industry.  Based in Lincoln Canterbury as one of Seed & Field (SI)’s senior agronomists covering a broad territory from North Canterbury, Sheffield to Ashburton. He specialises in seed potatoes — servicing markets like McCain, fresh/table supply, export, and processing — as well as outdoor vegetable crops and glasshouse/hydroponic systems. He works closely with growers across a diverse range of operations from traditional crops to high-tech glasshouse production.

Youth, Schooling and OE

Nick grew up on his parent’s farm in North Canterbury where he gained hands-on experience raising pigs, sheep, and beef. He developed a strong work ethic early on with chores before and after school, understanding machinery, farm life, and getting the job done right. “I remember my main chore as a young boy was watering the pigs and filling all the troughs, in fact, cleaning up and helping out around the farm was something I wanted to do as soon as I was old enough.

“I was the middle child in the family and from a young age I loved growing, having my own vegetable garden, horses, and I enjoyed riding my motorbikes through the Ashley Forest.  We were also surrounded by apple orchards, so had plenty of weekend work picking in the summer and pruning in the winter months.”

Nick also brings a strong sporting background to the table. He was a representative player for Canterbury B cricket and played senior cricket in Christchurch for both Riccarton and Sefton clubs. During his school years at Rangiora High School, he captained both the First XV rugby team and the First XI cricket team — great leadership opportunities for a young man. Nick also played rugby for the local Ashley Rugby Club, progressing through the grades from Under-5s right through to seniors.

“After leaving school after my 6^th form year, I spent two years blade shearing (fine Merino) in the high country. My dad was a part-time wool classer, so he got me into shearing to earn money. After earning my airfare at the age of 19 I headed to England where I played cricket in North Hampton, UK.  I managed to support myself by working in a double-glazing factory in the summer. I had a blast and met fantastic people, I ended up doing two 6-month stints in the UK, doing any job to get the funds to return. An incredible experience at such a young age.”

The Hotel

“Upon my return to NZ, Dad had sold the farm and moved to Hokitika where he took over the family Hotel (Southland Hotel, now called The Beachfront) which has been in the family for over 120 years. I worked there running the bottle store and two public bars as well as the restaurant. I met my lovely wife Lisa, who was also working for mum and dad.  Before long at the age of 28 we were married and moved back to Christchurch where a new chapter of my life began.”

Father-Son Business

“Dad finished his stint at the Hotel and he and I went into business together buying and operating a greenhouse property in Governors Bay. We focused on growing tomatoes, capsicums, eggplants, bok choy, and chillies under the Galaxy range for T&G. That 15-year period laid a solid foundation of hands-on expertise and deep passion for growing.  When it came time for Dad to retire my passion for horticulture steered me into the direction of becoming an agronomist and I’ve never looked back.”

Nick’s Family

Nick talks proudly of his wife Lisa who’s an office administrator for the local primary school. “She’s a great mum and so supportive of all the kids. Georgia (23) our eldest is a school teacher, she did her teaching degree at University of Canterbury and is now teaching her own class of kids at our local primary school in Lincoln. Joel (21) currently has the travel bug and is about to leave for Camp America and then off to Canada for 2 years, he loves horticulture and has been working on farms around Canterbury. Amber (17) our youngest was born with spina bifida without much feeling in her legs, she has found swimming to be her love and after hours of training has now made the NZ Parafed team and will represent NZ in Australia in July 2025. She’s quite the achiever with at least 40 medals under her belt, we’ve travelled all over supporting her.”

How do you feel about your role with Seed & Field?

“My work colleague Roger Blyth who I knew previously introduced me to the company, he was a great ambassador and encouraged me to come and work with the team as an agronomist.

I truly love my job and I love working with the team. Paul leaves it up to us, he knows we are out there doing our job, we are left to our own devices to look after our growers. The knowledge within the group, sharing ideas together, it’s very much an open book and seeing the satisfaction of good results after the growing season is the icing on the cake.

I thrive on the challenge each new season brings as no season is the same, and enjoy building strong, loyal relationships with my growers.”

Nick is passionate about crop health, soil sustainability, post-harvest storage, and keeping up with the latest global innovations in the field. He’s particularly excited about the R&D team's recent advances in variety trials and pest and disease management.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

"Doing the same thing. I love it. I get excited every time a new growing season rolls around."