Farm Source

What Farm Source does

Farm Source is the retail and farmer services arm of Fonterra Co-operative Group Limited, New Zealand's largest dairy co-operative, operated through its wholly-owned subsidiary RD1 Limited and headquartered in Hamilton, New Zealand. The company serves Fonterra's dairy farmer shareholders and milk suppliers across mainland New Zealand, providing agricultural supplies, digital farm management tools, advisory services, and a loyalty rewards program. Farm Source distributes through more than 60 physical retail stores nationwide, complemented by a full e-commerce platform (store.nzfarmsource.co.nz), a suite of mobile and web applications, and tiered delivery options including free click-and-collect and CourierPost shipping ranging from NZ$10 to NZ$100 per order.

The product portfolio spans the Farm Source Store (animal health products, feed, dairy hygiene supplies, fencing, water systems, hardware, agrichemicals, machinery, and fertilisers), the My Farm Source Dashboard (production and quality reports, milk collection status, shareholding information, price risk management, custom reports), the My Co-op App, and specialised services including the On-Farm Efficiency Service, Milk Quality Service, ZincCheck diagnostic tool, and Farm Source Rewards loyalty program. Technology integrations include Sharesies for shareholding management, Agrigate Solutions for farm data analytics, and approved auditors QCONZ and AsureQuality for compliance. Private-label sub-brands—Country Mile (farm supplies and hardware), 360 Clothing (workwear), and NZAgbiz (calf nutrition)—extend the in-house offering.

Farm Source generates revenue across farm supply retail (one-time product sales through stores and e-commerce), co-operative member services (recurring tools tied to Fonterra farmer relationships including shareholding administration and milk payment), and credit and finance (interest income at 13.2-24% APR on account-holder credit facilities). The go-to-market is a sales-led hybrid: face-to-face in-store expertise combined with digital self-service, supported by direct farmer engagement through the Fonterra co-operative communication channels. Operations are restricted to New Zealand, with specific offshore islands excluded from the service area.

Name

Farm Source

Legal name

RD1 Limited

Website

https://nzfarmsource.co.nz

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Farm Source is the retail and farmer services arm of Fonterra Co-operative Group, operating 60+ stores across New Zealand to sell farm supplies, deliver digital farm management tools, and run a loyalty program for Fonterra's dairy farmer shareholders.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Retail and Farm Supply Services

NAICS

Farm Management Services (115116), Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers (42491)

SIC

Agricultural Services (700), Retail-Building Materials, Hardware, Garden Supply (5200)

akta.pro primary industry

Agriculture Inputs & Farm Supply Marketplaces (CRAFAHAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Farm Technology Enablement & Data Integration Advisory (FMIS/ERP, IoT, Decision Support) (AFACAJAG)

Keywords

• Farm supply retail
• Dairy farming services
• Agricultural inputs
• Farm management tools
• Rural retail

Headquarters

HQ city

Hamilton

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Farm Supply Retail: Sale of agricultural inputs and farm supplies through physical stores and e-commerce platform. Products include animal health supplies, dairy hygiene products, animal feed, fencing, water systems, hardware, clothing, agrichemicals, fertilisers, and machinery. Revenue generated from direct product sales to farmers and rural customers.
2. Co-operative Member Services: Services to Fonterra farmer shareholders including milk quality management, shareholding administration, milk payment estimation, and financial reporting tools. Revenue derived indirectly through the co-operative supply relationship with Fonterra.
3. Farm Source Rewards Redemption: Rewards program where farmers earn Farm Source Rewards points on purchases, redeemable against partner products and vehicle discounts, funded by the retail operations.
4. Credit and Finance: Provision of credit facilities to Farm Source account holders with interest charged on arranged finance at 1.1% per month (13.2% per annum) and default interest at 2% per month (24% per annum).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Farm Source is the retail and farmer services arm of Fonterra Co-operative Group, providing New Zealand dairy farmers with farm supplies, agricultural inputs, advisory services, and digital farm management tools. Its offering combines a network of 60+ physical retail stores with an e-commerce platform, the My Farm Source Dashboard, My Co-op mobile app, a Farm Source Rewards loyalty program, and specialized services such as Milk Quality Service, On-Farm Efficiency Service, and Price Risk Management. The company serves Fonterra farmer shareholders with milk quality monitoring, co-operative shareholding management, seasonal planning tools, and credit facilities.

Product overview

Farm Source is a unified platform combining retail commerce, farm management tools, and cooperative services for New Zealand dairy farmers supplied by Fonterra. The offering comprises the Farm Source Store (e-commerce for farm supplies), Farm Source Rewards (loyalty program), My Farm Source Dashboard (farmer portal with production reports, milk collection, and shareholding tools), My Co-op App (mobile companion), Farm Source Jobs (employment board), On-Farm Efficiency Service (advisory), Seasonal Support Hub (seasonal resources), and branded sub-products including Country Mile (farm supplies), 360 Clothing (workwear), and NZAgbiz (calf nutrition). The platform also integrates with Sharesies for share management and connects with third-party auditors QCONZ and AsureQuality for compliance purposes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Country Mile: Sub-brand offering various farm supplies and products including plastic products, tools, gate hardware, magnesium, fencing wire, and other agricultural products.
• 360
• NZAgbiz

Products and services

• Farm Source Store E-commerce platform offering farm supplies including animal health products, animal feed, dairy hygiene supplies, hardware, water systems, fencing, clothing, agrichemicals, machinery, pasture/cropping products, and fertiliser for New Zealand farmers.
• Farm Source Rewards Loyalty program allowing farmers to earn rewards points on purchases at Farm Source stores and from partner Essential Service Providers, with benefits including vehicle discounts and partner product redemption.
• My Farm Source Dashboard Farmer dashboard providing access to farm tools, milk production and quality reports, milk collection status, shareholding information, price risk management services, and statements. Includes tools such as Production & Quality Reports, Custom Reports, Milk Payment Estimator, and Set Targets.
• My Co-op App Mobile application providing farmers with access to their local Farm Source team contacts, farm management data, and support resources for complex issues.
• Farm Source Jobs Online job board for advertising farming employment opportunities, accessible through the Farm Source website and Fonterra.com.
• On-Farm Efficiency Service Advisory service providing on-farm support to help farmers optimise efficiency, including access to the On-Farm Efficiency Hub with seasonal planning tools.
• Seasonal Support Hub Resource hub providing seasonal support including Season Planner, On-farm focus topics for calving and other seasonal activities, and seasonal offers.
• Milk Quality Service Independent advisory service offering advice on potential opportunities to lower somatic cell count or milking time, bookable through Farm Source.
• Price Risk Management Services Tool for farmers to view current and historical milk price risk agreements, apply for and manage price risk management services.
• ZincCheck Diagnostic tool that uses bulk milk samples to check herd zinc levels over multiple days to monitor for potential zinc deficiency issues.
• Country Mile Sub-brand offering a range of farm supplies including fencing, animal equipment, hardware, water products, plastic products, tools, gate hardware, magnesium, and fencing wire.
• 360 Clothing Clothing sub-brand offering workwear including jackets, vests, tops, socks, children's clothing, pants, shorts, overalls, footwear, and accessories.
• NZAgbiz Sub-brand specialising in calf nutrition products including calf milk replacers (CMR), calf milk feeders, electrolytes, and probiotics.

Quantifiable outcome

• Farm Source Rewards redemption on vehicle purchases

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• SharesiesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSharesies is a partner for shareholding management, allowing Fonterra farmer shareholders to manage their shareholding through the Sharesies app on mobile, tablet, or website. This provides farmers with an accessible digital platform option for managing their co-operative investment.
• QCONZcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerQCONZ is listed as an approved auditor with access to farmer data for compliance and audit purposes. They provide independent audit services that integrate with Farm Source systems for data access.
• AsureQualitycoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerAsureQuality is listed as an approved auditor with access to farmer data for compliance and audit purposes. They provide independent audit and quality assurance services that integrate with Farm Source systems.
• CourierPostcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCourierPost is the delivery partner for all standard and mini bulk weight orders from the Farm Source online store. They provide nationwide delivery services with tracking capabilities.
• NZAgbizminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNZAgbiz is a brand partner whose products are available through Farm Source stores. The brand offers calf milk replacer, calf feeders, electrolytes, and probiotic products for dairy farm animals.
• 360 ClothingminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor360 is a clothing brand partner whose workwear, footwear, and outdoor clothing products are available through Farm Source stores. Products include jackets, overalls, tops, socks, and children's clothing.
• Country MileminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCountry Mile is a brand partner offering a range of farm and rural products through Farm Source stores including tools, fencing, hardware, animal care products, and accessories.
• Essential Service PartnersminorGTM or Marketing PartnerVarious Essential Service Partners provide additional benefits to Farm Source Rewards members. These partners offer discounts and special offers that can be accessed through the rewards program, adding value to the Farm Source loyalty scheme.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• Wilmar International: Asia-listed agribusiness conglomerate with significant dairy, feed, and farm-input operations. Comparable as an adjacent incumbent in the broader dairy and animal nutrition value chain that Farm Source's NZ dairy customers ultimately supply into.
• Nufarm: ASX-listed crop protection and seed company supplying agrichemicals upstream to rural retailers including Farm Source. Comparable as an ecosystem participant and supplier partner in the NZ/AU farm inputs chain, though operating as a manufacturer rather than retailer.

Broad incumbents

• Nutrien Ag Solutions: Global ag retail giant (NYSE-listed) offering crop inputs, livestock products, and digital agronomy tools. Comparable omni-channel farm supplies + advisory model, though much larger and operating in North America, Australia, and South America rather than NZ.
• Tractor Supply Company: US rural lifestyle retailer with a large store base, private-label brands, and loyalty program (Neighbor's Club). Comparable omni-channel rural supplies model with rewards-driven retention, though focused on US rural lifestyle customers rather than NZ commercial dairy farmers.

Direct peers

• PGG Wrightson: NZX-listed provider of agricultural supplies, livestock services, and rural real estate across New Zealand. Directly comparable given its competing retail footprint, product catalog overlap (fertilizer, seed, animal health), and shared NZ dairy and sheep/beef farmer customer base.
• Farmlands: New Zealand farmer-owned co-operative retailing farm supplies, fertilizer, and animal health products through a nationwide store and online network. Directly comparable as a competing NZ rural retailer with overlapping product categories and customer base.

Regional players

• Elders: ASX-listed Australian rural services and farm supply retailer with a network of branches and digital platforms. Comparable hybrid retail-plus-advisory model serving primary producers, though focused on Australia rather than competing directly with Farm Source in NZ.
• Mitre 10: New Zealand co-operative hardware and garden supply retailer with national store network. Comparable on the hardware, fencing, water systems, and rural lifestyle overlap, though its core customer is DIY/trade rather than commercial dairy farmers.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@fonterrafarmsourcenz
• Facebookfacebook.com/FarmSourceNZ
• Xx.com/nzfarmsource
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fonterra-farm-source

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Farm Source