2026 marks PastureTec’s fifth year in business, and we want to say a massive thank you to our customers for your support during these first five years. Founded in 2021, it was a long road to the launch of PastureTec. A road lined with the steady acquisition of knowledge and expertise that we’re now able to share with UK farmers, gamekeepers, vets and beyond.
Humble beginnings
Growing up in a rural community and fascinated by all things farming, a young Rob Massey found himself in his first job at the tender age of 11, working for pocket money on his local dairy farm. Being involved in the farming community throughout his secondary school years, a career in agriculture may have seemed inevitable at the time. But it was not to be -yet.
“Careers officers back then were of a very ‘traditional’ mindset,” says Rob. “I was told, ‘you need a structured career’. And agriculture just wasn’t a route I was guided down. So, I actually went into banking.”
A change of path
Spending time working for both HSBC and Barclays banks, Rob soon realised that finance was not where his heart lay. “That experience came in handy down the line,” he admits. “But eventually, I left the world of banking and set up my first business, which was a machinery business. And that went well. But the costs involved with such an expensive commodity, as you can imagine, were huge; so after two or three years, I brought the venture to a close and took a job working for a mineral company based in Devon. This was when I began to learn about livestock nutrition. I was then able to take that experience into a position with Mole Valley Farmers.
Rob was soon to be approached by New Zealand based livestock weighing kit manufacturers, Tru-Test, who wanted to set up a UK subsidiary. Rob was hired as the Managing Director of Tru-Test UK, before it was bought out by Datamars. Rob’s management expertise ultimately extended across all areas, under the Datamars umbrella. Seeking out a passion, keen for a break from the corporate world, and aware there was an opportunity to develop the retail arm of this field, Rob knew he wanted to pursue a personal agricultural passion: the grass and grazing side of livestock management. And with this, the chance to support UK farmers in maximising productivity and profitability of their pastures.
The Kiwi influence
The time that Rob spent in New Zealand significantly informed his study of grass and forage agronomy. His dissertation, was based on the rotational grazing system of a New Zealand dairy farm. This had a profound impact on what Rob now advises and sells.
“We talk about people ‘chasing acres’, but it’s possible to increase the production of an acre of grass by as much as 50%, just by grazing it more effectively. That’s more cost-effective than it is to spend thousands buying further acres” Just a few hundred quid of kit can help you get more out of exactly the same amount of pasture.
Why electric fencing?
“At present, the UK’s dairy sector – unlike New Zealand and Ireland – is only 25% grass-based. The rest is managed and calving indoors. Yet something like 75% of the UK is covered in grassland. So there’s a lot of opportunity to utilise this”
PastureTec offers a whole range of agricultural products. Yet the focus is – and always will be, Rob says – on offering products that give real solutions for efficient grazing management.
All about the customers
The most fundamental part of PastureTec’s growth has been its customers.
“The role they have played in shaping what we offer shouldn’t be underestimated,” says Rob.
“There are a lot of customers we have dealt with over the years who have been a key part of the journey, whose feedback on what we should be doing, and products they would like to see in the UK, has been invaluable.
“It’s not simply their custom – it’s their experience and role as a sounding board that has been fantastic. Not everything works. And we rely on them to tell us that. It’s so important to get feedback from people who are credible. And that is our Customers.”
A huge Thank-You from everyone at PastureTec for supporting us over the past 5 years, we couldn’t have done it without you!
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