John has always been drawn to the freedom of working in the country, outside of an office, and to being involved in agriculture.
After leaving school, he gained practical experience as a jackaroo in the Riverina and Northern Territory before moving into retail agronomy. He later completed an Agricultural Science degree, largely by distance education, and worked as a district agronomist in the public sector.
After several years as an agronomist, John began to question whether he really understood the full consequences of the advice he was giving. While he understood production, he recognised the need for a better understanding of the business and financial side of farming.
This led him into farm management consultancy, where he learned the value of bringing together science, production, financial management and business skills. It changed the way he looked at farm management and shaped the way he works with clients today.
John believes in regularly assessing both the production and financial performance of a farm business, using evidence to understand problems and find practical solutions. He also has a strong interest in behavioural economics and social psychology, particularly how people think and make decisions.
John enjoys solving problems in agriculture. The industry is constantly changing, which means there is always another challenge, another question and another opportunity to learn. He believes agriculture has real purpose and values the opportunity to work alongside the people who make that happen.
Ellie is a Queenslander who now calls the Riverina home. With a Bachelor of Agribusiness and a strong background in livestock, she brings practical experience and a sound understanding of both production and the business of agriculture.
Ellie’s experience spans beef breeding and seed stock, feedlotting, contract cattle work and jillarooing. Her time as an overseer at the Holbrook Vet Artificial Breeding Centre further developed her skills in operations, logistics, communication and building relationships across the beef supply chain. She also worked as a livestock specialist at Rennylea Angus.
Alongside her practical agricultural experience, Ellie has developed strong business and financial skills through roles with Brian McCleary Accountants and Farm Table.
At Agrista, Ellie manages the Benchmarking program, working closely with clients to understand their business performance and identify opportunities to improve.
Ellie enjoys working with people and is driven to help agricultural businesses make better decisions and build stronger businesses for the future.
Based in Mitchell, Queensland, Jess Paton brings a diverse mix of agricultural, business and technology experience to her role as an Agricultural Consultant with Agrista.
Growing up on her family’s beef cattle property at Tooma in South-East NSW, Jess developed a strong connection to agriculture from an early age. She holds a Bachelor of Agriculture and a Bachelor of Business from the University of New England.
Jess has worked across a range of roles within the agricultural industry. At Cibo Labs, she worked as a Customer Support Manager and Project Manager, helping producers use satellite technology to better understand their feed base and make more informed grazing decisions. Previously, as an Embryo Transfer Technician at Holbrook Vet Centre, she managed data, coordinated staff and supported clients through the ET process.
Her experience also includes working with Practical Systems, assisting producers with Stockbook and Cashbook software, an exchange program at the University of Wyoming and time spent as a governess on a remote cattle station in Western Australia.
Jess combines her practical livestock experience with strong business, data and client-support skills. At Agrista, she works closely with producers to understand their businesses, identify opportunities and use information and benchmarking to improve business performance and productivity.
Jess has been involved in industry initiatives including the Meat & Livestock Australia Internship Program and the Young Beef Producers Forum Committee. Her focus is helping producers better understand their businesses and make informed decisions that improve performance, productivity and profitability.
Juan grew up in Tacuarembo, Uruguay, where he was closely connected to agriculture from a young age through his family’s commercial cattle and Merino sheep business, including seed stock production.
At 18, Juan moved to Montevideo to study Agronomic Engineering at the University of the Republic, specialising in cattle and sheep production as well as winter and summer cropping.
During his studies, Juan developed a strong interest in helping agricultural producers improve the performance of their businesses. This led him to Australia to complete a Master’s degree in Agricultural Sciences at the University of Melbourne, with a focus on agribusiness and agricultural advisory.
Juan completed his Master’s and joined Agrista as an intern in 2024. His experience with Agrista has provided him with a strong understanding of farm business management, benchmarking and evidence-based decision making.
Juan has since returned to Uruguay, where he now owns and operates his own agricultural business while continuing his relationship with Agrista.
His experience across Uruguay and Australia gives Juan a valuable perspective on different agricultural systems and the challenges faced by producers. He enjoys solving problems and helping agricultural businesses identify opportunities to improve their performance.
Jarrod Reynolds brings a combination of practical farming experience and expertise in agribusiness finance, business analysis and strategic planning. Raised on a mixed livestock enterprise near Adelong in the South West Slopes of New South Wales, he has firsthand experience across livestock production and farm operations, providing a practical understanding of the opportunities and challenges facing Australian farming businesses.
Jarrod holds a Bachelor of Economics and Finance from the University of Wollongong and previously built his professional career within Commonwealth Bank’s Agribusiness division, working across agribusiness analysis, credit structuring and national agribusiness strategy. Through these roles, he has analysed and supported a diverse portfolio of agricultural enterprises spanning livestock, mixed farming, broadacre cropping and dairy, providing insight into the financial drivers and strategic challenges affecting modern farm businesses.
Jarrod enjoys helping producers build resilient, profitable businesses through practical, evidence-based analysis and strategic planning. He has a particular interest in improving farm business performance, supporting technology adoption and assisting producers to make confident decisions that strengthen the long-term sustainability and resilience of their enterprises.
Prue grew up on a cattle and horse stud in the Bylong Valley, NSW, giving her an early appreciation for agriculture.
She studied Business majoring in Communication, before moving to Sydney where she began a career in human resources and later moved to marketing in the wine industry.
After marrying John, Prue moved west to Condobolin and later to Albury, where she built broad experience across advertising, graphic design, marketing, events, human resources and administration.
At Agrista, Prue brings her communication, marketing and organisational skills to manage the day-to-day administration of the business, along with social media, website content, events and client communications.
Prue enjoys connecting with people and building strong relationships. She is driven to make Agrista’s work accessible, engaging and relevant, and to ensure the business communicates clearly with the clients and agricultural businesses it works with.
