52 | RURAL SERVICES » Toko Spraying Ltd Adapting to an ever-changing industry One of the biggest challenges facing Toko Spraying, and other agricultural contractors in South Otago, is the increasing shift from agriculture to forestry. Toko Spraying continues to look for opportunities to improve operations, and technology has played an increasing role. Kelly Deeks For Toko Spraying in South Otago, adapting to the ever-changing agricultural industry has been a continuous focus with the small contracting business, originally founded with just a spray truck, then adding a tractor for steep spraying and then ground work to diversify, gradually adding equipment such as a direct drill, various cultivation equipment and this year a plough, as the business expands more into cultivation work. Toko Spraying is a specialised agricultural contracting business with a strong focus on quality, precision, and adaptability. Over the years, it has evolved to meet the changing needs of farmers, offering high-standard spraying, cultivation, and crop management solutions. While others expand with more staff and machines, Toko Spraying has taken a different approach, keeping operations efficient, technology-driven, and manageable as a hands-on one-man family business. “We’re just trying to do it ourselves and find some balance in life,” says owner Rod Murdoch. “However these last two seasons, I’ve worked more hours than I have in the past ten years to make sure the increasing costs can be covered by the business.” This does however, take Rod away from time with his young family. One of the biggest challenges facing Toko Spraying, and other agricultural contractors in South Otago, is the increasing shift from agriculture to forestry. “Some of our biggest clients have sold their land to trees and it has had a massive impact on our business.” Low commodity prices and high operational costs are pushing South Otago farmers towards forestry as a more lucrative option. “Land can be worth up to two times as much when planted in trees. It’s hard for farmers to resist that big golden carrot when they are already struggling with big mortgages and high costs. We understand why farmers sell up but it does make it very difficult for our small family business and others to persist and provide essential farm services in these small districts. There just isn’t enough work to continue at a sustainable rate.” Despite the challenges, Toko Spraying continues to look for opportunities to improve operations, and technology has played an increasing role in efficiency and given the company an edge over its competitors. “We’ve gone completely paperless,” Rod says. “We used to run a triplicate spray diary, but now everything is recorded digitally on Tabula. Tabula provides the ability to send job orders and maps of paddocks to be sprayed. The chemicals are recorded, the land is mapped and linked back to the tractor, and every job’s data is stored and shared, making compliance with Farm machinery sales, servicing and repairs otagotractor@xtra.co.nz 23 Gladstone Road, Mosgiel 9024 (03) 484 7417 otagotractorrepairs.co.nz Otago Tractor Repairs Covering Otago & Southland 0800 227 226 www.advance-agriculture.co.nz Proud to support Toko Spraying Ltd Specialist Suppliers of Agricultural Chemical, Seed, Spray Equipment & GPS Precision Ag audits much easier for farmers. There aren’t many other contractors around here using that system, and we think it’s put us ahead of the game.” A lot of Toko Spraying’s clients have started utilising the Resolution Farming App, which also provides the ability to send job orders and maps of paddocks to be sprayed, and a link between the two platforms would be most helpful. Rod’s clients can send him a task or a job from Resolution or Tabula, then he completes it, ticks it off and sends it back to the farmer along with a photo of the spray diary from Tabula.
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