76 | RURAL SERVICES » Southern Vegetation Control 25 years of spray services in Southland and Otago Founder Bretton Taylor says spraying equipment and technology is “light years ahead” of what it was when he started in 2001. Kim Newth This year marks a special milestone for Southern Vegetation Control as it reaches its 25th year. The business is well-known in Southland and Otago for quality agricultural spraying and spreading services. Founder Bretton Taylor says spraying equipment and technology is “light years ahead” of what it was when he started out in 2001. The days of marking the edge of an area with foam marking are long gone. “Now it’s all GPS, fully automated,” says Bretton. “We’ve got two tractors – our JCB 4220 with Amazone sprayer and our Case Puma tractor paired with an Amazone precision spreader. They are both so capable and so accurate in the field. Then there’s our Isuzu N – Series spray truck that allows those bigger jobs to be done very efficiently and our nimble Isuzu D-Max spray truck for jobs large and small.” Bretton’s son Caine, who started full-time at Southern Vegetation Control in 2019, is now operations manager. A key part of his role is running their job management system, Tabula, which also provides GPS guided proof of placement maps. Tabula means jobs can be smoothly assigned, tracked and efficiently completed with precision. “Our Tabula has packages for auditing, with field reps in it, so they get reports after every job. It really helps with strengthening those relationships between us, the field reps and the clientele.” The peak months for Southern Vegetation Control are generally from October through to January when precision spray services for crops and pasture are most in demand. Towards the end of the season, the focus switches to fungicide applications. Their main clientele are dairy farmers, with some demand also from the local sheep and beef sector. They also do council-funded contract spraying. With the approach of autumn, the focus switches to ProGibb applications and spreading. Bretton says this is where their JCB 4220 Amazone precision spreader comes into its own. The top of the line spreader, purchased last autumn, is integrated with Tabula and offers next level accuracy. Their JCB 4220 tractor delivers the necessary grunt: it can go anywhere and everywhere – even onto wet ground that needs to be urgently sprayed with precision, thanks to low-compaction tyres. Over the busy summer, Bretton and Caine were joined by Lincoln University graduate Sean Farrell, who is targeting a future career as an agronomist. He will be leaving to take up a seeding job in Australia at the end of March. Caine also has a big trip ahead. He will be flying to the UK in March to work with Frederick Hiam Ltd, a diverse farming and fresh produce business, with farms in Suffolk, Norfolk and Cambridgeshire. “I’ll be back here by September before it starts getting busy again,” says Caine. “I’m keen to gain some overseas experience and see a different side of spraying. I hope to learn from what they do well and bring back new ideas that we could incorporate here. “In future, I’m also hoping we could exchange seasonal workers between our two businesses in New Zealand and the UK.” Southern Vegetation Control has also recently started working alongside Spot Spray, in Western Southland, sharing ideas and expertise in areas like drone spraying and mapping. 03 312 6792 / www.gbl.ag PROUDLY SUPPORT I NG SOUTHERN VEGETAT ION CONTROL Contact the team today and let’s see howwe can help. Our custom-built spray vehicles are engineered in-house with quality components, proven to deliver where it matters – in the field. Pair that with a Topcon autosteer system (we’re certified installers) and you’ve got eciency in every pass. Built by contractors. Proven in the field. CERTIFIED INSTALLER Local Seed Mixing in Invercargill and Balclutha Southern Vegetation Control Proud to Support Proud to support our clients and communities for 25 years
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