62 | Putting your studstock in safe hands Barge at Kenepuru Sounds. Mokai Bridge Rangitikei. Randall Johnston Feilding-based Tim Coombs Studstock Transport is focused on building relationships with clients on a personal level for the trustworthy transportation of their elite stud stock. While Tim is not much of a self promoter, he is confident in his team’s ability to get stock from A to B in peak condition and has decades of experience and a proven track record in delivering just that. “This really is an industry that is 100 percent built on trust and having those trusted relationships and that is the key to our business really,” he explains. He also emphasizes “Tim Coombs Transport is not about one person – it is about building a team and aspiring to do our very best with every trip. We are only as good as our drivers, and our drivers are only as good as our office support. I still drive myself and we are fortunate to have Rob Stratton, who has recently come out of farm management, as our other driver. His experience is invaluable and he is also an excellent stockman. It’s stock welfare first for him and driving second and the same with me.” Tim’s partner Vicki completes the team, managing the financial, administrative and dispatch side of the business, allowing Tim and Rob to focus on the practical side of the business and delivering a top-tier service. While they are not strictly a commercial carrier and specialise in studstock (the expensive, breeding end of the market), they do find themselves supporting some of the other commercial carriers and endeavor to propagate strong relationships with them. Tim explains “There’s a lot less deer in the North Island now, compared to when I first started doing this. The population break was 40 percent in the RURAL SERVICES » Tim Coombs Deer and Stock Ltd www.timcoombsdeerandstock.co.nz • P: 027 444 1937 Office: 027 555 1118 • E: coombs@vetta.net.nz NZ Wide Accredited Transport i i · Service the North and South Island in our fully equipped workshops · Manufacturers of Aluminium Stock Crates Proud to support Tim Coombs Deer and Stock Ltd S T O C K C R A T E S FEILDING TIMARU Ph06 323 3629 • • Blair (South Island) 027 690 0724 Brodie (North Island) 021 0294 1293 Ph 03 688 2274 north and 60 percent in the south and now; 80 percent of them are in the South Island, so most of our work is in transporting studstock now.” “Also it’s not just transport. This job incorporates stockmanship, communication and dedication and that’s what it takes to achieve a result that the vendors and buyers deserve. People want their stock delivered in top condition and you need to have a specialised skill set, attention to detail and good processes in place to do that. We are a small, yet highly efficient team, building relationships with clients on a personal level.” “My parents were Simmental breeders and also had a sheep stud, so I understand the time and effort involved in raising these animals at such an elite level, it’s a painstaking process to get them to the point of being ready for sale – so the last thing buyers and sellers want is to be let down at that final step of transportation. We are the last in the chain in a long line of work that is done by people who are really dedicated and passionate about breeding and raising animals of the highest quality. And if something inevitably does go wrong, we are disappointed and feel it too.” “For some of these animals, they may have never seen a truck, let alone been transported in one, so their behavior may not be as predictable as it would be on the home farm where it’s spent its whole life up until that point. That’s why you need experienced people who are also good stockman, understand animal behavior and are properly trained - handling the transport. We do everything we can to make the process as smooth and easy as possible.” Logistically animals cannot go too long distance without a break, therefore another intricate part of our business is to be able to hold them in transit overnight or longer in a save, controlled environment. Hence on our 10 acres here in Feilding we purpose built yards and double fenced paddocks 5 years ago and continue to modify as necessary. These facilities have to be equal to the job and cause as little strain on the animal as possible. We are also currently trialing a different type of rubber mate to go on the crate floor. It is less mobile within the pen, still maintain drainage and providing a comfortable non-slip surface. We travel the length and breadth of NZ with studstock hence we must strive to make their complete journey as comfortable and stress free as we can.
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