| 73 Also providing limestone for roads Rodney Co-Operative Lime Company main quarry with loader, crusher and various lime products. Loading lime fertiliser mix through the hopper. Rachel Graham Rodney Co-Operative Lime Company has been operating from Sandspit Road in Warkworth since the 1970s, but the seeds were sown for the business in the 1930s. In October 1930 a meeting was held at the Warkworth Public Hall to look at setting up a lime milling company. In November of that year a second-hand engine was bought and construction on Sandspit Road got underway. In those days nearly all the lime was sold to farmers, who would cart it away by the bag full. Farmers were charged 12 shillings for a tonne of lime, plus two shilling a tonne for bags, which they got back if the bags were returned in good condition. Farmers developing pasture wanted lime because it helps make nutrients available to plants by creating the right conditions for organisms in the soil, such as worms and microbes, to thrive, thereby improving the condition of the soil. At the end of the first season the company had milled 965 tonnes of lime. The quarry moved a few times before settling at the current site on Sandspit Road in 1974. By then lime was selling for two dollars a tonne. In their first year at the current Sandspit Road site they milled more lime than in any other year in the company’s history, with 20,741 tonnes. For many years the company predominately sold lime to farmers, with a small amount of limestone sold, mainly for farm roads. In the 1970s the demand for road metal increased, with the Rodney County Council becoming a major customer. The company today continues as a co-operative, with around 350 shareholders. Many of the shareholders are the farmers and contractors who makes most use of the quarry’s products, with shareholders getting a discounted price. Greg Buer, the current general manager of Rodney Co-operative Lime says now providing limestone for roads is the major part of their business. “On an average year we do about 19,000 tonne of agricultural lime, and the limestone for roads is about 40,000 tonnes.” He says the race rock, a mixture of limestone and blue metal is often used on forestry roads, driveways on to farm block. In the early days explosives were used to blast the rock to extract the consolidated rock. Now a 35-tonne digger drags the rock from the quarry face and feeds it to a portable crusher to crush the rock to a usable state. RURAL SERVICES » Rodney Co-Operative Lime Company Greg says with many of the nearby farms being divided into lifestyle blocks the area around them is changing rapidly. But they still get a lot of demand from farmers right out into the Hauraki Plains, and around Thames and Maramarua. Rodney Co-operative Lime can cater for all size needs, from the smallest farms lots to the largest of properties. It is also a Balance agri-nutrients product store, mixing and despatching fertiliser in bulk or bags. The company now employs five people at the Sandspit Road site in Warkworth. Rodney Co-operative Lime has seen many changes over the years but continues to provide an essential service to the rural community. • BULK CARTAGE • SPREADERS OF BULK LIME & FERTILISERS • BUILDER’S MIX & AGGREGATES • STEELSTONE (SLAG) PRODUCTS • LIVESTOCK CARTAGE • HOUSEHOLDWATER CARTAGE • SAND & DRAINAGE MATERIAL • LIME ROCK CHIP PH: (09) 235 9189 e: opsmanager@kdltd.co.nz | knightanddickey.com • Metal • Hiab Ph: 09 426 5901 - SILVERDALE
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