| 109 Focus on solid client relationships Russell Fredric Waitaki business Chalmers Ag Services has been built on developing sound client relationships, doing a great job, and even a bit of door knocking in the early days. Started three years ago, the business is owned by John and Susan Chalmers with their son Andre as its manager and hands-on tractor driver, supported by casual staff during busy periods. “We’ve been dairy farming for the last 30 or 40 years and when I left school I got into contracting and wanted to pursue that dream so my parents supported me in starting this business,” Andre says. Chalmers Ag Services operates two John Deere 6M series tractors, a 3.0 metre wide, 24 row Duncan Renovator direct drill, a Gascon chisel plough, a Gascon Offset discs, a Rata Maxitill, a Tubeline tube baleage wrapper. “We do also offer excavation work with our 16 tonne CAT digger and 10 tonne Agtrailer tip trailer.” In addition to contracting for silage and agricultural work Chalmers Ag Services offers Tow and Fert, a patented foliar spray system invented in Dannevirke which dissolves and mixes urea, fine particle fertilisers dairy effluent, slurry or solids efficiently in one tow-behind unit. Tow and Fert has the advantage of more even application compared to solids, in addition to needing to apply less to achieve the same or typically better results, with the option of applying a wide variety of inorganic and organic fertilisers, lime, trace elements, herbicides and insecticides in one pass. Farmers who have engaged Chalmers Ag Services for application with this system have been “really rapt about it,” Andre says. Informal trials on the Chalmers farm have shown the density of pasture noticeably better with the fine particle spray compared to solid fertiliser after eight days, with some difference apparent after as little as a day or two. “It does cost a little bit more to apply as a liquid as there’s more time involved and a different cost structure, but the gains you can get with reducing your fertiliser input balance that out well.” Chalmers Ag Services operates in the Waitaki and Waimate areas and also promotes the application of ProGibb SG towards the shoulders of the season. ProGibb SG is a foliar spray with Gibberellic acid as active ingredient that stimulates production of dry matter under rotational grazing when cool soil temperatures limit natural pasture growth rates It is designed to boost pasture dry matter yield in ryegrass and clover pastures by 30-60% within three weeks of application and has been proven and extensively tested with over four years of national trials and farm studies. Having done the hard yards to get the business established and with the variety of services that Chalmers Ag Services offers, Andre is kept busy six RURAL SERVICES » Chalmers AG Chalmers Ag Services operates in the Waitaki and Waimate areas. Andre is kept busy six to seven days a week during the peak season. Proudly supporting Chalmers AG 3 Usk St, Oamaru 9400 | www.nops.co.nz | 03 434 7766 Glenavy, NewZealand 027 262 4515 ChalmersAgServices@gmail.com to seven days a week during the peak season. “Starting out I had to do a lot of door-knocking to get to know a few farmers but over time I’ve gotten to know a lot more people. It’s been really good to get to know the community more.” So far the season in the area is going well. “We’ve been getting rain every week or so, it’s keeping things humming along, so spring moisture has given us a running start to the season.”
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NDc2Mzg=