100 | ON FARM » Clouston Contracting Continued expansion bringing in newequipment The Clouston family has farmed on the outskirts of Omakau for 133 years. Karen Phelps Long-standing Central Otago agricultural contractor Clouston Contracting continues to expand bringing in new equipment to solve its clients’ problems and power through the work as quickly as possible. The Clouston family has farmed on the outskirts of Omakau for 133 years and knows what is required from an agricultural contractor in this land of harsh extremes. Bill Clouston started agricultural contracting about 37 years ago, and silage contracting 27 years ago, and today runs Clouston Contracting in partnership with his son Willie. “Willie has 15 years of his own experience and he brings a fresh focus to our silage contracting side of the business,” Bill says. “His exacting standards and attention to detail see him strive for high calibre results for our clients.” Willie and Bill also work together grazing dairy cows through the winter, and running a few of their own beef cattle. Clouston Contracting hadn’t run a silage chopper for several years until it purchased one five years ago to suit the requirements of its customers. “The cut length of choppers is a lot different from a loader wagon, and people had been saying they like the fine chop a lot better,” Willie says. “We still do the odd job with the the Pottinger loader wagons for a couple of clients who prefer that longer chop.” That chopper has since being upgraded to a Claas Jaguar 960, a higher specified model which is now a key piece of machinery at Clouston Contracting, providing more options for the firm to cater to the diverse needs of a range of different clients. “This is a more effective chopper in terms of how long we spend on a farm,” Willie says. “We power through it.” “That’s the key,” adds Bill. For his ag work, Bill has a new Alpego Craker subsoiler this season for soil aeration in grass paddocks and repair of pugged pastures. Subsoiling is a tillage technique that improves water drainage, enhances capillarity, and provides multiple benefits to crops with high yields. Subsoiling requires shorter working times than conventional tillage techniques meaning less fuel and less cost to both Clouston Contracting and the farmer. “It does a hell of a good job,” Bill says. Clouston Contracting clients who have already taken advantage of this service are asking the firm to come back and aerate more of their paddocks. Bill and Willie are looking forward to next season and all the highlights and challenges that come with it. “Every year is different,” Willie says. Staffing had been a particular challenge to the entire contracting industry while the borders were closed, so Bill and Willie were happy to welcome a few staff back from the UK for the peak of the season this year, as well as relying on the experience of the local workforce and on keen people new to the industry who they can train up. Clouston Contracting
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