22 | Whole farm solutions Emily and David Molloy. Agronomy and the supply of chemicals has been a big growth area for the Mid-Canterbury business. Richard Loader Providing an end-to-end service is something that our farmers and growers are asking for, observes Molloy Agriculture founder and Managing Director David Molloy. “They’re wanting a lot of help with farming compliance and Molloy Agriculture sees an opportunity to provide that help. At the end of day, we all want to add value to each other’s business, and we all want to look good together. We go above and beyond to provide a level of service that a customer cannot get anywhere else. “I’m a big believer in communication. What you say you’re going to do, you have to do. That might be a bit old fashioned, but we have customers who’ve been with us for over thirty years, and we’re now working with the second and third generation. We’re very proud of that.” Molloy Agriculture has grown from the spray contracting business it was established as in 1984, to a diverse range of divisions, evolving with the times but always focused on the customer. David grew up on an inter-generational family dry-land farm in mid-Canterbury, growing crops. Spraying was becoming more prevalent and in the mid ‘80s with the financial support of his late father, David built his first broad acre sprayer to be more self-sufficient on the farm. ““We decided to test the market and see if there was any contracting work out there, with the ultimate goal of being able to purchase our own farm. With the extra cash flow, over the years this has become reality. I ran four spray trucks until the late ‘90s when vegetable processing companies established a presence in mid-Canterbury as a result of development of irrigation. All of a sudden, farmers who were growing broadacre crops, could also start growing potatoes. “That was a big game changer for Molloy Agriculture and we started to import Bateman self-propelled sprayers with hydraulically adjustable axles. We could spray specialist seeds right through to process potatoes, whereas at the time no one else had the equipment to do that.” Today, Molloy Agriculture operates nine Bateman self-propelled sprayers, along with seven spray trucks, and a range of other ancillary vehicles and AGRONOMY » Molloy Ag machines to support its diverse business operations. “Did I ever think I would still be contracting in 2023?” ponders David. “Most probably not. But I had a real passion for the farming industry. To be able to help our clients achieve their targets, and be part of the success of their businesses has given me a lot of pleasure, and I think that’s why we’re still doing it today. “My wife Sonia has provided a massive amount of support throughout the Molloy Agriculture journey, and we wouldn’t be where we are today without that support.” Based in Methven, and operating within an 80-kilometre radius between the Rangitata and Waimakariri Rivers, Molloy Agriculture sprays about 130,000 hectares annually, a third of which is arable, a third processing crops, and a third pastural. David says diversification from just arable spraying has spread the risk in the event of a down turn in that sector, or any other sector in which the company operates. But Molloy Agriculture has also diversified into other areas, that all have a core relationship with the application of spray, to provide that end-to-end customer service that David refers to, as well as risk mitigation and continuity of work for his team. The business now encompasses the supply of chemicals, including the manufacture of FlowfertN liquid fertiliser made under contract for Ravensdown. In 2007 David decided that Molloy Agriculture should get into agronomy to provide a whole farm solution from the selection of paddocks and seed, look at soil health and produce recommendations that feed through to the spray application side of the business. “The agronomy and supply of chemicals has been a massive growth area for the business. It has also taken a lot of risk out of our business, because we’re the last people to handle the chemical. By getting into agronomy, we had a division where everyone was working together and taking the risk out of the individual steps.” About twelve years ago Molloy Agriculture became involved in the Agrecovery Rural Recycling Programme in the recycling of triple-rinse chemical containers, and now holds the Canterbury contract to collect soft agricultural plastics from farms for Plasback. We’ve got you covered Crop Enhancement Weed Control Disease Control Pest Control Proudly Supporting Molloy Agriculture Limited
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