90 | MEAT & WOOL-RURAL SERVICES » Ray McCrostie / Spreading Canterbury Ltd Get the job done right Kelly Deeks Since the early 1960s, Palmers Transport has supported generations of farmers from its Southbridge base and the family business continues to evolve alongside the needs of modern agriculture. Today its fertiliser spreading arm, Spreading Canterbury, is helping local farmers meet growing environmental and regulatory challenges with innovative tools and technology. A joint venture formed in 2008 between Palmers Transport and fertiliser giant Ravensdown, Spreading Canterbury is committed to smarter, more sustainable nutrient application, and that includes the use of cutting-edge gear like the Spikey® machine. “Environmental compliance is a big challenge for farmers right now,” says Spreading Canterbury managing director Gavin Palmer. “We want to do the right thing for the environment and help our clients do the same. If they can reduce nitrogen leaching and still break even, that’s a win.” Developed by Pastoral Robotics, Spikey® detects cow urine patches in pasture and applies fertiliser only to the surrounding areas, reducing nitrate leaching by up to 30% and boosting grass growth. Spreading Canterbury runs the liquid fertiliser version, using GPS and real-time detection to apply fertiliser precisely where it’s needed. “It’s an $800,000 piece of kit, so it’s not something we’re scaling up just yet, but it’s definitely the future,” Gavin says. “We’re proud to be early adopters. We’ve never been afraid to try something new.” Spreading Canterbury operates a fleet of 14 Scania trucks, all Spreadmark certified and fitted with in-cab GPS systems and Hawkeye proofof-placement technology. Their services include variable rate spreading, liquid nitrogen and gibberellic acid application, and a specialist crop ‘Be true to yourself’ Kim Newth cockies to unify against them, but we did, and I’m the acknowledged ignition source for the pushback.” Ray’s activism did take a surprising turn – it saw him team up with former Environment Southland scientist Clint Rissman and automation engineer Richard Dean to develop a low-cost, portable water quality monitoring station to use on farms. Known as ‘Derrick’, the machine takes and analyses samples every 15 minutes 24/7. Speaking of the initial interactions between the parties at the time, Ray recalls coming to the realisation, “that although we were at two ends of the spectrum – poles apart – we both wanted the same thing”. The environmentalist and the farmer decided to “have a crack at working together”, he says. “What I’ve learnt is the water in the soil is the blood of the earth. “Human beings, when we’re crook, we go to the doctor, and one of the first things they do is take a blood test and work their way back, to find out what’s wrong. “That’s exactly the same principle that I’m working on here.” For Ray, keeping check on water quality coming off his farm was a no-brainer, and he says he has seen the results in farm production. “Put quite simply, healthy water, healthy soil, healthy stock, increased production. “I haven’t sent a lamb off this place this year under 170 bucks. I’ve been sitting on around about 195 to 197 all the way, then our last lot, of 76 lambs, cracked 200 ($209.45). “I’m happy as a pig in the proverbial.” He and Janette are learning to work “smarter not harder” as they age on the land, making use of contractors and fresh tech as necessary and steering clear of being too “needy” for family close by. They’re running 700-odd ewes, with 1,100 lambs, and 50 cattle. They also trade between 400 to 500 stores, plus a few cattle too. Ray reckons he is probably getting close to being “old news” these days and, while he still has plenty to say, is content to pass on the baton when it comes to advocating for farmers in the district. truck on narrow wheels, all part of delivering precision agriculture at a competitive price. “Variable rate application is a bit of a game changer,” Gavin says. “We can apply exactly what’s needed in each part of the paddock. That means better results for the farmer and less risk to the environment.” While Palmers Transport and Spreading Canterbury are run as separate businesses, Palmers by Gavin’s brother Wayne Palmer, the two remain closely linked by shared values and deep community roots. “Local knowledge counts for a lot,” Gavin says. “Our drivers are part of the community, and some have been with us for more than 20 years. They know the land, they know the people, and they care about getting the job done right.” Palmers Transport itself is now more than 65 years old, and still proudly family owned. Founder Brian Palmer has recently regained his Class 5 licence at the grand age of 85, proving he’s still got gas in the tank. As the Spreading Canterbury team prepares for winter, soil testing is already underway to fine-tune spring fertiliser plans. “If the world wants to keep eating, we’ve got to keep growing. That means fertiliser has to go on, but we can be smart about how we do it.” SOUTHLAND HONDA For the best Parts, Sales & Service in the south 77 CLYDE STREET, INVERCARGILL, PH (03) 214 4254 www.southlandhonda.co.nz 027 739 7000 Spreading Canterbury operates a fleet of 14 Scania trucks. At 70, Southland sheep and beef farmer Ray McCrostie describes himself as “one very fortunate stock unit”, grateful for a career spent gleaning knowledge off experts as well as backing his own judgement in an industry he reckons is too often pummeled by the demands of bureaucracy. His advice to a next generation of farmers: “Trust your instincts and be true to yourself”. Ray and wife Janette, a retired nurse, farm 100 hectares east of Invercargill at Mokotua, on land Ray has lived on for edging up to six decades. He is proud of the part he has played in transforming the place while acknowledging some of the changes would probably be unpopular today. “It was a very rough property,” he says. “It was scrub and swamp - wetland basically - and I’ve taken it from that to what it is today. A few years ago, that would be considered an achievement, but nowadays I think it’s considered a crime. “That’s the way politics goes, I suppose.” In 2019, in a story on public broadcaster RNZ, a journalist calls Ray an “outspoken farmer”. Today, Ray tells us he felt compelled to advocate for a local farming community he saw scapegoated and slammed by tightening environmental regulations at the hands of a regional council. “In order to right the environmental woes of Southland they picked on a nice little vulnerable community at the head of (Waituna) Lagoon to make an example of them. “The last thing they expected was a bunch of Ray and wife Janette, a retired nurse, farm 100 hectares east of Invercargill.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NDc2Mzg=