| 87 nzdairy DAIRY SERVICES » John Austin Ltd • from page 88 in Germany and the United States,” John said. “Especially around precision farming, because we were very early adopters of that. We’ve been direct drilling as long as anyone here in New Zealand. “We probably now do close to 30-40% strip or no-tillage in corn, and in grass we’re about 85% no-till. “Not only was it a great way of meeting people and creating friendships throughout the world. My contacts over there have been fantastic for finding young, experienced drivers we can bring to New Zealand during harvest and planting.” Lessons learned He says the international connections were transformational for his business growth through the years. “I always had a hunger to do things better and learn, and I just loved contracting, so I naturally ended up travelling a lot,” he said. “I never went on a working holiday but during the off-season here I went to the US, Europe, Germany and the UK. I visited contractors to try and grow crops better, to do things better and learn how to make my business better. “Those big contractors and big maize growers in the states, Holland and Germany were very, very professional. They really inspired me to do things better and to study how we could adapt their technology to help us in New Zealand. “I had a contractor friend in northern Germany and he was very insistent early on that I shouldn’t run a business from inside a tractor. That it should be run from an office. He focussed me on managing the business, it happened…and we grew.” To the point that today they have three managers organising work, an agronomist organising cropping, an in-house accountant and three administrative people, in addition to mechanics and a team in the workshop. Connecting young people to the ground John considers himself lucky to be raised in “I always had a hunger to do things better and learn, and I just loved contracting, so I naturally ended up travelling a lot.” New Zealand when it had a proud history of “cando” farm kids who learnt about the reality of life, death, and … consequences from a young age. Their hands-on experience moulded them into strong individuals who were problem solvers with big work ethics. They knew rules saved lives, and responsibility was a thing. They worked alongside their parents – barely noticing they were absorbing valuable life lessons. He says he would never had had access to learning his craft had he not been given his head at a young age. “I think that is one of the biggest tragedies in agriculture today – and for the families, to be honest – is the rules around children not being allowed on farms,” he says. “I also think the lack of IP (Intellectual Property) which has historically passed on through the parents is damaging families. If you think about the fun times our generation had growing up it wasn’t sitting inside, it was being out with Mum or Dad on-farm learning life skills.” He also thinks that subtle disconnect hasn’t helped agriculture’s unfair treatment within the climate change debate. “The farming industry is now short of young people because they haven’t grown up to love it – because they haven’t been exposed to it. “A lot of these larger farms aren’t always operated any more by a family who are intimately involved in the day-to-day running of the property. Whereas 25 years ago a lot of our farms were worked together by a family, and their children were a great help during the busy times of the season. • to page 92 WE ALSO SUPPLY BUILDERS MIX, BARK & STONE. CALL THE OFFICE FOR A PRICE. ROBBIE: 027 442 8686 (ENQUIRIES) EMAIL: ROBBIE@LILTRANS.CO.NZ 15 RAILWAY ROAD, RAETIHI 4632 • WOOL • TIMER • FERTILIZER • GRAIN • METAL • POSTS • LIME • STOCK FEED SUPPLEMENTS PROUD TO SUPPORT JOHN AUSTIN LTD www.purewater.co.nz | info@purewater.co.nz 0800 746 744 | 431a Te Rapa Rd, HAMILTON • Whole Farm water treatment to remove Iron & Manganese • Whole House ltration for Bore & Rainwater • Ultraviolet Sterilisers to remove E. coli • Filtration to address low pH & water hardness • Site visits & water testing Specialists in Rural Water Filtration & Treatment Ebbett Toyota Te Awamutu is located in the heart of rural Waikato and are proud partners of John Austin Contracting. Whether you're buying new or used, looking for a trade or simply a service, Steve Mackay and the team will look after you. YOUR RURAL 63(&,$/,676 T&C: Toyota Personalised Finance available on all new & used Toyota models. TE AWAMUTU 29 Kihikihi Road Te Awamutu, 07 872 0017 ebbetttoyota.co.nz FINANCIAL SERVICES
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