90 | nzdairy With powerful (and expensive) John Deere and Fendt equipment in the mix, there is a lot of money on the line. DAIRY SERVICES » John Austin Ltd Off-shore skill-set sorely needed to handle The government is naïve to think that there is enough skill in New Zealand to handle the contracting season on the high-spec machinery now involved, warns agricultural contractor John Austin. John Austin Contracting Ltd services roughly 800 customers from its Te Awamutu base in the heart of the Waikato. Most of its work involves maize and grass, and it grows wheat, barley, and oil seed rape at Ohakune. The business employed up to 70 people (pre-Covid-19). It was an early adopter of precision farming, and it was at the forefront of adopting strip tillage and no-till technology two decades ago. The family bought the first SoilWarrior (which uses variable rate technology to precisely place fertiliser within the growth zone and gently mix nutrients into the soil beneath the surface so they are less likely to wash away with the rain). With powerful (and expensive) John Deere and Fendt equipment in the mix, there is a lot of money on the line for contractors and farmers every harvest and sowing season. Austin Contracting has three managers organising work, an agronomist organising cropping, it has an in-house accountant and three administration staff. That is in addition to mechanics and workshop staff. • to page 96 WAIKATO 07 871 4058 nzfss.teawamutu@fonterra.com 366 Sloane Street, Te Awamutu nzfarmsource.co.nz Proudly supporting John Austin Ltd FARMLANDS TE AWAMUTU ARE PROUD TO SUPPORT JOHN AUSTIN visit your local Farmlands team today. FAR_08376 Farmlands Te Awamutu 203 Benson Road 07 872 0230 TeAwamutu.branch@farmlands.co.nz : | : | RURAL | JOHN AUSTIN LTD Wayne 027 348 3626 Matty 027 867 4503 Office 07 377 3442 152 Marotiri Rd, RD1, Mangakino wr_mankelowearthmovers@yahoo.co.nz Farm Maintenance, House & Shed Sites, Roading, Land Development, Effluent Ponds, Farm Forestry Lots
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NDc2Mzg=