| 65 nzdairy DAIRY SERVICES » KP Contracting Ltd Contracting services based on local knowledge Virginia Wright KP Contracting have been providing the farming sector in Manawatu with agricultural contracting services based on local knowledge since it was founded by Albert Ploen in the 1930s. He was succeeded by his son Kerry who recently retired, and it’s now run by a group of three directors, Peter Fullerton-Smith, Jason Brown and Tom Welsh. Peter came to KP Contracting straight from school back in the 80’s while it was being run by Kerry and joined him as a director in 1995. Jason was brought up on a farm and made the transition out of the Southland fishing industry, back into agriculture, when he joined the KP team in 2008, becoming a director in 2021; and Tom worked on large-scale farms in New Zealand and overseas before joining the KP team in 2013 and becoming a director a year ago. United by a love of rural life and the lure of heavy machinery they run the business together. While each of them tends to have their own role within it all three of them can jump on a tractor and are well capable of handling any of KP Contracting’s core services which include ground work, haymaking, harvesting, and crop spraying. “We love the challenge of the job,” says Peter. “Every day is different with its own challenges depending on what’s happening with the weather that year, or that month, which affects the crops which affects the weed control and the insect control and the harvesting and everything else we do.” After decades of providing agricultural services to Manawatu farmers the team at KP Contracting is secure in the knowledge that they’ve got all the machinery required to assist farmers with any of Over the years much of the region has turned to dairy and hundreds of acres of grain has been converted to pasture. futureproducers.co.nz PROUDLY AVAILABLE FROM YOUR LOCAL PARTICIPATING VETERINARY CLINIC See product labels for full claim details and directions for use. MARKS-MIN® a registered trademarks of Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica GmbH, used under license. ACVM Registration No. A011687. © Copyright 2024. Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health New Zealand Limited. All rights reserved. NZ-MSP-0026-2024. REMARKABLE RESULTS *Boehringer Ingelheim data on file. ENERGY TO GO THE EXTRA MILE PROVEN* trace mineral injection for cattle to support optimal health, production and fertility, with the added benefit of Vitamin B12 in one convenient injection FERTILITY ENERGY GROWTH IMMUNITY From one truckload to ongoing supply, we will have the right feed at the right price and get it where it needs to be. • Hay • Straw • Baleage • NZ-grown Grain • Wood Shavings • Feed budgeting advice • General logistics services • Feed testing WE SUPPLY WE ALSO OFFER THE BENEFIT TO YOU Quality feed, sourced from trusted growers Competitive prices NZ-wide delivery Back-load freight rates 8+ years hands-on experience WE SUPPLY QUALITY FEED • Cultivation • Drilling / Direct Drilling • Hay • Baleage • Straw • Harvesting - Wheat / Barley / Maize • Ground Spraying KPContracting Ltd Peter 027 4477 345 Jason 027 2428 555 Tom 021 8836 02 the services they can’t do themselves, whether it’s because they’re too busy with calving or don’t have the machinery. When it comes to hay making and baleage production for example they fit in as needed whether that’s doing the whole job or coming in after the farmer’s done the mowing. They have two mower conditioners for accelerated drying, two roto rakes for the consistent feed which ensures great bales, and their shape and storage options include conventional bales, high density medium squares or round bales with a wrapper. Similarly with groundwork. They work in with local farmers filling in any machinery gaps depending on their needs, Peter explains. “With one of our bigger clients we do the ploughing, he does the levelling then we finish off and sow it for him. So we work with the farmers throughout everything we do.” Over the years much of the region has turned to dairy and hundreds of acres of grain has been converted to pasture although KP Contracting still enjoy growing grain on the 20 or so hectares they lease for the purpose. “If we can share crop or lease land we jump at it and we’d like more,” says Peter. “It helps with cash flow and we can test out seed varieties and fertiliser application and take care of the soil.” The crops are more likely to be green feed crops such as turnips, chicory and kale, than wheat and barley, but KP Contracting are there to do whatever the farmers’ need, juggling priorities according to weather and seasonal cycles, doing what’s required to get the job done. Things may change around them but they remain as stable and reliable as they’ve been for nearly 100 years.
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