We have some BIG NEWS for you!
Welcome to our April newsletter.
First, I’d like to say a very big thank you to all of you that took the time to reply to our marketing survey recently. We know how irritating it can be to be constantly bombarded by companies trying to peddle their wares, so we really wanted to ensure we weren’t intruding on your personal time while still making sure you aren’t missing out on anything we had that was worth sharing.
The result of the survey is that the bulk of you are asking for a separate newsletter once a month, closely followed by any specials being integrated into our current monthly newsletter. So! In this edition you will see a little more to offer on the savings front and we promise that this will only be genuine opportunities for you to save a few bob and if we see this is adding value to you then in the future we may expand on this to a separate newsletter.
We also had some really nice feedback about our business in general, we don’t claim to always get things perfect but we do try so thank you to those that took the time to share those kind words.
BIG NEWS!
It’s with a great amount excitement that we can share a couple of big developments within our business.
TAUPO - As of the 1st April we will officially join forces with Terry Cameron at Taupo Tractor & Machinery. Terry will bring his decades of experience and local knowledge and our own Taupo local Jamie Gainsford will also be based from the site at 2 Miro Street in Taupo. All the Piako brands will be available including Massey Ferguson, Fendt & Valtra tractors as well as the full line up of machinery you are used to seeing under the Piako flag. We are super excited to find a home in Taupo and look forward to building on all the great work that Taupo Tractor & Machinery has done over the past 35 years. Don’t be a stranger! Drop in and see what we have on offer.
ROTORUA – Another massive development is that we are packing our bags at our current location in Rotorua and setting up camp at a new site probably well known to many of you Rotorua locals. You may have spotted the old Rotorua Toyota site looking a little bare lately, well (all going to plan) come June this year you will see that yard packed full of Red, Green and White tractors as well as a whole host of top quality machinery! Our new site at 304 Te Ngae Rd is more than double the size we operate from now and gives excellent access for customers. We will share more with you as the process goes on but rest assured, we are investing in our business to ensure we can support yours.
Regards,
Team Piako
Branch - Morrinsville
Role – Marketing and development
Brian grew up in the Waikato on a dairy farm in Kiwitahi where he lived a dairy farm kids’ life that is familiar to many of us. Obviously Brians old man thought a life in and around Ag suited him, and when it came time for Brian to earn his own way his dad dragged him out of school (I’m not so sure he put up much of a fight) and drove around town until he found someone to give his son a job. This turned out to be Maber Motors, a Massey Ferguson and Vanguard dealer at the time. This kicked off a career in agriculture that isn’t rivalled by many and what Brian has experienced and learned about the global agriculture scene is something to be very jealous of indeed.
Outside of the Ag industry Brian has another great love which is his Commodore Race Car. Now many of us have had the pleasure of seeing the big fella in action on the track, and it quickly explains why Brians insurance policy on his company Pajero is substantially higher than the rest of ours! I’m not sure what brave pills he’s on, but they obviously work because there’s no mucking around when he gets behind the wheel of that thing. If any of you reading this have shares in a Tyre business or an Engine/Transmission shop, I think it’s well worth your time dropping Brian a line… he will probably help pay the deposit on your next tractor!
Another big part of Brians life is socialising with friends, family, and colleagues. I think it would be fair to say that the viaduct in Auckland is a favourite spot and I dare say a few drinks and meals have been shared there celebrating a good race result, never a bad one aye Brian!
When I asked Brian what his future goals looked like his reply was ‘wondering what to do when I retire one day’. Well after having the pleasure of knowing Brian for a few years and speaking to many many people that have known him far longer I don’t think there’s too much risk of Brian getting bored, he’s probably one of the most energetic guys I’ve ever met and has a wealth of experience in both career and life that a whole host of people will be keen to take advantage of!
Thanks for all that you do Mr Matchett!
Currently we have a VERY limited number of brand-new Massey Ferguson 7S.145 Dyna-6 machines available at just 0.99% finance. With 165 max horsepower, renowned Dyna-6 transmission, and a professional series front end loader this is a serious bit of kit perfectly suited to New Zealand’s large farms where you need a reliable ‘all-rounder’. These stock machines are flowing in over the next couple of months, so if you’re in the market they’re well worth considering, its hard-to-find cheap finance right now!
Another awesome finance offer that has just been released is Massey Fergusons Global series tractors including the 4700, 5700 and 6700 machines all being just 0.99% finance. With a range spanning from 74hp to 132hp available in Rops and Cab versions the Global series has been sold in New Zealand for years and they’ve built themselves a great reputation for no fuss reliability. Orders need to be placed prior to June 30th so before winter calving go check for holes in the roof or that the rear linkage still works for the transport tray and maybe have a chat with one of the team about an upgrade!
Coming into a bit of spraying before the winter wet? Well at the moment our mates at BA Sprayers are offering $800.00 off their 800L pasture pack with an 8m boom. BA Sprayers are NZ’s leading manufacturer of spray equipment and are local to our branches operating out of their facility in Cambridge. We love the quality of their products and they’re top people to deal with to boot!
Of all the years, recent weather events have got plenty of people thinking about the condition of their property and the performance of their paddocks. Our soil’s ability to deal with excessive amounts of rain, as well as the effect of several hundred hooves or heavy machinery rolling around on top of it can have a dramatic effect to your farms output and what ends up in your hip pocket.
One of the biggest factors in a crops performance regardless of type is whether its root system has to contend with a hard pan. This is all common sense stuff but if a plants root system hits a hard pan or even just a substantial change in soil density this can put the plant into what the experts call ‘root shock’ basically the roots hit that and say ‘what the hells going on here’ and the plant then has to reallocate its energy away from top growth and into helping its roots deal with the hard soil… obviously this slows the plants development where we need it most for a successful harvest or grazing. This period of ‘root shock’ can apparently put the plant in a holding pattern for up to 14 days
And who’s to say poor old Mr Planty can even make it through that hard pan? In a worst-case scenario it’s impossible and the roots grow in a flat mass across the top of the hard pan making it susceptible to either drowning in wet conditions or adversely dying of thirst in dry conditions because it can’t access the moisture further down in the soil profile away from the hot sun.
Compaction comes in many forms, shallower compaction layers can be created by livestock, wheeled machinery and heavy rain and deeper compaction can be caused by a paddock not being deep ripped over long periods of time and one of the worst types which is ‘smear compaction’ can be formed off the back of certain types of disc cultivators which can have a nasty habit of sending roots sideways rather than down.
So what’s a good solution without going overboard? The best we have found is the Rata Panerazer, an awesome machine we have sold plenty of and we have seen great results in varied conditions.
The Panerazer is a deep ripper available in 5, 7 and 9 leg configurations all of which are led by a straight coulter to help open the soil up nice and cleanly. With a max working depth of 450mm the Panerazer will reach almost all compaction layers that are a concern for kiwi farmers whilst still retaining the all-important soil structure. Horsepower requirements range from 120hp to 190hp and of course varies with configuration and soil type, but as far as deep tillage machines go the Panerazer is on the less thirsty end of the scale.
The standard configuration is with what Rata dub the ‘Pasture Point’ which gives the paddock a nice clean finish and opens the soil up for moisture penetration and a freer root run. You can also get a ‘Winged Foot’ which will give the soil more lift and shatter the soil structure that bit more.
The legs come with a nice modular design so you can replace the worn parts individually rather than having to fork out for complete units, and setup is as simple as it gets and is adjusted by the roller height and the tractors 3 point linkage.
On your next walk around the farm take a shovel and have a wee dig, you might be interested in what you find 300mm under the soil surface and maybe a Panerazer has its place on your property.
To find out more check on the Rata website link below and in the case of tillage equipment a picture really is worth a thousand words so have a good snoop.
CHECK IT OUT
Rural Shoutout
If you have any local rural community events, feel free to send them through to be listed in our next newsletter. We would love to help our customers promote any fundraising events, working bees or other important community notices. Email the details to chrisb@piako.co.nz and be sure to add the full details of the event including location, date and any weblinks we can use. Space will be limited so space cant be guaranteed.