February 08, 2010
BUSINESS EXPANSION REQUIRES NEW CASE IH TRACTORS
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Warrnambool, Victoria-based dairy farmer and Chair of Dairy Food Safety Victoria, Shirley Harlock, has spent much of her time in the past year establishing a new enterprise in South Australia thanks to cheaper land prices. The expanding business has required the purchase of additional tractors, including a Case IH Puma 210, a Maxxum 125 and two Maxxum 115 models.
Shirley and her husband, John, already had four properties in Warrnambool and run the business in partnership with their son, Scott, and his wife, Fleur. They chose an 800-hectare property at Greenways to act as a fodder factory for their two 400-cow dairy farms.
"Given the dry times we've had and the subsequent high cost of feed, we needed to expand to ensure we had land and water available specifically for growing high quality feed for our dairy cows," said Shirley.
"Our dairy cows need 5,200 tonnes of dry matter alone annually, plus there's feed requirements for dry stock and our 450 beef breeders. Having land dedicated to producing this feed will ensure our long term sustainability."
The Harlocks have planted 47 hectares of lucerne under centre pivot irrigation and expect to yield 14 to 15 tonnes per hectare. They also run 2,000 first cross ewes to produce prime lambs and approximately 150 breeding cows in South Australia, which helps manage their risk through diversification.
The Case IH Puma 210 will be used for both mowing and baling on the Warrnambool properties and the new enterprise in South Australia, while the Maxxum 125 is dedicated to land cultivation on the South Australian site. The Case IH Maxxum 115 models, which were chosen for their versatility and power, will be used strictly on the Warrnambool properties.
"All new equipment purchases are a joint strategic decision. Key factors are service, reliability, performance and versatility. The Puma 210 is the perfect example of what we look for. With a full Powershift transmission, it can travel at road speeds up to 50 km/h, allowing us to drive it between our properties in Victoria and South Australia. Driving it ourselves, which takes around six hours, rather than freighting it, saves us $1,400 in transport," said John Harlock.
"It's also rated at 157 kW (210 Hp), with up to 21 kW (28 Hp) additional power available for PTO and transport. So it can easily power a front- and side-mounted mower simultaneously, cutting 7.5 metres in one pass, which really maximises our productivity.
"The Maxxum 125 also has the power to perform, while ensuring versatility. With its 6.7-litre engine and four-speed Powershift transmission with a wet clutch powershuttle, it can run the cultivator even in rocky soils, while still being versatile enough to get around the paddocks," he said.
"Scott has travelled several times across to the South Australian farm in the new tractors now and finds the travel time valuable to clear his head and think strategically about the business. With the comfort and technology afforded by Case IH, particularly the CD player, it's a piece of cake and certainly not a chore," added Shirley.
