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Thursday, March 15, 2012
STAR OF THE NORTH
PICK THE ODD ONE OUT! GO TO PAGES 18 & 19
win!
LOUISE MICHAEL SPECIAL FEATURE
An iPad
n PAGE 16
Gilmac hay expands
More jobs as plant to double in size
RE ADY, AIM, FIRE!
Les Pearson reports:
MILITARY equipment fan Colin Jones appears to be ready to ward off all invaders in this army tank he built. But there’s a twist to the story behind this Lisa Redpath picture! n REPORT, Page 4
HAY exporter Gilmac has announced a multi-million dollar expansion of its Balaklava operations, effectively doubling its annual hay production and storage facilities. The expansion includes the addition of a second hay press, which presses hay into bales ready for export, upgrading annual production from 55,000 to 110,000 tonnes per year. The new press will be installed next to the current press, which operates continuously all year. Two new sheds will also be built, raising storage space from 25,000 to 40,000 tonnes. The expansion accommodates six more permanent jobs in the district, with a few more casual positions also set to open up. Gilmac general manager, Mark Heaslip, said the company has been extremely satisfied with its operations in the state. “Gilmac has been very happy with South Australia over the last 10 or so years and we’ve always been pushing to get more hay grown in the area,” he said. “Now we’ve decided to invest
GILMAC manager Mark Heaslip at the Balaklava facility.
in SA and Balaklava and we would like to see the growers do the same and increase their tonnage. “We’re very happy with the way the market is going at the moment and we believe there is a lot more room to supply extra hay to Japan and Asia.” The major challenge facing the company is securing enough hay for the second press and the doubled production demands. Mr Heaslip was fairly sure
the company’s reputation and recent dealings with local growers would encourage them to help fill that void. “I’m reasonably confident,” he said. “We’ve asked our traditional growers if they can increase their hectares and we will be advertising to see if we can get some new growers to supply hay to us. n Continued Page 2
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