Farmers working for farmers

Wairuna Agri-Services owner Angus McKenzie is combining innovation and sustainability to deliver spraying and direct drilling services to farms across Mid Canterbury. He and his team work hand in hand with agronomists to provide

result-driven solutions to local farmers. WORDS BY INDIANA ROBERTS, IMAGES SUPPLIED BY WAIRUNA AGRI

Ably led by Murrell Ruddenklau, Wairuna Agri’s operators understand a range of farming systems and are focused on helping farmers achieve their end goal of growing a good crop. “We’re farmers working for farmers,” Angus says. They operate a full fleet of spraying and drilling equipment and have invested into precision agriculture technologies, with “good systems in place for recording and proof of placement, which is a big part of modern farming,” Angus says. “We’ve got a big focus on sustainability— we have some innovative boom wash and recycling systems at our base, and we see liquid fertiliser as a big opportunity and way to improve nutrient efficiency.” After university, Angus spent several years working for Foundation for Arable Research before going home to run Wairuna Farm, a mixed cropping farm in Lowcliffe and Eiffleton. Armed with his experience in trial agronomy, he began experimenting with soil management plans—particularly drill and fertiliser initiatives—and recognised the benefits of integrating revolutionised practices with modern agriculture. From there it seemed only logical to invest in the gear needed to share his expertise through a contracting business. “At uni a lot of my projects were around integrating arable with livestock, particularly dairy,” Angus says. “I guess that’s where I got quite into spraying.” Everything Wairuna Agri-Services offers has been tried and tested. ‘‘We’re quite considered about how we approach new technologies or practices on-farm,” Angus says. “Before we take anything to the market, like in terms of the drilling or the liquid fert or the products, we’ll trial it on the farm.” They’re currently running paddock trials to gather results on the effectiveness of liquid fertiliser on a neighbouring dairy farm. ‘‘If someone asks us to do a job, we’ll do it,” Angus says. “But if people ask for my opinion, you know, I’m not that comfortable until I’ve done some homework on it.” Wairuna Agri maintains a selection of fertilisers and ag-chems, making supply an easy pick for farmers and agronomists while increasing the efficiency of the team. “If we come and spray for them we can give them exactly what they need and take care of the drums and the recycling. We know exactly at the start of the day that we’ve got the right product,” Angus says. Wairuna Agri-Services mainly operate between the Ashburton and Rangitata rivers, from coast to hills. They have two Mitsubishi canters fitted with Richards Custom Machinery spray packs that are capable of spraying crop protection products, liquid fertiliser and biologicals, with Topcon guidance for section control and Tracmap GPS for proof of placement. They also have an Amazone Pantera 4503 rigged with a 24-30 metre boom, with adjustable wheel width and height clearance up to 1.7 metres (ideal for late brassica seed crop work). The Pantera is also equipped with Topcon for guidance and Tracmap advanced GPS. Their 2800L Tow & amp; Fert machine completes their liquid fertiliser management options, capable of evenly spraying liquid fertiliser and fine particle suspension products, including seed, that can’t go through regular sprayers. They also provide direct drilling using a Cross Slot direct drill capable of drilling into heavy residue with minimal disturbance, a service Angus says is integral to reflecting their values around sustainability. The Cross Slot drill offers 150mm row spacing across a 3.5 metre sowing width, with drilling of 300mm and separate seed and fertiliser placement. Angus says a new Amazone Pantera 4504 with a 36-30-24 metre boom will be joining the fleet this spring alongside an Amazone UF 2002 with a 30-24 metre boom.

Wairuna Agri-Services 386 Trig Pole Road, Lowcliffe, Ashburton Wairuna Agri’s range of equipment is designed to cater to different nutrient management plans, promoting quality crop growth while reducing soil disturbance and product wastage. “We’re obviously farmers doing contracting so we have a really good team that really cares about the end goal,” Angus says. “They trained on the farm to know what they’re looking for to help that farmer achieve the end product - growing a decent crop.”

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