Geoff and Karen with their Fendt

Scoring about 80 percent of their work from regular customers, it’s a testament to both the reputation of the thriving business and its high-tech approach to supplying local producers with quality silage year-in, year-out. Geoff and his wife Karen have an established track record garnered from over 20 years of making silage for their own sheep and cropping property at Lake Bolac, but also for dairy, lamb and beef farmers within a 100km radius of their home base.

The job entails making anything from 500 tonnes up to 4,000 tonnes of bulk silage per farm with their clients requesting it be earmarked either for clamps, above ground stacks, or pits in preference to the higher costs associated with bales wrapped in plastic. At the height of the season up to five casual staff are employed to the contracting business.” The McIntyre’s family farming operation centres on 420 hectares of crop, principally wheat, barley and canola, with the property also running 3,500 Merino sheep.

Having learned early on the art of making quality silage to feed their sheep enterprise, it keep pace with the onerous workload with Karen McIntyre overseeing much of the day-to-day logistics involved in maintaining such a busy work schedule. Due to the truncated silage making season, which extends from late September through to early December, Geoff relies heavily on his core machinery, namely his Fendt 614 (165hp) and 716V (165hp) tractors, and his higher horsepower Fendt 820V (205hp) to turn in reliable performances and to avoid costly and untimely repairs. “It’s about being efficient, having good machinery to hand,” Geoff said. “It mustn’t break down - down time costs money and forage quality - we want to be working those machines every daylight hour.”

The McIntyre family have long relied on Fendt having acquired their first Fendt tractor some 25 years ago, making them something of early pioneers with the brand in Australia which is noted world-wide for its engineering excellence. The unit, an 80hp tractor, turned in some 8000 hours which it achieved with hardly a technical mishap according to Geoff. “We were ‘hooked’ from then on,” Geoff said. “We’ve now had five Fendt tractors between the family farm and proved to be only a matter of time for the family to build up a silage-orientated business. Today, the contract operation prefers not to load their tractors on to trucks when moving from farm to farm, relying on the comfortable cab, suspension system, and the continuously variable Vario transmission of the Fendt tractors to speed the silage-making team around the countryside.

“The older model does 40kph and the newer one does 50kph on the road – so it doesn’t take too long to get between jobs,” Geoff said. Geoff says all his Fendt tractors are “nicely matched” with his three silage wagons. “On the machinery side of things, I think it is important to get it right,” Geoff McIntyre said. “It’s no use matching a big tractor to a smaller machine – so we buy our tractors to suit the equipment they will be pulling,” said Geoff. “We looked at other brands, but nothing compared to the Fendt tractors.”

With the Fendt name lifting its profile in the district, many of the McIntyre’s customers also take time out to ask the odd question about the premium brand. “Yes, they like to jump up and have a bit of a ride,” Geoff said. “When they cruise up the road in the new one, they come back pretty impressed,” he added. What attracted Geoff to the Fendts at first were their excellent fuel consumption figures and their next to nothing maintenance needs. “Generally, they just don’t need many parts,” he said. “And very rarely do you need to put anything in to them,” Geoff added.

Also top of mind for Geoff was the service and back up facilities that his local dealer Phillips Farm Machinery could provide. “For anyone buying a tractor today, these are key factors,” Geoff McIntyre said. “It’s the number one thing to look at.” “Phillips Farm Machinery has provided us with great service and support; we couldn’t be happier,” said Geoff. Apart from operating reliable machinery and tractors, the McIntyre’s say the secret to their business success also rests with “going that extra yard” on behalf of their customers. Following a reasonably good autumn break with good rains through the winter, Geoff is confident they will be able to rise to the challenge of the hectic silage-making season ahead.

More details on: www.silagecontractors.com.au

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