By Tony Leggett
Photography by Brad Hanson

Clever, intuitive technology fuels Hawke’s Bay ground spreading business Pedersen Spreaders.

Owners Howard and Megan Pedersen say widespread farmer uptake of Tracmap software, which partners with Ravensdown’s HawkEye technology, has revolutionised their business over the past few years.

They’ve noticed significant improvements in managing the busy scheduling of their six trucks and drivers, plus all the benefits from the software’s capacity to automate many of the operations required by drivers, themselves and their farmer clients.

All their trucks have GPS guidance systems and their clients are encouraged to adopt Tracmap technology because it links directly to Ravensdown’s HawkEye system.

An increasing number of farmers are booking in their spreading work directly through the Tracmap-HawkEye mobile phone app. Farmers can highlight the paddocks for application and supply the fertiliser recommendation from their Ravensdown agri manager via HawkEye.

“I don’t even get a phone call now from many of our clients,” Howard says. “It’s all on the mobile phone app, so we know the area, tonnage required, rate, and order number. Once I check it, I can assign it to a truck and driver.

“As our driver comes up the road to the farm, a map appears on his screen alongside him in the cab, showing which paddocks to spread the load on and at what rate.”

It has eliminated any confusion over paddock choice, and placement is recorded automatically by the truck as it covers each paddock. This file is then shared with the farmer and is available for meeting any compliance requirements for proof of placement.

One of their drivers, Bill Middlemiss, has been with the company four years and is driving the newest truck in the fleet, a 410hp Scania all-wheel drive rig with capacity to handle a 16-tonne payload when paired with a trailer.

The bin on the truck sits on scales that can sense the density of the fertiliser it holds to confirm it is the correct product on board before spreading. The variable spreader covers a width of up to 30m, fed by a dual chain platform that can be slowed or stopped to prevent flicking fertiliser too close to waterways or boundary fences.

The Pedersens are staunch supporters of the Spreadmark standard, which requires their trucks and drivers to be regularly audited by independent auditors.

“Spreadmark is widely adopted now which is great,” Howard says. “Some farmers are even being directly rewarded by companies who they supply if they use a Spreadmark spreading business.”

An example is the dairy company Synlait. It pays its suppliers a premium for their milk if they can show spreading of fertiliser is done by a Spreadmark-approved operator.

Pedersen Spreaders was established 26 years ago with a single truck to supplement income from the 200ha family farm at Ashley Clinton in southern Hawke’s Bay.

“Our farm wasn’t big enough to support my parents, me and my older brother, so we started the business to provide more income,” Howard says.

The company grew quickly off the back of the dairy conversions that swept through the Hawke’s Bay region and it now services most of the dairy farms operating across the district.

Howard drove a truck full time himself for the first 16 years until he and wife Megan bought out his brother’s shares in the business and the farm in 2009.

Howard still manages the operational side of the business and is a relief driver to cover unexpected illness or “when we’re tapped out”.

“My phone never stops ringing, but it’s all done in the morning now, so my evenings are much freer,” he says.

“Because of the emphasis we’ve put on building our dairy farmer client base, it normally means we’ve got work for the team 12 months of the year.”

Megan says spring is their most challenging time because it heralds a sharp rise in the amount of cropping activity.

“Spreading is a headache in spring because we do so many crops, so it’s lots of little jobs as opposed to other times of year when you’re at one farm for most of the day.”

Pedersen Spreaders looks after some of the maintenance for its trucks, but most is handled by local firms when it comes to bigger tasks like compliance and tyres.

They’ve turned down the opportunity for further growth, preferring to concentrate on existing clients and not stretching drivers or machines beyond a comfortable day’s work.