A concrete investment in better farming
Tom and Laura Goodright of Interlaken Farms have been farming on the outskirts of Waiuku, Franklin for the past seven or eight years.
"I've actually been on this land forever, but we've been operating as Interlaken Farms for about seven or eight years," says Tom.
For farmers like Tom and Laura, developing and improving farming practices is an ongoing process.
"We're always looking for ways to improve the farm and, of course, make it more profitable," says Tom. "At the end of the day it’s a business, and we need to run it as efficiently as possible.”
One of the next steps for Tom and Laura was the construction of a large concrete feed pad.
“There are so many savings to be made by having a feed pad on the farm. It’s a clean, stable place to feed the herd, reduces feed waste, protects our pastures, particularly over winter, and makes it easier to access the herd when we need to. There are some significant savings to be made by having a feed pad.”
While Tom and Laura knew the benefits, the cost of concreting a 110m x 65m area was significant.
With 700m³ of concrete, 5,000 Grey Masonry blocks and more than 200 bags of Trade Mortar required all of which were made locally - in Franklin.
“We were happy to help Tom and Laura with what they needed to get their feed pad poured and operational for the farm,” says Christy. “All the contractors used on site were local - as supporting local contractors in our industry is important.”
Now with the feed pad operational Tom says they are already seeing the benefits of having a dedicated feed pad for the herd.
“It’s protecting our pasture and ultimately, saving us money.”
Did you know that you can use your Farmlands Card, similar to a credit card to purchase any Firth products?
Here’s how:
- Find your nearest Firth outlet
- Order your products, eg concrete
- Firth organises the authorisation
- Firth invoices Farmlands
- The customer pays Farmlands
NB: Please note that for large projects the pricing can be negotiated.