Contractors can help customers cut costs with BioBrew
Article from Rural Contractor Magazine - Issue 123 - April/May 2011
Rural contractors provide more than just equipment services. They help their customers get better results and save money.
Many useful inputs such as lime or urea are sold in bulk. Rural contractors and their customers are able to fairly negotiate with multiple suppliers to find the best price and terms for their needs. Other products are nothing more than pre-mixed combinations of bulk ingredients, many if not all of which are available to farmers individually at much lower prices.
The experienced rural contractor can often help his customers by suggesting equivalent or even superior alternatives to the more costly pre-mixed options. Careful selection of inputs and methods can also play a significant role in reducing the environmental impact of fertiliser application.
BioBrew Ltd is a Kiwi company founded to provide rural contractors and their customers with fresh, affordable and high -quality microbial tools that are readily combined with other ingredients for particular applications.
BioBrew founder and director Don Pearson says the company's products are used in animal health, soil conditioning, foliar feeding and effluent treatment applications.
He illustrates how contractors can add value to their customers' businesses. One BioBrew customer is an experienced spray contractor. He was asked by a farmer to help with the selection of an alternative to granular urea.
"Our contractor customer arranged a trial comparing a commercially available liquid N product with a mixture he prepared himself," Don Pearson says.
"The contractor dissolved granular urea in water using a recirculating pump. Prior to application of the liquid urea, he added BioBrew, our fresh and affordable microbial biostimulant, and a low dose of gibberellic acid.
"He determined the rates from knowledge of the farm and current local conditions. He also selected an optimum window of opportunity for application, a key factor in the successful use of any product."
Don Pearson says the contractor advised his customer to apply only the amount of N that his pasture could readily absorb. The BioBrew and gibberellic acid assisted absorption. This approach reduced costs to the farmer and reduced the environmental impact of urea use when compared to conventional bulk applications of granular urea.
The commercial premix produced results that could be measured with a pasture plate but the mix the contractor prepared gave visibly superior results.
The cost of the commercial premix was $115/ha applied. Even with an improved margin for the contractor, the cost of his mixture was only $70/ha applied.
Rural contractors have the advantage of seeing the results, good and bad, costly and affordable, of many products and methods. Helping farmers to choose from the often confusing array of commercially available products and also selecting the best method and timing of application are important parts of the valuable service provided by an experienced rural contractor.
For more information on BioBrew fresh, affordable and high-quality microbial tools email info@biobrew.net.nz or call (0508) BIOBREW.