Saving labour in the Yards
After a significant drought period causing enterprises to de-stock, welcome rains now have producers looking towards re-stocking their property.
Before restocking, it is pertinent for producers to evaluate their stock handling equipment. Old and outdated can make husbandry tasks much more difficult, and dangerous, than they need to be. While stock levels are low is a great opportunity for producers to update their handling equipment and yards.
And that is where Te Pari comes in.
Originally established in 1980 by the French family from Palmerston North, New Zealand, now owned and operated by the Blampied family for the past 23 years, Te Pari is renowned for leading-edge, quality built cattle and sheep handling equipment, not only in NZ but Australia, the USA and Europe as well.
Te Pari produce headbails, crushes, auto drafters and yards for cattle handling, and for sheep they produce handlers, jetters and auto drafters. While these products are impressive, it is Te Pari’s focus on building systems which are truly efficient and really work which stands it out from the competition.
“We are committed to providing a stock handling solution that is safe, simple and efficient for producers,” Te Pari’s Jeremy Blampied said. “Building a new set of yards is a very big investment so you want to get it right. Our experienced team is available to help you select the best location, equipment and overall solution to get the most out of your investment. Our equipment is fast and easy to use while reducing staffing in the yards. This increases efficiency as those staff who would usually be busy helping in the yards can be utilised somewhere else. Our cattle yard systems are all about increasing stock flow in a safe manner to get the animals back into the paddock and on the feed again as soon as possible.
George Kucka, Guys Forest, Victoria, runs 600 Angus breeders on Allonby which is approximately 1215 hectares (3000 acres) and when he needed new yards, he went to Te Pari.
“They were excellent,” Mr Kucka said. “Our new yards, holding 350 head, were installed in January this year and we could not be happier with them. “They only took three days to install the yards which was amazing.
“We worked together on the custom design and when we needed to make a change to accommodate something, Te Pari were more than happy to help.
“We have a shed over the yards and they worked around the shed footings to make the yards fit. “Honestly, they were really easy to work with and there were no dramas. “We went with Te Pari because the yards are safer and for the ease of use.
“They flow well and the system works. You can keep cattle in or draft them out or back through the yards, depending on what you need. Safety is a key point of yards these days and we found them to be very good. Because our yards are on concrete, they are all-weather which is great. We have been very impressed by them and I would definitely buy another set of yards through Te Pari.”
Producers who are keen to continually improve their herd genetics know how critical a crush is to their system. Through weighing and recording individual animal data, a Te Pari crush helps producers take control of their stock to get the most out of them.
“Te Pari crushes make cattle handling easier and safer,” Mr Blampied said. “Producers can achieve superior animal growth rates through regular weighing, making informed decisions to get the most out of their herd. “Regular weighing can also help producers to detect animal health issues before they become a major issue. This can save money and increase stock productivity.”
While Te Pari cattle systems focus on efficiency and ease of use, this is achieved without compromising on safety - both for the operator and the cattle. With that in mind, Te Pari has developed a headbail engineered to withstand anything thrown at it.
“Our headbail makes animal restraint both safer for the operator and the cattle,” Mr Blampied said. “Headbails are perhaps a cattle yard’s most important component with any healthcare duties rendered impossible without one. Our headbails are ideal for any new yards or to be retro-fitted to existing yards.”
Hugh McEachern runs anywhere between 700 and 800 head of Angus on the approximately 730 hectare Injemira, Grassmere, Victoria, and was in major need of an overhaul of his yards last year. He has had his Te Pari system for 12 months and is very happy with it.
“I needed a complete new system because the yards I was using were very old,” he said. “It required two people to operate and even then it was a very tough job.
“With our new system, it is a one-person job and couldn’t be easier.
“I got the yards, the Titan crush with a three-way draft, calf reducer and a loading ramp and it all works well together. “When I was looking for a system, I went to New Zealand to look at some and saw a producer on crutches able to work the system by himself and that impressed me. “The safety in the yards and quietness of the crush as well as the wide catwalk are great. I can close the crush with one finger it is that easy.
“I almost want to call Te Pari every time I use the yards to tell them how good they are.”
Te Pari designers work with farmers around the globe to produce models and systems to suit every operation. Our equipment is made from quality New Zealand steel and hot-dip galvanised to handle the toughest conditions,” Mr Blampied said.
We have a three-year warranty on all structural steel and there is a 10-year guarantee on the hot-dip galvanising.”
Read more about the Te Pari Steel Cattle Yards