Rising demand for farming technology is keeping Peter Nation and his team at Gallagher Animal Management very busy indeed.
The Hamilton based agritech company has launched 19 new products or product improvements since January last year, with eight released this year.
And there are more on the way.
“Farmers laugh at me when I tell them we are in the business of providing them with technology they don’t even know they need yet, but I think that sums things up nicely.”
As the national sales manager for Gallagher Animal Management, Peter says the introduction of compulsory traceability for livestock is a key factor driving demand for new technology in the agricultural sector.
Farmers are now legally required to tag all their deer and cattle with EID (electronic identification) tags that enable their origins to be traced. While this scheme was initially treated with suspicion by a big chunk of the rural community, most farmers now recognise the benefits EID can offer.
“These benefits are considerable because farmers can closely monitor animal performance and use this information to improve farm productivity and profitability.”
Gallagher was quick to recognise that EID was the way of the future, and the company has invested millions of dollars into the development of a world class range of products that provide the best in livestock weighing and data collection technology.
This includes the award-winning SmartTSi, a product that combines three separate technologies – a weighscale, computer and animal management software – to provide the detailed livestock information necessary to make key farm management decisions.
Another recent innovation is an ‘intelligent’ electric fence Energizer that constantly monitors the performance of a fence and sends a message to the farmer’s mobile phone if it detects a problem.
But not all Gallagher products are high-tech. Some are simple twists on traditional
farming tools.
The new Ring Top Post, for example, has turned the concept of the old pigtail-type electric fencing standard on its curly little head.
“We talked to farmers about what they liked and didn’t like about portable fencing and a common complaint about pigtail standards was that they were constantly getting tangled up when you are carrying them or storing them,” Peter says.
“Farmers were also frustrated about pigtail heads wearing through, resulting in shorting and increasing the risk of getting a nasty little shock.”
So Gallagher redesigned the fencing standard, giving it a ring-shaped head with no protruding parts. This makes it much easier to handle and erect standards. Its heavy-duty glass-fibre nylon head also eliminates the risk of shorting.
The Ring Top Post is a classic nod to the creative thinking that earned Gallagher its enviable reputation as a leading producer of electric fence systems.
The company’s origins span back to the 1930s when Waikato dairy farmer Bill Gallagher (senior) was searching for ways to stop his horse ‘Joe’ from rubbing up against his car. He developed an ingenious battery-powered electric fence unit and began selling these devices along with an expanding range of farm machinery.
The electric fence revolutionised New Zealand farming because it enabled farmers to manage pastures much more efficiently and at a lower cost than conventional fencing.
Today, Gallagher is recognised as a major contributor to the success of New Zealand agriculture and enjoys an international reputation for producing exciting and innovative products.
Employing more than 1000 staff worldwide and exporting to 150 countries, the company is a significant manufacturer of products for the fuel equipment and security industries. But in terms of annual turnover, animal management products are still the largest contributor.
Peter and his team are “steadfastly determined” to keep it this way.
“Our management team has a real desire to help farmers improve their lifestyle and their productivity.”
Reporting to Stephen Hoffman, international sales executive of Gallagher’s Animal Management Division, Peter heads a team of 16, which includes 10 territory managers spread throughout the country.
He says a key strength of the company is that a high proportion of its sales team is directly involved with customers.
“Our territory managers, for example, are always out there talking to farmers or resellers. They know their customers, know the area they are living in, and they are widely respected for their expertise and integrity.”
He says a major part of the company’s success is due to the significant investment it makes in research and development “to keep us at the leading edge of technology”.
Seven percent of annual turnover is reinvested into research and development and about half of this is devoted to animal management.
R&D
In recent years the company has made subtle changes to the way it approaches research and development for the agricultural sector.
“Nowadays there is a lot more focus on the research part of the equation. That means talking to farmers about some of the problems they face on-farm and how they can improve performance in specific areas of animal management.
“Then we’ve gone back to our research and development team and asked them to come up with a new product or improvement that will solve these issues in a simple and effective way.”
The end result is an innovative range of problem-solving products that have been warmly received by farmers.
Peter says demand for new technology is only going to increase as a new generation of techno-savvy farmers comes through.
“Gallagher has always been at the forefront of this technology and the challenge for us is to make sure we stay one step ahead.”
A man of the land
Raised on a sheep and beef farm in the Turakina Valley, Rangitikei, Peter Nation left school at the age of 17 and walked straight into a job at ANZ Bank in Hunterville.
He spent 23 years with ANZ, holding 13 different roles and rising to a senior position in the rural lending department. In the late 1980s he started part-time study at Massey University, graduating with a Diploma in Banking in 1991.
In 2003 he completed a Kelloggs Leadership Scholarship and soon after that he joined the Gallagher Group as National Sales Manager for Gallagher Animal Management.
“My job is basically about making sure people are looked after. As well as our own team I’m also looking out for our distributors and a wide range of other people and organisations that the company has links with.”
Peter and wife Ali, an accountant, live on a lifestyle block outside Hamilton with their children- Samantha, 16, and Thomas, 13.
Farming, gardening and ferrying their offspring to and from social functions and sporting events keeps Peter and Ali busy most weekends, but Peter still finds time for community commitments that include being vice president of the National Fieldays Society and treasurer of the Lake Karapiro-based Brooklyn Water Ski Club.
