The Big Dutchman Group and Stockyard Industries are delighted to announce a new partnership to better serve their growing customer base Down Under.
By coming together under a single banner – Big Dutchman Agriculture (Australia) Pty. Ltd – the two family-owned companies will leverage their strengths and streamline customer experience.
Big Dutchman currently supplies farming equipment to egg, poultry and pig customers in the Australian market, and will broaden their offerings of turn-key solutions beyond the pig segment to a wider client base.
Stockyard Industries, long established by the Jones Family, has been a Big Dutchman Distributor for pig, poultry, dairy and feed milling products for more than 15 years, and was the leading provider for the Australian pig farming industry.
Big Dutchman Australia will manage Stockyard Industries’ warehouse and facilities in Bendigo. This company presence in Victoria, alongside the existing sites in Queensland, will ensure Big Dutchman Australia can deliver spare parts and services across all corners of the country.
The Jones Family will remain engaged in the business for the upcoming years by managing the former Stockyard Industries’ operations. Stockyard Industries’ customers can expect no service interruptions during this transition phase.
We are excited to partner with EASYFIX to bring thier market leading premium dairy housing equipment to the Australia market, with a focus on cow comfort and welfare to improve performance, we will offer a wide range of high quality cubicles, feeding rails, and rubber matting.
We have also partnered with SKOV-SECCO to offer their range of high-performance dairy ventilation systems. With a focus on energy efficiency and performance we will have a wide range of fans, high pressure fogging and computer control systems to tailor to any production system.
With these partnerships and Stockyard Industries extensive experience in the supply of turnkey housing and ventilation systems into the pig and poultry industries, we are excited to now offer the same services into the Australian dairy industry with the aim of maximising production, performance, and animal welfare.
The Stockyard Industries team enjoyed another successful Trade show at the Gold Coast in May. It was a great opportunity to display new products for both the Pig and Poultry customers and introduce new team members alongside our International suppliers from Big Dutchman and Schippers.
One of the standout displays was the MS Schippers Foaming wall which was used to demonstrate a new and innovative foaming cleaning agent. The foam “sticks” to surfaces for an extended period of time, meaning the long surface time can enhance the break down of fats and waste making it easier to wash down. This aligns perfectly with the event’s theme, “Food with Purpose,” emphasizing the need for responsible and purpose-driven approaches to food production.
Other items of interest included the Nesca 2 unit which is an integrated broiler breeder weighing system, a Poultry washing machine and a unique male chain feeding system designed exclusively for broiler breeder males. On the pig side, a full ActiWel setup was on display which is a variable restraint pen with farrowing frame, also an Optiscan unit which is a mobile pig scale that determines pig weights through optical measurement and an Evo Pig Cleaner washing robot. All items were very popular with customers.
Stockyard Industries is excited to announce the appointments of Mark Manchip as its new Project Manager and Niel Snyman as Technical Sales Representative. Both staff have migrated to Australia from South Africa with their respective young families and will be based out of the Bendigo, Victoria head office.
With a rich background in construction and project management, Mark brings to the team a wealth of knowledge and a proven track record of success. His expertise spans across a diverse range of projects, including the construction of shopping centres, cold storage facilities and of course, pig farms. Mark’s notable accomplishments include the development of a comprehensive turn key pig farm project, encompassing breeder sites, weaner sites and finisher sheds as well as constructing housing villages, dams and offices.
Mark’s role at Stockyard Industries will involve travel to project sites, liaising with builders and equipment installers regarding time schedules, monitoring work progression, managing cost control and communicating with the end customer, sales staff and administration staff with the aim of delivering a quality, smoothly run project completed on time and within budget.
Stockyard Industries is confident that Mark’s leadership, project management and overseeing the planning, coordination and implementation of building and equipment installation will result in benefits for all involved. The entire team at Stockyard Industries is excited to work under his guidance and look forward to achieving new milestones together.
Stockyard Industries has also added a Technical Sales Representative to the team, Niel Snyman. Niel has a background in sales and over 12 years experience of working in the agricultural industry of South Africa, with the past three years fulfilling the role of Sales Manager at Big Dutchman.
Neil is tasked with responsibilities of working with customers regarding farm hygiene including demonstrating the use of equipment and products, preparing quotes, responding to enquiries and developing relationships to best service our Pig and Poultry customers across the country. He will work closely with farm mangers to address challenges and foster solid and productive partnerships with his problem-solving abilities being set to enhance the company’s service quality and customer satisfaction.
Niel began his career working in Hatcheries in various roles including Agriculture Manager and is looking forward to bringing his experience to the Pig and Poultry markets of Australia. Stockyard Industries is confident that Niel’s appointment will lead to innovative hygiene solutions and stronger customer relationships. The company looks forward to the positive impact he will make in his new role.
The Evo Cleaner is a unique washing robot developed for washing pig houses. The robot streamlines and enables automated washing around the clock, completely programmed according to your specific barn interior and washing needs. The Evo Cleaner is a time, cost and water efficient choice.
Staff shortages, increased labor costs and consistency in washing are just a few reasons why customers are purchasing the Envirologic Pig Washing Robot. Glenlock Beef & Bacon and McMahon Family Enterprises recently contacted Stockyard Industries to enquire about the emerging technology. After thorough discussions with the Stockyard Industries team, consideration was given to how the machine would benefit each specific farm shed layout with both producers making the decision to invest in an Evo Cleaner to assist with the strenuous and unpleasant job of washing out their Pig houses. Included with the purchase were two days setup and training with an experienced Stockyard Industries Technician, who ensured customers were confident on how to program and use the Robot and also to provide ongoing support. Now down the track, both farms are seeing incredible results.
In January 2023, Glenlock Beef & Bacon, a family owned 450 sow piggery, based in South Australia, received their unit. The team purchased an Evo Cleaner to use in their Farrowing house which has a lot of equipment and obstacles with the purpose being to save time and money and to give piglets the best possible start in life with a hygienic environment. Here is an insight from the farm manager:
“Our farrowing shed has been retrofitted over time leaving us with a couple of inconsistent pen sizes. The Evo Cleaner follows it’s wash program so precisely that when it came to these obscure pens, the Robot touched the side of the crate causing the machine to shut off and send me a text message notification alert. This was easily fixed given we have the ability to add small ‘wash recipes’ over the top of the original programing without having to start again from scratch. This is also handy if we ever want to fine tune the programing to focus on any areas with large manure build up or areas that get missed. Stockyard Industries provided countless hours of support not only with the initial setup but anytime we have had any questions or an issue arises.
“Our shed design allows for 16 crates to be automatically cleaned as part of a wash run. We can start the Evo Cleaner as soon as one row has been weaned, which allows us to continue weaning the other rows and giving our piglets our full attention knowing we’re not falling behind with our wash routine. We then set it again to start washing before going home at the end of the day allowing the machine to work well into the night knowing we’ll arrive the next day to clean crates. So far, we’re currently saving 4 hours with each wash every time we wean which frees up our staff to focus on more constructive tasks. Given the short turnaround time of a farrowing shed under a batching system, the Evo Cleaner has proven itself invaluable. It’s become something in which we rely heavily on now and we’re excited to see what else we can program it to do in the future.”
In July 2023 McMahon Family Enterprises (McPiggery) who run a 1650 sow piggery in South Australia took ownership of their new Evo Cleaner. With the robot being used in conventional grower sheds to clean out group pens, consisting of concrete floors & walls, feeders, drinkers and other equipment. The McPiggery maintenance manager who worked alongside the Stockyard Industries Technician during the setup and training has provided the following comments after having the machine operational for over six months now.
“Like every conventional grower shed these pens are often left with 50-70mm of built-up manure that previously took numerous workers close to a full day to wash. Varying from shed to shed the labor hours required would range from 16 to a worst case of 24hrs. Now the machine is set up the day before we clean and operates throughout the night allowing it to remove 90% of the heavily soiled manure before staff arrive the next morning. Following the introduction of the Evo Cleaner we’ve managed to reduce our labor to two staff members that wash for half a day (8 -12 hrs depending on the shed) as they come through and touch up the remaining 10% of the shed that needs the extra attention and complete the disinfection process. This allows them more time in the afternoon to focus on other important and beneficial maintenance and husbandry tasks.
The Evo Cleaner has been so successful at the first site we are now installing more infrastructure at our other Grower sites to make further use of the cleaner.
Cleaning the grower shed floors is often a long strenuous and tedious task. Now with the use of our Evo Cleaner we’ve been able to provide a much safer and pleasant working environment leaving our staff members with improved job satisfaction. As well as being reliable, the robot has also reduced our risk of fatigue and repetitive strain injuries among our team. Stockyard Industries have provided exceptional backup support and having a Technician on farm to take our staff through the setup and operation for two days was an added bonus.”
The Stockyard Industry team will be displaying at the 2024 PIX, AMC and APL Conference – Food with Purpose, being held at the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre 13th to 15th May. An Evo Cleaner will be available and demonstrations shown on how a unit can benefit your farm. For further information or to discuss how the Evo Cleaner could save you time and money and make your wash routine easier, contact a member of the Stockyard Industries sales team today.
Stockyard Industries have now finalized the move in to the new Warehouse and office located at 14 AlstonVale Court, East Bendigo. As the business continues to grow a larger capacity warehouse was required. It is logistically optimal and efficiently designed and has created more space for our team
Farrowing shed gets a makeover through Stockyard Industries
Stockyard Industries has been supplying the Australian Pig Industry with not only quality farm equipment but also farm design and shed construction for more than 30 years.
Recently, Stockyard Industries, has facilitated the design and refurbishment of a 138 sow farrowing shed. Thanks to the expertise of IKC, a leading manufacturing and construction company in pig housing solutions, the farrowing shed had a major upgrade. The ageing facility has been rejuvenated with Big Dutchman ventilation, control systems, alarm systems, cool cell dog boxes, new fans and ceiling inlets. The climate control has been enhanced, ensuring optimal ventilation for the sows and their piglets all year round.
The equipment installation and shed modifications were performed by IKC Industries who are very experienced within the industry. IKC manufacture and build Australia wide and are specifically focussed on the agriculture sector. They work extensively within the intensive farming industry in the Pig and Poultry sectors, covering all aspects of design, manufacturing, construction and shed erection. They work closely with clients to understand their needs to provide innovative technologies that enhance profitability, lower maintenance costs and improve day to day operations.
Stockyard Industries technicians complete commissioning of required equipment and have the ability to support and service the farm on an ongoing basis. A Service Agreement can also be constructed between the primary producer and Stockyard Industries to plan technicians to return to the farm and check on technical equipment periodically throughout the year. Remote, phone support is available to ensure the equipment and the farm are operating at optimal performance.
According to the farm manager, the refurbishment project was smooth and straight forward. He said, Cam Ross from Stockyard Industries and IKC were very professional and efficient, and delivered the project well. He also praised the quality of the materials used and also the regular updates and consistent communication with how the project was progressing.
The refurbished farrowing shed will bring many benefits to the farm. It will create a better working environment that is much easier and better for staff to work in as they can monitor and manage the sows and piglets more effectively. The new automated system will reduce labour costs and improve productivity as well as improve welfare of sows and piglets.
When considering new, refurbished, upgrades or extensions to pig production facilities, contact Stockyard Industries!
