Small-block farmer, Kerryann Poynton, manages just under 50 acres, north of the small Victorian town of Beaufort.
The property “Blue Gum Valley”, in the Pyrenees Region is surrounded by undulating hills and creek-lined valleys with several bushland reserves nearby.
A self-professed hobby farmer, Kerryann still has a significant workload day-to-day. The region receives an average of 700mm of rainfall each year and has grey-brown and brown loamy soils providing a perfect environment for vegetative growth.
Kerryann tends to a flock consisting of Merino ewes for wool-production and Dorset crossbreeds. While the sheep do a good job of keeping the grass in-check, maintaining the fuel loads on the property to reduce fire-danger and protect her assets while also managing opportunistic and invasive weeds in ungrazed parts of the property is a ongoing effort.
After 15 years managing the land with small engine equipment, Kerryann recently made the decision to purchase a new Case IH Farmall 35B tractor. The 35b has been purchased as a utility vehicle to put some machinery power into the day-to-day maintenance of her property, minimizing the manual labour required.
Kerryann has given her new sidekick the moniker “Velvet Red” with the name emblazoned on the bonnet. “I took the name from a song by Ashley McBryde about a girl called Velvet Red who has a taste for fruit of the vine. I’m a fan of Ash’s and this little tractor is going to spend a lot of time helping me tame tussock grass and munching overgrown blackberries, so it seemed appropriate and has really stuck”
The Case IH Farmall 35B is popular model, it has a fuel efficient 4-cyclinder engine, hydrostatic or mechanical transmission options and produces 103nm of torque. Kerryann has also opted for the inclusion of a prime-lift 10C front-end-loader (FEL) and 4in1 bucket.
“We were looking at a smaller model, around 25hp from a different dealership when I saw the 35B parked on the hill at the O’Connors dealership in Ballarat” explained Kerryann “After a long wait for a different tractor I thought to myself I may as well call in, find out about the model and see if it was available”
“As soon as I walked in the team at O’Connors made the process really simple and were extremely helpful, Nathan Clyne the salesperson who ended up being my main contact for the deal was busy at the time, but Stewart Pope the Branch Manager came out and took me to have a look at the tractor.”
“I thought it was great that he [Stewart] would take the time out of managing the dealership to take me out and talk me through the specifications of the model rather than leave me waiting – it felt like they really valued me as a customer and I received the same attention and respect as a customer spending about ten times the amount of money I did would.”
While Kerryann is a first-time owner of a Case IH, she lent on friends who manage a larger broadacre farming property for advice about the quality of the Case IH brand of equipment and the level of service provided by O’Connors.
“They recommended Case IH to me after I reached out to them – they operate in a much higher horsepower range than what I am working in, but they had great things to say about the gear and they had purchased through O’Connors previously and highly recommended their business to me, so I felt comfortable that I was getting a machine that would last – and that I would be looked after for service and support”
Although originally looking at 25hp models, after discussing her requirements with the team at O’Connors, Kerryann made the decision to step up in horsepower to suit her needs.
“I have purchased a 4ft slasher for paddock maintenance, particularly for firebreaks and for slashing blackberries, and I am also looking to purchase a backhoe implement to use with the tractor. After discussing with Nathan, he was able to give me some great advice on what the PTO on each model could manage, and comparative specifications across multiple models” Kerryann explained.
“Nathan and Stewart made sure I understood the capabilities of the machine and the implements I could use with it prior to purchase to ensure the machine met my needs. It was great to have that kind of advice provided to me during the purchase process to help me make my decision rather than a typical sales pitch just to sell a machine.”
Stewart Pope, Branch Manager at O’Connors in Ballarat was pleased to be able to provide a customer with the right machine for their requirements.
“At O’Connors we always try to know the customer, and get as much information from them about their needs as we can” Stewart explained “Knowing their operations and their reasons for purchase helps us to provide them with the right equipment and we always try to offer the same level of service and support to all our customers no matter what the size of their purchase. Case IH have a great range of compact tractors at competitive prices, designed and manufactured to be the best.”
O’Connors have a range of equipment to suit the needs of any operator, big or small. For more information on the Case IH Compact Tractor range contact your local dealership