Best-in-class facility driving business in Griffith

A new, all-encompassing Terra Ag facility at Griffith, in the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area of New South Wales is a major boost for farmers and the region.

Terra Ag have been operating in Griffith for ten years and the new premises is an investment to assist their clients grow and be more profitable.

Managing Director, Mark Zanatta said the business has an established clientele which is growing and there is a need to help them going forward.

“It’s a four-hectare site so it's easy to drive trucks in and turn around and load,” he said.  “We’re out on the outskirts of town so it’s easy to cart fertilisers and chemical out of.”

“That was the strategy with the site – to convert it into a targeted agribusiness site which is fit for service."

“It's a big investment and it is an impressive facility.  We have a 100 by 50 metre fertiliser shed and an 80 metre by 40 metre chemical shed to maximise the on-site storage.”

The fertiliser facility is particularly impressive and was designed after extensive research on similar businesses in other Australian states.

“It wasn't a cheap thing to do but it enabled us to future proof ourselves for the next 20 years,” Mr Zanatta said.  “A lot of fertiliser companies have told us that it is probably best in class.”

“A lot of our fertiliser comes from Geelong, and we can access Port Kembla and Newcastle as well.”

“They drop it in the shed and then farmers bring their trucks in.  It's a drive-through service so they actually drive into the shed, park on the weighbridge and they don't even have to get out.  They can just keep moving forward to get loaded."

Terra Ag also offers end-to-end business options by providing a wide range of services in conjunction with the agronomic options.

“We supply fuel and oils, we supply finance, we supply water, we’ve got real estate, insurance, finance, all, all those add-ons ,”  Mr Zanatta said.  “People walk in, and they can get what they need. We’re catering for all that, on one site. We've built a big office building in front of the sheds and it's there for our customers.”

A driving force behind the business was the desire to invest in the town of Griffith and give back to the community.  This included local businesses who were major contributors to the build.

“Rather than putting our money elsewhere, we decided it should be invested in our business and our community,” Mr Zanatta said.  “This is good for employment and by giving growers a service that fits their business, it helps them grow as well.”

“The state-of-the-art facility fits the size of the area and is a statement that we are partnering with our customers to assist in their success.”

Efficiency is a major benefit, with farmers able to drive in and easily load fertiliser and chemical and head straight home.

The size of the premises also enables Terra Ag to take positions on fertiliser and other agricultural products and share the risk, in what has been a very volatile period, post-Covid.

“We went through a few months where there was very little fertiliser available, but we didn’t run out.  It took a lot of work and effort to make sure people had what they needed.”

Terra Ag has an ownership team of Mark Zanatta, branch manager, Trent Anderson and farmer Dean Salvestro.

 All three have farming backgrounds and local knowledge, to better help the farmer customers in the region.

There are full-time agronomists on staff, servicing a wide range of both summer and winter crop types.

The Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area has broadacre irrigation and dryland cropping as well as viticulture and horticulture.

Cotton, rice, wheat, canola and barley are the dominant crops in the region with water availability playing a big role in the summer options.

“Rice has been a staple so when there’s plenty of water, there’s plenty of rice,” Mr Zanatta said.  “Cotton’s a bit more intense and higher value crop.”

He said there was a lot going for the region and also the options that Terra Ag deliver.

“We have the best-in-class agronomic facilities, local ownership and local experience.  By investing in our future, it is of great benefit to the local community.”

“I think we've just made everything more efficient and convenient for our customers and try to have the best agronomy service on top of it and provide an all-round facility and service.”

Terra Ag has has a store in Swan Hill, in northern Victoria servicing a wide range of summer and winter crop farmers as well as livestock, pastures and horticulture.

Mr Zanatta said they were also investing in Swan Hill with an upgraded facility and a focus on employing local people and using local businesses.