Big crowd at Merredin demo day

Tamara Hooper

Originally posted in Farm Weekly 1 July 2021

THE coldest day in Western Australia for two years did nothing to deter the crowds from attending the McIntosh & Son, Merredin, machinery demonstration field day last week in Nungarin.

The lure of the impressive range of machinery on offer, from the dealer and franchises, did not disappoint the big number of farmers who travelled from as far away as Dumbleyung.

The big draw cards on the day were the two Seed Storm 18 metre seeding bars manufactured locally by Duraquip in Gnowangerup.

These along with a Morris seeding rig complete with 9445 series Air Cart and 12m Quantum drill seeding bar, the Miller Nitro 7380 SP series Self-propelled sprayer, the Challenger MT 856E tracked tractor, the Gessner HDR6011 Deep Ripper, Merlo’s Multi Farmer and Telehandler and Versatile’s 520 DeltaTrack tractor, were in action and some even available for test drives.

Having rained the day before, the ground was wet and provided the perfect testing ground for the machinery, giving attendees a great example of just what the machines can achieve in these types of conditions.

The added bonus of entering the draw to win the Engel fridge/freezer made the trip that more alluring for some.

The lure of the impressive range of machinery on offer from the dealer and franchises did not disappoint the big number of farmers who travelled from as far away as Dumbleyung.

McIntosh & Son Merredin branch manager, Rob Pauley, said he was humbled by the numbers in attendance for the branches first ride and drive style machinery demonstration day.

“It was such a great turnout,” he said.

“This is the first day of this kind we have done as a branch.

“We usually do a community cropping program and this is the first time in four years that we haven’t done any for seeding.

“It can also be very one dimensional only doing seeding, it doesn’t showcase a lot of our other equipment.

“So this year we decided to hold a post seeding display day, to bring all our franchises together.”

He said that while there is always a bit of risk involved planning events like this, it was fantastic to have the community engagement and interest and interest from further afield also.

“With such a great start to the season people have had a cautious, but positive approach,” Mr Pauley said.

While there was always a large group of people crowded around the demonstrations and following the progress of the machines as they moved around the paddocks, Mr Pauley said there was no item that stood out more on the day.

“There was something for everyone at the end of the day,” he said.

“It was great to see the franchise and product managers here for the day showcasing their products.

“We are really thankful for the efforts put in by the staff and reciprocally for the crowd.”

He said the team at Merredin were especially looking forward to the building of their new premises in town.

“It is really exciting and great to hear the enthusiasm of our clients and the community also,” he said.

“We cover such a big area from east to Southern Cross, west to Cunderdin, north to Beacon and Narembeen in the south, so having a new premises, a place to display and service all our products and welcome clients, will be amazing.”

The new premises are still currently in the planning phase.

Having rained the day before, the ground was wet and provided the perfect testing ground for the machinery, giving attendees a great example of just what the machines can achieve in these types of conditions