Pippa Piotrowicz (Chippenham)

As part of the Farm Consultancy Group’s annual training programme, all consultants take part in an annual ‘Tour’ and this year we were fortunate enough to head to Northern Ireland for an insightful few days filled with farm and factory tours, as well as a few pints of Guinness, because, well, ‘When in Rome’.

Something that we are always eager to see is new and progressive businesses, be they farming enterprises or other agriculturally related companies, and on day two of the three-day tour we were treated to a tour of the SlurryKat factory in the morning, and a visit to the College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE’s) beef and sheep unit in the afternoon.

These offered huge variety and were very differing experiences from many points of view, but we were struck by the continuing theme of sustainability and progression from both visits. This continues to be a hugely important aspect of any business, especially within the agricultural sector, as pressures on environmental conservation and improved efficiencies are constantly being ramped up.

At its core, SlurryKat’s very existence is owing to the principal engineer and CEO Garth Cairns’ passion and pursual of increasingly efficient methods of farming, maximising grass growth through slurry utilisation and spreading. His own experience of being a contractor across Northern Irish farms showed him how important reducing compaction is, as well as the rewards that can come with careful slurry management and efficient spreading. Now his factory produces tankers and spreading equipment with these things at the core of their focus.

But how has the business itself moved towards a more sustainable future? Investment is prolific and well thought out, with a 4- 5 year payback expected on all new machinery, which largely is developed to improve health and safety or staff welfare. Future plans for automatic systems centre not around replacing employees with robotics or automated productions, but assisting in better working facilities, as well as maximising output.

Alongside investment is innovation, and SlurryKat now has a team of engineers, headed by Garth, analysing machinery output and accuracy and developing methods of improvement within this. Using this data, they are exploring alternative materials and mechanics, as well as testing new equipment with varying types and textures of slurry, so they can be sure that each product works on every farm.

Whilst the large factory site is not an immediate comparison to your usual family run farm, there were clear lessons that we took from Garth’s fascinating and in-depth tour that can be applied to any agricultural business looking to make improvements in their efficiency. Firstly, a respect and understanding of your land and soil is vital, and Garth’s tales of working across different farms were a testament to how important it is to know your farm at this level.

Secondly, valuing your staff and working with them to progress their knowledge as well as making their job safer, easier and more fulfilling should be a focus. At one point at SlurryKat, steel cutters were working through the night and over weekends to keep up with the rest of the supply chain. The decision was made to invest in a fully automated fibre laser steel plate processing system, which improved efficiency by more than 400%. The factory is now a 7-5 Monday- Friday operation for all employees. They are happier and healthier as a result. The investment was paid back in under 4 years and there is no delay any more in other areas of the production owing to the steel cutting.  

For an outside independent look at your business, challenge us to challenge you and your business to improve whilst helping to achieve your business aims and objectives.  Contact your local FCG Office to take a fresh look at how you operate physically and financially.