What started out over 30 years ago with a single truck has blossomed into a thriving business which, at peak season employs over 30 staff. Sowry Contracting can be found nestled in Glenbervie, a small rural community North-West of Whangarei. When Greg and Janine decided to give agricultural contracting a go, they had no idea of the commitment required. They both grew up in their local farming community and with perseverance, a positive attitude and focus, a desire to be the best in their field and support from family and friends Sowry Contracting has become one of the leading Contractors in the North and are well respected across the region.
Fast forward 25 years, their son Luke 24 (Harvester Operator and Operations Manager) and daughter Taylah 26 (HR and Office Manager) have joined the business. From an early age Luke was always hanging around the yard so it was only natural he would follow in his Dad’s footsteps. Taylah has had previous roles in office work over a 7-year period, from Filing Administrator to Compliance & Administration Co-Ordinator (including assisting the Managing Director with managing the Admin/PA team). With this experience, Taylah has now brought to the business a wealth of knowledge in both Compliance, HR and Health & Safety. Sowry Contracting has a high reputation, which has been earnt over the past 30 years. With both Taylah and Luke’s knowledge and expertise, a combined family decision was made, involving them in managing roles within the company. New and fresh ideas are often good in the forever-changing world of agricultural contracting.
Sowry Contracting has an impressive array of machinery ranging from three Harvester’s, eleven Tractors (both tracked and wheels), six Trucks, two JCB Loaders, a Digger, Mowers and StripTill machinery. Essentially a machine or two for most jobs in the agricultural industry.
Silage inoculants is where Nutritech and Sowry Contracting work together. Sowry Contracting choose specific silage inoculants from Nutritech, suited to the challenges of each grass and maize silage crop.
With the weather events seen in Northland over the last few seasons, using the MAGNIVA® range of inoculants has been a critical tool to protect the forage from excessive losses and spoilage. The success of Sowry Contracting’s commitment to quality work consistently shows up in the silage testing results conducted at Hill Laboratories. Ultimately, the team at Sowry Contracting are proud of what they do, and enjoy seeing clean, palatable silage being fed out on Northland farms.
Sowry Contracting are big believers in providing local farmers with the tools and expertise to understand more about the silage making process. They enjoy hosting fieldays with technical silage experts from Nutritech to give clients the opportunity to learn more about the challenges of each crop, harvest preparation, inoculation and good feed out practices. If everyone plays their part, and a little bit of investment is made, then the silage pays dividends in the vat on pick up day.
Getting good animal performance outcomes is a combination of both good quality silage and good overall animal nutrition. This is where having a Nutritech Area Manager on call to support the farmers’ dietary and mineral needs has created a nice synergy between the two businesses. Nick Waihi really enjoys the relationship he has with Sowry Contracting, and says he has learnt a lot about the industry from Greg and the team.
From mowing to seeding, ground cultivation to planting, Sowry Contracting perfectly complements Nutritech’s nutrition and silage focus.
Lastly, Sowry Contracting believe that being local is critical to uphold the high standards established year after year. They strive to give their clients the best service possible to build long-lasting relationships in which they trust their advice.
