Herd Boss feeders join Valton range

Two Herd Boss stock feeders will join the local range of Valton Feeding Solutions, as the distributor sees big demand for smaller feeding tasks.

 

 

Herd Boss feeders will make their Australian debut at this year’s AgQuip Field Days after importer Valton Feeding Solutions chose to expand its product offering with two new models described as “showstoppers”.

Having already introduced the Herd Boss TMR mixer wagons into the local market, Valton has opted to add the 4815 and 2710 feeders to its range.

Herd Boss machines are manufactured in the United States and are owned by Post Equipment Company, with which Valton has a strong and ongoing relationship.

Post sales representative Joel Schelling is among the company representatives who will fly from the USA to Australia to give AgQuip visitors the rundown on the newest product to hit our shores.

“I’m very excited to have it in Australia and represent it in August, I’m really looking forward to that,” he says.

“It’s nice to put boots on the ground in that scenario, and it’s new to Valton too so it’s nice to be able to help them out and answer some of those questions they won’t be as familiar with yet at that point.

“At the different trade shows or ag shows we’ve done in the States it’s definitely a showstopper.

“It’s new to the market, so it really catches the eye. It brings people into the booth, and it’s been a fun product to sell.”

The Herd Boss feeder is available in two models – the 4815, which has a capacity of 2.2 cubic metres (78 cubic feet) and the smaller 2710, which offers a 1.16 cubic metre capacity (41 cubic feet).

Aside from the capacity, the main difference between the two models is the smaller feeder has a lid.

This lets producers leave feed in the machine overnight, ensuring it stays dry and is protected from rain, Schelling says.

Producers buying the larger Herd Boss feeder were generally doing so for the extra capacity, Schelling adds, and his experience with American customers is that most do without the lid, instead using all the feed in one pass.

While also still a relatively new product in the United States, Schelling believes the success experienced in his homeland will translate to Australia due to many of the markets being similar.

“We’ve just seen really good results with them in the US in calf operations, sheep operations, even yards that are feeding buffalo,” he says.

“With the number of sheep and cattle that are in Australia, I feel there’s going to be a demand for them.

“It fits a certain market and there’s nothing there that has fulfilled that niche in the US currently, so it’s been a great new product for us here.”

Valton Feeding Solutions has already been importing Herd Boss TMR mixer wagons, which are a recent manufacturing addition by Post Equipment

Company and were partially inspired by a conversation with Valton owner Tony Byron.

It was therefore a logical step to branch out into the feeders, Schelling says.

“In a nutshell, the biggest selling point of the feeders is they’re versatile,” he says.

“Tony is familiar with feed wagons, and the feeders are very similar to the TMR mixers.

“If you take the front discharge off a mixer and build a little box on it, that’s pretty much what you have.

“If a person has a TMR and wants to fix up his ration and he has all the feed stuffs available but has cattle or sheep 30 to 40 miles down the road and wants to run feed over to them, this unit will allow them to do so without having to haul his wagon or tractor down the road.

“It fits on the back of a ute, as you call them in Australia.”

 

 

Another big example of the Herd Boss’ versatility is in the fact it can handle a wide variety of feeds, including hay, silage and plenty more.

This means producers are not restricted to a particular feed, which can lead to cost savings for the producer when using the Herd Boss.

“The only thing on the market currently is like a hopper box that winds down to a conveyor discharge system, like a screw conveyor,” Schelling says.

“The issue with those is that you’re really limited on what you feed. Those were built to accommodate the industry that’s building all these manufactured beef pallets, beef cubes we call them here.

“We are seeing a big growth in by-products, whether it be ethanol, all the breweries and distilleries popping up all over – that’s a product that they cannot really use, but it actually has a lot of beneficial nutrients for cattle, and it’s probably about $200 a tonne cheaper and it’s very high in phosphorus.

“There’s really nothing you can’t feed with them so even if a producer does want to feed pellets, he still can with the Herd Boss feeder.

“It allows him the option if he has something else available though. There are people feeding cotton feed, gin trash, orange peels, peanut hulls, you name it. Whatever they have available in their area or whatever their area can grow, they can feed it through this machine.”

AgQuip Field Days will be the Australian debut of the Herd Boss feeders and will not only provide farmers with the chance to see the machine in person, but a unique opportunity to speak directly to Schelling and the American-based manufacturers.

He is excited about the opportunity to head Down Under and showcase the feeders, which he believes will be a winner for Tony and the Valton Feeding Solutions team.

“From what we’ve seen here in the States. I think it’s going to be a good product in Australia and even New Zealand and I think there’s going to be quite a few sales of them.,” he says.

“It’s definitely a case that you get one sold, you get it out there and that’s when the producers start thinking.

“Once you go through the benefits with them, the cost saving and the wider range of what it’s able to feed, then you start getting comments like ‘where’s this thing been? We could have used this ten years ago!’.”

Valton Feeding Solutions is a family-owned business based in the western Victorian town of Mortlake, which specialises in feeding and hay grinding equipment.

It is the importer and distributor of Mighty Giant and Herd Boss products and can supply and service products nationwide.

Their full range can be viewed at www.valtonfeedingsolutions.com.au. Tony Byron can be contacted on 0458 425 485.