Greg and his wife Karyn run a 4200 hectare property 'Fair View' at Huddleston in the Mid North, growing durum and bread wheat, malt and feed barley, lupins, peas and certified wooly pod vetch for seed.

He also mates 2500 ewes, most of which are Merinos, to South African Meat Merino, White Suffolk and Merino rams. Lambs are sold to T&R Pastoral on the hooks and also to Woolworths. He also runs Hereford cows cross to Murray Grey bulls, with offspring sold off at 10 to 12 months, normally at the Dublin market.

Greg said using the Danish-built Bogballe spreader, purchased locally from from Techgrow Agriculture, made life a lot simpler.

"With using an aeroplane you have the ongoing problem of trying to find suitable airstrips," he said. "Quite often the only suitable airstrip is a paddock, that can have a bit of crop on them. There'a also problems with wet ground conditions, that can make conditions unsuitable for landing an aeroplane. When you use an aeroplane, you have to have all your product on hand when the aeroplane goes out."

The spreader computer offers the option of fully automatic calibration for more accurate spreading, allowing for optimum efficiency for the dollar spent when applying fertilisers.

Bogballe has a patented twin-disc spreading pattern, involving a reversible gearbox, which allows flexibility in spread pattern requirements.

"The scales built into it lets you know down to the kilogram what is in the tub and how much you're using and you can vary the rate on the run," he said.

If yield mapping is used, a variable rate can be put on the spreader automatically.

Greg's spreader is a three-point linkage model, with high manoeuvarability with spreading width up to 36 metres.

He said being able to spread other products was a handy feature of the machine.

"The machine allows you to spread a wide range of fertilisers and seeds with a quick change of vanes on the spinners," he said. "For example, we've also spread canola, clover and Italian ryegrass seed with it this season."

Greg has also been using the equipment for contract work.

* Details 0428 837 861.