Lockyer Valley agricultural business set to expand
A well-established Lockyer Valley agricultural business has formed an exciting partnership that will boost agriculture across the region
Gatton
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A FAMILIAR name in the Lockyer Valley's agricultural machinery sector is set to partner with another well-known Queensland firm to establish a joint venture in the Darling Downs.
Gatton's Ag Requirements will partner with St George Machinery Centre to establish STAG Machinery Group that will operate from new locations in Toowoomba and Dalby.
Noel Baines, owner of Ag Requirements in Gatton, and Craig Brimblecombe of St George Machinery Centre, are both longstanding operators and are well-known to producers in the Lockyer Valley and Southern Queensland.
STAG Machinery Group in the final stages of preparing to open its dealerships by December.
Ag Requirements was founded in 1948 as an International Harvester dealership - the IH in Case IH.
Mr Baines joined the business in 1998 as financial controller, before purchasing the dealership in 2002.
Today, Ag Requirements employs 50 staff with Case IH its flagship machinery brand, while also manufacturing irrigation and ag equipment.
With horticulture the dominant form of agriculture in the Lockyer Valley, Ag Requirements does most of its tractor business in the medium to lower horsepower end of the market.
Mr Baines said broadacre cropping and high horsepower were the norm for St George Machinery Centre, which made for an ideal synergy when it comes to a new partnership to drive the Case IH brand in the downs.
This year's harvest is promising to be the best since 2016, and while it's a busy period for farmers, Mr Brimblecombe said they should not be concerned about the Toowoomba and Dalby dealership changes impacting on their operations at such a crucial time.
"We're in this together with farmers and what we're promising is a business relationship that we can all benefit from," Mr Baines said.
STAG Machinery Group is looking for sales, service, parts and administration staff for both sites.
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