This year’s muddy conditions have emptied the shelves at Valmar.
“Guys in really wet areas are desperate to get their hands on some kind of Valmar for their canola, and I have to tell them we’re sold out,” said Jim Gladstone, manager of the equipment manufacturer from Elie, Man.
“This morning (May 24) I had eight phone messages from farmers who were really desperate to find any kind of (granular) spreader. I’m getting dozens of calls each day, even though they know we’ve been sold out since February.”
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Gladstone said it’s no fun telling people no.
The company’s 3255 model, which is a large unit that mounts on harrows, was sold out in January.
“We managed to squeeze in an extra 20 units on that production run. I know that doesn’t sound like much, but it’s 20 more guys who were able to get their hands on the implement they needed.”
The 7600 model seven ton spreaders were sold by mid-February, and Gladstone said the five-ton spreader was next.
The next scheduled run was for the small model 245 pull type, the original Valmar introduced in the 1970s. It’s normally used for Avadex and Edge, but works for broadcasting canola, clover and alfalfa.
“In January, we had no orders for the 245. That’s normal, because this is usually a fall machine only,” Gladstone said.
“So we pushed them back to allow us to build a few more of the larger high-demand models. But as soon as the 245s started coming off the line, farmers were there with their cheques and pickups to haul them away.”
Gladstone said most short line manufacturers build equipment in batches. They have a long lead-time for procuring steel, tires, paint and hydraulic motors.
“We finalize our purchases for each production run about six months before the run starts. Once we’ve made that commitment, it’s pretty difficult to change,” he said.
“We might be able to add some units to a run, but it’s impossible to ramp up production to meet the full demand.”
Farmers are scouring the countryside and pulling old Valmar units out of the bush.
Gladstone said the company is helping by building mounting kits to adapt the old spreaders to new harrow bars.
“My boss keeps asking me how many more units we might have sold if we had them in stock,” he said.
“I tell him that I can’t even hazard a guess. Lots, I’m sure. We feel bad that we can’t meet everyone’s need, but it just wasn’t possible this year.”
For more information, contact Gladstone at 204-353-2782 or visit www.valmar.com.
