Grain development for Rakaia

Press, 17 February 1984, Page 23

Grain development for Rakaia

Rakaia is to be the site for a $3 million development by the Dalgety Crown company to cater for an expected big swing to grain growing in Central and MidCanterbury. Stage one of the project, costing about $1 million, is to be completed in time for the 1984 harvest and the second and third stages, each expected to cost similar amounts, are expected to be completed in 1988 and 1991.

The firm’s Ashburton manager, Mr M. J. Gaylor, and grain and seed manager, Mr B. J. Davidson, unveiled a model of stage one last week after gaining approval from their board. According to Mr Gaylor, all that is required for work to begin is the necessary zoning appeal from the council.

The 1400 square metre building included in the project is to house a highpowered Delta grain dressing machine formerly used by Crown at Masterton which is capable of dressing 8 tonnes of grain an hour. The building will also include provision for bagged storage but outside there will be 16 30-tonne portable silos from the firm’s exist-

ing Chertsey branch along with six 250-tonne silos which will be filled by overhead conveyors from a 40tonne dump hopper. The field dressed grain will be taken from the fixed silos to the dressing machine by a conveyor beneath and there is provision for machine dressed grain to be sent back for bulk storage on it as well. A 20-metre public weighbridge is also to be provided in the first stage. The two men have been working on the project for the past four years and they were obviously delighted last week that their plans are soon to be realised.

The existing facility at Rakaia would deal with small seeds and brassicas while the new would specialise in grain, said Mr Davidson.

“This will give us greater flexibility at harvest,” he said and the pair paid tribute to the amount of research that has been done by the Ministry of Agriculture on future trends with irrigation. For example, the cereal and peal harvest during the next decade is expected to more than double from the present 20,000 tonnes with

the introduction of irrigation schemes like the Central Plains.

Even with the projected increase in the use of groundwater alone a big increase in cropping is expected. The complex is to be on a 9-hectare site bounded by the main road, the old Main South Road and the South Town Belt, and the vacant land is to be used for research.

Each of the extra stages include buildings of the same size and six more of the bigger silos each. Mr Gaylor described it as a boost for the township of Rakaia, ensuring long-term employment with the company, as well as having a spin-off through machinery firms and contractors. The need to have a scale model to put before the Dalgety Crown board revealed a talent in the head storeman at Rakaia, Mr Des Downes. Mr Downes built the model which is exactly to scale except for some small legs on the portable silos. The silos were turned on a lathe by Mr Downes from a hardwood beam taken from a building once used by the firm.