A new Guyra business is stepping up to help farmers with the jobs the big operators are not interested in doing.
Nathan and Gillian Usher have launched Ushers Ag Services, a bespoke agricultural transport, land clearing and mechanical service tailored to the realities of mid-sized farms and grazing blocks around the New England.
Local residents with a long family history in the region, they have an agricultural background, so they understand both the pressures on producers and the value of reliable back-up.
Nathan said their starting point was simple.
“We just started this business, doing agricultural services – specialised transport, that caters for machinery that’s specific to agriculture.”
Because they come from a background on the land, they know that getting machinery and farm gear from A to B is not as straightforward as booking a general freight company.
“It’s easily damaged, typically very expensive, and general freighters usually don’t have the experience or knowledge or the care factor to make sure that these precious pieces of equipment get moved and end up at their destination in as good a condition as they were loaded.”
With more than 30 years in and around the transport industry as a driver and diesel mechanic, Nathan does not “just turn up and bash the equipment on and throw the chains over the top of it”. For him, a tractor is not just a tractor.
“You go past a tractor and you go, ‘Oh, it’s a tractor.’ You know? That tractor might be worth a million dollars. That’s a lot of money, that machine, and that’s how people earn a living.”
Their transport equipment can move single or multiple machines, hay, bulker bags and IBCs, giving them options through the seasons.
The second part of their new business is they have purchased a 25 tonne truck loader for fence line and other clearing, trough lining and firewood work.
The Ushers have deliberately set their sights on the “smaller end of town” that can struggle to get contractors to even return their calls. Many of their friends and neighbours have 200 to 500 acre places or a patchwork of smaller properties in different locations, and often find they are too small to interest big earthmoving firms but still have significant work that needs doing.
Having focused on their niche, they have been smart about reaching out to the bigger players to let them know they aren’t the competition.
“I’ve gone and said, ‘Look, I’m not going to start cutting your grass.’ And they were pretty happy. They were like, ‘Well, we’ll shoot you some of that smaller stuff, cause you’re right, we’re not interested in it.’”
Because Nathan is a diesel mechanic by trade, Ushers Ag Services can also offer on-farm mechanical support, which they say is in short supply around Guyra. Being able to move, operate and maintain machinery for clients means they can often build ongoing relationships instead of just doing a one-off job.
“We’ve set ourselves up so that we probably as versatile as we can be,” Nathan said.
“Agriculture’s very cyclic as well. So that’s why we’ve set our equipment up that it can be deployed into other applications. During drought, for example, everyone’s got to cart hay.”
Gillian brings her own small business experience to the partnership as an independent behaviour support practitioner in the NDIS space, where she runs a deliberately small, boutique service so that clients get consistent, personalised support. That experience shaped how they structured Ushers Ag Services.
“We’ve been thinking about it for a while, but it’s all come together now,” Jillian said. “We’ve got the equipment. We’ve set everything up how we need to set it up. We’re out there ready to go.”
Behind the scenes they have done their homework, including a gap analysis, SWOT analysis and detailed costing spreadsheets. They have also been careful not to overload the business with debt, giving them the flexibility to grow at a sustainable pace.
Marketing so far is practical and local: a Facebook page, business cards, knocking on doors, talking to ag supply stores, real estates and ag machinery dealers, and reaching out to agricultural freight forwarders and local industries that rely heavily on transport.
“That’s where we’re at right now, just calling around and letting people know we’re here.”
For others thinking about taking the plunge into business ownership, Gillian said the key is preparation and self belief.
“Just do your homework, look out there and see what you’re interested in and what you’re passionate about. Make sure that when you’re deciding to do a business like that, don’t think you have to go in there and start off in big debt. Just think about what you can do and where you’re at in your own journey.”
The Ushers believe that smaller, boutique services can be exactly what regional communities need.
“Sometimes the smaller or the boutique services are the way to go, but back yourself. That might be the only advice we want to give, back yourself.”
In this series New England Times Investigates is unpacking some of the dynamics and forces driving our new business boom, and meeting some of the new business owners having a go. Read all the stories in this series here.
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