Down in South Canterbury, Heath Smith has downsized from his dairy farm to a smaller lifestyle block in Darfield. Having worked with cattle all his life, he had to hold on to a number of cattle to maintain his sanity. Therefore, he traded the milking cups for a handful of beefies.
When Heath first reached out to us, we had just launched our new Maxxus range of yards, specifically designed for smaller farming operations like Heath's. Heath decided that the 27 Head Maxxus Yard was a perfect starting point because he knew he wasn't confined by his original decision due to the modular nature of our steel yards.
Since we caught up with Heath out in Darfield, he has actually moved the yards to a different spot on his lifestyle block. This wouldn't have been possible if he had chosen a small timber set with posts in the ground.
"I wouldn't want to shift them around all the time, but the fact that you can move them is well worth the extra money," he says.
Although our Maxxus yards are often slightly more expensive than timber sets, they are a far smarter choice when you consider the flexibility of change, ease of assembly, zero maintenance, and a range of other benefits, as Heath agreed.
"I'm also a builder by trade, and when I priced them up, I got a quote of $9,000 for a similar design with poles in the ground, but they could only be in one place. After we compared the prices, I thought it was a no-brainer."
After using the yards a few times, we asked Heath for his thoughts.
"They're excellent. There has clearly been a lot of thought put into them. I would say there has been some good feedback from people who have had yards in the past because you do see some cheap and low-quality ones."
When it comes to specific parts of the yards that Heath really liked, there were a few things that stood out to him, setting Onefarm apart from other options.
"The clamp system used to connect panels and gates is really good. I remember going to help a friend with another steel set that just used a drop-in lock pin. Yeah, holy cow! With all the noise and everything going on, it just agitates the cattle. The way these panels are locked together, there's just no noise!"
When considering yards for lifestyle blocks, there are a few things that you really need to consider, such as the ability to increase yard capacity, the flexibility of moving them, and maintenance costs (steel has zero maintenance, whereas timber sets require eventually replacing rails and other rotten parts). Heath did his homework and ended up making the right decision. We're thrilled for him and ready to help others in Heath's situation.
"Honestly, for that kind of money for a lifestyle block like what we have, they are definitely, definitely the way to go."
To get your hands on a Maxxus yard, please get in touch.
