Happy Easter 2022 (Edition 33)

CHERRY HILL COOLSTORES, TASMANIAN SEED POTATOES, JACS ENGINEERING & HIRT QUARRIES

HAPPY EASTER FOR 2022

In our April newsletter, Edition 33, we’d like to share with you our season report and the happy retirement story of Bill and Elaine Dyson, Tasmanian Seed Potatoes season update report, JACS Engineering workshop and business report and Hirt Quarries boulder donations and two new drivers.

Read on for these stories and more…

IN THIS ISSUE


Boulder donations and new drivers	A new chapter for Bill and Elaine	Introducing Wendy Rand	Ankle oopsy!

SEASON REPORT

Pictured left to right: Andrew Langmaid, Iris Bacosa, Pam Langmaid, Andrew Vandenberg, Conor O’Doherty and Wayne Maxwell.

The season is two weeks later than normal this year. As at end of March we’ve received over 3,000 tonnes of seed potatoes, almost 700 crates of raspberry canes and 250 crates of blackberry canes.

The new equipment has arrived on time, with our state-of-the-art new carrot wash line installed and ready to go, with carrots about to start on it shortly.

We farewell into retirement a gentleman of the industry, Bill Dyson and his wife Elaine – Bill is retiring after 75 years in the industry. Read more…

Best wishes from all of us at Cherry Hill Coolstores, Tasmanian Seed Potatoes, Hirt Quarries, and JACS Engineering and Maintenance.

JACS ENGINEERING

JACS Engineering has had a busy start to 2022.

Our new workshop in the Cherry Hill Coolstores old cutting shed is up and running, with just a few finishing touches to do. New staff member Aaron McCulloch has come on board and is leading the scaffolding division.

We’ve been busy supplying welders to BridgePro Engineering to help them out with their massive workload, and are just about to join a project together and in conjunction with Hydro Tasmania.

With another two weeks to go, we are about 80% through the maintenance of Cherry Hill’s seed cutting machine. This involved a full pull down, check and then put back together – to ensure the machine was in tip top shape for the coming season.

TASMANIAN SEED POTATOES

We have harvested about 20% of our seed crop so far, and only have five paddocks left to finalise. The mini tubers are looking good, they have grown well and set good tuber numbers.

Both commercial and seed crops were slower to emerge and mature, but a favourable late season has allowed them to finish off well – and yields don’t seem to have suffered.

Commercial seed growers should be starting to think about next season’s seed requirements and choosing their seed lines.

We will be having an open day at Cherry Hill once most of the seed is delivered – talk to Conor about the upcoming date.

HIRT QUARRIES

We have recently been busy working with the Kentish Council at the Sheffield Visitor Centre, where we’ve donated quarry boulders for the mountain bike display. The grand opening will be amazing!

Driveways are keeping Mark Thompson on his toes, and our new truck driver Rollsy has been doing everything from large haul contracts to small trade jobs. We also welcome Ange, our fantastic new loader operator.

Sales have increased, and we’re receiving more website, social media and phone call enquiries, than ever before. The most popular Hirt Quarries products have been our 40mm gravel and our 20mm road base.

Pictured: An aerial view of our quarry in Beulah, Tasmania

A NEW CHAPTER FOR BILL AND ELAINE DYSON

Bill and Elaine Dyson have been a Cherry Hill Coolstores customer since day dot. Now aged 86, and after 75 years out in the paddock, Bill is now ready to retire. Married for almost 65 years, Bill and Elaine have made a great team! Elaine keeping the bookwork up-to-date and the home fires burning, and Bill out in the paddocks growing from paddocks at Circular Head and as far as the East Coast.

Andrew Langmaid has known and worked with Bill since he was 18 years old – Bill knowing his father Kevin, even longer. In fact, Elaine and Pam’s Mum also knew each other through the CWA, so it was inevitable everyone would meet.

Bill’s love of growing potatoes began when at age eight he helped his father with the family crop, after his older brothers went off to play football. Bill went on to become one of Edgell’s biggest Tasmanian growers, and met Andrew when he was harvesting potatoes, before Andrew took over Cherry Hill.

Bill and Elaine have four children, eight grand children and 13 great grand children. Bill and Elaine’s son, Michael said of the potato industry, “I learnt enough with Dad growing up and when I left school, I knew it wasn’t for me.” He climbed the corporate ladder in the police force, which led him to work for the Royal Bank and now his current role of working for the WWF (World Bank) in security. Their youngest daughter was always the keenest to grow fresh produce, and continues to grow produce in her garden despite being a paraplegic.

Bill and Elaine have been one of the longest customers of Cherry Hill Coolstores, as well as being a very good friend to Andrew and Pam. “Andrew was very energetic in business and easy to get along with, so I was not surprised at his success. He’s a go getter and very knowledgeable.” says Bill.

Bill reflects that part of his early success in business was good communication with his customers. Bill was the first in Australia to operate the two-way radio technology ‘TARA’ through his home phone, which meant Edgell’s in Deloraine could reach Bill in Ulverstone at 4am to “send more spuds” and he would.

Bill’s advice to the next generation is to “be honest and deliver quality, and the rest will fall in line” – this is sound advice for any industry.

Bill reminisces on his 23 trips to America. He was one of very few trusted to visit Simplot’s seed propagating sites in Wisconsin, mutually beneficial to Bill and also Jim Beam (not ‘the’ Jim Beam alas), and both said they learnt more from each other in 48-hours than they had in many decades.

Bill grew commercial potatoes for the majority of his career, with the latter years growing fresh produce, and even a stint working for Coles as a consultant to train their fresh produce people – the latter inspired by Bill’s achievement of the SQF 2000 quality assurance certification for three varieties of seed potatoes, an essential quality mark by many of the larger supermarket chains.

We’d like to thank Bill and Elaine for their loyalty to Cherry Hill Coolstores and wish them every bit of enjoyment in their retirement.

Pictured: Andrew Langmaid, Bill and Elaine Dyson, and Pam Langmaid.

INTRODUCING: WENDY RAND

Wendy grew up in Preolenna on a dairy farm, and now resides in Railton.

Along with her partner, Wendy breeds Appaloosa Arab horses, and has a passion for horse endurance riding.

Wendy’s career includes working for Harvest Moon on their vegetable line, and at Toll Tasmania in a supervisor and logistics role. Her experience complements her administrative role at Cherry Hill. Next time you visit us in Latrobe, you’ll have the delight of meeting Wendy in reception.

Pictured: Wendy Rand

ANKLE OOPSY!

You might think it likely, but rest assured this was not a buggy incident!

You’ll find Andrew in an ankle brace and getting around Cherry Hill Coolstores on crutches (or a mobility scooter when speed is required)!

Andrew dislocated his foot from his ankle – ouch – but is well on the way to recovery.

Pictured: Andrew Langmaid

Pictured: Wayne trying to catch a Potato Bass. These giant fish can grow up to two metres long, it’s no wonder he needs a forklift!

CHERRY HILL COOLSTORES SEED GUARANTEE

Our Seed Management Services. Cherry Hill Coolstores will guarantee our services on Seed Growers seed. If you buy someone else’s certified seed, which is presented to Cherry Hill in good condition, and it breaks down, we will replace our cutting and services at no charge.

This guarantee specifically refers to seed piece breakdown (i.e. rot), and refers to seed which is delivered directly to Cherry Hill Coolstores from the seed paddock for chemical application, coolstoring and cutting. In order for this guarantee to be valid, the Buyer must make claims within 24-hours of the seed leaving Cherry Hill Coolstores and before planting.

In order for this guarantee to be valid, the buyer must make claims with 24 hours of the seed leaving Cherry Hill and before planting.

View more about our guarantee here.

TESTIMONIAL… “Essential to the success of our harvest season…”

“We have a great working relationship with Cherry Hill. The project we run out of their facility is essential to the success of our harvest season around Australia. The scope of our project is ever changing and with the flexibility of Cherry Hill it has made everything run a lot smoother. The assistance that Kel and the team provide us has always been fantastic.”

Dale Irvine | Quality Supervisor, Plants Driscolls

View more of our testimonials here.