ATS Newsbrief April 2014
It’s nine months since ATS members received the red box in their mailboxes, signalling the launch of Ruralco, the ATS and Ravensdown joint venture. These two trusted farmer co-operatives joined forces for the benefit of real farmers, their families and our community and it’s fair to say, the initiative has been well received by all involved. This is despite the deliberate lack of notice given at the time. Commercial sensitivity around the Ruralco concept meant Neal Shaw, Group CEO we were unable to pre-warn the market and members about what we were doing. The first ATS members knew was when they received the red box in the mail. Initially, Ruralco was launched to the central South Island—from the Waiau River in the north, to the Waitaki River in the south and the West Coast. Members also had access to the nationwide Mobil service station network. This was a conscious decision made to ensure we did not get too big, too quickly. It has allowed us to make sure the right infrastructure is in place to handle all transactions. Once this was assured, we were able to start the roll-out of Ruralco to other regions. In February the Ruralco Card was introduced in the Otago and Southland regions, with the launch aptly coinciding with the South Island Field Days at Waimumu. By the time you read this, the Nelson and Marlborough regional launch will be imminent. This means the Ruralco Card will be available to ATS and Ravensdown shareholders throughout the whole of the South Island. The thinking behind the establishment of Ruralco was to grow the supplier network outside the traditional ATS supplier base, to enable shareholders to have the ability to transact anywhere in the country. To date, potential suppliers outside of the historic ATS region have been very interested in the Ruralco Card and significant discounts with meaningful suppliers have been negotiated all over the South Island, and in some cases, nationally. The next phase of development for Ruralco will look at launching the card to Ravensdown shareholders in the North Island in 2015 and continuing to expand the network of businesses that accept the Ruralco Card. This will further enhance the offer to ATS shareholders who wish to use their card across New Zealand. We will continue to keep you informed of these developments as they occur.
Upcoming Events
22 April and 20 May Farm Safety Manual and Training for Members For more information or to RSVP, call 0800 BUY ATS (289 287) or go to www.ats.co.nz/ farmsafety
Easter Holidays 18 April Good Friday 21 April Easter Monday
25 April ANZAC Day
Upcoming Industry Events
Wintering for Success 8 April North Canterbury 10 April Culverden 15 April Mid Canterbury 16 April South Canterbury For more information on the event in your area, visit www.dairynz.co.nz/events
8 & 10 April Tectra Course—Wool handling level 4 course For more information contact Tina Rimene, 03 314 2390, 027 702 8269 or Tectra Office 0800 496 657.
21 April Mackenzie Highland Show This event is held at the Fairlie Showgrounds
Are you scam savvy? Scams are designed to trick you into giving away your personal details or money and are becoming more prevalent, especially on the internet and via email. A lot of scams can look genuine, making it hard to tell that they’re not real. It might be a scam if: • You don’t know the sender • It’s addressed to ‘My Dear’ or another generic term • There are many grammatical or spelling errors • A bank you don’t have an account with contacts you • You are urged to visit a website to update your account information or fill in a form with personal information • You’re advised to act fast to claim money or some other prize in a lottery or competition that you never entered • You inherit money or possessions from someone you’ve never heard of • You receive a request from a stranger who needs your help (usually to send money) A good rule of thumb is to never open emails that are from an unknown or dubious source. To check out if its a scam visit www.consumeraffairs.govt.nz/scams.
29 April ‘Harnessing the power of Microbugs’ Presenting key science and exploring the latest uses of microbial activity for profit. Looking at clovers, lucerne, seed coatings, silage inoculants and nutrition in our young animals. A must for all enquiring farmers. A free AgBoard seminar, supported by BioBrew Ltd. This event is held at the Ashburton Trust Event Centre, 211a Wills St (Bradford Room). For more information contact Malcolm Deverson 034183188, cadb@ihug.co.nz