EDITORIAL – Tasmanian Farmer.
Mick and Amanda from Koroit, Victoria, bought their property on the southwest coast of Victoria as a true seachange. Careful and conservative for more than 20 years, the couple chose to follow their dreams and spontaneously purchased 5 ½ acres which they named “Tower Hill Farm”. About half the acreage is covered by fruit trees of all varieties, shapes and sizes and Mick and Amanda decided to sell fresh fruit in season and make spreads, jams, relishes and sauces to sell at local markets.
“It was something of a challenge for two city folk who didn’t even have a lemon tree in their Melbourne backyard,” says Mick. “The purchase of the property involved the inheritance of a vintage tractor that was clearly meant for bigger things and was not only cumbersome but also cantankerous. It was a beast to be reckoned with and not a favoured means of doing things because of it’s contrary nature – sometimes it would start and sometimes it would not.”
By a process of trial and error, it became apparent that Mick and Amanda would need the right tools for the job. They spoke to Mark at SOTA Tractors and decided to buy a Kubota tractor. “The decision was made even easier when we saw the variety of accessories available as well as listening to Mark’s wisdom and friendly advice. The tractor was also a very reasonable price.”
Mick and Amanda love using their SOTA Kubota and use it for all manner of tasks from mowing grass and moving mulch to pulling out tree stumps. When Mick used the Kubota to push up and compact a huge pile of prunings from the fruit trees last year, the Kubota was more than up to the task and reduced a weekend’s work to a couple of hours. “Best of all it seems to relish the work,” says Mick. “It is like having an extra pair of hands available without the accompanying problems of employees. Every task is made easier.”
“I can’t speak highly enough of the sales and service provided by SOTA Tractors,” says Mick. “In some companies, the after-sales service is totally absent. We needed to replace one of the hydraulic hoses on our Kubota and a quick phone call to SOTA Tractors was followed two days later by the arrival of a new hose. We are very pleased with our decision to buy from SOTA.”