Imprinting the green DNA within the family wins award for H&P

Toys for both the little and big boys, venomous reptiles, and the latest information on precision ag – there was something for every family member at the award-winning Hutcheon and Pearce site at Henty.

The team of more than 40 staff from Hutcheon and Pearce took home the Best Outdoor Large Commercial site at the Henty Machinery Field Days on Thursday, September 24.

As the exhibitor with the largest site at the field days, the investment and time spent designing the layout was substantial for the business.

An enlarged marquee had been reoriented to face the west with a children’s play area, parent seating, a reptile show, precision ag and parts service area out the front.

The marquee itself was filled with field day visitors across the three days purchasing toys, branded clothing and merchandise. 

The latest model combine harvester and four-track articulated tractor were displayed prominently alongside the new forestry and construction equipment.

Taking pride of place was a 1270 H wheeled timber harvester – an eight wheeled machine with a rotating and levelling cabin, and designed for rocky, steep slopes and soft ground.

It is equipped with a boom featuring a 10m reach, and a harvester head with a top saw, ideal for harvesting a variety of tree shapes. 

Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director Arron Hutcheon said the site design took around six months of planning and several weeks of on-site construction.

“I’ve been coming to Henty for 40 years and the site layout had been the same so we thought we would change things around a little. It has been well received and the customers and staff appreciate the change,” Mr Hutcheon said.

“We are new to the John Deere forestry and construction product over the last 15 months so we wanted to get as much exposure as possible.

“A lot of our ag green equipment is well known so we are leveraging that to gain presence in the forestry and construction far and wide.”

Hutcheon and Pearce cater for the whole family when it comes to imprinting the green DNA, from toy tractors and headers through to the real thing. 

“We pride ourselves on being an Australian owned family business and we like to cater for everybody on the site. The reptile display has been another hit this year with three shows a day, and plenty of merchandise in the marquee for everyone on th family.

Mr Hutcheon said Henty and AgQuip were the two major capital outlays for the year when it came to exhibiting at field days. 

“Henty always has a soft spot in our hearts, and it has been a great field day for us over the years.

“Interest has been good right across the board this year at Henty. Toys and hats have proven very popular this year – the season has been a bit tighter for some than previous years and a few people are settling for toy tractors rather than real ones.

“People are cautiously optimistic – it is not just the weather but there is lot going on geopolitically, fertiliser and fuel.”