Winter Update 2018

Welcome to the Dickie Direct Winter Newsletter, please read on to find out what’s been going on, what’s on special and what’s coming up at Dickie Direct.

For those of you wondering, we are not at the Fieldays this year. Instead we are busy working with our suppliers, making sure we have the best priced nutrients on hand for your Spring applications.

Thanks to all of our clients for your continued support.

Regards
Charles Dickie

Ammonium Sulphate – $375 / tonne ex store

Why Use Ammonium Sulphate

Ammonium Nitrogen offers improved responses in cooler temperatures compared to Urea Nitrogen.
Ammonium Sulphate is often used in place of Urea when soil sulphate levels are low.
Ammonium Sulphate is typically used during periods of higher rainfall (Late Autumn, Winter and Spring) in order to maintain Sulphate levels.

Caprolactam (Dissolvable) Ammonium Sulphate – $385 / tonne ex store

Why Use Caprolactam (Dissolvable) Ammonium Sulphate

Caprolactam Ammonium Sulphate is in a fine crystal form and is a 100% soluble form of Ammonium Sulphate most commonly used in liquid applications.

UAN 32 (Urea Ammonium Nitrate) – $750 / tonne ex store

Why Use UAN 32?

UAN comes as a liquid supplied in 1000L IBC’s. UAN contains Nitrogen in Urea, Ammonium and Nitric forms.
UAN offers rapid responses in cooler temeratures as Ammonium and Nitric Nitrogen can be directly uptaken by plants, unlike Urea Nitrogen which first must be broken down by soil enzymes.
UAN is often used in conjunction with thistle sprays and other herbicides as it greatly improves the chemical uptake.

DAP – $685 / tonne ex store

Why Use DAP?

DAP is suitable for use when crops / pastures require equal amounts of Phosphate and Nitrogen.
DAP is the cheapest form of Phosphate when Nitrogen is also required and full value is obtained out of the Nitrogen portion.
Compared to alternative Phosphate products DAP contains a high percentage of Phosphate meaning, freight and application costs are less per hectare.

Every season presents new and exciting challenges for us at Dickie Direct. This Autumn has certainly proved to be no exception with a large growth in volumes and generally more fertiliser being sold and applied across the industry.

So what have our challenges been this Autumn and what plans have we put in place to mitigate these moving forward?

Product Availability:

A large increase in demand has meant our product availability has often been stretched. So what are we doing about this?

As we build our market presence we are compiling better forecasts and a more indepth understanding of our client requirements, enabling us to be on the front foot with product supply.
We are moving to a larger warehouse in Hastings, giving us the ability to carry a larger buffer of stock in particular at the beginning of product seasons.
We are continuing to drive and incentivise forward orders with even further discounts.

Truck Availability:

Truck availability seemed to be a common issue across the industry this Autumn and we really felt this pinch. With the help of Harvest Logistics we are now working closer with a wider network of well suited carriers. We have also started loading trucks 24/7 ensuring that we are doing all we can to help the carriers that help us to keep product moving.

Improved On Farm Storage Facilities:

We run a direct to farm/depot supply model so that our clients can avoid paying excess freight, storage and handling fees, resulting in cheaper applied product. As a result of this it is our job to continue to inform our clients on the benefits associated with having adequate on farm storage. A water tight bin and all weather access can go a long way to ensure you are getting the most cost effective applied nutrients and that you are getting your product on when you need it most.

If you haven’t got adequate storage we believe it is a very well worth while financial exercise to look at and would be happy to offer our assistance where possible.

We don’t employ costly sales reps, we offer clients tools and technology on our website to help them purchase the most efficient fertiliser for their requirements.

We proactively work with a network of independent consultants. Keeping the recommendation and supply of product separate means our clients can be sure they are getting unbiased advice and the most efficient fertiliser for their requirements.

We only operate out of Port based stores. We deliver direct to farm/depot from our Port Stores, avoiding additional through store charges, freight and handling fees associated with operating satellite stores.

Proactive clients are rewarded with better ‘Forward Order’ pricing. We encourage our clients to place forward orders where possible, keeping our supply chain efficient resulting in further discounts.

We buy all product on the open market ensuring our clients are always getting the most efficient product at the best price. We don’t have large investments in costly manufacturing facilities and infrastructure skewing the decisions around the products we supply.

All blends are custom made to a clients specific requirements. We don’t hide margin in branded products or blends, instead invoicing for the exact quantities of each base product in a blend.

Our promise is to offer our clients the cheapest cost per unit of nutrient applied, we do this through using higher analysis (higher total nutrient per tonne) products resulting in up to a 50% reduction in freight and application costs compared to common alternatives such as Superphosphate.

The bulk blend calculator has become a key tool that Dickie Direct clients are using to build and compare blends, as well as being a simple complete application budgeting tool. Like any new piece of technology we have been making tweaks along the way to better improve its usability.

Try out our Bulk Blend Calculator today

We have all of your Winter fertiliser requirements covered at the most competitive pricing. With our bulk blending facility and the full range of key products and trace elements we can undertake accurate blends and are currently freighting both bulk and bagged product for competitive freight rates North Island wide.

0800 4 DICKIE