SALIC Australia Pvt. Ltd. is a Western Australia based company that has recently commenced operations in the wider area of the eastern Wheatbelt, ca 300km east of Perth. Its wholly owned subsidiary Merredin Farms Pty Ltd is the local farming entity that produces high quality combinable crops and livestock products.
Total farm size is 211,000ha. This land portfolio includes 158,000ha arable land of which just over 90,000ha are cropped in the current season – predominantly wheat but also barley, oats, and canola. In addition, the business runs about 40,000 Merino sheep which is Australia’s classic dual-purpose sheep breed that produces high quality wool, lambs, and sheep meat.
The business owns a full range of modern agricultural machinery (16 combines, 13 air seeder, 8 self-propelled sprayers, tractors in various horsepower classes for all aspects of the operation). A road train fleet and a silo facility in Merredin with 15,000 tones capacity plus a wide range of farming and livestock infrastructure also form part of the aggregation.
The fieldwork operations since start of the investment in April 2019 have included seeding, crop protection, tillage cultivation and have lend themselves to a satisfactory crop establishment. On the livestock side, broadacre grazing management and shearing has commenced. Until the end of this growing season, harvest will be carried out in November/December and produce will be brought to the market.
Merredin Farms Pty Ltd has engaged with a range of local service providers and suppliers. All direct inputs (seed, fertilizer, and pesticides) were sourced thru Merredin based companies which contributes to the local community and secures local employment.
The workforce of Merredin Farms Pty Ltd comprises farming specialists who have lived and farmed in the area for up to decades. In peak seasons, the 28 permanent staff are supported by up to 30 farming enthusiast and professionals from all over the world to operate machinery during the peak seasons seeding and harvest. SALIC Australia Pty Ltd as the group is committed to professional local career building and long-term sustainable business management practices.
Focus of local management is placed on constant optimization of the production and sustainability. Fact based agronomy, ag tech applications such as latest satellite imaginary in combination with SALIC’s in-house expertise, animal welfare and commitment to local value chains are part of the operational model and will be further applied during the lifetime of the investment.