Keeping colostrum stirred was a challenge for a Southland calf rearer until he came with an innovative idea.
Frustrated after running around with a drill and paint stirrer trying to stop stored colostrum from separating, Rex Affleck was looking for an easier solution. He found a pricey food industry mixer in Europe, but the paddle was tiny and the revs were too quick so he started thinking about what he really needed.
“I found a supplier in China that made engine gearboxes and they agreed to sell me a sample,” Affleck explains.
“Two turned up on my doorstep but I didn’t know what to do next. So, I started thinking and mucking around with bits of cardboard and worked out how it could sit on top of a pod, but the next issue was the paddles.”
Affleck knew he needed a decent-sized paddle, but wondered how it could fit through the hole on the top of the colostrum storage tank.
“The paddle was 550 millimetres in diameter but it needed to fit in a 145 or 150mm hole,” he says.
“So I mucked around a bit more and found a way to make it really simple with one paddle folding so you can put it in the hole, then prop up the motor and push a rod to drop the paddle into place and away you go.”
He crafted a cover for the motor to protect it from the elements, added a handle on top for easy fitting and changeover and made it all out of stainless steel for longevity.
His neighbour who is handy with sheet metal and had a water jet cutter, which they used to profile the metal pieces before they shaped them and assembled the unit. And it was the solution he had been looking for, simple to use and effective for preventing separation in the tank.
“It can be run continuously too and the motor only draws 0.6amps, so I’ve worked out it only costs 75 cents in power per day,” he says.
Pleased with his design he figured others would benefit from the concept too, so he got back in touch with the supplier in China and talked them into sending 50 more motors, as opposed to their usual 100 minimum order.
He named the product Podstir and started marketing on Trade Me and Facebook. He sold a few units before deciding to have a crack at the Fieldays Innovations Awards.
“Before Fieldays I hadn’t sold 25 but I took the punt and ordered another 50 engines before we went in case there was a flood of orders,” he says.
Fieldays was a success and he recently placed his third engine order. He sources all the other bits and pieces, including suitcase handles, from various sources and assembles the units at home in Gore.
The product has been benefiting more than dairy farmers and calf rearers too.
“I’ve sold units to a range of industries, including a pavlova company and a beekeeper, but ultimately, the concept started to help others like me rearing calves and storing large quantities of milk and colostrum,” he says.
Affleck fell into rearing calves. He had a motorcycle dealership for almost 37 years and had worked in research and development for both Yamaha and Honda in Japan before doing a range of roles across Australia and New Zealand. But once he settled on his four-hectare block in Gore, he took over the calf rearing from his children.
“The kids started rearing calves nearly 30 years ago and one thing led to another and now we’re rearing four times as many as when we started and I’m hoping to do 60 this year,” he says.
“I secured a good supply of colostrum and milk and that’s where Podstir evolved from.
“It really is a great solution and I’m happy to be helping others overcome the challenges like we had.”
