A bright ray of light in the farmer’s life is the efficient, reliable tractors and implements that Valtrac provides and backs rock solid with the fastest service that is already known as legendary in farming circles.

Valtrac has a proud history that stretches from a small, actually unintended, to today where this family business is one of the leading suppliers of tractors and implements to South African farmers. No one understands a farmer’s needs and problems better than a farmer. After all, Wynn Dedwith, the founder and owner of Valtrac, is a farmer himself and Valtrac owes its origin to Wynn’s search for suitable tractors for his dairy farm 23 years ago.

“Struggling” is for Wynn a very ugly word that he gets as far as possible out of his vocabulary. That’s why he searched and searched around the world for the best tractors for his farm… until he got to Volvo and from there to Valmet – the forerunner of the current excellent Finnish Valtra tractors. Valtra tractors are also manufactured in Brazil and this range is now being re-imported.

Wynn never intended to become a tractor and implement supplier, but due to a confluence of circumstances, a few Valmet tractors that had to be sold ended up on his farm. Wynn says with the first demonstration, he quietly hoped the tractors did not perform as promised so he could get out of the thing, but just like the Valtra tractors of today, the Valmets exceeded everyone’s wildest expectations.

Now there was no turning back – South Africa’s most picky farmers wanted Valmet and Wynn had to import, supply, and supply parts and service against the will and thanks. For this purpose, Valtrac was established and a site was purchased in Paris, conveniently close to Wynn’s farm. The transition to the provision of winning tools was a logical but unplanned step.

It happened like this:

Wynn was in Brazil to look at the Valtra tractors manufactured there when he saw on a farm a farmer replacing dishes, but not the bearings. It was very strange to him and he inquired.

The answer? It was a Tatu Marchesan and the bearings running in oil were one of the company’s brain children.

Today, in addition to Valtra tractors, Valtrac provides a wide range of first-class agricultural implements to satisfied farmers across South Africa and provides a service that could only be dreamed of before.

Wynn says: “We are farmers ourselves and we work with other farmers and agricultural organizations to determine exactly what farmers need and to look for them in the world market.”

 

UNTILL NOW: 24 years later, in June 2020, the Dedwith family receives the first Valtra BH194 tractor in South Africa. In front are Wynn, Tacye, Emma, Devin, Reece and Bronwyn, and on top of the tractor are Megan and Rory.

Valtrac leads

Fine observation is also the origin of Valtrac’s commitment to no – till. Wynn has seen that the soil of his lands with planted pasture where there is only sowing and not cultivating, is much softer and more fertile than the maize fields that are cultivated every season.

This observation took him back to Brazil, the world leader in no-till. As a result, Valtrac was the first supplier of special no-till planters in South Africa.

This step – and the large number of subsequent steps that Valtrac subsequently took in the direction of no-till – testify to Valtrac’s responsibility towards the environment and also towards farmers.

Wynn says: “Even in a difficult season, a farmer can not only save input costs with no-till; he also has a better chance of getting a harvest in the drought. ”

Valtrac’s legendary service to farmers is ensured by their policy of putting together another technical team for every forty new tractors they sell. This ensures that Valtrac farmers are farmers who farm; not struggling. Valtrac has come a long and beautiful way with the farmers of South Africa and intends to provide only the best tools and only the best service to our farmers until the distant future.

For more information on Valtra tractors and all the other tools Valtrac offers the farmer, speak to Attie de Villiers at 083-261-9863 or 056-817-8006, or send an email to attiedev@valtrac.co.za