This year, Pursehouse Rural is celebrating 60 years in the agricultural distribution industry, writes Andrew Maughan*.

Significantly, the business is still strongly influenced by the Pursehouse family, with two generations of the family in senior executive roles within the business today.

Pursehouse Rural was started by Fred Pursehouse, who commenced trading as a grocer and general store in the 1950s in the NSW township of Werris Creek. Back then Werris Creek was a 24-hour town, being a major junction for trains meeting from the New England and the northwest.

As a tip of the hat to the early years of operations, Pursehouse Rural has just revealed a year-long restoration project of a 1951 Chevy pickup, which is a replica of the original workhorse truck for both the family and the business in that era.

The truck would come to spend her working week moving goods across Werris Creek, between trains and the shop, zig zagging across the town. Goods were shuffled around the platforms at Werris Creek Station, from local suppliers like the Pursehouse family, to train carriages travelling north into Queensland, northwest to Moree, south to the Hunter and beyond.

Trips to Sydney would become a regular feature of working life for Fred and the boys. What would now be just a four-and-a-half-hour journey between Werris Creek and Sydney, took up to nine hours in the green Chevrolet truck, down the Putty Road, which was dusty, powdery white dirt for 230km.

During these trips the green Chevy would be fully laden with goods on the tray and family in the cab with Fred driving, his wife Marj sat in the passenger seat, oldest boy Malcolm in the middle and then youngest boy Clive left to take a seat on the floor of the truck.

Brother Andrew was spared these trips as he was yet to come into the picture. The Chevrolet covered tens of thousands of kilometres shared between the Pursehouse’s working and family lives.

It wasn’t long before the business added hardware and then agricultural products, providing fertiliser, chemical, seed and general supplies as required on farm.

This coincided with the discovery of underground water on the Liverpool Plains, and the advent of wheat quotas, which encouraged local farmers to grow alternative summer crops such as corn, sorghum, sunflowers and cotton.

By 1962 the ag supply side of the business outgrew the general store, and the business became a dedicated agricultural distribution business.

By the end of the 1960’s, the original premises in Werris Creek was bursting at the seams, so the company decided to open a larger store at Quirindi where the bulk of the agricultural supply business was being conducted.

During that era, the traditional family farm on the Liverpool Plains was smaller, there were more of them and typically they more closely resembled a small business in terms of income and profit. But things were changing quickly.

The 1970’s and 80’s heralded significant changes in the industry as farmers greatly expanded the size of their farms, acquiring neighbouring properties and investing in larger plant and machinery, and as a result, relied less on manual labour. These family farms, which previously operated more like small businesses, today operate more like medium sized businesses, commonly with assets in the tens of millions.

Throughout that era there was also a significant change from sheep grazing to broadacre farming on the Liverpool Plains. The introduction of zero till farming in the same era also revolutionised the operation of these broadacre farms.

Fred Pursehouse had a great ability to adapt proactively to change and with the shift to broadacre farming in the district, he invested in aeroplanes flown from America to support aerial spraying operations in the district and invested in large prototype Hino trucks which laid the foundations for large ground spray application services.

In the late 1980s, Fred passed away and his son Malcolm took over the reins of the business, whilst his brothers Clive and Andrew took over the operation of the family farm at Breeza Station.

Malcolm, with the help and support of the businesses directors, shareholders and employees, embarked on an ambitious and successful expansion plan in the early 1990’s that continuing to this day – which has seen Pursehouse Rural grow to 19 branches in NSW and QLD, with a further eight branches under the AGnVET RURAL brand, in partnership with AGnVET services.

Today, Malcolm continues his role in the business as managing director. His nephew, Scott, has recently moved from CFO to CEO of the company. Malcolm’s daughter, Anita Callachor is the company CIO.

The business has stayed strongly influenced and guided by family hands because the family has a passion for what they do; they are passionate about farms and farming. The Pursehouse family are also second-generation farmers, and the third generation is now growing up on family farms with a view that they will eventually take over those operations.

They know having a vision and a succession plan is critical in both farming and business if you want a gamily enterprise to endure.

The Pursehouse family also warmly acknowledge that they also couldn’t have achieved this success without the dedication of very loyal and dedicated partners and employees. Many staff have been with the business for more than 20 years.

Technology and innovation will continue to play a significant role for the business, as it always played a significant role in farming. Without doubt this trend is accelerating with many farmers now using apps that utilise IoT, GPS and smart monitoring of fences, water troughs and livestock.

Drone and satellite technology is starting to play a larger role in farm management too. Farming also operates in a dynamic environment of variable weather patterns and changing regulations – with a need for both economic and environmental sustainability, and farming practices continue to innovate to ensure farming is sustainable on these terms.

Embracing change and promoting new technology has always been at the forefront of Pursehouse Rural. The business has always been quick to listen to its customers and ensure they are on the leading edge of innovation and can achieve the best results from their farming enterprise in terms of both sustainability and yield.

For 60 years, Pursehouse Rural has been working to support its customer’s operations on farm and is proud to see many customers continue their loyal support for two and now in some cases, three generations.

Pursehouse will continue to take on growth opportunities where they make sense, but its key focus internally is on employee retention and development.

*Article by Andrew Maughan, marketing manager, Pursehouse Rural.