Johno’s livestock feeders
By Wendy Morriss
Promotional feature – Southern Farmer
Geoff Johnson known by many as ‘Johno’ is a spritely 86-year-old zealous farmer that likes to solve problems. After farming for 70 years and working as a livestock agent for more than 20 years, he now manages a 200 plus-hectare beef farm near his home in Wonthaggi, and has recently started his own business producing transportable livestock feeders and feeding troughs from his own revolutionary designs.
Promotional Feature Photography by Wendy Morriss.
His wife Christine said she thinks he’s a nutter but she’s also very impressed. “What else could you be? He works on the farm doing cattle work and then he produces these amazing products, but Geoff is passionate about what he’s doing and he loves doing it.”
Geoff said he used his own farming experiences and the experiences of his clients while working as a livestock agent to find a more efficient and economical way to supplementary feed all types of livestock. “I learnt from their mistakes and their winnings.”
He said he finalised the designs after many years of using and testing various livestock feeders and his own prototypes and now he is very happy with what he’s produced describing them as “world beaters” and “marvellous”.
Geoff has managed farms for the absentee property owners for about 20 years. He is currently taking care of 440 head of cattle and does a lot of supplementary feeding using hay feeders and troughs.
He said his ideas developed after purchasing a feeder 12 years ago that he didn’t like. “It was a rectangular feeder that had to be put together in four sections with pins in each corner but as the hay got down the big bullocks shifted it and buckled the pins, so I took it up to the shed and welded it all together so it was one solid piece.
“Then I thought now I have to shift it, which was either picking it up or dragging it so I put heavy duty steel skids under it. I thought that was a great idea.
“A few years later, I started buying big squares of oaten hay that sometimes had a lot of grain in them. After feeding a few bales in the feeder, I ended up with a big pile of wet, mouldy grain on the ground so I put in a flat steel floor leaving a perimeter for drainage.
“Later, I decided to experiment more to improve the floor and it’s now a rust resistant, stainless steel, gable-shaped floor with curved sides to spread the hay to the feeding edge so there’s no waste.”
After many trials and prototypes, Geoff has produced innovative feeders to hold large round or square bales, and rust-resistant feed troughs with or without hinged roofs to hold hay, grain and water. The feeders and feed troughs are easy to move around the farm in all seasonal conditions, with or without the feed. The heavy-duty galvanised construction makes them practically indestructible, the feed is kept dry and there’s no waste.
He has also managed to keep the prices reasonable. “I’m at that stage in life where satisfaction is more important,” he said. “When someone says that’s a good idea Geoff, I’m happy.”
See also:
Johno’s Livestock Feeders Website Sales Page
Johno’s Livestock Feeders Web Pages
