Making hay in the sunshine
Jerry and Gary Williams grew up in Brawley, one of the many old farm towns in the Imperial Valley. In 1978, the brothers formed a partnership, Williams and Williams Hay Contracting. Jerry had already been doing contract work for area farmers for seven years, and he had built a decent business with a few pieces of quipment he purchased from a contractor who had decided to quit the business.
“I had been working construction — gravel plants, asphalt plants,” says Jerry. “I wanted to be out more and work for myself— not always be in one spot. To me, this work is more outgoing.”
Jerry’s wife, Karen, handled office
duties while Jerry and Gary hustled to take
care of a growing list of local farmers who
hired them to harvest a wide variety of
crops grown in the area.
Crops include Alfalfa,
Bermuda, Sudan Grass,
Rye Grass and Wheat
Straw. The business has
grown steadily over the
years. From its beginnings
in 1978, the
Williams operation has
grown to the point where
it employs more than
two dozen people and
owns a fleet of over 30 pieces of
equipment.
Jerry says he tries to keep most of his work within 15 miles of his equipment yard in Brawley, but he has a few customers as far as 20 miles away. Like the growers in the area, the Williams’ operation works year round. Their specialty continues to be cutting and baling, but they have also expanded into farming. The Williams team constantly must make decisions that determine how profitable the business will be. They are always focused on keeping costs down. “The way times are, you have to look for ways to cut back costs,” says Jerry. “We can cut with one rotary what three sickles can cut. That reduces the workers compensation insurance that’s so excessive in California. That’s one of the biggest issues for us.”
For over a year now, Challenger equipment
from Empire’s store in Imperial has
played an important role in helping Williams
and Williams keep costs down. Part of that
is the up-front cost of the Challengers, but a
bigger part is the lower operating costs,
according to Jerry. “Fuel’s a big issue now,
and these Challengers don’t really burn that
much fuel. The older, heavier tractors burn
a lot more.
“A bunch of people in this business run big 4-wheel drive tractors that they can also use for other things. To me, there’s a lot of cost there — a lot of tire wear and a lot of more expensive machinery running up and down the road. That’s more wear and tear and a lot more fuel.” As of November 2004, Williams and Williams owns five Challenger tractors, four Challenger Windrowers and a Challenger 4 x 4 Big Baler with plans to purchase more equipment in 2005. They have a number of older machines from a variety of manufacturers, but Jerry says he prefers to buy the Challengers sold at Empire’s store in Imperial.
“We prefer to buy locally,” Jerry states.”
“We’re real happy with the Challengers, and
around here the purchase price for
Challengers is very competitive. The dealer
seems to be more on the ball with its parts
and service. Empire has been really good
with us. If we have a problem, they get out
and take care of it.”
Uptime is critical in the hay contracting
business, just as it is in every farming operation.
Windows of opportunity are narrow.
Work needs to be done when the fields are
ready.
Although Williams and Williams has a
shop and the ability to do some of its own
work, the company must rely on first-rate
dealer service at times to meet its uptime
demands. Also, the Williams brothers make
sure their critical production machines have
low hours and are in top shape.
“Karen takes care of the office,” Jerry
says. “She keeps track of all things that
need to be considered and lets me know
when it’s time to purchase. When we can
get new equipment that costs less to run,
we replace older machines.We don’t try to
milk old equipment for all we can. There’s a
point where you’re running backwards.”
Knowing where the expenses are and
managing those expenses carefully has
helped the Williams’ operation grow steadily
through strong markets and lean times.