The Trandos family runs a large-scale farming operation in Western Australia and with four properties across the state, there’s a lot of travel involved. But that part of the job just got a bit easier with an unexpected new addition to their large machinery and vehicle fleet.
Arthur Trandos, with brother Jim and cousin Michael, run West Australian Corn Growers, the largest grower of sweet corn and beans in the state, with Arthur travelling thousands of kilometres a year between their properties in Perth, Gingin and Broome. But now he’s got a new RAM to make the regular trips a bit more comfortable, courtesy of a new Case IH tractor the business purchased earlier this year.
By ordering a new Case IH Maxxum 150 from their local dealer, Boekeman Machinery, in Northam, between April 1 and July 31, Arthur qualified to enter a competition that offered the chance to win a 2025 RAM pickup truck.
“I was actually at our Broome farm when Aaron Bett (CNH Business Director – Agriculture ANZ) rang to tell me I’d won it, but I thought it was a hoax at first, so I hung up. I actually hung up twice before I finally realised it was genuine and we’d won a RAM,” Arthur said.
The RAM was delivered earlier in October and by the end of the month Arthur had already put about 4000km kilometres on it, going from one end of the state to the other, checking on the various aspects of the vast business that supplies several million ears of corn to the country’s major supermarket chains a week.
Between four farms at Neerabup, Gingin, Beermullah, and Broome, West Australian Corn Growers supplies corn and green beans year round, also exporting to Singapore, Hong Kong and Dubai. Packing is done at a facility on another property in Perth, which employs about 130 staff.
The business has a long and proud history in WA, having its beginnings in 1939, after Dimitrios Trandos migrated to Australia in search of a better life for his family. Dimitrios was Arthur’s grandfather, and 86 years and four generations later, the running of the business is still very much a family affair.
The business also has a long history with Case IH, today operating about 50 Case IH tractors and a number of round balers. They run everything from 100hp Maxxums, up to 400hp Magnums, and said the strong relationship they’d developed with Boekeman Machinery and the Case IH brand was a big reason for the longevity with the brand.
“We have a full-time mechanic, but we know we can call our dealer if there’s an issue and they’ll look after us. If anything ever happens and we need to get moving again quickly, then they're there for us. They provide a good service,” Arthur said.
“And the machinery is getting better all the time – bigger, faster, quieter, with more technology. The tractors and balers work well for our business, creating efficiencies and improving productivity.”
While rain is not relied on for the irrigated corn and bean crops, seasonal conditions are still important in terms of temperatures and pest management considerations, and Arthur said they’d enjoyed a good year to date.
“The seasons this year have been good – summer and winter, not too extreme – but of course there’s always challenges, that’s farming. There’s always something, but you find a way and just keep going,” Arthur said.