Picture: RDO Equipment

HOW a small family business transformed into an agricultural machinery powerhouse that helped to drive the growth of the farming sector across four States will take centre stage at a Rural Press Club of Queensland lunch on the opening day of the Toowoomba Royal Show on Thursday, March 27.

For over 60 years the Vandersee name has been synonymous with farm technology and innovation through the development of Vanderfield – now RDO Equipment – which grew to become the largest agricultural machinery dealership in Australia.

It all started in 1963 when Gordon Vandersee decided to improve the way he and fellow farmers in regional Queensland could access spare parts and equipment by creating Farm Equipment Pty Ltd, which also designed and manufactured Dynathrust front-end-loaders.

Soon the dealership expanded to include Chamberlains, the last of the Australian-made tractors, and in 1970 became a dedicated John Deere dealership under the name Vanderfield, based in Toowoomba.

Gordon’s son Bruce Vandersee began his career in the spare parts department and worked across the entire organisation including managing branches in Warwick and St George before taking over as Managing Director in 1991 when Gordon retired.

Today Vanderfield, now operating as RDO Equipment, has a vast footprint across regional Australia with 33 locations nationwide extending from Queensland to the Northern Territory, Western Australia and northern NSW.

It is a company that has grown with its farming customers and in some cases now serves the grandchildren of its original family clients.

Join the Rural Press Club of Queensland at the Toowoomba Showgrounds on Thursday, March 27, where Bruce will participate in an on-stage Q&A, sharing insights on his family’s agribusiness journey, developments in farming technology and his thoughts on how the future for the agricultural sector is shaping up.

Don’t miss this opportunity to network with industry colleagues and hear from a leader who has helped drive Queensland’s agricultural growth from the ground up.

Buy tickets to attend this event at this link