YP AG was established on the Yorke Peninsula in 2003, and has since gone from strength to strength. The team pride themselves on being a leader in rural services for South Australian producers, offering a great range of rural products, agronomy services, and research and development (R&D).
This year, the team will celebrate 20 years in business, so YP AG Managing Director and original team member Justin McCormack sat down to reflect on how far the business has come.
How did the idea for the YP AG business originate?
The YP AG business idea came originally from a supplier partner. They identified that there was a gap in independent rural retailers in some areas of the Yorke Peninsula, so we decided to give it a go.
What are the values behind YP AG’s operations?
Our mission is to is to ensure we are aware of our customers’ needs, strengthen our relationships and deliver a superior level of service and support. Our values fall under four pillars:
- We will remain loyal and committed to our mission and vision.
- Our impact will influence those who desire positive outcomes.
- We will maintain a sense of fairness when strong action is required.
- Our staff will uphold YP AG’s integrity by being honest and consistent with their approach.
20 years ago, what did the business look like?
When we started up, we worked our distribution from a trucking business in Kadina while we were having our more official premises built. The business was primarily run in Kadina, and agronomy staff worked from home offices. On farm deliveries were a key point of difference in the early days, that’s been copied now but that took a lot of work at the time and was key to supporting our customers.
We started with seven full time staff, four of whom are actually still on board today, among our wider team.
What significant changes have you seen in the agribusiness sector over the last 20 years?
Some of the significant changes have been the efficiency, size and capacity of farm machinery, improvements in technology and advances in ag chem options, which have all driven yield increases.
Changes in management practices have also improved sustainability in dryland broad acre farming. We feel we have played a part in many of these changes.
YP AG is best known for R&D and agronomy services. How have these areas developed since YP AG was born?
We are very proud of our comprehensive R&D program and the value it provides to our customers, staff, and supplier partners.
Originally, we contracted all of our R&D program out to external providers. Over time, we wanted to expand our program and therefore chose to invest in our own plant. This gave us more control over the outcomes and allowed us to produce timely results and increase our ability to undertake contract work in our own right.
What does YP AG mean to the Yorke Peninsula community now?
YP AG has continued to provide a value add relationship with our customers, and that is still received very well. Our staff are still well embedded in local communities and have developed strong relationships with our customers.
What does the future look like for YPAG?
YP Ag is in the succession phase, as the more experienced people that have been in the business for a long time start to make way for those that have chosen YP AG for their own career journey. They will be looking to take on the responsibility of leadership in the coming years.
We look forward to growing with our customers into the future and continuing to provide the great level of service that YP AG is renowned for.
