With 25 years' experience in manufacturing and selling of animal health supplements around Australia James Dickson has seen a lot.
"I've worked for three companies, and have visited thousands of farmers across every state and territory. I've seen the good times and the bad," he said.
Having worked closely with retailers, larger corporate businesses as well as the farmers through this time equipped Mr Dickson with the experience and client base to start his own business, Dickson Ag, situated in Carole Park, Brisbane, which opened for business at the beginning of the year.
At present Dickson Ag is manufacturing lick blocks and loose mix which have been sold to customers in all corners of Australia.
"Going forward there is plenty of work to be done. We have lots of products to launch and we're really look forward to seeing where we fit into the marketplace."
He said the business is in an ideal location for raw materials and freight.
"We're surrounded by freight depo's which allows us to deliver product to our customers without delay.
"Nutrien Ag Solutions have been supporting and stocking my products from the start so I'm very lucky to have a major player on board."
Dickson Ag has a range of products suitable for sheep which are getting great support from the industry.
"I sponsor a lot of the sheep shows as I enjoy when everyone gets together to socialise for a couple of days, it's so good for the industry.
"It's fantastic to see the positivity around sheep flocking back into Queensland. I'd love to see those outback towns filled with shearing contractors again."
He said nothing is too hard and nowhere is too far away for Dickson Ag to supply too.
"We have the location, the products and the will to service our clients with excellence. It's up to us to not let anyone down.
"I've been doing this for a long time, and I still love it! I'm passionate about animal nutrition, I love dealing with my clients and I'm very proud of Australian agriculture. It's been a dream to own my own business."
Dickson Ag currently employs a small team of eight to 10 staff, but Mr Dickson expects this number to quickly grow as business increases.
"As the saying goes behind every great man there is a greater woman. My wife is a very patient woman who worked on the business set-up and raised our three children without a lot of help from me so I owe her dearly."
He said with early summer rain and the Covid-19 issues the business hasn't had the greatest start out of the gate.
"I believe we're about to get busy though. Having relied on my relationships for so many years it has been hard to not get out to see everyone but hopefully I can hit the road again soon."
Mr Dickson said he feels very privileged to be in the industry.
"I'm a proud Australian and couldn't be more proud of our rural communities. What a wonderful bunch of hard working, fun loving, sports loving people our farming communities are.
"To see the hardships they endure is really inspiring, and I love being in partnership with them. Aussie farmers produce the finest products in the world and love doing it, how great is that!"
- The Dickson Ag website will launch in July. Contact (07) 3737 7653 or office@dicksonag.com.au