Hay-baling trio relocating outfit closer to town 12/8/2009 8:24 PM
By BEN BAUGH Staff writer
The adage three heads are better than one certainly pertains to Aiken Hay Farms.
The joint venture pools the talent and resources of Luis Valdes, Joe Harrison and Candido J. Urtiaga.
The business partnership was formed this past spring, and although they have an office in Aiken and farm in Johnston, they will be relocating to the 302 corridor within the month to the Couchton area, Valdes said.
"We've had a lot of growth, so we'll be moving closer to town," said Valdes. "The relocation is a necessity for Aiken Hay Farms. We have operations in other areas. We have 4,000 round bales in Sumter, and we also have hay grown in Waynesboro, Ga.
Aiken Hay Farms carries a varied product line and not only services customers locally, but throughout the Carolinas, Georgia and Florida. They have salesmen covering Georgia, the Southern Pines and Raleigh areas of North Carolina, Ocala, Fla., the west and east coasts of Florida and south Florida, said Valdes.
"About 70 percent of our business is truckload sales, so we go out to feed and tack stores throughout the southeast," said Valdes. "We have our own trucks and trailers. We have our own hay, and we deliver our own hay. It's good for the clientele because the sales people will be visiting them on an ongoing basis promoting the product and the company. We have an excellent product line. We maintain it and are committed to it. We're covering the gamut of the equine industry when it comes to forage."
In addition to locally grown coastal, Aiken Hay Farms carries alfalfas, timothys, orchard grasses and different mixes that are brought in from Kentucky, Ohio and Pennsylvania, said Harrison.
"We have everything tested by one of the approved national forage testing centers, and the product that we carry is only premium or prime (as based on the Relative Feed Value scale)," said Valdes. "Our pricing is competitive, and we stand behind our product."
The fact that Aiken is a preferred equestrian destination seems to have helped Aiken Hay Farms in terms of name recognition in other markets, Valdes said.
"Aiken has such a strong equestrian history and presence, and the business has worked out perfectly from a geographical standpoint for the markets that we're covering," said Valdes. "We have a very strong client base locally, and Aiken is an ideal market because of the wide variety of disciplines. We're promoting Aiken with our name and product in other markets."
The confluence of circumstances, people and events led to the formation of the partnership.
The farm in Johnston is owned by Harrison, a State Farm insurance agent, who had an Angus beef operation at the location until selling his cows last year.
Valdes who has been around horses his entire life is involved in real estate, and had served as a mentor and is good friends with Harrison's son Craig.
Urtiaga, like Harrison and Valdes, has a background in agribusiness. The operation has a machine that can convert round bales into square bales, has the ability to convert an 800 to 1,000 pound bale into 14 or 15 square bales in less than five minutes.
For more information about Aiken Hay Farms, call (877) 429-9255 or (803) 522-3009.
Notice about comments:
AikenStandard.com is pleased to offer readers the ability to comment on stories. We expect our readers to engage in lively, yet civil discourse. AikenStandard.com does not edit user submitted statements and we cannot promise that readers will not occasionally find offensive or inaccurate comments posted in the comments area. Responsibility for the statements posted lies with the person submitting the comment, not AikenStandard.com. If you find a comment that is objectionable, please click "report abuse" and we will review it for possible removal. Please be reminded, however, that in accordance with our Terms of Use and federal law, we are under no obligation to remove any third party comments posted on our website.
