Family-owned Willamette Valley company becomes PNW region’s newest Apache Sprayers dealer.
Oregon’s Willamette Valley is world-renowned for Pinot Noir made from its more than 19,000 acres of vineyards in the area stretching from Portland to Eugene. The area is rich in agriculture beyond wine grapes with high volumes of filberts and grass crops — that means big business and high demand for ag sprayers as grasses require multiple passes through the field.
Grauer Repair Service in Sheridan, Oregon, is the newest Apache and Bruin Sprayers dealer in the Pacific Northwest, focusing primarily on supporting the region’s farmers working in the grass seed sector.
“Sprayers are running nine months out of the year here, mainly applying fungicides and growth regulators,” said Grauer Repair Service machinery sales and maintenance manager, Fraser Holmes. “We also fertilize at least twice a year, with different fertilizer products applied depending on the time of year.”
A family business
Grauer Repair Service is a family business started by longtime machinery service technician Dennis Grauer in 1987. Today, Grauer’s son, Travis, owns the company that Holmes describes as a “local, small customer-focused dealership.”
“We run hard. There are only seven of us, but our biggest advantage and something we prioritize is service,” Holmes said. “It’s a big buzzword around the industry, but for us, it’s not. It’s just how we operate.”
That was one of the reasons Grauer Repair Service initially gravitated toward Equipment Technologies (ET) as a company partner. Holmes saw the same commitment to service in the ET team that he and the Grauer family emphasize in how they serve their customers. The other reason: Apache Sprayers embody a few key characteristics Holmes said are important to their customers.
“The biggest thing our customers appreciate most about Apache Sprayers is their light weight. That’s huge for producers in this area. You can put bigger tires on an Apache and you won’t get bogged down and cause compaction,” Holmes explained. “Apache Sprayers are the lightest on the market by far, and that makes them a big win for our customers.”
‘Simplistic elegance’
Apache Sprayers also feature straightforward, simple controls which makes the machines a good fit for local farmers. Holmes expects as Grauer Repair Service introduces more customers to Apache Sprayers, they will embrace the machines’ features just as he has.
“If you purchase a competitor’s machine, there are so many controls and buttons in the cab that you’re never going to use in your life. An Apache Sprayer is simple, user-friendly and grower-oriented. They just have a simplistic elegance to them,” Holmes said. “We’re optimistic our customers will be drawn to those features as well.”
Learn more about the features and benefits of Apache Sprayers. Find your nearest dealer here.
