More Great Rodenator Stories
Darrell Hartey stands with his new "Thunder Down Under" device designed to get rid of burrowing rodents, tunnel and all.
Good Riddance, Rodents
Knightsen resident Darrell Hartey, owner of D. Hartey and co. Custom Concrete Total Landscaping and Design, has waged war on burrowing rodents. The local area has been plagued by burrowing varmints like gophers, ground squirrels and badgers. The holes left behind are dangerous to livestock and create problems for local farmers.
Hartey has invested in the latest technology for eliminating these pests, a device known as "Thunder Down Under."
Thunder down Under operates on a calibrated mixture of oxygen mixed with a little propane. After pumping the mixture into the hole, the tool ignites the gas in the tunnel, creating a concussive force that dispatches the rodent and collapses the burrow.
The method has been tested and is reported to be 80 percent effective on the first use. Hartey is making his services available through his company for anyone interested. He is confident that the gopher buster is a great benefit to all those residents and farmers who lose time and income every year to burrowing pests.
You can reach Hartey at 625-5963
- Contributed by John A. Gonzales
A very excited Kathy Mattson accepts the Rodenator R1 she won from 2007 chair, Bruce Shannon, (L), and Ed Meyer of Rodenator™ as husband, Jan, looks on.
Rodenator Winner Waited Five Years
Kathy Mattson of Lebanon, Oregon went home with a huge smile on her face after winning the Rodenator Pro rodent exterminating system, given away at World Ag Expo by Rodenator and the California Farm Bureau Federation as part of Young Farmer and Rancher Day.
An excited Mattson, who along with husband, Jan, is an exhibitor with Linn Gear Company, couldn't contain her excitement at winning. " We've been coming to the show for five years," a jubilant Mattson confessed, "and every year I've wanted a Rodenator. And look at me! I won!"
The Mattsons celebrate their anniversary during World Ag Expo on Feb. 14. "Now," joked Jan, "I can save a lot of money on that diamond ring I was going to buy her."
Cameron Tomkins-Bergh uses a Rodenator R1 blaster in his gopher-killing business. He charges $60 for the first hour and $47 for each additional hour.
Teenage Gopher Blaster
Cameron Tomkin -Bergh used to trap gophers the normal way until he saw a Rodenator R1 at work. The 17-yea -old knew immediately that he could control more gophers quicker and with less work, which translated into a business opportunity for him.
"I had raised pigs and direct-marketed them, but when my mom brought home a pamphlet on the Rodenator, I decided to go in a new direction," says Tomkins-Bergh.
The Rodenator injects a combination of propane and oxygen into a gopher, woodchuck or badger tunnel system. The mixture is then set off by a sparker to create a controlled explosion. The shockwave kills the problem animals and collapses their burrows.
Wanting to start his business right, he talked to local county agents about the need. He also brainstormed with the small business director at a local college and Bob Bruno, factory representative for the Rodenator.
"Bob advised me that word of mouth was best," says Tomkin-Bergh. "I also put up posters at local elevators."
He also sent letters and made calls to local farms, nurseries and orchards and targeted homes with big lawns and gardens, as well as horse riding stables where gopher holes can be dangerous for horse and rider.
Getting his business started required an investment of about $7,000 including an ATV, trailer and the $1,890 Rodenator.
One of his first customers was an organic dairy. Some neighboring farmers also signed on . By late summer and early fall, he was completely booked up. He notes that gopher activity tends to peak inspring and early summer and then again in the fall.
Tomkins-Bergh charges by the hour at $60 for the first hour and $47 for each additional hour. Each job is different, he says, s the number of mound in an area and soil conditions affect how quickly he can get the job done. If the soil is too dry, the gas leaks out, and it takes longer.
"On a couple of farms, the initial job took about 10 hours," recalls Tomkin-Bergh. "Now they have me come back every weekend and get any that have wandered in from neighboring fields."
Contact: FARM SHOW Follow-up, Cameron Tomkins-Bergh, N8806 600, River Falls, Wis. 54022 (ph. 715-220-3517; camerion@gopherbuster.com; www.gopherbuster.com).