Mitchell Park businesses, Goldacres and Southern Spreaders will both be able to expand their workforces which will allow them to produce new farm machinery.

In all, 27 new jobs will be created across the two companies with $2.78 million spent at Goldacres to reconfigure its manufacturing facility with new infrastructure, equipment and technology.

This will enable the company to produce larger models of self-propelled sprayers.

At Southern Spreaders an $860,000 project will see it almost double its workforce and produce a range of spreaders.

The new product line, under the brand name ‘Hansa’, will be one of the only Australian made spreaders in the market, and is expected to replace 10 per cent of imported products.

Goldacres general manger Roger Richards said the funding would allow his company to build booms up to 48 metres wide. “This is a trend in Australia where the farmers need to become more efficient with less staff and they can get more done with wider booms,” he said.

“This will put us into a new league with our machines.”

Jeff Keyte from Southern Spreaders said the business was keen to standardise its products to make farming easier.

“We’re going to need another 15 people in Ballarat over the next 18 months. Currently we only employ 21 people so it’s a big increase for us,” he said.

Agriculture and Regional Development Minister Jaala Pulford said both companies had a long, proud history in Ballarat and looked forward to working with them.