The Farmers Mart Dec/Jan 2014 - Issue 31 | Page 70

MACHINERY

PETER DELIVERS RECIPE FOR
SUCCESS OVER FOUR DECADES
Peter Rhodes Feed Services (PRFS),
based at Storwood near York, is
celebrating 40 years in business
with a significant investment in the
future.
Founded by Peter Rhodes in 1973,
PRFS has recently expanded its range
of milling machinery with the purchase
of a new 12 ton mixer from Austrian
manufacturer Tropper, the first of its kind to
be used in England.
It’s all a far cry from Peter’s modest
beginnings four decades ago as he
explained: “Back then I started off with one
second hand mobile mill and two nearby
farms as customers with the main focus on
pig feed. Now we have six mobile mills and
three crimping machines that are out every
day across Yorkshire and the North East
servicing close to 200 farms covering the
full range of livestock.”
Peter’s commitment to home mill and mix
is very deep-rooted and goes right back to
the 70s when he ran his own pig unit.
He explained: “Significant savings can
be made using our service most of the time
although there are periods when home
mixing may not be the cheapest option
due to fluctuations in cereal prices; this is
outweighed, however, by the consistency
of the diets giving peace of mind to the
customer, as well as maintaining the
performance of the herd or flock.
“We take the view that what is best for
the customer will eventually be the best for
us - even if it might not appear so in the
short term. This approach has gained us
respect across all the livestock industry.
“We are now established as one of the
major agricultural feed firms in the north
and it’s vital that we continually look at the
latest technologies to stay ahead of the
game. Previous significant investments in
Buschoff mills allowed us to expand the
business and the new Tropper machine
gives us the ability to maintain that
momentum.
“The machine has two 6 tonne mixers
and can mill, mix and add supplements
including liquids and micro ingredients
such as medication at the grainstore and
then carry the finished feed to the livestock
unit.

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Dec/Jan 2014 FarmersMart

Peter (right) and son Michael.

A FASTER, MORE ECONOMICAL,
QUALITY FEED SERVICE
“By utilising the latest technologies we
are able to offer a faster, more economical
service that delivers consistently high
quality feed solutions for livestock.
Farmers much prefer a clean, quiet and
efficient milling service to what went
before,” added Peter, whose son, Michael
now plays a major part in the running of
the business.
Michael got actively involved in th B