| 43 The emphasis of McLeod Cultivation has always been firmly on providing a good service for the local community. “Our whole vision for the business is to be community focused,” say Shantelle McLeod who owns the business with husband James. “We have great values through our business and we want to maintain the integrity of those values in all the decisions we make.” Shantelle and James come from solid rural roots, both having grown up on local farms in the Ashburton region. “I’ve always loved tractors and did a lot of ‘carpet farming’ as a kid with toy tractors,” says James with a laugh. He completed a diploma in farm management at Lincoln University and travelled overseas driving tractors and harvesting in the UK, USA and Australia before returning home in 2009 to start McLeod Cultivation. The couple are also shareholders in James’ family dairy support / crop farm and equity partners in another dairy farm. This strongly informs how they operated McLeod Cultivation. “It definitely gives us insight into what farmers are going through and the costs involved in doing things,” says James. “Sometimes its hard for James to take his farmer’s hat off,” adds Shantelle. “He puts a lot of weight on how pricing and service affects farmers. We know that every dollar counts.” For example when, a few years ago, competitors were putting sky-high fuel prices on jobs McLeod Cultivation took several years to raise those prices knowing the impact it would have on their clients. “We knew farmers were suffering as costs were going through the roof for them. There were challenges left right and centre. As farmers ourselves we understood and that shaped our business decisions. We have an amazing relationship with our client base. There is a lot of respect that goes both ways,” says Shantelle. It’s also shaped the services that McLeod Cultivation offers, choosing to focus on cultivation, precision planting and spreading dairy effluent via dribble bars for greater accuracy. “Rather than trying to do everything it means we can deliver a good quality and timely service rather than being stretched at certain times of the year,” says James. Their faming also means they can shift staff to farm work in quieter periods and utilise McLeod Cultivation for their own silage and harvesting work. The business employs eight to nine staff at peak plus a mechanic. Plant includes eight tractors (seven John Deere and a Massey), two 8 furrow reversible ploughs, two 6m seed drills, two sets of 6m discs, three 6m fodder beet planters and two effluent tankers. All tractors are equipped by John Deere’s GreenStar system for accuracy and precision planters utilise section control for seed placement accuracy. McLeod Cultivation offers a personal service: “I know all the clients and see them all personally. There is no person in the middle,” says James. “We’ve always said we are where we are today due to our team,” says Shantelle. “Our staff are our biggest asset. They really go the extra mile, are incredible operators and take a lot of pride in the job. Having a great team that feels valued and connected to what they are doing is important to us.” Demand locally keeps McLeod Cultivation, which is a member of Rural Contractors NZ, busy. Community focused vision for business Karen Phelps RURAL SERVICES » McLeod Cultivation PROUD TO SUPPORT MCLEOD CULTIVATION Precision Agriculture Specialists Need GPS Guidance for Spraying or Spreading fer�liser? With Entry level Kits from $3,995+GST plus Installa�on costs, We have systems to suit your requirements. 2022 Ag Leader Ag Leader Asia-Pacific Dealer of the Year 0275 083 789 unearthag.com THE FLEXIBILITY OF PRIMARY TILLAGE, SEEDBED PREPARATION, DEEP MIXING, AND RIPPING IN ONE MACHINE. KARAT DEMONSTRATIONS ARE AVAILABLE NOW. JAMES MCCLOY 027 782 7606 JOHN BRADY - SOUTHLAND 027 251 9801 SEAUN LOVELL 027 611 1892 ANOTHER LEMKEN KARAT SUPPORTING MCLEOD CULTIVATION TO ACHIEVE CULTIVATION EXCELLENCE 239 ALFORD FOREST RD, ASHBURTON “Clients feel we value them as much as they value us and are passionate about what we are achieving for their business,” says Shantelle. “We’ve got some really great clients that have been with us from the start and we plan to keep on delivering them the same great service.” McLeod Cultivation chooses to focus on cultivation, precision planting and spreading dairy effluent via dribble bars for greater accuracy. We are New Zealand’s leading machinery brokerage consultants with expertise in the procurement and sale of all your farm machinery needs. With our base of operations in Mid Canterbury, our clients and service capabilities extend New Zealand wide. For more information about our services call Blair on 0273336616. Proud to be working alongside James and Shantelle
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