Business South October 2020

| 63 CONTRACTING Alex Reid Contracting • Log Cartage • Stock / Bulk • F ertiliser • Gravel • Contracting • ransporting T 0800 22 5899 www.dtking.co.nz 03 225 8356 Otautau 03 225 5899 Pukemaori 03 234 8120 Riverton Chambers Repair Service For All Motoring Needs WOF Authority • 24 Hour Fuel • Tyres PH 03 226 6654 45 Half Mile Rd, Tuatapere Call us now for an on farm visit p: 03 466 5062 Dunedin: 25 Mailer Street, Mornington www.yardleylo.co.nz Our Rural Team Hayden Yardley CA / Managing Partner Rose Johnston CA / Associate Dave Yardley / Rural Consultant We travel within Otago, Southland and Canterbury. Helping your farm stack up When there are so many aspects to your farm, piecing them all together can be challenging. Our strength is supporting and empowering you, so together we can build your best farming business that succeeds today and well into the future. Let us help you with our range of services including chartered accountancy, succession planning and farm advisory. Communication the key for Alex T Richard Loader F rom international shearer to Southland/ Otago agricultural contractor—Alex Reid prizes people, relationships, and commu- nication as the key reason for the continued growth of the business he founded in 2004. “I love what I do and I love talking to the farmers. I think that you have to be a real people person to be a contractor. You have to be able to talk to the farmers and listen to what they want. “I think farmers see me as reliable and it’s all about communication. If the weather’s no good and I can’t be where I said I was going to be you have to tell people so they know.” Growing up in a small Otago sheep farm, Alex went on to shear in Western Australia, Ireland and the United States before return- ing to New Zealand in the late ‘90s, knowing the physical demands of shearing meant he couldn’t do it all his life. Moving to Eastern Bush, Southland, Alex undertook casual work on sheep farms and earned enough to buy an old Ford County tractor, and a set of discs at a clearing sale— Alex Reid Contracting was born. After a year Alex was offered regular con- tracting work on a farm under development and that was when the classic Ford County gave way to a late model tractor and a better set of discs. These days Alex Reid Contracting is well equipped with seven late model tractors and a wide range of equipment to provide cultiva- tion, effluent and lane work services to dairy, sheep and beef farmers throughout South- land and a little bit into Otago. “We operate top of the line Grizzly Discs— developed for use on large and small farms, Alex Reid Contracting is well equipped with seven late model tractors and a wide range of equipment. Overum ploughs, Taege direct drills, and Dun- can roller drills for efficient seeding. “We do everything from heavy discing, ploughing, power harrowing, right down to direct drilling—all the cultivation work farm- ers require.” The effluent side of the business is a contin- ual source of work and the business operates four Keenan muck spreaders. High-quality, modern equipment includes a 16,000 litre Joskin slurry tanker for sumps and smaller effluent ponds, an Umbilical slurry system for efficient removal and spreading of large amounts of effluent from ponds, pond stirrers and a bobcat for cleaning out calf sheds and yards. With the availability of diggers ranging from 13 to 20 tonne, tractors and trailers, a grader and trucks available, Alex Reid Contracting is well equipped to scrape, recap lanes and build new lanes. With a good team of staff, along with himself, Alex has the people power and experience to complement the machinery. In collaboration with a friend, Alex has just formed a small hire company complete with a grader, roller and 2.5 tonne digger. Reflecting on his success over the last 14 years, Alex says having a multiple parts to his business has meant that if there is a down turn in one part, there is always something else to keep you going. “I love what I do and I love talking to the farmers. You have to be able to talk to them and listen to what they want.”