Until a chance encounter led to Doug becoming a successful Managing Director for AgriBale Limited, a straw contracting company.
As for many JCB customers, a JCB Loadall has been a constant in Doug’s journey to success, playing a key role in his early career and now in his company’s high-output operation.
From straw stacker to business owner: a Loadall at every step
Doug had no farming experience when he first joined the industry. In fact, he studied architecture at university and then worked abroad as a scuba diving instructor in Australia. Once he was back home, a chance meeting in a pub led to Doug getting a job stacking straw. From there, he went on to manage the straw contracting business, AgriBale.
From starting small and scaling up to where he is now, JCB Loadalls have been a reliable companion in his professional journey. “I’ve always been involved with JCB Loadalls, driving them around the farm. We’ve always used them."
And Loadalls still remain a key part to Doug’s company operations today.
Built for the long haul, valued for every hour
The JCB Loadall has a reputation as a machine that gets the job done – day in, day out.
Doug knows that when he invests in a JCB machine, he’s investing in his business and his people.
And with 9 full-time staff and up to 30 extra workers during the harvest, ensuring everyone is taken care of during busy periods is vital. Doug values health and safety and “JCB machines help keep our staff awake and alert.” The comfort of the telehandler reduces driver fatigue - meaning sustained productivity as well as improved safety.
With a large-scale bale operation taking part every year, Doug and AgriBale rely on JCB telehandlers to get all of the work done on time. and “There’s not a machine out here that can do the job as well as JCB can,” he says.