FORTY years in business is being celebrated at a York agricultural feed firm with a significant investment in new machinery.

Founded in 1973 at Storwood, near York, Peter Rhodes Feed Services (PRFS) has expanded its range of milling machinery with the purchase of a new 12 tonne mixer.

Acquired from Austrian manufacturer Tropper, the mixer is the first of its kind to be used in the UK.

PRFS founder Peter Rhodes says the purchase is a “far cry” from his “modest beginning” four decades ago.

He said: “Back then I started off with one secondhand 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.”

Mr Rhodes’ commitment to home mill and mix, a method of farmers producing their own feed on site, goes back to the 1970s when he ran his own pig unit.

Mr Rhodes said: “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 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.

“By utilising the latest technologies we are able to offer a faster, more economical service.”

Mr Rhodes’ son Michael now also plays a major part in the running of the business after joining in the early 2000s having spent time in Aberdeen working for animal nutrition specialists Norvite.

PRFS’s 40-year history saw the business expand in 2011 when it acquired Durham-based Mill Feed (North East) increasing coverage as far as the Scottish Borders.