Often a change of direction leads to opportunity, and for Brian Hughes, that change came in 1986 when he shifted from working as a diesel mechanic to launching his own contracting business.
He’d worked on Case IH machinery as a diesel mechanic so was familiar with the agriculture industry, and looking around the Invercargill region where he lived, he saw an opportunity for contracting in the sector.
So, in 1986, Hughes Contracting was established with one Case IH tractor, and 40 years later it’s still going strong, today with a staff of about 50 and a fleet of 30 tractors. There’s also a host of other equipment from trucks and excavators, to harvesters, balers and loaders.
The business is one of the larger agricultural contracting businesses in Southland, with depots in both Waimatua and Browns, and providing a range of rural services including cultivation, planting and harvesting baleage and silage, providing feed supplies, cartage and excavating and all effluent disposal services.
The business, which now has Brian’s son Chris at the helm, has recently taken delivery of two new Case IH Optum 300s to complement the other Optums and Pumas in the fleet. Brian has used Case IH tractors since he started his business, establishing a strong relationship with his local dealer, Agricentre South in Invercargill, and finding the tractors deliver the performance and reliability that their busy operation requires.
“The Optums are such a versatile tractor. We used to run bigger ones, but the Optums have the power to manage all our heavier tasks while still being flexible enough to handle anything else we need. The new Optums will probably do grass mowing predominantly, with 10m mowers, so there’s plenty of work for them ahead,” Brian said.
In the 40 years the business has been running, Brian’s had a front-row seat to the evolution of agricultural machinery, and he and Chris welcome the benefits the increasingly sophisticated technology in particular provides.
“There’s been big changes with the tractors and it’s hard to see where they’re going next with the technology in them. Every time we get a new one, you say ‘how are they going to improve on this?’ but they always do,” Brian said.
“The improvements that stand out for me over the years are the standard of the cabs, just the level of comfort there is now for operators. Noise levels and improving efficiencies are also benefits. CVT transmissions, too, they’re a bonus in terms of better fuel economy, which is a big thing for operations like ours where you’re running so much machinery at any one time.”
Precision agriculture features also rate highly. Chris credits the likes of GPS optimisation and guidance with greater accuracy and fuel savings, and half of the Hughes Contracting tractor fleet now runs AccuGuide™ to provide hands-free automated steering.
Brian said their dealer Agricentre is also working with the business on greater traceability and insights around their tractor fleet.
Agricentre Sales Manager Richard Clapperton said they were in the process of connecting Hughes Contracting’s entire fleet to Case IH FieldOps™, which seamlessly connects and integrates agronomic insights and machine performance data, providing farmers with a comprehensive overview of their operations and their fleet. FieldOps™ makes it easier to access agronomic and machine data from anywhere with a mobile or Wi-Fi connection.
“This will provide them with real-time machine location, machine parameters as well as provide proof of placement for fertiliser and slurry application. Their fleet will be visible to Agricentre, giving us the ability to plan scheduled servicing as well as monitoring tractor alerts,” Richard said.
Brian said after a favourable winter for agriculture in his region, they were looking forward to a good season ahead, meaning the new Optums will soon be earning their keep.
To find out more about the Case IH tractor range, contact your local Case IH dealer.