Rea Valley Tractors is proud of past and excited by future as it celebrates 40 years

Rea Valley Tractors (RVT), with depots covering Shropshire, Staffordshire and beyond, has been proudly celebrating 40 successful years in business this year.

So who better to talk to than one of its founder members – Ian Vance – and current managing director Matt Mulligan.

In 1984, Ian, Gordon Potter, and Chris Willner established the business in Pontesbury following the closure of Alexander & Duncan, where they had all worked previously.

The early 1980s brought significant shifts to farming with the introduction of milk quotas and a downturn in spending.

However, the trio, the youngest team to be appointed as a John Deere dealership, set about laying the foundations for future growth.

Ian, Rea Valley Tractors' Territory Sales Manager in Shrewsbury, remembers when farms were numerous, each equipped with its own array of machinery.

He reflects: “The landscape has shifted dramatically, with farms consolidating and expanding in size.

"This trend, coupled with the encroachment of supermarkets on farmers' margins, has reshaped the farming industry, and that of dealerships too.

"In the early days of Rea Valley Tractors, I was made aware of research about the horsepower required to farm the UK.

"As horsepower and efficiency increases, the number of units required inevitably comes down.