M and R Feeds and Farm Supply is pretty much the standard bearer of businesses of it’s kind in The Valley and Liam Clifford, Owner/Operator knows what his customers need and he’s pretty sure to have it on hand when needed.
There are three locations in The Valley, the first being the Micksburg location which opened in 1981. Pembroke and Shawville are the other two locations and Liam shares his memories of how the whole thing got started:
The focus of the businesses has always been fairly straightforward, says Clifford, as he has gotten know over the years exactly what his customers need even perhaps when they don’t which was a lesson learned from his dad:
While M and R offers a wide array of products their mainstay is a staple product for all beef and dairy farmers and could thus be considered their flag ship offering:
Pesticides and crop protection plans are very high on the list of primary offerings and Clifford says that M and R has become expert in advising their customer just when or when not to utilize such products:
We talked a bit about the farming industry in general in The Valley and Liam notices that there is a trend towards existing farms either growing or downsizing rather than new farming operations coming to the fore but no big swings one way or the other he says:
He does say that one of the fastest growing sectors of the industry are organic operations which is a trend not seen until relatively recently:
Clifford is clearly proud to have his roots here in The Valley for so many years and knowing his customers that way he does, it’s not so much a job as it is a way of life:
A big thanks to Liam Clifford for taking the time to sit down with us as we continue to celebrate Small Business Week. For more information on M and R Feeds and farm Supply head to their website at the link below.
(Written By: Richard Evans)