For as long as he can remember, Borders contractor James Bell only ever wanted to be behind the wheel of a tractor.
Growing up at Roxburgh Mill near Kelso alongside parents Rory and Jane, brother Finlay and sister Lucy, machinery rather than livestock was what caught his attention from an early age, despite the family running a substantial, mainly livestock, mixed farming operation across Roxburgh Mill and the hill farm at Plenderleith.
Now aged 29, that lifelong fascination with tractors and machinery has developed into JRB Farming Ltd, a steadily growing contracting and arable business centred around a Fendt 724 Profi Plus and what James describes as his ‘dream tractor', a John Deere 7530 Premium.
“I grew up on a mainly livestock farm, but all I ever wanted was to be sat in a tractor,” he said.
“My dad and grandpa were never really into machinery, as they are stockmen through and through, but luckily my brother and sister love the livestock side.
“I really don’t like sheep. I don’t mind cattle so much – machinery and tractor work were always what interested me.”
The Bell family has long-standing ties with Roxburghe Estates stretching back more than a century, having first become tenants in 1921. The family has tenanted Roxburgh Mill since 1960 and the hill farm at Plenderleith since 1947. Grandfather Robin, who will be 94 in October, still maintains a great interest in the sheep and is proud to have three grandchildren all involved in farming.
Between the two farms, the family runs around 130 cows and approximately 850 sheep alongside arable ground and grassland.
While brother Finlay and sister Lucy became more involved in the livestock enterprise, James instead focused almost entirely on machinery work.
“My dream was always to be a contractor and have a shed full of kit,” he said. “That’s what I always wanted to do.”
Like many young contractors, the business started gradually. James first began carrying out tractor work at home before taking on small local jobs, with his first contracting work coming at just 15 years of age.
“My first proper contracting job was baling straw for John Elliot at Roxburgh Mains,” he said.
“I still do a lot of work for the Elliots now and I’m very grateful for the opportunities they gave me.”
That initial work quickly developed into mowing, baling and wrapping jobs alongside the day-to-day tractor work on the home farm.
After leaving school in 2013, James initially operated a John Deere 6130R alongside a John Deere 6820.
However, a major turning point came after spending four months working for a silage contractor in New Zealand during 2018.
“It was a really good experience. It was good to see how other people worked and how big the scale of some operations was.
“It’s very different to here and a lot rougher in places, but it was definitely an experience of a lifetime.”
Returning home from New Zealand ultimately led to the purchase of the family’s first Fendt in 2019, a Fendt 516.
“I was ploughing around 1000 acres a year with it before it was changed for a 720 in 2022.”
Although relatively compact compared with larger six-cylinder models, the 516 quickly proved itself as a capable cultivation tractor.
However, as workloads increased and cultivation equipment grew, the business moved towards larger and more powerful machinery.
The Fendt 720 replaced the 516 before James later purchased his own Fendt 724 Profi Plus in January 2025 after hiring the 720 from the family business for two seasons.
Alongside the Fendt sits the tractor James had wanted for years, a 2011 John Deere 7530 Premium.
“I’ve always been into John Deere. That 7530 was always my dream tractor and I think I’ll probably keep it forever.
“I bought it second-hand in 2023 when I took on Over Roxburgh and I still absolutely love it.”
The John Deere plays a central role within the business, particularly around spraying and general cultivation work, while the Fendt takes on much of the heavier cultivation and drilling workload.
The Fendt 724 has been heavily specified towards arable work, with James adding RTK guidance, section control, variable rate capability, additional spool valves, a second screen, 710 tyres and wheel weights.
“I knew I wanted a bigger plough, so the wheel weights made a huge difference,” he said.
“The extra technology is mainly for drilling and improving accuracy.”
Despite being pleased with the specification overall, James admits there is still one thing he wishes the tractor had.
“I do wish it had split brakes, but they don’t offer them on that model,” he said.
Much of the technology is now integrated across the fleet, with field boundaries and guidance systems linked between the tractors.
“They’re different systems, but once you get them all linked together it works really well,” he said.
“Technology is becoming a much bigger part of everything now.”
Despite his affection for the John Deere, James admits the Fendt probably has the edge when it comes to comfort and operator experience.
“The Fendt is probably the more comfortable tractor overall. I think it’s mainly the suspension. When you’re spending long days in the seat, that kind of thing really matters.”
However, the John Deere still appeals from a practical maintenance perspective.
“The John Deere is easier to work on yourself. I do a lot of the maintenance on that myself and parts backup from Sheriffs has been very good.”
Dealer support has also played a major role in the machinery choices made over the years.
“We’ve had very good support from Ancroft Tractors on the Fendt side and Sheriffs for the John Deere.
“That backup matters a lot when you’re relying on the tractors every day.”
While the machinery side of the business has steadily evolved, one of the biggest moments in James’ career came in 2023 when he took on the contract farming agreement at Over Roxburgh.
The opportunity arose following the retirement of neighbouring farmers Tom and Jane Clark, whom James had previously carried out work alongside for several years.
“I was given a big opportunity by Tom Clark,” he said.
“I’d done work with him for a few years beforehand and when Tom and Jane retired, Roxburghe Estates honoured the contract and kept me on.
“I’m hugely grateful for that chance.”
The agreement covers approximately 550 acres growing winter barley, spring barley, wheat, winter oats and oilseed rape.
At the same time, James officially established JRB Farming Ltd to separate his own business from the wider family farming operation.
“I wanted my own thing and wanted to start building my own fleet,” he said.
“Buying machinery probably isn’t really my dad’s favourite thing to do, so this was my chance to build something myself.”
The first purchases under the JRB Farming Ltd name included a front mower, a Claas Lexion 650 combine and the John Deere 7530.
Today, much of the arable machinery is owned directly by James, while grassland equipment is either shared with or hired from the home business.
The business now undertakes around 800 acres of stubble-to-stubble work, ploughs approximately 1300 acres annually and drills around 1000 acres each year alongside continuing grassland work including mowing, raking, baling and wrapping.
Despite the scale of work now undertaken, the operation still remains largely a one-man business outside of harvest support from family and friends.
“At harvest my brother Finlay or my friend Joseph Mallen will usually come and help with grain carting,” he said.
“But outside of that it’s mostly just me.”
Ploughing remains one of James’ greatest passions both professionally and competitively.
“I love ploughing. I’ve been doing ploughing matches since I was about 16.”
He now helps run the Ednam ploughing match alongside Graham Letham and claimed victory in the reversible class at the Reston ploughing competition in 2024.
As workloads and machinery costs continue to rise, James believes pressure within modern contracting has increased significantly compared with previous generations.
“There’s definitely more pressure now. People aren’t as patient as weather windows are much tighter.
“Machinery is bigger and you can do more work quicker, but there still seems to be more pressure than there used to be.”
Rising machinery costs also remain a major challenge for contractors.
“The cost of machinery just keeps going up, but contracting prices don’t rise at the same speed,” he said.
“I try to increase rates gradually every year rather than making one massive jump.”
Even with the pressures facing modern agriculture, James remains positive about the future and believes opportunities still exist for young contractors willing to work hard and build steadily.
“I think as long as you’ve got work guaranteed, you shouldn’t be scared to go for it. I’ve just tried to build things up gradually over time.”
Outside the busy seasons, winter is often spent carrying out fabrication work, including fabricating cattle feeders to sell to local customers and for the home business.
Looking ahead, James plans to continue investing carefully in machinery, with a new fertiliser spreader likely to be the next addition to the fleet.
Meanwhile, Roxburghe Estates recently extended the Over Roxburgh agreement for a further five years, providing further confidence for the future of the business.
While the fleet may continue to evolve, one thing seems unlikely to change any time soon.
“I think I’ll always have the 7530,” he said.
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