Irish Tractor, Agri & Plant Magazine, January/February 2023

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CONTENTS

AGRI NEWS

CASEY AGRI

The new name for New Holland in counties Offaly, Laois and south Kildare.

DALTON STRUCTURAL STEEL

Specialising in both structural steel fabrication and plant hire.

COILLTE Delivered record financial performance in 2021.

SCULLY TRAILERS

High quality, functionality and innovation.

BOBBY DOHERTY AGRI CONTRACTING

Providing its customers with a top-class service for over 50 years now.

SMITH’S FARM PLASTIC RECYCLING & AGRI

CONTRACTORS

No two days are the same for Ronan Smith and his team.

REYNOLDS POTATOES

Maintaining remarkable standards of productivity and quality.

SAMCO

Taking on dealerships for Case IH, Kverneland, Vicon, McConnel, Siloking and RedRock.

JOHN GARDINER LIVESTOCK & GENERAL HAULAGE

An exceptional family-run business based in Kilrea.

MILLBANK FARM

Has thrived by evolving in line with customer needs and market trends.

CHARLES R WYNNE LTD

An industry-leading agriculture merchant headquartered in Moone.

PAT CRONIN & SONS

A contracting firm which has generations of experience under its belt.

EGAN AGRI SERVICES Based in

Co

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NEW FUNCTIONS FOR JAGUAR FORAGE HARVESTERS FROM CLAAS

The 2023 model year will see the JAGUAR 900 and JAGUAR 900 TERRA TRAC forage harvesters from CLAAS benefit from an optimised PICK UP drive while the JAGUAR 840 is updated with a more powerful engine. In addition, the CEMIS 1200 terminal with the new GPS PILOT becomes available for all models.

It was in 2021 that CLAAS introduced a third, customer-specifiable drive variant for the front attachment on the JAGUAR 900 and JAGUAR 900 TERRA TRAC models in the form of an additional hydraulic drive for the reel of the PICK UP. This drives the reel independently of the intake auger with automatic, variable speed adjustment relative to the ground speed. The result is an efficient raking action at any speed with minimal intake losses and very low wear.

With effect from the 2023 model year, this drive system is enhanced with additional functionality that automatically adjusts the PICK UP speed to the ground speed above 5 km/h. If the ground speed or the set chop length is changed, the speeds of the pick-up reel and intake auger are automatically matched to the prevailing conditions. This results in an even more consistent crop flow, especially where there are frequent and significant changes in swath thickness. If necessary, both speeds can also be adjusted manually from the cab by the operator in accordance with the requirements of the harvest. This has the benefit that crop feed is even more precise, resulting in a more consistent crop flow through the forager, especially when operating under varying

conditions.

Also new is the automatic chain lubrication for the left-side drive of the intake auger and pick-up reel.

With effect from the 2023 model year, the JAGUAR 840 receives the larger Mercedes-Benz OM 471 LA Stage V six-cylinder engine already used in the JAGUAR 850. Its ample displacement of 12.8 litres means that the smallest forage harvester in the current CLAAS product range

they can be equipped with the MCC roller corncracker with a sawtooth profile, the MCC MAX with the particularly durable BusaCLAD coating or the MCC SHREDLAGE cracker. It is therefore possible to select the right technology for intensive crop processing across the entire length-of-cut spectrum.

Following the TRION and LEXION, the JAGUAR 900 and 800 can now also be equipped with the new CEMIS 1200 terminal with the newly

sees its engine output increased by 27 hp, taking the maximum output to 435 hp at 1,600 rpm and making significantly greater torque reserves available. The excellent JAGUAR efficiency is maintained as the increased displacement has no effect on the diesel consumption per tonne of throughput.

The JAGUAR 840 has a 730 mm wide feeder unit with four precompression rollers as well as a 750 mm wide chopping cylinder with a diameter of 630 mm. As an option,

developed GPS PILOT. As well as representing an alternative to the row sensor when harvesting maize with the ORBIS and the CAM PILOT when harvesting grass, this automated steering system can of course also be used when harvesting whole crop silage or other types of forage crops. The CEMIS 1200 has a 12-inch screen that provides a 2D and 3D display with a splittable screen, as well as online task management and documentation with data export by means of TELEMATICS or USB stick.

BORD BIA INVESTS ONE MILLION EURO IN BEEF PROMOTIONS TO SUPPORT THE INDUSTRY

Bord Bia has announced a €1,000,000 investment in beef marketing across key UK and EU markets this autumn to support the sector faced with increasingly difficult trading conditions.

Bord Bia’s autumn promotional activities this year will specifically spotlight Irish quality assured steak in the UK, Germany, Italy and Belgium; with stewing cuts being the hero product in the Netherlands. Additional funding has been allocated to the campaign to deliver a suite of both trade and consumer advertising. Highlights include 110 prominent billboard advertisements across cities in the North-Rhine Westphalia region of Germany; 315 digital billboards near major retail parks in Belgium, and in Italy in addition to 185 billboards, 127 trams and buses across Milan, Rome and Bologna will feature quality assured Irish steak advertisements throughout October and November. In the UK, Bord Bia is promoting Irish steaks with key retail partners, including an organic Irish beef promotion with a leading online retailer.

Announcing the investment at the SIAL Paris trade show for the food sector, Bord Bia Interim CEO Michael Murphy said: “Bord Bia is investing almost one million euro in beef promotions across Europe and the UK this autumn in a concerted effort to meet the rising challenges of the market place and the cost of living crisis, which will impact consumer spending. During the summer, Bord Bia made the decision to enhance its regular autumn promotions in Europe to coincide with the peak in cattle slaughter in Ireland. We are conscious of the challenges faced by farmers and we believe this suite of promotional activities across key European countries and the UK will enhance sales of Irish beef steaks across markets.”

He said the launch of the autumn campaign with key Italian customers will be reinforced by the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue’s meetings with the Italian trade in Milan on Tuesday, following the Minister’s participation in the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FA0) World Food Forum 2022 in Rome.

Irish meat and dairy exporters are back in force at the world’s largest food trade

fair, SIAL in Paris, the first year the event has taken place since autumn 2018 due to Covid-19. SIAL attracts over 7,000 exhibitors and 300,000 visitors, including key food and drink buyers from over 200 countries.

Minister of State for Research and Development, Farm Safety and New Market Development at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon T.D. and Bord Bia Interim CEO, Michael Murphy are leading the attendance of the 14 Origin Green verified members that will exhibit at SIAL under the banner “Ireland –Origin Green” at two pavilions in the meat and dairy halls, spotlighting their independently verified sustainability credentials.

Ahead of the trade fair, Minister Heydon said: “Flagship events such as SIAL are fundamental to the Irish food and drink industry’s drive to reconnect in-person with key customers and to partner with them to build sustainable value chains to meet the ambitions of Food Vision

2030, Ireland’s strategy for the agri-food sector. Structured engagements such as SIAL offer a real opportunity to communicate the premium quality of Ireland’s food and drink offering, to the benefit of all those along the value chain, with farming families at the centre of this.”

Bord Bia Interim CEO Michael Murphy noted that trade shows like SIAL are essential for Irish companies looking to expand within Europe and further afield, and to connect with both existing and new customers.

“The biggest challenge faced by companies is negotiating price increases with existing customers in the current inflationary context,” he said. “Security of supply and long term partnerships have never been more important. With Origin Green, Ireland is uniquely positioned to supply sustainably produced food and drink to these international customers who all have ambitious sustainability targets and demands on their Irish suppliers.”

HOW EV TRACTORS CAN SUPPORT THE SECTOR’S SUSTAINABLE SHIFT

The electrification of the on-road transportation sector is well documented. What’s less discussed, however, are the off-road applications that can also benefit from electrification. That includes agricultural equipment. Here, Simone Bruckner, managing director of resistor manufacturer Cressall, explains how the agricultural sector can electrify, and technologies that can help.

According to the UK Government’s Department for Environment, Food, & Rural Affairs’ Agri-climate report 2021, in 2019, agriculture was the source of ten per cent of total greenhouse gas emissions in the UK. The sector was also responsible for 68 per cent of total nitrous oxide emissions, 47 per cent of total methane emissions and 1.7 per cent of total carbon dioxide emissions.

However, despite these figures, it seems the farming community is seeking change. The 2021 Farm Practices Survey indicated that 67 per cent of farmers consider recognising greenhouse gases to be either fairly or very important when taking decisions about their land, crops and livestock. One method of reducing emissions is to electrify equipment that traditionally runs on fossil fuels, such as tractors.

Modern agriculture depends on a fleet of heavy-duty vehicles, from pickup trucks and small utility vehicles to massive tractors and combines that can weigh several tonnes, plus attachments. This machinery is commonly powered by diesel engines, mostly due to their higher torque and dependability. And here is where an electrification challenge may lie.

The electric sceptics of the agricultural industry claim that the largest problem with electrifying tractors and other heavy vehicles is that battery-powered options don’t have the energy density of a diesel model required to do long, hard work in the field. As load impacts on battery life, pulling a piece of heavy equipment would drain power fast. Using diesel, therefore, means a farmer won’t have to worry about filling the tank for 10 to 12 hours while out on the job.

Battery technology, therefore, needs to be developed in order to withstand the heavy loads of agricultural vehicles and supply a lasting and reliable

source of power. Some manufacturers have produced compact, swappable batteries to extend the length of operation. Another option, developed by John Deer in 2019, features a long power cable that’s only available for farmers who are able to produce their own electricity via the use of solar panels, manure digesters or windmills. Right now, despite its challenges, attempts to electrify farming vehicles are well underway. The work is being done, and given the mounting pressure to decarbonise all areas of industry, it won’t be too long before electrification becomes more accessible to the masses. In addition to the battery itself, manufacturers must consider the other components that make electrifying possible.

Resistors will play a role in electrification, to support the process of regenerative braking. As part of regenerative braking, excess kinetic energy is used to recharge an EV’s battery. It is able to do this because the electric motor in an EV can run in two directions: one, using the electrical energy, to drive the wheels and move the vehicle, and the other, using the excess kinetic energy, to recharge the battery.

When the driver lifts their foot off the accelerator pedal and steps on the brake, the motor starts to resist the vehicle’s motion, “swapping direction”, and begins putting energy back into the battery. As a result, regenerative braking uses the EV’s motor as a generator to convert lost kinetic energy

into stored energy in the battery.

Regenerative braking can support the ongoing dilemma of electric tractor battery range. However, to work effectively, other technologies are needed to make the process safe and effective. If the vehicle’s battery is already full or there is a failure, regenerative braking cannot happen as the excess energy has nowhere to go and must be dispelled safely. If not dissipated, it won’t be possible to slow down the vehicle, resulting in braking failure. To make electrifying agriculture safe, resistors are used to collect excess energy and dissipate it safely.

Cressall’s EV2 dynamic braking resistor converts excess kinetic energy during the braking process into heat that can be dissipated or used in other parts of the vehicle, like to heat the tractor’s cabin. It is a high-power density, lightweight and compact resistor that has proven to meet all major shock and vibration standards, suitable for all automotive applications, not just on-road vehicles.

While electrifying on-road vehicles has become well recognised, the same attention must be paid to other areas of the automotive industry. The agricultural sector is beginning to wake up to the prospects of decarbonising, and positive steps are being taken towards electrification. To make it happen, agricultural vehicle manufacturers need to consider the technology that can make agricultural EVs more efficient, and safer.

BRINGING WADERS BACK FROM THE BRINK

The RSPB in Northern Ireland pivoted away from costly flail mowers towards the Major Cyclone to control rushes and willow scrub areas at Lough Beg National Nature Reserve. The use of Cyclone mowers around the reserve are improving land conditions, thereby increasing flora and fauna populations while reducing operating costs and carbon emissions. Lough Beg National Nature Reserve in Northern Ireland is a large wet grassland area covering 300 acres with Church Island as a focal point. Its site as a flood plain from the River Bann makes land management challenging.

The rapid decline of wading bird populations and the loss of rare wild orchids native to Lough Beg drew concern from environmentalists. The RSPB NI and their Countryside and Land Management Service (CLMS) implemented a strategy using specialist equipment and best practices to encourage regeneration of the natural habitat. By working closely with farmers to implement specific measures on their land, the RSPB NI is addressing and reversing the decline.

Paul Trimble is CLMS Business Manager at RSPB NI. “CLMS undertakes both the machinery management of our own Reserves, and also does contract work for external organisations, from statutory agencies and councils to private farmers and NGOs,” explains Paul. “An area of Lough Beg is considered ‘common’ ground and is under multiple ownership. CLMS has very specialised machinery which allows us to undertake work with landowners who have sensitive habitats to help them manage, as well as reestablish, the right conditions for birds, plants, mammals and invertebrates to thrive at Lough Beg.”

The CLMS team work to control the rushes and willow scrub in these sensitive areas to allow for adequate grazing. “It is important that the dense rushes are controlled, and willow and alder scrub at not given a chance to take over, so the land does not become unproductive,” Paul continues. “This could potentially lose the very species and habitats for which it was designated, with breeding sites being lost and flora smothered.”

Carefully controlling the mosaic structure of the habitat improves the sward for stock, which improves nesting conditions for waders such as lapwing and redshank. This in turn creates a more suitable area for wild orchids and other

species that require specific vegetation structure.

Some of the land around Lough Beg is heavily littered with large rocks and stones, which can make it difficult for conventional machinery. “We use a Case Quadtrac and a Case Maxxum tractor fitted with wide profile Soucy tracks to achieve a light ground pressure. This equipment enables travel across the very wet boggy conditions and avoids leaving ruts,” Paul elaborates. “For vegetation control we used to use flail toppers to chop the vegetation, but these would not handle the dense rushes and willow scrub effectively. And, they had serious issues with the rocks – some of which were two or three feet wide. Often a flail would break, the rotor would bend or go out of balance, shear bolts would break for a pastime, and it consumed a lot of time and expense in keeping the mowers functional.”

Paul laments a costly situation last year. “Our Case Quadtrac, which only had two thousand five hundred hours (2,500hours) on the clock had to undergo repairs. The vibration from the flail mowers caused cracks on the equipment. That’s not sustainable or cost-effective for an area of only three hundred (300) acres. We had to look at a better option.” Paul and his team have moved away totally from flail machines to rotary mowers. “We upgraded significantly to much more reliable and lower power consuming Major Cyclone Rotary Mowers, which have proven to be far more cost-effective and reliable under these conditions,” enthuses Paul. “They also leave a better finish to the rush and willow scrub areas.”

They have three Cyclones altogether: one 2.8m and two 2.5m machines used at Lough Beg and on many other contract

sites. “They easily handle all the rushes as well as the willow scrub and they just glance over rocks,” Paul beams. “On another site at Rathlin Island, we are working on a scrub clearance programme using one of the smaller machines and they have all performed so much better than the flail design. We set the cut height to about four inches and it chops almost anything, even two-inch willow scrub, which is much more efficient than the flails.”

Another advantage of the Cyclone is the even spread of residue. “It leaves a well cut, spread finish, with no windrow effect. It means we can prepare an open stubble finish, which the waders find more acceptable for nesting. Also, the rare orchids such as the Irish Ladies Tresses seem to find it much more suitable for their growing conditions.”

“There are four major benefits of using the Major Cyclone,” Paul defines. “Firstly, this year has seen a considerable reduction in our expenses for maintaining our mowers and tractors – I think we have only purchased one replacement blade throughout the year.”

“Secondly, the power consumption of the Major Cyclone is around fifty horsepower (50hp) ’less’ than the flail mower. That means lower fuel consumption and reduced carbon emissions.”

“Thirdly, the Major Cyclone is easy to maintain and set, plus it is manufactured from galvanised steel, therefore we see our investment lasting for many years to come.”

“Finally, they cost a lot less than a flail mower, which is a significant financial advantage to anyone wanting to maintain poor scrub sites and improve land areas. All around, this is informative for conservation managers and farmers alike.”

Meyler Tyres, a Wexford based second generation family run business founded in1993 by Paddy Meyler and currently run by his son Patsy Meyler have confirmed the sale of their truck and bus tyre division to the Midland Tyres Group.

Patsy Meyler commented,

We are very proud what we have built and it’s for that reason we have made the decision. We owe it to our loyal customers to bring in a company who specialise in fleet tyre management and national 24/7 breakdown service to take it to the next level and I feel Midland tyre services are the only company that can do this”.

Midlands Head of Operations, Contracts and Regional Development, Chris Parle, himself a Wexford man, negotiated the transaction on behalf of Midland Tyre Services and commented,

I would like to congratulate Paddy and Patsy Meyler on their professionalism within the tyre industry over the years and commend them

on the great business they have built. I have always admired them both and had the pleasure of working together with them over the years.

I want to thank them both for giving us the opportunity to build on what they have grown in the South East and look forward to servicing their truck and bus customers in the years to come”

Midland Tyre Services are based in Borris in Ossory, Co. Laois, with a number of regional depots and specialise in fleet tyre management looking after fleets on behalf of Michelin, Goodyear and Bridgestone as well as its own bespoke management contracts. Midland Tyre Services has its own in-house training centre and is Ireland’s leading truck and bus tyre company.

Patsy Meyler has confirmed that Meylers will continue to operate from Wexford Quay front and service its loyal customer base concentrating on passenger car tyres, batteries, light truck and agri tyres which has been built up over 20 plus years and the company plans to build on this even further.

Dalton Structural Steel –Outstanding Services Delivered to the Agri Community

Specialising in both structural steel fabrication and plant hire, Waterfordheadquartered Dalton Structural Steel have been providing farmers in Munster and Leinster with unrivalled farm building and groundworks solutions for two decades and counting. We contacted founder and proprietor Gerry Dalton to find out more about the complete range of outstanding services delivered to the agri community.

From bespoke, modern farm buildings to plant hire / groundworks, Dalton Structural Steel offers farmers a full range of high-quality, valueadded solutions, with a complete service provided in-house by their experienced, professional personnel and fresh fleet of

modern machinery. Located in CloneaPower, close to Carrick-on-Suir, at the heart of dairy country, Dalton Structural Steel covers Waterford, Kilkenny, Cork, Tipperary and Wexford. One of the real strengths of the company is that – as both structural steel and groundworks specialists – they can offer farmers the

Dalton Structural Steel invariably leave an excellent product behind them

“Put in proper steel, do it professionally and don’t cut corners.”

best of both worlds, with the capacity to tackle any farm building project in-house from start to finish:

“That’s true,” confirms Gerry. “We can do the whole job from the ground up to the top of the new farm building. We can clear the site and put up the new steel frame and clad it – providing the whole finished product. It’s convenient for farmers as it means they just have

to deal with one man and one invoice. Also, there are no unnecessary delays or complications and, with one point of contact, everything works out very well.

“Of course, some farmers will just ask us to go in and do the frame and that doesn’t bother us at all. We are flexible and are more than happy to provide whatever service the farmer wants – be it a complete job or part of the job.”

Eircode: E32 Y190

Tel: 086 8765907

Email: info@daltonstructuralsteel.ie

Web: daltonstructuralsteel.ie

Dalton Structural Steel, Glenafooka, Clonea-Power, Carrick-on-Suir, County Waterford.

A highly-skilled team of professionals work with the client from conception to completion to ensure that the final result meets their exact specification and requirements

As both structural steel and groundworks specialists, Dalton Structural Steel can offer farmers the best of both worlds

When it comes to farm buildings, Dalton Structural Steel excel

In addition to farm work, their structural steel division also covers industrial buildings and domestic houses

A high-quality finish is guaranteed every time with Dalton Structural Steel, who invariably leave an excellent product behind them, resulting in a steady volume of repeat business from satisfied customers and positive referrals through word of mouth.

When it comes to farm buildings, Dalton Structural Steel excel. Their highlyskilled team of professionals work with the client from conception to completion to ensure that the final result meets their exact specification and requirements.

Dalton Structural Steel are members of the Irish Association of Steel Fabricators

and all their steel is CE-marked. In addition to farm work, their structural steel division also covers industrial buildings and domestic houses, while their plant hire / groundworks services similarly meet all agri-related and general construction requirements, including – but by no means limited to - digger hire, tractor and dump trailer hire, teleporter hire, rock breaking, site clearance, land reclamation and drainage. All in all, these are extremely busy times at Dalton Structural Steel: “We’re very busy at the moment,” says Gerry. “There’s a lot of farm work being

done and there’s also a lot of steel going into houses, with more people opting for open-plan living. About 70% of our structural steel work is for farm buildings.

“We’re certified up to Execution Class One for farm buildings and Class Two for structural steel houses and industrial buildings. This CE certification is legally required now and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Anybody providing structural steelwork must be certified, competent and able to prove that they can do quality work.

“While it can be time-consuming and there is another layer of cost

Dalton Structural Steel are members of the Irish Association of Steel Fabricators and all their steel is CE marked

Eoin Power Tyres

Barnakill, Kilrossanty Co. Waterford

Eoin Power Tyres

Power Tyres

Car- Truck - Agri

Barnakill, Kilrossanty Co. Waterford

Barnakill, Kilrossanty Co. Waterford

Best Wishes and Continued Success to Dalton Structural Steel

SPECIALISING IN ALL TYPES OF INTERIOR & EXTERIOR CONSTRUCTION AND RESTORATION

We can design it for you and build to your specifications

Rathgormack, Carrick on Suir , Co Waterford

Telephone: 086 812 1571

Email: clodaghconstruction@gmail.com

www.clodaghconstruction.com

Tel: (087) 2787771

Eoin Power Tyres

Car- Truck - Agri

Car- Truck - Agri

Eoin Power Tyres

Barnakill, Kilrossanty Co. Waterford

Tel: (087) 2787771

Eoin Power Tyres

Email: powereoin@outlook.com

Tel: (087) 2787771

Barnakill, Kilrossanty Co. Waterford

Email: powereoin@outlook.com

Email: powereoin@outlook.com

Car- Truck - Agri

Tyre Sales & Service - Stockist of All Leading BrandsFull Call out Service

Tel: (087) 2787771

Tyre Sales & Service - Stockist of All Leading BrandsFull Call out Service

Tyre Sales & Service - Stockist of All Leading BrandsFull Call out Service

Email: powereoin@outlook.com

Car- Truck - Agri

Tyre Sales & Service - Stockist of All Leading

Tel: (087) 2787771

Email: powereoin@outlook.com

Tyre Sales & Service - Stockist of All Leading BrandsFull Call out Service

Congratulations to Mark and all at Raher Transport on 20 years of business, wishing you continued success!

Best Wishes and Continued Success in the future from MARTIN & DEAN MADDEN

Congratulations to Mark and all at Raher Transport on 20 years of business, wishing you continued success!

Congratulations to Mark and all at Raher Transport on 20 years of business, wishing you continued success!

Congratulations to Mark and all at Raher Transport on 20 years of business, wishing you continued success!

Best Wishes to Dalton Structural Steel on 20 years in business!

Congratulations to Mark and all at Raher Transport on 20 years of business, wishing you continued success!

involved in securing and maintaining this certification, it results in better workmanship, higher-quality buildings and ultimately better results for the client. You can walk away confidently

from every job knowing that everything is right and finished to the highest possible standards.”

In Gerry’s opinion, what is the key to consistently delivering exceptional farm building solutions? “A good finish is vital,” the Waterford man points out. “Put in proper steel, do it professionally and don’t cut corners. Try your best to make sure every project is 100% when you walk away from it. We get very few callbacks and that is reassuring.

“We finish the work right, with the screw lines straight and everything well capped off and when you make sure the finish is as good as it can be, that way you will get repeat work. Once you do good work, take your time and focus on quality workmanship, using the best materials, then you are increasing your chances of getting repeat work or work through word of mouth, which is what keeps the business going.”

All structural steel and sheeting is manufactured in-house in Dalton Structural Steel’s own state-of-the-art workshop, where six are employed full time, while the erecting work is completed by tried-and-trusted subcontractors with whom Gerry enjoys excellent long-term working relationships. All the agricultural sheeting is supplied by Euronit Ireland formerly Tegral.

Covering Waterford and parts of Cork,

Tipperary, South Kilkenny and into New Ross in Wexford, Dalton Structural Steel boast an excellent track record for providing high-quality milking parlours as well as storage sheds and animal housing units.

“We’re in the heart of dairy – you won’t see a corn field around here, it’s just cows,” Gerry continues. “Dairy is good at the minute. Costs are obviously up but the dairy man is still getting a good price for his milk. If the farmer is making money, he will spend it. They are the ones who really keep the economy moving.”

Hailing from a dairy background himself, Gerry Dalton has an innate understanding of the level of service a farmer expects: “I grew up on the family dairy farm, which is today ran by my brother John,” he concludes. “I got into the structural steel work and it just snowballed. I started doing small repair jobs for local farmers and then barriers, then sheds, then structural steel fabrication. “It took a lot of time and hard work to build the business up but we’re busy now and well established. My late father Dick would have been a big influence. He had us working from a young age and, even though we probably didn’t understand the value of it at the time, that has paid off for us in later years.”

Providing farmers with unrivalled farm building and groundworks solutions for two decades and counting

Smith’s

There’s never a dull moment at Smith’s Farm Plastic Recycling & Agri Contractors and, due to the wide-ranging nature of daily activities, no two days are the same for Ronan Smith and his trusty team. We interrupted the Cavan farmer, contractor and entrepreneur’s hectic schedule to get an update on his expanding operations.

As well as running dairy and suckler herds at Carnin, Ballyjamesduff, Ronan Smith is an IFFPG-approved farm plastic recycling contractor and has been providing value-added agri contracting services since 1989. In response to steady growth across all aspects of his business – and in order to ensure that he continues to invariably offer customers the best possible service - consistent investment in fleet upgrades and expansion has been very much the theme at Smith’s Farm Plastic Recycling & Agri Contractors in recent times.

“We’re very busy and we’ve bought a lot of new machinery both for the plastics recycling and agri contracting,” Ronan confirms. “I took on extra counties for the farms plastics collection and recycling and had to buy bigger and better kit. We were already covering Cavan, Monaghan, Westmeath, Longford and Donegal but have since added Meath, Louth, Dublin, Kildare, Laois and Offaly, so we needed more equipment to service all of those regions – eleven counties in total, at the moment.”

As an approved IFFPG contractor, Smith’s Farm Plastic Recycling collect for recycling all forms of farm plastic, silage wrap, silage pit covers, chemical containers, netting, twine, fertiliser and feed bags predominantly from designated bring centres and also from farmyards in the aforementioned counties.

One of the many noteworthy additions to the fleet is a new JCB Fastrac, which was purchased from ECI JCB in Dublin. “We were thinking of getting another lorry but there are a lot of considerations when putting a lorry on the road so we went for the Fastrac, which is a good machine and a good investment with the way the price of everything seems to have doubled. A couple of years ago €100,000 would have been considered a lot for a new tractor but you’re talking €150,000 to €200,000 these days, which is a massive increase.”

Ronan has also purchased two new Hitachi 130s with grapples, one of which is on full-time duty at the bring centres, while the two older diggers remain in use at home. Meanwhile, a couple of 24-foot Smyth trailers were acquired from Philip

Smith’s Farm Plastic Recycling & Agri Contractors, Carnin, Ballyjamesduff, County Cavan.

Eircode: A82 PN22

Tel: 086 2506129

Email: smithsfarmplastics@yahoo.com

O’Hara at Leinster Farm Machines.

“We have two lorries doing the farm-tofarm collections full time and there’s a third one here as well, which I take out myself any time I’m needed,” Ronan adds. “The farm plastics recycling side of the business has really grown and we have expanded our facilities at the yard to accommodate the extra plastic coming in. To collect materials from the bring centres, we hire in guys with lorries and walking floors – namely J&G Haulage and McMullan Transport, both of whom do a great job.”

Activities are divided almost exactly 50:50 between plastic recycling and agri contracting. On the contracting front, Ronan provides complete services and

“When a farmer rings he wants it done now.”

Ronan Smith has been providing valueadded agri contracting services since 1989

Farm Plastic Recycling & Agri Contractors is very much a family-run business

Consistent investment in fleet upgrades and expansion has been very much the theme at Smith’s Farm Plastic Recycling & Agri Contractors

there have been a couple of recent additions to the tractor fleet, which now features a total of ten Massey Fergusons.

“Last year I bought a new 7719 Vario Massey out of Martin’s Garage in Bailieboro and I like it a lot,” he reveals.

“It’s a nice tractor to work with, especially for baling. It’s good on the road, too, and selects its own gear going up and down hills. Indeed, I liked it so much that I got a second one!

“We’re also very busy at baling and have three Fusion balers, two with the plastic in them instead of the net, which is the way to go. It ferments better and you get better bales. We got the first of those four or five year ago and added the second one last year. Both those Fusion 3 Plus balers were bought from Clarke Machinery. The older baler is one I hold onto as a spare for when it gets particularly busy.

“There has been a real increase in baling and good demand for it. It’s handy for the smaller farmer as you have the option of using one bale today or ten today, which you can’t do with open pit, but at the end of the day it all comes down to what the preferences are of each individual

“We have also increased our mower numbers. We got new Kverneland front and rear mowers a couple of years ago and this year we got another two sets of Krones off Martin’s Garage. We had to get extra mowers once the selfpropelled arrived.”

With regards to the upgrade to a Claas self-propelled harvester, the Cavan contractor continues: “I bought a trailed harvester two years ago to do our own cutting and also to cut for a couple of neighbours but we got very busy with it and in the end it wasn’t speedy enough. So I bought a second-hand Claas 870 self-propelled from Leinster Farm Machines.

“Of course, when that arrived the small teleporter we had for the trailed harvester had to be upgraded to a bigger loader so we got a TM320S from ECI. Second hand again but I knew the previous owner and knew exactly where it was coming from.”

For slurry, Ronin can do tanker work, has a dribble bar on one of the tankers and he also runs two pipe systems with dribble bars. He also ferries a lot of slurry

Smiths are an IFFPG-Approved farm plastic recycling contractors

Ronan runs two pipe systems with dribble bars

farmer.

and invested in a 5,000-gallon tanker to complement his two 3,000 gallon tankers so that he could shift as much as possible in a short space of time.

Smith’s Farm Plastic Recycling & Agri Contractors is very much a family-run business and Ronin is quick to pay tribute to the invaluable input of his staff, with gainful employment currently generated for 10+. Alongside himself, brother Jim and sons Ross and Mark, there are three full-time lads Darren, Conor and Ben as well as Gerry and Tom collecting plastic in the lorries, two lads in the

yard baling plastic and getting it ready for export (Grigori and Yarrick), Bernie looking after accounts and Ronin’s wife Barbara taking orders, organising collections and deliveries, paying bills, ordering diesel and essentially running the show from behind the scenes. Despite the damage being inflicted on all households and businesses by the costof-living crisis, Ronan – who milks 125 cows and put in a new 32-unit milking parlour in 2020 - says 2022 was a good year for Smith’s Farm Plastic Recycling & Agri Contractors:

“The price of diesel is eating into profits and putting pressure on everybody but it was a great year for agri, one of the best in a while,” he concludes. “Ground conditions were excellent and the selfpropelled was a great job because you can whip out 50 or 60 acres in a day of cutting.

“That’s massive because when a farmer rings he wants it done now. No one is prepared to wait anymore and that’s why you need good equipment. If you don’t have it, you are wasting your time.”

MARTIN’S GARAGE BAILIEBORO LTD.

Main Massey Ferguson Distributors. NEW MASSEY FERGUSON TRACTORS (EX STOCK) MF 4700, MF 5S, MF 6S, MF 7S, MF 8S Series. 0% Finance up to 3 years, Finance available up to 7 years. Warranty Packages from 1 to 5 years. View the New range of Massey Ferguson Grass Equipment The NEW MF Round Balers, Mowers, Rakes, Tedders ex stock. Demonstration Tractors Available.

Blaney and Nugent round bale feeders available from stock. Newly appointed BOMFORD Hedge cutter and machinery dealers, various sizes and specs available. Full range of shear grabs available, Quicke,Prodig, NC, Nugent and Johnston. Selection of second hand tractors in stock.

KRONE FORAGE EQUIPMENT Krone Round Balers, Mower Conditioners, Silage Wagons, Disc Mowers, Rakes, Tedders.

Krone Finance Available .

ABBEY FARM EQUIPMENT Slurry Tanks, Slurry Pumps, Diet Feeders, Tub Feeders, Toppers, Fertilizer Spreaders. Abbey dribble bars and trailing shoes.

KUHN FORAGE EQUIPMENT Kuhn Round Balers, Mower Conditioners, Rakes, Tedders, Power Harrows, Disc Mowers.

FERTILIZER SPREADERS Rauch, Amazone, Abbey-Vicon Models.

FARM MACHINERY Conor Slurry Tanks, Slurry Pumps, Bale Wrappers, Toppers.

FARM MACHINERY Now Stocking the full Range Of Nugent

Reynolds Potatoes maintaining remarkable standards of productivity and quality

The Reynolds family have been producing the finest farm fresh potatoes from the rich soil of County Meath for more than half a century. To ensure that industry-leading standards of excellence are maintained across every facet of this exceptional family-run business, investment continues unabated.

Over the decades, the Reynolds name has become synonymous with quality potatoes. From their extensive and high-yielding farmland in and around Garlow Cross, County Meath, Pat Reynolds & Sons Ltd. produce a variety of popular potatoes to suit every taste and requirement, including Lady Rosetta, Kiebitz, Verdi, Rooster, Maris Piper and Salad Potatoes.

Pat Reynolds Snr. and his four sons grow and harvest some 900 acres of quality potatoes, which are washed, graded and packed in their own state-

of-the-art packhouse, offering ideal handling and storage conditions. Fresh from the family farm, ‘The Humble Spud’ is available through Tesco, Super Valu and many other local stores.

All Reynolds Family Farm potatoes are tasty and nutritious. Their Irish Rooster potatoes, for example, are deliciously light and fluffy, ideal for steaming, exquisite when roasted. The care and attention to detail that goes into every crop – a skill and professionalism acquired through decades of experience – ensures that only the finest produce makes its way onto shop shelves and consumers’ plates.

Having an ideal growing environment to produce the finest potatoes is one thing but ongoing investment in labour, machinery and facilities is also vital to ensure the consistent production of high-quality, fresh potatoes, particularly in the current economic climate, where overheads continue to rise for all producers while downward pressure on income results in tighter margins than ever before.

To this end, the Reynolds family business continues to excel against all odds. “With the price of fuel, fertiliser, machinery and land all going up, producers are being squeezed,” notes Shane Reynolds, who

Operating on extensive and high-yielding farmland in and around Garlow Cross, County Meath

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Success to Reynolds Farm

“We have a lot of people working here at the moment and the business is under pressure so something will have to change. From our own point of view, all we can do really is stay focussed on growing high-quality local produce on our family farm, as we have been doing for more than 50 years. You can’t beat fresh local produce. Our full range of potatoes are available in all the local Tesco and Super Valu supermarkets as

well as many of the small, independent shops in and around us.”

As well as retail outlets, Reynolds Potatoes have also been supplying fellow Meath company Tayto Snacks with potatoes for their range of products for more than 40 years and also supply Dublin-based Sam Dennigan and Co., one of the country’s leading fresh produce companies.

In order to efficiently, economically, sustainably and successfully plant, grow, spray and harvest the very best potato

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crops that money can buy, investment in machinery is a prerequisite. As well as maintaining all their existing gear in tiptop condition, the Reynolds family have also invested in some significant fleet upgrades in recent times:

“You have to keep on top of it,” says Shane. “If you are not prepared to invest – in both people and machinery – then you will fall behind. We got a new Grimme 470 potato harvester, which just finished its third season, and we also bought a new Fendt Rogator self-propelled sprayer from Farmworks Machinery in Dublin as well as a Dewulf four-row planter from Quaile Machinery. “You simply have to move with the times. The window is getting smaller for both planting and harvesting, so you need bigger and better machines that can get through the work quicker.”

To ensure that there is some variety to the business and to avoid being caught with all their proverbial eggs in one basket, the Reynolds family also crow a large amount of corn to complement their renowned potato enterprise. Typically, the current potato harvesting season runs from around the middle of

Pat Reynolds & Sons Ltd., Gerrardstown, Garlow Cross, Navan, County Meath.

Producing the finest farm fresh potatoes from the rich soil of County Meath runs Pat Reynolds & Sons alongside his father and three brothers.

August through the months of September and October, when it’s all hands on deck to get the tasty humble spud out of the rich Royal County soil and en route to the discerning consumer, who can count on a versatile, all-round high performer packed with flavour.

“We had a really good harvest this year and conditions were close to ideal up until the last couple of weeks, when there was a lot of rain,” Shane concludes. “All in all, it was a good harvest and we can’t complain.

“As a family business, we take quality seriously and we are fully committed to that. These are certainly challenging times for producers due to soaring costs but we’ve been growing quality potatoes here for more than 50 years and that’s what we intend to keep doing.”

Having an ideal growing environment to produce the best quality potatoes

Pat Reynolds & Sons Ltd. produce a variety of popular potatoes to suit every taste and requirement

Consistency, quality and hard work have been key to the remarkable success of this model family business, which merges tradition with innovation to remain very much at the forefront of potato growing in Leinster. Generations of the Reynolds family have demonstrated uncanny skill and expertise to work the land to telling effect for more than half a century and one gets the distinct impression that there’s much more to come.

By the land, for the land and of the land.

“We try to keep the fleet of machinery upgraded on a regular basis in order to avoid any unnecessary downtime”

GRIMME 4-row self propelled potato harvester in action

Casey Agri appointed New Holland dealer

These are exciting times for Casey Agri which is the new name for New Holland in counties Offaly, Laois and south Kildare.

Aone-stop shop for all your farm machinery needs, the family business is run by husbandand-wife Bob and Denise Casey from their depot in Garryhinch, Portarlington, Co. Offaly, and this appointment marks their first partnership with a full-line manufacturer. The new dealership will offer a range of New Holland products and parts, including tractors, telehandlers, balers and New Holland-branded implements. The Caseys have been serving the local farming community for over three decades selling machinery, parts

and spares, and will continue to offer full service and aftersales support throughout the area. Casey Agri already holds a large and varied stock of tractors and construction equipment at its base on the Offaly-Laois border.

New Holland says it is very pleased to be able to partner with Casey’s to continue the development of the dealership over the coming years in the area.

“We are delighted to expand our agricultural operations with the New Holland brand,” Casey Agri dealer principal Denise Casey enthuses.

“We look forward to working with all of the many loyal New Holland customers in the region and wish them a warm welcome to Casey’s as we grow our

A one-stop shop for all your farm machinery needs

business along with New Holland.” New Holland’s UK business director Pat Smith notes: “We are delighted to welcome Casey Tractors to the New Holland dealer network in Ireland. They bring the right mix of industry experience and an ambition to grow their business with New Holland.

“As a small, family-owned business with a long history in the area, Casey’s will provide a local service to local people which has been central to the principles of the New Holland dealer network over many years. We wish the owners and

staff at Casey’s every success at the start of this exciting venture together.”

Denise acknowledges that the appointment is a major step forward for the family business.

“It’s a big jump for us and will bring new challenges which we are ready to meet head on,” she says.

“New Holland is a huge name in the farm machinery sector and we are delighted to be ambassadors for them.”

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The

Denise continues: “We’ve been getting ready to welcome New Holland since last February. Our store is fully stocked

up with parts and we’re looking forward to taking delivery of the first tractors now. New Holland were looking for a local family business to serve local farmers and saw us as the perfect fit. We’re delighted to partner with such an iconic brand because opportunities like these don’t come along too often.” Bob and Denise took over the business four years ago from Bob’s father, Eamon, who set up the garage in the 1990s. The award-winning company has long supplied customers not only in the midlands, but across Ireland with a

Casey Agri will be offering the full range of New Holland tractors, grass and tillage machinery and telehandlers

variety of used equipment and new topclass machinery. All machines are fully serviced and ready to work.

In addition to New Holland, Casey Agri provides sales, services and parts for the following brands: Abbey, NC, Fleming, Bomford, Rainbow, Rossmore . The Co. Offaly dealer is committed to providing first-class service on all tractors, plant and machinery sold to its wide customer-base.

Exceptional service, reliable products

and highly-trained employees, all of which work together to ensure quick help and prompt decisions, make Casey Agri the company of choice for all your farm machinery requirements. All of its mechanics undergo the latest and most up-to-date training to ensure quality service.

With regard to parts, Casey Agri stocks genuine parts for a wide range of tractors and machinery, and has a next-day delivery service from most

of its suppliers. The company aims to provide a fast and efficient service by having most common components for the brands they represent on the shelf in its stores.

“While much of the focus will be on our New Holland dealership, we will continue to source quality used tractors from the UK. We’re committed to that, despite the challenges and obstacles posed by Brexit,” Denise explains.

“We’ve always been known for our immaculately clean machines. We continue to source tractors, trailers, teleporters and other machinery in both Ireland and the UK. We offer a large range across the board and have some really good, loyal customers.

“Come next spring, we hope to have the full range of New Holland grass and tillage machinery and telehandlers in stock.”

As parents to Millie (10), Elise (nine) and Finn (six), Bob and Denise see it as their duty to continue to grow the business and leave it in a strong place for the next generation. They would like to take this opportunity to thank their customers and suppliers for their continued support as well as their staff for their dedication, hard work and expertise.

Opening hours are from 9am to 6pm Monday-Friday and 9am to 1pm on Saturdays.

“New

Holland is a huge name in the farm machinery sector and we are delighted to be ambassadors for them”

Coillte delivers record financial performance

Coillte’s record financial performance in 2021 was driven by exceptional global demand for sawnwood and strong demand for timber-related products in its core markets.

pandemic supply chain constraints. These constraints resulted in a supply imbalance in Coillte’s key markets, with global demand for forest products being well in excess of supply, resulting in exceptionally strong pricing.

· Revenue earned in 2021 of €422m, up from €285 in 2020

· Operating cash flow was €73m, up from €24m in 2020

Following on from the launch of its new Forestry Strategic Vision, the semi-state forestry group announced its annual results for the financial year 2021, which saw revenue increase to a record €422m.

The forestry sector, like many others, was impacted by significant

As a result of these twin drivers of strong demand and higher prices, revenue in 2021 reached a record €422m, while EBITDA of €159m was well ahead of 2020. Operating cash levels reached €73m and, significantly, the company recommended an overall dividend payment to the Exchequer of €30m, the highest in its history.

Coillte’s 2021 financial / operational highlights are as follows:

EBITDA of €159m in 2021 up from €66m in 2020

Operating profit (before exceptional items and revaluation) was €124m in 2021, up from €29m in 2020

· Coillte and ESB established a new joint venture, FuturEnergy Ireland, to deliver 1GW of new renewable energy 21 million trees planted across 9,000 hectares of restocked forest Coillte commenced the redevelopment of Avondale Forest Park in Co. Wicklow, a €16m project in partnership with Fáilte Ireland and EAK to provide an exhilarating visitor destination

A €45m upgrade of SMARTPLY’s drying plant was significantly advanced

· A new not-for-profit “Nature Partners CLG” was launched in collaboration with Forestry Partners to create new native woodlands at scale across Ireland Group enters 2022 on strong financial footing with net cash of €31m and available debt facilities of €180m

Commenting on the results, the Chair of Coillte, Bernie Gray said: “Our financial performance in 2021 was clearly very strong and the company achieved record revenue and EBITDA levels. As Chair of Coillte, I am particularly pleased that the strong performance has allowed the Board to recommend an overall dividend to the State for the year of €30m, the highest in the company’s history.

“Our Forestry Strategic Vision, which we recently launched, creates an exciting future for Coillte and our Stakeholders.

Our ambition is to grow new forests while optimising our existing forests for carbon capture. Additionally, we will continue to deliver sustainable wood products to support the bioeconomy, we plan to enhance and restore biodiversity along with creating additional recreational spaces for visitors to our forests to enjoy.

“Our vision is designed to result in

the potential capture of 28m tonnes of CO2 from the environment by 2050 and to sustainably balance and deliver the multiple benefits of forestry across four strategic pillars: climate, wood, nature and people.

“We will consult widely with key Stakeholders on this strategic vision and, as always, continue engaging with our shareholders on how we best balance economic, social and environmental objectives. In a time of climate crisis, forestry has the capacity to make a significant contribution, and we recognise the critical role which Coillte can play in helping Ireland achieve its climate action targets.”

Coillte’s Chief Executive Imelda Hurley said: “During 2021, end market prices for timber and panel board products reached record levels, driven by high demand in the construction and home improvement sectors. Pricing was also influenced strongly by a global supply

and demand imbalance which created a series of supply challenges in key markets. When taken together, these factors resulted in Coillte achieving a record financial performance in 2021.

“EBITDA earnings increased significantly on the previous year to €159m and we recorded operating cash of €73m. In the coming years, forestry will play a key

Sliabh Bawn Wind farm

Duiske College students on a Coillte tour

Coiltte is reposnible for 440,000 hectares of forest and lands

role in our economy and society as we deal with the twin challenges of Climate Action and biodiversity protection.

“Our recently-launched Forestry Strategic Vision sets out the leading role we will play in the delivery of solutions to the climate and biodiversity challenges while also ensuring a strong supply of sustainably produced timber. The most effective way to ensure our success in delivering a greener future for all is by having the financial strength and resources which allow us to continue building a strong, vibrant commercial business. In this regard our financial performance in 2021 is very encouraging.”

Coillte is part of a forestry sector that has an important and relevant future for which the company must be very ambitious. 2022 has seen a concentration on the important work of communicating and consulting on the company’s Forestry Strategic Vision. Coillte also looks forward to the outputs from Project Woodland, a key initiative launched by Minister of State Pippa Hackett, focused on addressing forestry operational challenges while also creating a shared vision and national approach for Irish forestry. While much of 2021’s operational focus was on industry challenges and the Covid-19 pandemic, the current geopolitical situation in Ukraine and Russia has quickly emerged as a

Ireland’s largest producer of certified wood

Coillte aims to balance and deliver the multiple benefits of it’s forests for climate, nature, wood production and people

defining feature of 2022 and one which is having wide-ranging impacts.

Despite the fact that the market environment is currently demonstrating solid demand for forest related products, the impact of the high inflationary environment on Coillte’s cost base is of significant concern and it is difficult to predict what impact the ongoing geopolitical tensions may have on the macroeconomic environment and on international timber flows and pricing. While there are many unknowns, the company anticipates that its financial returns in 2022 will reflect a material reduction on the record high levels achieved in 2021.

A public consultation on Coillte’s Forestry Strategic Vision was held earlier this year. The vision aims to sustainably balance and deliver the multiple benefits of Ireland’s state forests across four strategic objectives: climate, nature, wood and people.

2022 also saw the opening of ‘Beyond the Trees Avondale’, a spectacular new visitor experience developed in partnership with Fáilte Ireland and EAK Ireland in Avondale Forest Park, Co. Wicklow. The first of its kind in Ireland, the attraction includes the longest treetop walk in Ireland and the UK,

measuring 1.3km from the start of the timber walkway to the top of the panoramic wooden viewing tower 38 metres above the forest floor. The old courtyards and walled gardens in this historic location have been sensitively redeveloped along with a new build state-of-the-art visitor centre which houses visitor information and amenities, café and exhibition space.

The view from the café extends out onto the picturesque restored Walled Garden, including an adventurous children’s playground conveniently located beside the outdoor dining terrace. From here, visitors can enjoy a complimentary selfguided visit to the Coillte Pavilion where they will learn all about the evolution and history of forestry in Ireland.

Beyond the trees at Avondale Forest Park

Samco now a complete one-stop shop for agri machinery

In the past two years, Limerick-headquartered Samco have opened a new chapter in their history by taking on dealerships for the Case IH, Kverneland, Vicon, McConnel, Siloking and RedRock marques to complement their renowned Samco Agricultural Manufacturing products. We touched base with sales manager Ger Madigan to discuss the tremendous success to date of Samco Agri Sales.

Samco have the right people and right facilities in place to provide exceptional products and service across the board

With the genesis of Samco Agri Sales in September, 2020, the Shine family –who have been running Samco Agricultural Manufacturing since 1997 – moved with the times to add a vital new string to their already impressive bow.

The result is that, as they celebrate a quarter of a century in business, Samco are now both an agricultural machinery manufacturer and dealership of choice, providing farmers and contractors across Limerick, the South West and the Mid West with an unrivalled range of products and a back-up service to match.

Already vastly experienced in farming, contracting and machinery manufacturing, the Shines have broadened their horizons even further by opening up these high-regarded dealership channels.

Samco Agri Sales was born two years ago when the internationally-renowned Adare-based company – known globally for designing and manufacturing the 3-in-one maize drill, which sows seeds, sprays the soil and lays a thin layer of bi-

odegradable film – was appointed main dealer for County Limerick for Kverneland Group Ireland.

Representing their first venture down the dealership road, the agreement incorporates the prestigious Kverneland, McConnel, Siloking and Vicon agencies. The departure represented a natural progression for Samco, who were able to dedicate a section of their recently-completed, state-of-the-art, new 35,000 sq ft facility in Adare to their new retail wing.

As well as being synonymous with manufacturing world-famous ploughs, Kverneland have diversified into a vast range of machinery and today produce everything from sprayers, mowers and rakes to tedders, sowers, cultivators, balers and much more besides while their dealership also encompasses McConnel hedge cutters, Vicon fertiliser spreaders and SiloKing feeder wagons.

In December 2021, Samco Agri Sales were also officially appointed Case IH tractor dealers for Clare, Limerick and Kerry, now selling the full range of Case IH tractors, harvesting equipment and telehandlers and providing a compre-

hensive aftersales service to those who operate Case IH equipment. They also carry the full range of Case IH parts, accessories, lubricants and filters.

To ensure that they can provide their customers old and new with the best possible service, Samco opened a second branch on Listowel Road, Tralee in March of this year.

With agriculture rapidly changing, Samco have effectively rebranded and relaunched themselves to meet the demands of an ever-evolving marketplace.

“Business is very good at the moment and we can’t complain,” reveals agri sales manager Ger Madigan. “We’re getting things off the ground with the

Samco are now both an agricultural machinery manufacturer and dealership of choice

The Kverneland dealership also encompasses McConnel hedge cutters, Vicon fertiliser spreaders and SiloKing feeder wagons

Exceptional machinery is backed up with superb service

“At the end of the day, we are here to look after farmers’ and contractors’ every need.”

new ventures and moving forward. While 2022 wasn’t the best year for the sector, we are in a good position now to look after all the needs of farmers and contractors.

“We’re getting more and more footfall in the garage, with people coming in again and looking around, and we’re finally starting to get more stuff in. Supply issues were a problem but things are improving gradually. At one point there,

we were like a pub with no beer but we have a good supply of stock here now and wait times are moving in the right direction.”

Taking on the Kverneland dealership was in many ways a natural move for Samco as they have been using their components in their innovative 3-in-1 film laying machine for more than 20 years. “Sam Shine has a long association with Kverneland going back many

years as he used their components in the Samco maize drill and also incorporated them into the Samco 3-in-1 systems,” Ger confirms.

“The dealership is starting to take shape and it’s an excellent dealership as it comes with a good array of other agencies – SiloKing, Vicon and McConnel. We were very happy to get that as it brings in such a vast array of machinery.

“We were eager to get a tractor brand as

Samco is an award winning innovative agricultural company

New Samco 4.8M folding soilmaster

Case IH Luxxum 110 fitted with a Rossmore loader and bucket

Kverneland New Generation plough

well and we tried a few different colours but Case spoke the loudest and we took on the agency for Kerry, Limerick and Clare towards the tail-end of 2021.” The reaction to the new dealerships has been extremely positive thus far. “All the brands have been well received,” says Ger. “A lot of local farmers might not have used Kverneland mowers before but they have traded in all colours and the feedback could not be better. It’s a really nice experience to be involved in a project like this from the start and to see things taking shape.”

Back-up is of course critical and, with decades of experience of every aspect of agri machinery – including design, manufacture, service and repairs - Samco are perfectly positioned to offer unbeatable aftersales service to their new brands: “We’re lucky enough to have a

wonderful team of technicians and mechanics who are very interested in their work and passionate about what they do.

“They are prepared to go on call-outs whenever they are needed and are completely dedicated to their job. They all have a tremendous interest and knowledge of machinery and are well up for the challenge. Good back-up is what it’s all about in agri machinery. It’s a huge deal to farmers and contractors to be able to get somebody over the phone who will call out if necessary and sort them out. Nobody needs downtime in farming, or in any walk of life for that matter.”

Between all aspects of the business, Samco generates direct full-time employment for a team of 55, with the original manufacturing arm of the operation

still producing Samco’s own range of maize drills, three-leg subsoilers, the bespoke Samco Soilmaster Land leveller with unique design and special features, folding silage forks and disc harrows as well as two types of degradable film for export into the European and global markets, made from Oxo-Biodegradable resin and Compostable Bio-plastics. The second generation of the Shine family is very much involved, founder Sam joined in the day-to-day running of Samco by sons Robert, Matthew, Gordon and Derrick alongside daughter Stephanie. Derrick has also resurrected the original contracting outfit, under the Samuel J Shine Agriculture Contracting banner.

All in all, Samco have the right people and right facilities in place to provide exceptional products and service across the board.

“We developed a new facility on a greenfield site in Adare and moved in at the end of 2019,” Ger recalls. “There’s plenty of space and a good service area for gear as well as large stores and offices, etc. With the second premises up and running in Tralee, we have all the space we need.

“Sam actually contracted himself for years and was running three silage outfits simultaneously at one stage and cutting maize in Kerry, Limerick and Clare,” the personable Cork man concludes. “He knew what it was like to be caught out and that’s why service is such a big deal to him.

“At the end of the day, we are here to look after farmers’ and contractors’ every need. With the business expanded and diversified, we are in a better position than ever to do that. Even if it’s just the handle of a shovel that needs to be fixed, we will never turn any man away. Whatever the problem is or whatever they need, we will get them going.”

A new SILOKING 2218 premium twin tub diet feeder

Constant evolution at Millbank Farm

Down through the generations, Millbank Farm in Killinchy, Newtownards, County Down has thrived by evolving in line with customer needs and market trends. Today, a busy farm shop in nearby Saintfield and an efficient broiler chicken operation are at the centre of this progressive family-run enterprise, which also comprises a long-established, extensive and sustainable mixed-farming initiative.

Millbank Farm has thrived by evolving in line with customer needs and market trends

Millbank Farm Shop takes pride of place on Saintfield’s high street

Millbank Farm is teeming with flora and fauna

Perfectly blending the traditional with the progressive, Millbank Farm is an outstanding example of everything a family farm can be. The McGowan

Millbank

Tel: 028 97512692

Email: emily@millbankfarm.com

Web: millbankfarm.com

family have farmed on the same site in Killinchy since 1889 and, while a lot has changed over the decades, they have continued to produce great quality food in the fields of County Down for six generations and counting. In the early years, the farm was a corn and sutch mill which processed flax for the local linen trade. Today, it is a medium mixed farm of around 400 acres – including 80 acres of cereals and 80 of veg as well as grazing for dairy heifers and 200 ewes. The McGowans also run two broiler houses to supply chicken to Moy Park, and in recent years have opened the farm’s first customer-facing venture - Millbank Farm Shop, which takes pride of place on Saintfield’s high street.

This diversification into directly serving the local public is in line with Millbank Farm’s policy of evolving and moving positively with the times. Creating a customer experience that provides fresh, honest, seriously local produce – predominantly grown at home on the family’s own farm or by neighbouring farmers in the immediate area, and with as little plastic packaging as possible - the shop supplies an ever-changing variety of fresh fruit, vegetables, dairy, eggs, cheeses, deli, honey and whole foods, which are perfect for the home cook and chefs alike.

Adrian McGowan is at the helm of the business, alongside his wife Patricia. Eldest daughter, Susie (who built the company website and developed their brand identity) is a graphic designer in London; Victoria teaches at the local primary school; and Emily has joined Adrian on the Farm in Killinchy. The family business is exactly that, with ever member adding their own unique skills and input to build upon and improve the legacy of Millbank Farm.

Although these are testing times for the farming community in general, things are going well at Millbank Farm, where the increasingly diverse and multifaceted operation is perfectly suited both to the land that sustains it and the current economic climate. Business is brisk at the popular new farm shop, which links the farm with retail, and the fantastic work being invested on a daily basis by Adrian and his family was duly recognised at last year’s Farming Life Awards where the Millbank team picked up no fewer than three prestigious awards, striking gold in the Farm Diversification, Farming Family of the Year and Young Farmer of the Year categories, with Emily McGowan the worthy recipient of the latter award.

“You need a few sheep to work the less attractive areas and it’s all about finding the right balance.”

The family business is exactly that, with every member adding their own unique skills and input to build upon and improve the legacy of Millbank Farm

“We’re in transition at the moment and the farm shop is a big part of that,” Adrian confirms. “Emily runs the shop. We have eight staff there and it has been a major success so far. The shop itself has diversified to offer a wide range of products and our own vegetables would only account for a small percentage of that.

“Ironically, the two years of Covid really helped the shop. It’s in a strong commuter town and the people of Saintfield support the shop very well. We sell a lot of local fruit, which is sourced from local growers. Fruit is a very, very convenient food, which is ready to eat, and you can’t beat fresh produce.”

Millbank Farm Shop offers quality local fruit, vegetables, cheese and fine ingredients, much of it grown only six miles away on the family farm. It also boasts the first ‘No Waste Station’ in Northern Ireland, where the customer’s own containers can be re-used with a selection of nuts, dried fruit and wholefoods.

As a business, Millbank is committed to farming sustainably. The land is worked in a sympathetic way and every opportunity is taken to enhance the biodiversity of the local countryside. Some of the environmental initiatives undertaken here include tree planting, seeding wildflowers and keeping livestock to create higher organic matter in the soils.

A multiple-award-winning family farming enterprise which has been featured on popular agri-themed television shows Ear To The Ground and Rare Breed, Millbank Farm grows over 30 varieties of vegetables, including cauliflower, broccoli, kale, parsnips, carrots, leeks, turnips, cabbage,

The shop supplies an ever-changing variety of fresh fruit, vegetables, dairy, eggs, cheeses, deli, honey and whole foods

scallions, celery, swedes, pumpkins and squash.

Adrian started growing vegetables over 40 years ago and has supplied markets, wholesale, large supermarkets and discounters, but feels that the future is uncertain for small-to-medium-sized growers. “The price of veg has flatlined as we have become more efficient and you are overtaken eventually by the cost of production and the cost of inputs. The margins go from small to non-existent.

“To be honest, I’m not sure where the future lies for the small vegetable grower unless you can get the price. The small grower is really struggling at the moment and that’s why we are diversifying our business.

“We started the Moy Park broiler unit in 2017 and that’s a very steady enterprise. It’s a ten-year project initially and it’s going very well for us so far. We have 56,000 high-welfare birds, which are efficiently produced and I find that Moy Park are a great company to work with – very organised. That’s a stand-alone, low-labour venture, whereas everything else has a very high labour input.

“The farm shop and the chickens are our most productive activities at the moment.

The vegetables are presenting plenty of challenges in comparison, while cereals have become more attractive again and we keep a couple of hundred sheep too, which adds to the overall variety.”

The land at Millbank is perfectly suited to mixed farming. “The land here is mixed,” Adrian confirms. “It’s undulating and some of it isn’t suited to arable.

You need a few sheep to work the less attractive areas and it’s all about finding the right balance.”

A former chairman of the Ulster Farmers’ Union’s Vegetable Committee, Adrian is also a founding member of Veg NI, which was established to highlight the power of Northern Irish veg. “A number of growers from the province came together to promote the consumption of vegetables,” he relates. “We looked enviously to the South who have Ann Bord Bia to promote local produce while we didn’t have that brand or identity here. Instead, we tend to have a supermarket-type branding.

“We received £30,000 in funding from the Department of Agriculture and set up Veg NI to get our message across. To a large extent, it’s aimed at schools and children and we want to get the message through about the key role eating vegetables can play in healthier lifestyles and better health. You can’t beat vegetables for value or nutrition and they are also very environmentallyfriendly.

“In general, I feel that as a nation we have lost our respect for food,” the Down farmer concludes. “Compared to our Southern European neighbours, for whom eating is a family thing and family is at the heart of people’s lives, we don’t look at food the way we used to. We need to restore our respect for food –and for the land as a whole.

“Farmers follow the market and that’s how they survive. As producers, we do what we can to meet demand. But it has to be sustainable and farms must be run in a way that farmers can make a living from them.”

Emily McGowan was awarded Farming Life “Young Farmer of the Year” in 2021

- 55 Knockanroe Road Stewartstown BT71 5LX

-14 Tullylagan Road, Sandholes, Cookstown, Co Tyrone BT80 9AY

Quality and innovation the hallmarks of all Scully agri equipment

Delivering the perfect combination of high quality, functionality and innovation, Scully Trailers’ magnificent range of agricultural trailers and bale handling equipment is proving extremely popular with farmers and contractors the length and breadth of the country. We interrupted founder Niall Scully’s increasingly busy schedule to find out more about his ingenious products, which invariably look fantastic and perform even better.

Quality and innovation are a given with Scully Trailers

Niall Scully’s ingenious products look fantastic and perform even better

Scully Trailers boasts over 20 years of engineering and steel fabricating excellence

One of the many great successes at this year’s National Ploughing Championships in Ratheniska, County Laois was County Kerry based Scully Trailers, whose superb range of supreme-quality folding bale handler went down a storm over the course of the four days they were showcased in the event’s Innovation Arena.

Unique to Scully Trailers, this innovative new handler was developed for large contractors and farmers who use a bale trailer and front loader equipped with an elephant trunk for transporting bales. It can be folded up via a double acting hydraulic ram and, once in the fold-up position, the patent-pending hinging mechanism lifts the bale handler above the lift arms to make it possible to attach a bail trailer without obstruction.

The operator can commute to the baled crop with both the handler and trailer attached. Once in the field, he can unhitch the trailer with ease and place the bale handler in the bale loading position. The operator can now carry two bales to the bale trailer – one on the rear on the Scully High Folding Bale Handler

and the other on the front loader. This reduces time, fuel costs, driver fatigue and also acts as a counter balance. The clever design allows the user to easily fold up and hook the trailer.

Manufactured using high-grade steel and industrial-grade paint (with two coats of BIN primer plus two coats of paint!) – and sandblasted beforehand to ensure optimum paint adhesion - Scully’s compact bale handers are designed to significantly reduce the risk of damage to plastic wrap. All moving parts have grease access to reduce wear and tear, resulting in a long working life for the product. Like all Scully products, they also look absolutely fantastic!

“It was my first time exhibiting at the ploughing championships and it was a long week as we were there for the four days,” the Kerry agri machinery manufacturer reflects. “But we got a very good book of positive enquiries out of it and we’re hoping it will materialise into additional sales. It’s a learning curve to be in the innovation tent but there was definitely good interest in the new folding bale handler and our other products.

“It’s a very simple but practical concept, with a hinge, and when it folds up you can tow a trailer, without ditching the handler, and you can use it as a balancing weight.”

Is manufacturing agri equipment these days all about striking the right balance between innovation and functionality?

“Yes, the farmer and contractor is looking for whatever will give them the best value for their money. You have to develop a good product with inbuilt value-for-money. We incorporated that thinking into our tipping trailer, to develop a three-in-one, multi-purpose trailer.

“It can draw a typical tipper load and comes with a hydraulic back door. It can be stripped down to draw bales and

Scully Trailers’ magnificent range of agricultural trailers and bale handling equipment is proving extremely popular with farmers and contractors

“If you’re prepared to put the time into something, it’s more likely to pay off.”

15x8 trailer recently sent out to Limerick

can also work as a low loader, carrying anything up to a six-tonne digger. The end user is getting value as he has a trailer that serves three different purposes.

“When you explain the concept to a farmer, it gets them thinking. They have a tipping trailer and if they need to get a digger they can move it, while there will be no need to borrow the neighbour’s bale trailer any more. Once you get them over the line they are always 100% happy and the feedback is always very, very positive.”

Customer satisfaction is consistently exceptionally high at Scully Trailers. “I actually met a lot of previous customers at the ploughing championships who I’d sold bale handlers to over the years,” Niall continues. “They’d have ordered them over the phone and I sent them out with Pallet Express, so I might not have dealt with them in person. But when I met them they all told me they were very happy with the Scully bale handlers. That gives us great encouragement. And when a guy is relaying good news like that, it impacts positively on anybody else who happens to be listening in. It’s great to get those positive reviews and thankfully we do seem to get a lot of them.”

Ideally, however, Niall prefers to deal with farmers on a personal basis: “I prefer a one-to-one relationship,” he confirms. “It’s great if a farmer or contractor comes in person to collect the trailer themselves. That, way I can go through everything with him and give

Pioneers of design

Practical experience of moving bales led to the design of the overreach handler

All moving parts have grease access to reduce wear and tear, resulting in longer working life for the product

him 45 minutes on the maintenance and upkeep of the product, and run him through how to take good care of it. If you keep it well, it will serve you well.”

One of the Kingdom’s premier agricultural manufacturing companies, Scully Trailers – operating from a site

on the well-appointed family dairy enterprise at Nauntenane, Killorglinboasts over 20 years of engineering and steel fabricating excellence, constantly exploring new concepts and working on new designs.

Embracing both innovation and

precision engineering, they utilise the most up-to-date computer design, software and manufacturing techniques to bring the highest-quality trailers and bale-handling equipment to market.

Scully Trailers provide farmers with a complete range of products for bale handling - from their well-tested elephant trucks to RSA-approved trailers and the newest innovations such as their clever, practical and userfriendly up-and-over draw bar, while their aforementioned folding handler proved to be a resounding success with contractors in 2022.

Tried and trusted by farmers and contractors island-wide, Scully’s bale handlers can be found in every county from Antrim to Cork and are available in a choice of colours, feature heavy-duty construction and are designed to handle both wrapped round and square bales, always holding a firm grip in wet or dry conditions alike. Any type of loader bracket can be fitted and a double bale handler option is also available. Loader buckets are available from 4ft to 7ft, with loader pikes in 6ft, 8ft or 10ft variants. Meanwhile, as the name suggests, Scully Trailers are also synonymous with manufacturing a magnificent range of striking and sturdy, high-quality bale and flat bed trailers; livestock trailers; and general purpose / grain trailers. These come with heavy-duty design, commercial axles, hydraulic brakes and a high level of LED lighting throughout as standard. Bale and flat bed trailers boast onspring suspension, spring drawbar, removable rails and strap box and hooks all around, with a choice of axles, wheels, rails, colours and either

An exterior ladder, viewing platform and catwalk are features on all cattle trailers

smooth or chequered floor. Livestock trailers have an aluminium floor, sides, loading ramp and loading gate with galvanised dividing gate and slurry box as well as a front ladder and overhead walkway, with additional bespoke options including extra dividing gates, a choice of wheel sizes and axles, galvanised frame and extra-low options available.

Options available to farmers and contractors on the general purpose / grain trailers include bale extension, grain sides, hydraulic tailboard and again they can be finished in a choice of colours with a choice of wheels and axles.

Scully Trailers can also manufacture log splitters to order and offer a full parts, servicing, repair and replacement service on a full range of trailer components including hydraulic rams and hoses, axles and suspensions, wheels and tyres, LED lighting and brakes / handbrakes.

“We’re experiencing keen interest in our livestock trailer, which we put our heart and head into building,” says Niall. “This comes with commercial axles, braking and suspension as well as full aluminium floor and sides. It’s shot blasted and finished with two coats of primer and paint with highly-spec’d LED lighting all over. It looks great and has a spring drawbar and a timber floor under the aluminium to cushion the animals and give them more comfort.”

It goes without saying that Niall Scully has a deep passion for the products he manufactures. “When you are out travelling, it’s always nice to see one that has been kept well by one of your customers,” he notes. “With younger farmers now sharing images of their machines on social media, photos are uploaded and you’d get a lot of positive comments and thumbs ups, which is always nice.

“We take the small things into consideration and that pays off in terms of positive reviews and referrals. I have a team of six working here and we run a metal fabrication apprenticeship programme to train our own staff. If you’re prepared to put the time into something, it’s more likely to pay off.

“Coming from a farming background obviously helps,” the pioneering Kerry man concludes. “My brother is farming at home and we can try out our products there. We have trailers and bale handlers in use there for a long time and they still look like new, with no sign whatsoever of any fatigue or wear.”

“We experiencing keen interest in our livestock trailer, which we put our heart and head into building”

Delivering the perfect combination of high quality, functionality and innovation

Agri contracting knowledge, skill and expertise that’s second to none

Based in Ards Little, Ramelton, Co Donegal, Bobby Doherty Agri Contracting has been providing its customers with a top-class service for over 50 years now. Irish Tractor Agri & Plant spoke with Alistair Doherty recently to discuss the ins and outs of the company, the current state of business and its hopes for the months ahead.

Alistair feataured on the TG4 programme “Contractors” in early 2022

L/r: Patrick Farrelly, Ruby Doherty and Alistair Doherty

Having grown from humble beginnings, business continues to go strong for Bobby Doherty Agri Contracting in Co Donegal and the plan for father and son Bobby and Alistair Doherty is to try and keep things that way right through to 2023. The family-run business has earned itself a reputation for reliability and excellent work amongst its customers down through the decades, using top of the range machinery in order to do so.

Operating out of the home base in Ards Little, Ramelton, which is 10 minutes from Letterkenny, Bobby Doherty Agri Contracting employs three full-time along with part-time staff, which varies depending on the time of year.

Irish Tractor Agri & Plant caught up with Alistair Doherty to learn more about the business and its appearance of the TG4 programme ‘Contractors’ in early 2022.

“Business is good at the moment, yeah. Considering the year that’s in it, it’s not too bad at all,” he said.

“We’d a very busy summer this year and, overall, it has been fairly steady here, but it’s just the price of stuff has been savage lately.”

By “stuff”, it’s safe to assume that Alistair means fuel and machinery costs first and foremost, with both being at perhaps an all-time high at the moment.

Bobby Doherty Agri Contracting are battling through it and even made some upgrades to their fleet in recent times. Massey Ferguson is the tractor of choice up in the Dohertys’ yard in Ards Little, where eight of them are operating from. This winter will see two of the Masseys switched for upgraded versions, while a new harvester may be on the way as well but there’s nothing decided on the latter just yet.

“We’ve added a new Kuhn baler there and a new Kunn rake as well. We change the rake every three years, so we have a new one of them this year,” Alistair outlined.

“We’ve a new tanker as well and another new Kane silage trailer and a new Kane flatbed bale trailer.”

The company’s machinery was showcased on national television back in February when it featured in the popular TG4 programme ‘Contractors’.

The show covers agri contractors as they enter their busiest part of the year and, from slurry spreading to hedge cutting, ploughing to round baling, they are there to provide customers with the services they specialise in.

The works of Bobby Doherty Agri Contracting was filmed in 2021 and aired on TG4 the following February, featuring the day-to-day; including slurry spreading, reseeding and baled silage along with interviews with Alistair and some of his family members. Looking back on it now, the Tir Chonaill native enjoyed those days in front of the TV cameras after having been apprehensive about the idea of it in the first place.

“They approached me back in 2019 and I wasn’t sure about it at the time, to be honest,” said Alistair.

“It must’ve been in 2020 then when I said ‘go on ahead’. They came up to meet me then and they came up every week then for a couple of weeks filming and it was brilliant.

“They didn’t disturb me too much. They just followed me about and when they seen I had a wee chance to speak they stopped me and chatted, so that’s how it went.”

He added: “It was a brilliant experience.

It was a wee bit daunting at the start, but once ya got used to it it was grand. “It aired in February this year and the feedback was massive from it. There was definitely a change for a while after it.”

Along with their outstanding contracting service, the Dohertys also run a family farm which is on 250 acres.

Alistair runs the enterprise alongside his father Bobby and wife Lorraine and, altogether, they’ve 280 cattle and milk 120 cows with the rest being all beef cattle.”

They also cut 2,500 acres of pit silage and make up to 11,000 round bales per year.

With around 70 per cent of their customers being dairy farmers, Bobby Doherty Agri Contracting know their needs and ensure to get the job done for them in a professional and timely manner every time.

“We do the job we say we’re gonna do and do it when we say we’re gonna do it as well. We’re punctual and do the job on time,” Alistair stated when asked why customers choose them first ahead of other competitors.

January sees Bobby Doherty Agri Contracting moving into another year and the knowledge, skill and expertise of those behind it and those working for it still remains, along with the quality of machinery they operate with.

Time and time again, Bobby, Alistair and

Bobby Doherty Agri Contracting Ards Little, Ramelton, Co Donegal

Eircode: F92 Y961

Mobile: 086 385 8358

Providing customers with a top-class service for over 50 years

the team in Ards Little continue to deliver a quality service for their customers.

Looking towards the months ahead for the business, Alistair himself hopes to see two things in particular improving in 2023 that would aid this family-run venture.

“The obvious one would be that fuel prices come down, but the big one is the weather.

“We can manage everything else but we can’t control the weather and it’s always our biggest concern here.

“Next year we will probably bring a lot more technology on board as well. That’s down the road though,” he concluded.

The family-run business uses top of the range machinery

The livestock and general haulage experts

John Gardiner Livestock & General Haulage (JH Gardiner & Son) is an exceptional family-run business based in Kilrea, Co. Derry / Londonderry which recently took delivery of a stunning new Volvo FH540 GT XL from Dennison Commercials in Ballyclare.

Operating with three Plowman and one Houghton-Parkhouse livestock trailers

Decked in blue and white livery, and featuring a sleek, full-leather interior, microwave, factory-fitted side skirts and shiny alloy wheels, the truck is the latest addition to the Gardiner fleet and has been put to work transporting livestock, fertiliser, lime, straw and cattle slats across Northern Ireland. The other trucks in the all-Volvo fleet are also FH13s, while there is one FM rigid. Established in 1991, John Gardiner Livestock & General Haulage is run by father-and-son John and Graham Gardiner who are ably assisted by three fulltime staff. Like John and Graham, they all come from farming backgrounds and are accomplished stockmen.

“We’re very happy with the new truck. It has enabled us to provide an even better service to our customers,” Graham says.

“We have four FH13s – a 460, 480, 500 and the new 540 – along with a FM450 rigid which is attached to a drag trailer. It’s a fixed livestock unit that was built by Farlow Engineering in Garvagh. We also have three Plowman livestock trailers as well as one Houghton-Parkhouse livestock trailer, an SDC curtainsider and a couple of SDC flats. Two of the Plowman’s and the Houghton are 45ft double-deck cattle trailers, while the other Plowman is a 33ft single deck.”

He continues: “My father started the business over 30 years ago with a DAF 2300 lorry and drag trailer. He ran just the one truck for many years before adding a second. It’s only since I came on board six years ago after serving my time as a tractor mechanic that we have expanded to what we are now.

“We’ve been all-Volvo since selling out last Scania about a year ago. The benefits of having the same brand are that all the controls and layout are the same, and it’s also easier to keep spare parts. You don’t have the hassle of looking for parts for different truck brands.

“Our fleet is serviced and maintained by Loughbeg Garage in Toomebridge who ensure that there is no such thing as breakdowns or downtime.”

Fully-licensed and delivering unrivalled livestock transportation solutions, John Gardiner Livestock & General Haulage puts the comfort, safety and welfare of the animals first and leaves no stone unturned in guaranteeing optimal service levels tailored to the needs of clients and animals alike. The family business specialises in the transportation of cattle from farm to factory. The Gardiner’s trucks are also a familiar sight at marts

across the province, while they also do occasional runs to England and Scotland.

The father-and-son combination pride themselves on their exceptional service and modern fleet of trucks and trailers which ensure every load reaches its destination safely and on time. They have built up a large and loyal customer-base that continues to grow.

“It goes without saying that animal welfare is our number one priority. We fol-

Running an all-Volvo fleet

Stunning new Volvo FH 540 was added to the fleet recently

low all the guidelines and regulations in this regard. Our trailers are fully ventilated and are fitted with watering systems. They’re cleaned and disinfected after every trip,” Graham explains.

“Our double-deck trailers mean we are set up to transport cattle, but we also transport sheep from time to time.”

The Gardiner’s have branched into general haulage in recent years. This side of the business mostly involves collecting and delivering fertiliser for Ivan Wright in Garvagh and bagged lime for KW Agri Supplies in Coleraine.

“My brother James, who runs the family suckler and beef farm, had been dealing with Ivan Wright who is our local fertiliser merchant. It was through that we started drawing fertiliser from Belfast Docks to Ivan’s yard or direct to his customers’ farms. We had the advantage of already knowing a lot of his customers through our livestock haulage service.

“We also draw bagged lime from local quarries to KW Agri Supplies along with straw and cattle slats for various other customers from time to time. This general haulage work ties in nicely with the livestock transport as it means we’re kept busy all year around.”

Having a local customer-base is crucial to the business’ viability, according to Graham.

“It makes it feasible at a time when fuel, labour and maintenance costs are at an alltime high. Costs are a huge issue for most operators at the moment.”

As John Gardiner Livestock & General Haulage continues to go from strength to strength, John and Graham would like to take this opportunity to thank their customers and suppliers for their loyalty and support as well as their staff for their hard work, dedication and expertise.

An exceptional family-run business based in Kilrea John Gardiner Livestock & General Haulage was established in 1991

Specialists in transporting livestock, fertiliser, lime and straw across Northern Ireland

“ “

Innovators in agribusiness

Charles R Wynne Ltd. is an industry-leading agriculture merchant headquartered in Moone, County Kildare with a second branch in Tullow, County Carlow. We interrupted Sales Manager Larry Kealy’s busy schedule to find out more about the full-circle cycle of high-quality products and services offered to farmers.

pigs, sheep, equine or tillage.

Highly respected within the farming community, Charles R Wynne Ltd. is an innovative agribusiness focused on providing performance-enhancing feed, seed and tillage solutions. Synonymous with producing nutritionally-superior feeds, CR Wynne manufactures high-energy rations with a high cereal inclusion and also offers a full range of grass and tillage seeds as well as fertilisers and chemicals for tillage and grassland. Not to mention expert agronomy and nutrition advice.

Since its genesis in 1978, the professional and highly knowledgeable team at CR Wynne has invariably put the farmer, their animals and their crops first and this is why they benefit from a large volume of repeat business from farmers involved in all sectors, be it beef, dairy,

One of the real beauties of the Charles R Wynne business model is that they offer a complete cycle of products and services, providing tillage farmers with seeds and fertilisers to grow their crops, which can then be used as ingredients for their bespoke toasted, flaked feeds. All rations are scientifically formulated to maximise growth rate through palatability and high intake. The toasting and flaking process of cereals and proteins leads to increased daily live weight gain in beef cattle and sheep and higher milk yields in dairy cows.

Typically, cereals (barley, wheat, maize, oats, beans and peas) are supplied to CR Wynne by tillage farmers from within a 30-40-mile radius of the company’s well-appointed facilities in South Kildare and Carlow and the feeds are sold to dairy and beef farmers from an extended geographic belt predominantly outside this catchment.

“The cereal is sourced locally, while the feed is mostly delivered across the midlands and up into the West of Ireland,” notes Larry. “We produce a full range of feeds for livestock farmers. Our biggest market would be beef but we also do a

lot of feeds for calves, dairy, sheep and a proportion for horses as well.

“We are in a large hinterland for cereal production, with both plants surrounded by rich tillage land. We supply the tillage farmers who grow the cereal with seed and fertiliser and we also have two agronomists working for us, who can provide them with invaluable advice.”

These experienced agronomists are IASIS qualified and participate in a programme of Continuous Professional Education. CR Wynne can provide a comprehensive crop walking and technical service for cereals, grass, OSR, peas, beans, maize, beet, etc. and all crop recommendations comply with cross compliance legislation and best use guidelines.

“We produce a full range of feeds for livestock farmers”

When producing coarse rations for retail, grain of the highest quality is of paramount importance. Only locally sourced, high bushel-weight grain is purchased for use in the manufacturing facility, for re-trading to other manufacturers in the industry or for the supply of whole grains to pig facilities. As well as being of the highest quality, all grain is produced by farmers who are IGAS approved. Charles R Wynne pride themselves on quality manufacturing of animal feeds for the ruminant sector. This is typified by continual investment in their modern toasting and flaking facility, where all

their locally-purchased cereals are processed.

“We have a niche product with regards to the feed we sell and customers are very happy with this, resulting in a lot of repeat business,” Larry continues. “In the cooking plant, the cereals are cooked at a very high pressure, which alters the starch molecule in the grain and makes it easier for the animal to access the starch, which means you have a higher-performance feed.”

Charles R Wynne Ltd. embrace modern technology across all their processes and are fully-certified and compliant with

all industry standards of quality and sustainability. “We are fully ISO and UFAS accredited and all our cereal growers are members of the Irish Grain Assurance Scheme,” Larry confirms. “We’re constantly looking for ways to improve and upgrade the plants, to make our practices more efficient and to continue processing a very high-performance feed.”

At present, full-time employment is generated for an exceptional team of 38, whose contribution to the continued success of the business is immeasurable.

This includes six Technical Specialists

Charles R Wynne Ltd. is headquartered in Moone, Co Kildare with a second branch in Tullow, Co Carlow

All cereal is sourced locally, while the feed is mainly delivered across the Midlands and up into the West of Ireland

Prize winning animal feed

providing support to farmers, twelve in the office and the remainder working in the manufacturing process in Belan. Tullow, meanwhile, accommodates all grain intake and storage.

“We supply farmers with all the raw materials they need to grow their cereals, including tillage seeds, fertiliser, chemicals, grass seed and herbicides,” Larry adds. “As it’s in our interest that they produce quality grains, we make sure to give them the best products and advice available.”

Twenty-twenty-two was Charles R Wynne’s 45th year in business and it was an interesting, challenging but ultimately successful and rewarding one.

“We had particularly low rainfall in this region,” Larry comments. “It was a year

which started out with the unfortunate War in the Ukraine leading to record prices being paid for Raw Materials and Inputs. Then to compound the problem later in the year we encountered a prolonged drought across much of our supply area. The grassland here was mostly burned up for a long period of 5-6 weeks and stock had to be supplemented with forage and/or meal. It took a good while for growth rates to recover and it’s obviously late in the year, which means growth rates won’t recover so animals will most likely have to be supplemented all the way through now.

Synonymous with producing nutritionally-superior feeds

CR Wynne manufacture high-energy rations with a high cereal inclusion

“The drought hadn’t as big an effect on cereals because they had already laid a good foundation in the Spring so we had an exceptional year this year both from a yield perspective and the conditions in which farmers could harvest their crops

in a timely and efficient manner. Winter Wheat did very well and so also did spring barley and Oilseed Rape. Winter barley started poor but improved as the harvest went on. All in all, there was plenty of high-quality native grain, which

we always welcome. Considering the unprecedented prices for inputs we had to become accustomed to in the Spring, it was relief all round that both yields and prices returned a decent margin for cereal growers”

We are a leading supplier of molasses and liquid products for animal feed mills and livestock farmers. We specialise in the sourcing, shipping, storage and distribution of molasses, molasses blends and liquid products. Innovation, efficient logistics, quality control and service, makes ED&F Man Liquid Products the number one choice for the bulk supply of molasses blends and related liquid products to feed manufacturers and farmers.

10 Lower Main Street, Kilcullen, Co. Kildare R56 PC91

Telephone: +353 (0) 45 481070

Excellence in agri contracting for half a century

Based outside of Rathmore, Co Kerry, Pat Cronin & Sons is an agricultural contracting firm which has generations of experience under its belt. Irish Tractor Agri & Plant recently caught up with Paudie Cronin to hear more about the state of business at the moment for the family-run company, its machinery and overall hopes heading into another year.

Business is good these days at Pat Cronin & Sons and the plan for the Cronin clan down in Gattabawn, Gneeveguilla, Rathmore, Co Kerry is to try and keep things that way.

Operating more than five decades now,

the family business provides a wide range of services to its customers which has seen it becoming a one-stop shop for all of their agri and plant needs down through the years.

Indeed, Pat Cronin & Sons is a tried and trusted name around the Kingdom, with

Pat Cronin himself heading up the company alongside his wife Kathleen, who looks after the books, while their sons Paudie, Shane, Alan, Kieran and Conor also help to backbone the family venture.

Irish Tractor Agri & Plant touched base

A one-stop-shop for all your agri and plant needs

Pat Cronin & Sons is based outside of Rathmore, Co Kerry

The tractor count in the yard in Gattabawn stands at 17

with Paudie to learn more about the ins and outs of the business, its excellent machinery fleet as well as its plans going forward.

“Business here has been very good the last year or two,” said Paudie.

“We are busy at the minute. We’re constantly pricing construction jobs and are very focused on that side of things. The agricultural side has been fairly steady in recent years.”

He added: “When it comes to numbers we have working here, it goes well up to 30 or 40 during the summer but this time of year (autumn) it’s usually around 15 to 20.

“It depends on how much construction work we have on at the time. It varies a good bit.”

While agricultural contracting has been at the forefront of the services that Pat Cronin & Sons carry out for its customers, groundwork and plant hire are also

part of its repertoire, with mulching also a popular service.

As well as this, the Cronins specialise in forestry work and have been contracted by Coillte since the late 1990s.

The company is also contracted by numerous construction and forestry companies, supplying excavators, bulldozers and dumpers of all sizes to housing estates, roads, reforestation sites and others, which is another way it manages to keep busy all year round.

At the moment, the tractor count in the yard in Gattabawn stands at 17 and the fleet itself is a mix of Claas, John Deere, New Holland, Case and Massey Ferguson.

2022 saw two new Massey Fergusons (a 180 and a 160) added to the fleet at Pat Cronin & Sons, along with a new 870 harvester.

Paudie outlined that 2023 may see a few more additions with regards to machin-

ery, but nothing is set in stone just yet.

“It’s hard to know at the moment if we’ll add. We’ll maybe get a new baler,” he stated.

“At the moment, we have two Fusion 3s and a Fusion 1, so we might go for a new baler. I’m just not sure yet on that and it just depends on what jobs come up.

“We bought several GPS systems this year for our excavators and the dozer, they are becoming a big selling point when it comes to getting new work. We also bought some new tree shears recently, it’s always last minute when it comes to buying new stuff.”

The machinery that Pat Cronin & Sons purchases generally comes from tried and trusted suppliers, while most of the maintenance work they carry out themselves.

With customers in Kerry and Cork, the company covers a 50-mile radius from

An agricultural contracting firm which has generations of experience under its belt

Operating with an excellent machinery fleet

Rathmore and has built up an excellent reputation for its work down through the decades.

So, the burning question is, what has been the secret behind Pat Cronin & Sons’ continued success over the years. For Paudie, much of it comes down to the fact that they back up their word with work which is second to none time and time again.

“I’d say it’s our work ethic here,” he said when asked why customers choose the company first ahead of other competitors.

“We get in and get the work done quickly and properly. We get in, get out and get it done. There’s no messing and that’s a lot of it I’d say – the ability to get it done quickly and right for them.”

Along with the aforementioned services provided, the Cronins are also farming around 60 acres where they rear dry stock, which is just another way they keep busy year-round.

This time of the year, there is a particular focus put on forestry work as Paudie explained.

“It’s a big part of our business and it’s great work for the winter in bad weather. It keeps us going through bad phases of weather,” he said.

“It’s off-season work and, in recent times, it has been tough with licensing and that but it’s good work to have at the same time and helps keep us busy this time of year.”

He continued: “A lot of the forestry work would be from late September on, which

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is handy for us, I suppose. It keeps us ticking over.

“We’re doing it since 1988 and we’re probably with Coillte since 1998 and had been with private forestry companies before that.”

Looking towards the months ahead for this family-run firm, Paudie is hoping that they can continue to come through the challenging times brought on by continually rising costs.

As well as that, Pat Cronin & Sons are looking at expanding one area of the business in particular going forward.

“We just want to continue doing what we’re doing,” he stated.

“We’re looking to go into the civils side of the business a bit more now and develop that side of things.

“It’s hard to keep up with it now the way fuel is going and everything. The costs are gone astronomical now between fuel and machinery and it’s just trying to stay on top of that.

“We just want to keep going though and continue to provide our customers with a good service.

“We would like to take this opportunity to thank all our seasonal and full-time staff members and all the suppliers for their continued support.”

Pat Cronin & Sons Gattabawn, Gneeveguilla, Rathmore, Co Kerry

Supplying excavators, bulldozers and dumpers of all sizes

NEW KOMATSU 10STRONG TIMBER GRAPPLES RANGE LAUNCHED

With the launch of their newly-designed timber grapples range, Komatsu aims to bring ‘enhanced productivity’ to the timber felling and transportation process.

Compatible with most common makes of forwarders, most types of truck cranes and other timber handling vehicles, the new grapples are set for market arrival in Ireland early next year.

The ten-strong range is divided into standard, bioenergy (brushwood) and heavy-duty applications. Six sizeclasses range from the G82 (which holds 0.26 m2) to the G87H (which holds a full 0.50 m2).

Design-wise, their larger opening offers better wood pile penetration, making it easier for logs to roll into the grapple, thereby saving precious time. Other refinements deliver improvements when it comes to gathering and straightening the timber, ensuring a more productive grapple which, in turn, helps increase profitability for contractors.

Other more durable design

LIGHT UP THE NIGHT RETURNS FOR 2022

After two years of a Covid 19 forced break, Light up the Night is delighted to be back on the road, lighting up the highways and byways of North Kilkenny and beyond on New Year’s Eve.

Since its inception in 2016 Light up the Night North Kilkenny truck and tractor run has grown year on year with a total of 335 tractors and 180 trucks participating in its last event.

The event was set up as a raise the issue of suicide awareness and provide support for those suffering. As a byproduct of the awareness raiser, donations started coming in from participants, spectators, businesses and members of the general public. From those donations the Group are proud to say that to date they have donated in excess of €60,000

enhancements – one being a guard to protect the piston rod from knocks from below – include new design features that deliver longer service with pin and cone designs upgraded to lessen the risk of play.

On heavy-duty models, grapple claws are made from high-strength, wearresistant steel to ensure grapples deliver even greater durability in demanding forest environments. Robust and durable features from

previous models are also retained, as is the fast- opening function for unloading the timber.

According to Komatsu forest machinery distributor in Ireland, McHale Plant Sales: “With their new log grab system, Komatsu has ensured that contractors can employ an even more efficient unit for lifting cut lengths of timber for transport to the forest fringe”.

to worthy groups and organisations dealing with people’s mental health issues in their areas.

For 2022 they are delighted to announce that their tractor parking will take place similar to previous years at Holland’s yard, The Square Ballyragget and the truck parking in a new venue at Cillin Hill, Dublin Road, Kilkenny. The organisers offer their sincere thanks to all involved in offering their venues for this event.

All trucks and tractors are welcome to attend, from ones in their working clothes to ones in Their Sunday best. Refreshments will be served on the day.

To top it off the organisers are holding a cabaret at Fitzpatrick’s bar the square Ballyragget on New Year’s Eve.

Colin’s focus is on healthy, highperformance pigs

Running a fully-integrated farrow-to-finish pig farm at Lombardstown, County Cork in partnership with his father Owen, Colin Twomey doubles up as Account Manager Swine for Swinco International with responsibility for the Irish market. We interrupted his busy schedule to discuss pig nutrition, welfare and performance.

Having worked with pigs all his life, Colin Twomey understands all too well the vital role nutrition plays in producing happy, high-performing animals. In his capacity as Netherlands-headquartered swine

nutrition specialist Swinco’s man on the ground in Ireland, the Cork man is well placed to share his knowledge and expertise with his fellow pig farmers nationwide.

The fact that Colin has years of practical experience working as a pig farmer

means he has an innate understanding of the challenges facing his fellow pig farmers and how to develop the feeding programme that best suits each individual requirement to achieve optimal results.

“We’re pig farming here at home ourselves,” he confirms. “We’re based in Lombardstown, just outside Mallow, where myself and my father, Owen, have a 200-sow, farrow-to-finish integrated unit. The pigs are born here and finished here; we do everything in-house ourselves.

“Having worked in a few pig units before setting up on his own, my father started out initially in the early ‘90s doing

Automated and auto-mixing systems that ensure a complete supply of fresh milk to piglets

contract finishing, buying weaners from four or five locations and bringing them up to sale weight. He did that for around ten years and then around 2000/01 it became more difficult to buy in weaners for biosecurity reasons. Foot & Mouth was a big issue at the time.

“As a result, he decided to start up his own sow unit, starting off with around 100-120 sows and building it up gradually from there. Today, we run that business as a partnership.

“I’m 28 now and was always interested in pigs growing up. I studied Animal and Crop Production in UCD and graduated in 2017. For three years I worked with Kerry Group, which was a good experience, but I was always interested in working with pigs full-time.

“It was towards the end of 2019 that I started to work with Swinco and I now divide my time equally between Swinco and pig farming at home.”

In the early days, the Twomeys supplied their finished pigs to the former Galtee Meats plant in Mitchelstown, County Cork, but they have been supplying Dawn Pork and Bacon in Waterford since the mid-‘noughties. Rather than home milling, Owen and Colin use compound feed, buying in from Brett Brothers in Kilkenny and Southern Milling in Cork, with whom they have worked for

Cup for the big litter concept which can support up to 20 piglets with a sow

Colin Twomey in the piggery

a number of years and from whom they receive great support. ‘When you are relatively small like us, these relationships are so important’ Colin notes.

They work with Swinco to optimise all aspects of nutrition, welfare, growth and performance.

As Account Manager Swine for Swinco International with responsibility for the Irish market, Colin oversees all aspects for Swinco’s growing customer base in Ireland, covering nutrition, advice and installations. All of Swinco’s consultants are solid professionals who are well-versed in nutrition. This allows Swinco to provide customised feed programs which are specially tailored to each individual business, maximising returns.

As a global specialist in the management of farrowing pens and feed for piglets and sows, Swinco support feed manufacturers, integrations and pig farmers to optimise their activities in pig farming. This is achieved through their independent, thorough knowledge of nutrition combined with a wealth of practical experience.

Swinco work closely with a Dutch compound feed and mineral premix manufacturer to develop industry-leading expertise and products. This enables them to develop the most innovative product lines and research facilities.

Through their Opticare milk programme, Swinco supplies a complete package of liquid milk through to solid pre-starter products. The Opticare range consists of unique feeds, specially made for piglets to ease the transition from sow’s milk to other raw materials (‘gradual weaning’. The ultimate goal is a piglet that is viable in the farrowing pen, is easily weaned, and has a high feed intake after weaning.

Opticare products are precisely co-ordinated and gradually prepare the piglet for weaning. It is important for piglets to become familiar with nutritional resources other than sow’s milk. A high feed intake helps piglets to digest and benefit from vegetable protein and starch. In addition to high growth, this helps to ensure an extremely healthy intestinal tract with optimally developed villi. The end result: more growth (both before and after weaning), less stress, less susceptibility to oedema disease (E. coli), streptococcus and ear necrosis syndrome.

“Swinco was formed in 2009 when a nutritionist from Holland and a nutritionist from England, who were working independently, came together to form a new company,” Colin notes. “They have

grown the business from small beginnings to what it is today – an international company with 25 direct employees. Last year they were taken over by De Heus Animal Nutrition – the third-largest feed mill in Holland.”

As a company that specialises in nutrition, Swinco can look after anything related to the nutritional needs of pigs. There are three main aspects to the business.

Firstly, they are experts in farrowing pen nutrition, with a number of products and feeding programmes for young piglets for the first four weeks after they

Colin Twomey runs a fully-integrated farrow-tofinish pig farm in partnership with his father Owen

The factory in Veghal, Holland

We provide a complete nutrition solution covering the entire lifetime of the pig

“

are born. These include automated and auto-mixing systems that ensure a complete supply of fresh milk to piglets as the need it.

Secondly, in conjunction with both in house and trusted third parties, Swinco develops premixes and, thirdly, they also produce a range of specialty products such as fish oils, fermented rape seed or soya.

“One of their taglines is that they do ‘nutrition with boots on’,” Colin continues. “We do like to be there on the ground for our customers. We like to walk through their farm and get a

feel for what’s happening and what they need to suit their specific requirements.”

To this end, Colin covers all of the Republic of Ireland and splits Northern Ireland 50/50 with UK colleagues. Typically, he is on the road visiting pig farms two days a week but this can easily go out to five as he is on call as and when commercial pig farmers need him.

“We provide a complete nutrition solution covering the entire lifetime of the pig,” the Cork man continues. “Once you get the pig set up properly when it is a young animal, that’s how you get the

best payback at the finishing stage. All the milk systems are made in Holland and I carry stock of everything here for the Irish market.

“They are pre-assembled when they come over and designed for ease of installation and ease of use. They are user-friendly and easy to set up and maintain. As there is nothing majorly complicated about them, the farmer can set them up quite easily.”

It’s important to avoid an abrupt transition from sow’s milk to dry feed. “We’d recommend milk powder replacer for the first few weeks and then meal or pellet,

Farming at Lombardstown, County Cork

which is solid feed.

“While milk is important when the piglet comes away from the sow, you have to feed it that pellet so that it can develop properly. It needs to be trained in the farrowing pen to be able to perform after weaning.” Learn to eat, learn to digest.

“Swinco are also looking at an automatic cup system for the farrowing pen which would be able to feed liquid creep through cups as well and would eliminate the additional labour of manually mixing feeds,” Colin concludes. “All Swinco systems are developed to make life easier for pig farmers. That’s why we use them at home on our own farm and why more and more Irish pig farmers are opting to go down the same road.”

COLIN TWOMEY Account Manager Swine, Swinco International Lombardstown, Mallow, County Cork.

THE NEW 5ML TRACTOR SERIES FROM JOHN DEERE

With the new 5ML Series, which includes the flagship 5130ML, John Deere introduces its most intelligent and powerful narrow tractors for use in high-value crops to date. The 5ML tractors can be equipped with a comprehensive John Deere technology package for precision farming and deliver a maximum output of 134 hp.

To make working with specialty crops easier, the 5ML offers a comprehensive John Deere technology package for precision farming. A unique feature is the integrated AutoTracTM guidance system. The AutoTracTM display has been integrated directly into the tractor’s dashboard, eliminating the need for an additional activation or display. Above all, this saves additional costs. With its equipment, the 5ML makes it possible to combine different work steps. The integrated guidance system enables the driver to deliver a high quality of work even on long days. He can fully concentrate on the implements as the tractor itself stays on track.

Due to political measures, farmers have to document their work processes in increasing detail, which means additional effort. With the optionally available Gen 4 display on the 5ML, every step of the tractor’s work can be easily documented and securely transferred to the John Deere Operations Centre, which is available free of charge. Here, all operations can be monitored, planned and analysed, enabling the farmer to make informed agronomic decisions. With 1ClickGo AutoSetup from John Deere, settings for the documentation and execution of the work steps, such as an application rate for a crop protection measure, can be set up via the Operations Center. As soon as the tractor enters the respective field, the defined job appears on the display. All the driver has to do is confirm and start working. 1ClickGo AutoSetup thus saves set-up time and ensures error-free documentation.

Via the John Deere Operations Center, the 5ML can be connected to software applications from partner companies that enable site-specific farming specifically for high-value crops. This allows the targeted use of inputs, which reduces production costs. The 5ML is a pioneer in precision farming for high-value crops. Furthermore, John Deere’s Connected Support can maximise the uptime of the 5ML. With the customer ’s explicit consent, machine data is analysed remotely while the 5ML is in operation. If an irregularity is detected, the local John Deere dealer is automatically informed. They then notify the customer of the impending malfunction before the machine’s performance is affected.

The John Deere PowerTech Plus engine in the new 5130 ML is a 4.5-litre four-cylinder with a solid torque rise of 30% and a maximum output of 134 hp. The mechanical PowerQuad Plus transmission has four of the optionally available Powr8 transmission eight power shiftable gears. When range shifting the matching powershift gear is automatically selected. This and the no-clutch range shifting with the de-clutch button makes the tractor stand out in terms of comfort.

The 5ML not only impresses with its engine power, but also with its hydraulic output of 117 l/min. This allows implements with high hydraulic power requirements to be connected directly to the tractor hydraulics without the need for an externally PTO-driven hydraulic pump. Furthermore, a combination of different applications is possible. Time can be saved by, for example, pruning trees and tilling the soil at the same time. In addition, the tractor is ready for use with front loaders. A special feature is the outstanding lift capacity of the 5ML, which totals 4900 kg at the ball ends of the rear hydraulics. At the front hydraulics it is 2900 kg, with a payload of 3500 kg. Combining a high payload with maximum lifting capacity enables the attachment of large implements, which increases the effectiveness and productivity. Furthermore, the 5ML stands out in terms of its rugged design. Fenders, fuel tank and rear taillight enclosure, as well as the door seals, are made of steel and are therefore particularly robust. Smooth edges in the design ensure that crops are not damaged when driving through narrow stands.

The 5ML’s cab is equipped with an electronic joystick and a large LCD display in the dashboard. This provides an excellent overview of the tractor settings and increases operator comfort. The electronic joystick makes it easy and convenient to control implements. With the iTec headland management function, the driver is noticeably relieved by the automation of the work processes when turning at the headland. The category 4 cab filter system (according to EN 15695) integrated into the roof of the driver’s cab is available as an option and provides protection against dust, aerosols and vapours that are hazardous to health.

NOW RECRUITING: SALES REPRESENTATIVE IRELAND

JB Tyres are proud to announce that we are now the distributor for CEAT Agriculture Tyres in Ireland.

JB Tyres are proud to announce that we are now the distributor for CEAT Agriculture Tyres in Ireland.

Recruiting for the role of CEAT sales representative for Ireland.

Must have knowledge of agri tyres and previous sales experience.

Contact JB Tyres - +44 28 7964 4128 or jb@jbtyres.co.uk

We are building a nationwide dealer network and would welcome applications from interested parties to become part of the CEAT team.

We are building a nationwide dealer network and would welcome applications from interested parties to become part of the CEAT team.