Pat Kennedy runs the well-established PMR Kennedy Ltd Agri Contractors which is renowned as a name you can trust in the Carlow agricultural community. Reliable and skilled, he strives for high standards when carrying out all tasks.
Excitement is building in and around Carlow as Ballintrane, Fenagh gets ready to host the highlight of Ireland’s agricultural calendar – the 88th National Ploughing Championships from 17th to 19th of September.
An intrinsic part of Irish rural life, the Championships is now no longer just for ploughing or machinery enthusiasts, the modern event now features something for just about every member of the community. Its popularity has soared in recent times and approximately 250,000 visitors are expected to attend over the course of three days.
After announcing the venue for this year’s event, NPA Managing Director Anna May McHugh said: “We are delighted to be staging the event in Ballintrane, Fenagh, Co Carlow, as the site has all of the criteria to qualify it as an excellent place to stage next year’s ‘Ploughing’.”
It’s a site that local Pat Kennedy of PMR Kennedy Ltd Agri Contractors knows well and he told Irish Tractor & Agri: “There is great excitement down this neck of the woods. It wasn’t that far away in 2004 and ’06 either and it’s a great boost to the area.”
PMR Kennedy Ltd is a family run contracting business based in nearby Bennekerry, Co Carlow. “I was born and reared near where the Ploughing Championships is going to be held but moved to an out farm in Bennekerry thirty-five years ago.”
Pat boasts over 45 years’ experience in this line of work and, along with his son Bob and three employees, he always aims to provide an efficient, reliable and top class service to all of his customers.
They focus on the importance of meeting the individual farmers needs and preferences, keeping up with modern farming techniques.
Down through the years Pat has developed relationships with many customers, now providing a repeat service of a full range of agricultural contracting services covering a 25 mile radius from his Bennekerry base.
“We provide a general range of contracting services to our farmers – ploughing, sowing, harvesting, baling, silage cutting, silage baling and wrapping and slurry spreading. We have been very lucky to have built up a base of very loyal customers and that has helped up to keep going and continue to provide a high quality service.”
Committed to providing an unrivalled service and complete customer satisfaction, the Kennedy’s have a wide range of machinery to carry out your work quickly and efficiently, providing their customers with value-for-money and an alternative to investing in their own expensive equipment.
PRM Kennedy rus a fleet of six tractors (four John Deere, one Claas and one Valmet) and the reason their services are very much in demand is down to their knowledge, skill and expertise, as well as the quality of their associated machinery and equipment. The family business delivers the value and quality farmers expect from their agricultural contracting partner.
“Get the work done on time,” is Pat’s motto. “Weather is the biggest issue facing contractors and you find yourself working off the weather forecast a lot of the time. For example it’s giving heavy rain for today which means a quiet day for us. We got a good run at silage this year while we also do a lot of sowing maize, open and under plastic, and harvesting it.”
Pat continued: “The biggest change I’ve seen in contracting in recent years is the dairy men. They’re getting bigger and that means more opportunities for contracting work. They short labour so they just ring you up to get the work done. They’ve enough to do milking cows and that end of things. We specialise in contracting and that’s it.”
Contracting has been a specialities of Pat’s for more years then he may care to remember. “I grew up with it and it would be a bit late to change down even if I wanted to!” he quipped. “It’s a labour of love.”
Pat aims to provide the best agricultural services at competitive rates, which allows his customers to get the job done quickly and efficiently at minimum cost. Give him a call on the number below to find out more about the services he provides.
PMR Kennedy Ltd
Ardnehue,
Bennekerry,
Co. Carlow
Mobile: 087 2535564
Email: [email protected]
Taken from Irish Tractor & Agri magazine Vol 7 No 5, September/October 2019
