The McCarthy family has been synonymous with farming in east Cork for the past three generations. Their exceptional family business, M&J Contracting Ltd., provides a varied and value-for-money range of contracting services, utilising a stunning fleet of machinery. We met up with Shane McCarthy to find out more.
M&J Contracting Ltd. celebrates its 21st birthday this year. The business was set up in 1994 on the edge of Cloyne village, to the south east of Midleton, and is fronted by Shane McCarthy and his parents Muriel and John (hence the ‘M’ and ‘J’). Reflecting on the inception of the business, Shane notes: “My grandfather John was a small scale farmer and he also did a small bit of contracting but it was my father John who really pushed it and got the business up and running. He started the existing business up, really, It was John A McCarthy & Sons up until ’94, when M&J Contracting was established.”
The McCarthys still do a small bit of farming on 100 acres of rented land, but outside of that, it’s all contracting work. They cover a catchment area that stretches within a 25-mile radius of Cloyne approximately, from Cork city to the other side of Youghal. The range of services provided is pretty much all-inclusive.
“It’s a mixed area down here so we offer a full range of services,” says Shane. “Silage probably accounts for about 50% of the work and we also do ploughing, sowing, rolling and harvesting. We sow and harvest corn, maize, oil seed rape and beet and we also spread dung and do big square bales as well as a good bit of lime spreading.”
At the heart of the business is a fantastic fleet of tractors and machinery. M& J Contracting operates seven tractors – all Massey Fergusons – as well as two ploughs, a six-row maize seeder, a four-row plastic maize seeder, a Claas combine harvester, assorted mowers and rakes, a Volvo loader, six 20-foot trailers, a 13-tonne Cross rear discharge dung spreader, a beet harvester and seeder plus two lime spreaders.
All the gear is kept in superb condition at all times to ensure maximum performance levels. “We’re constantly investing,” Shane confirms. “We bought a new tractor last year and there’s always something new coming into the yard. Last week, we got a new three-metre harrow and drill. We have our own yard and garage and we spend a lot of time on maintenance and repairs during the winter. During busy season, we get the main dealers to sort things out for us.”
There’s plenty of work – especially at this time of year! “Myself and my dad are here full time all year around as well as two others,” Shane continues. “There are then five others who come in part-time for six months during the summer, from May until October.”
Customer loyalty is key and M&J Contracting has many customers on the books today who have been with them since the beginning. It’s always possible as well to pick up new customers along the way, especially by diversifying into new areas – like sowing maize under plastic, for example.
“You try to hold what you have and continue to provide a good service,” Shane notes. “At the same time, we make sure not to over-extend ourselves. We don’t overload ourselves with too much work because at the end of the day you have to go out there and do each job properly. It’s all about doing things right. No matter how long it takes, we always make sure every job is done as well as it can be done.
“It has been steady enough, thankfully, but at the same time a lot of contractors have to provide additional services if you want to keep the business moving at a reasonable rate. This is why we started sowing maize under plastic. You have to go with the flow and provide a flexible and versatile service; otherwise, you will get left behind.
“You have to be on top of your game all the time and provide a top-quality service. Our busiest period is from mid-July until the end of October, when you don’t get any break at all. From when the combines go out cutting the winter barley on July 15th until the maize is cut in October, it’s all go. You can be working from 7am through until midnight, but you have to keep going. It helps if you have a passion for the work.”
Down through the years, M&J Contracting has shown a great willingness to adapt and move with the times, adding new services all the time and evolving in line with customer requirements. Shane McCarthy says they will continue to do so: “We will continue to evolve the business,” he concludes. “As new methods or technologies come on stream, we will embrace them. Whatever it takes to guarantee your customers the best service possible…
“It’s very much a family-run business and we offer a personal touch. We are easy people to deal with. Myself and my dad oversee all the major jobs while my mother looks after accounts. I’d deal with all the customers on a day-to-day basis and I’m always here to answer any queries they might have or to deal with any requests.
“If we tell a customer that we will be there at a certain time on a particular day, then we will be there. You can’t afford to let people down in this line of business because your reputation is everything and you are only as good as the last job you did. We are mindful of this and we will keep our heads down and keep moving forward, providing a professional and reliable service at a fair price.
“We also supply a lot of straw to the mushroom industry for composting, which we purchase from farmers and then bale ourselves. This is another service we’ve added and we’ll keep our eyes open for any other new opportunities that might present themselves.
“In the meantime, we won’t forget our customers who have been loyal to us down through the years and every job we do will be treated as a priority. Once we start a job, we won’t leave until the client is 100% happy.”
M&J Contracting Ltd.,
Demesne,
Midleton,
County Cork.
Tel: 021 4652400
Taken from Irish Tractor & Agri magazine Vol 3 No 4, May 2015
