In this month’s edition of Irish Tractor & Agri magazine we speak to The Association of Farm Contractors in Ireland’s Limerick/Kerry area representative Mike O’Donoghue about the vital work going on behind the scenes in an effort to improve the lot of all farm contractors throughout the country.
For 38 years Mike O’Donoghue successfully combined teaching science and maths in Colaiste Chiaran, Croom with running a successful agricultural contracting business.
Now retired from his full-time profession, contracting is his primary focus and, as the Limerick/Kerry area representative for The Association of Farm Contractors in Ireland, he has adopted a hands-on approach to the campaign to secure greater recognition for contractors in Ireland.
“I started contracting in 1976,” Mike recalled when speaking to Irish Tractor & Agri. “I bought a tractor and baler and baled hay and straw for six to seven years. In 1982 I branched out to silage and I have been at it ever since.
“I’m a farmer’s son and I’ve been farming all my life on the home farm. When I was teaching, there was always a busy fortnight in May and a fortnight in September.
“My two sons, Michael and Gerard, are now involved with me. I’m 65 years of age and farming is a young man’s game but I’ve a few years left in me yet!”
Mike has been actively involved in the FCI for the past three years and their main aim as an organisation is to provide a fair playing field for contractors North and South of the border.
They lobby government bodies at local, national and EU level on their members behalf and are open to all contractors, both large and small.
They want the small contractor to be as much involved in the organisation as the big contractor and that is something that struck a chord with Mike.
“The small contractor used not to get a look in with the big contractors but the FCI gives equality to small and big contractors alike.”
The FCI is owned and run by its members for its members and they help educate and advise all our member contractors.
The FCI aims to make local branches as active as possible and to facilitate group discussion and possible group action on issues that affect their businesses.
So what, in Mike’s opinion, are the key areas of concern for the 25 members he represents and all other agricultural contractors in Ireland today?
“The price of diesel and the carbon tax rebate. Finance has also been hard to get ever since the crash but there are signs of improvement. Every contractor is in trouble in that regard because machinery is getting older and it’s expensive to purchase new and maintain existing machinery.
“A pet hate of mine is the lack of government recognition for agricultural contractors. We are a vital cog in the agricultural machine yet we are not fully recognised at the minute. Contractors carry out 60 to 70% of the work on farms at the minute and are not given the recognition we deserve.
“A lot of that is our own fault. Traditionally, we’ve been slow to come out and say what we’re about and we’re our own worst enemy in the regard. Contractors need to start treating their business as a business.
“In that respect I’d like to pay tribute to Michael Moroney of The Irish Farmers Journal who regularly promotes the activities of the association.
Mike added: “Price is a big thing too. There’s too much variation out there. Contractors should set their prices at the start of year and stick to them.”
As regards his own business, Mike, Michael and Gerard specialise predominantly in silage.
“We also do slurry and muck spreading, reseeding, tillage work. hedge cutting, spraying and fertiliser spreading and we have a tractor and dumper for hire.”
With five John Deere, two New Holland tractors and associated modern machinery, Mike and his sons pride themselves on offering a professional and reliable service.
They appreciate the fact that their customers have very demanding work schedules and that working with weather cycles can be difficult.
Therefore, when you call Mike he gets to work immediately to deliver on time.
“We’re a family-run business and we always go out of our way to provide a first class service. If we say we’ll be there on Monday we’ll be there. We never mess about and we have practically the same customer base for the last 20 years which tells its own story. All of our clients are happy with the service they get.”
Mike O’Donoghue
FCI Area Representative Limerick/Kerry
Tel: 086 8784959
Email: [email protected]
Taken from Irish Tractor & Agri magazine Vol 3 No 6, July 2015
