As well as being full-time dairy, maize and silage farmers, the Livingstones in County Armagh also provide a superb agricultural contracting service (as WA Livingstone & Sons). We met up with Stanley Livingstone to get an insight into this exceptional third-generation family enterprise.
Like his father Wesley and brother Randal, Stanley Livingstone has had a great passion for farming and machinery all his life. Considering their enthusiasm for all things farm-related, it’s little wonder that the trio have together overseen a successful farming and contracting operation in Armagh for more than three decades.
Wesley, Randal and Stanley have been partners in WA Livingstone & Sons Agri Contractors since Day One. “We started doing the contracting in ’81,” the latter notes. “We started in dairy production that year and bought a harvester to cut our own silage. The odd neighbour used to ask us to cut silage for them and that’s how the contracting started. As we are full-time farmers as well, the contracting is confined to grass silage, maize silage, slurry and a bit of tillage.”
At 85 years old, Wesley is still very much a part of the business. “He keeps a keen interest in it and remained very active up until four years ago,” says Stanley. “He had grown and cut barley as well as doing cattle haulage for most of his life before we started into the dairy farming and contracting in 1981.”
Between two sites – the original family farm and Randal’s home place – the Livingstones milk 500 cows. “We also grow maize under plastic and were the first in Northern Ireland to start doing that, 17 years ago,” Stanley notes. “My father introduced that through John Foley in Wexford, who asked us to plant some maize under film, and it grew from there. We are still agents for Maizetech in Northern Ireland and we also plant some maize for customers.”
They also have two poultry houses on each farm, rearing chickens for Moy Park.
For the last three years, WA Livingstone & Sons have organised an annual Christmas Tractor Run, which has raised vital funds for worthy charities.The third staging of this event took place on Saturday, December 27th, 2014 and all proceeds went to the Southern Area Hospice (Newry) and Northern Ireland Children’s Hospice. This event continues to grow in popularity with each passing year and the 2014 staging was a resounding success.
“We do the run in memory of our mother, Marina, who was the driving force behind the business alongside our Dad,” Stanley reveals. “For the first two years, we held it on our own farm but it became too big for that and started and finished at Armagh Business Park last year, travelling via Killyea and Caledon.”
Over £60,000 has been raised so far. In 2012, the run generated £19,182 and this figure rose to £22,526 the following year, with an additional £20,300 raised last December. “We stage the tractor run on the last Saturday of the year and our intention is to carry on with it,” Stanley confirms. “It’s a good community event and it’s well supported by farmers and contractors from around the county.”
Complementing a deep passion for farming and decades of experience / expertise, a stunning fleet of machinery is at the heart of the business, including seven tractors (six of which are John Deeres), Big M mowers and a John Deere 7950 self-propelled harvester. “We have built up the fleet over many years and it’s an ongoing investment, with a lot of work going on behind the scenes. This is a very difficult business to make a profit in and you have to keep your wits about you. There is no room in any business for foolishness and you have to try to put as much as possible back into it. That’s what our father did and that’s one of the main things he taught us – to keep investing in the business.”
The farming and contracting aspects of the business work hand in hand. “The biggest customer to the contracting business would be ourselves,” Stanley points out, “After that, whatever time is left, we work for others. We have built up a good number of long-standing customers down through the years.”
It’s a family operation first and foremost and the third generation is chomping at the bit, keen to get involved. “Going back to when I was younger, as well as Randal and myself, there were three other brothers all working here as young fellas,” Stanley recalls. “Each of them went on to do their own thing while we stayed at home.
“It’s a close-knit family business with a lot of family and friends involved. At the moment, I have two sons studying in Greenmount – Alexander (19) is doing Level III and Andrew (17) is doing Level II. My daughter, Kelly, works in Dale Farm in Ballymena.” Randal’s son Jack is only ten but it seems highly likely that he too will show a keen passion for farming!
Not men to blow their own trumpets, the Livingstones are modest, unassuming farmers who keep their heads down and work hard to keep the show on the road. “My father started working this farm when he was 14 and he kept it going through a lot of hard times,” Stanley concludes. “We’ll carry on until we’re carried off.”
WA Livingstone & Sons,
14 Wilsontown Road,
Armagh.
BT60 4QF.
Tel: 028 3754 8644
Taken from Irish Tractor & Agri magazine Vol 3 No 6, July 2015
