Located in the agricultural heartland of North County Dublin, John Thorne & Sons is a mixed farming enterprise that specialises in parsnip and potato production. We popped into the family business’s well-appointed Hedgestown, Lusk HQ to find out more about this exceptional operation.
At the tender ages (by farming standards) of 39 and 30 respectively, John Thorne Jnr. and his brother Matt are widely recognised amongst the country’s leading parsnip growers. They also produce potatoes and cereals and oversee a superb suckler beef enterprise. Overall, it’s a huge undertaking by any standards!
It takes a massive amount of work and commitment to keep all aspects of the business firing on full cylinders, but farming is very much in the blood and the affable Dub wouldn’t have it any other way…
“My father – John Thorne Snr., who is semi-retired now, started farming 50 years ago. He left school when he was 15 and has been farming ever since. He farmed with his father and brothers but then went out on his own when myself and my brother Matt were old enough to join him,” reflects John Jnr. Thus was born John Thorne & Sons, which has evolved into one of the island’s premier parsnip producers … and a lot more besides!
“Traditionally, we did a wide spread of vegetables but in the last ten years we have specialised in parsnips and potatoes. We also grow cereals for rotation purposes. Ten years ago, we bought a suckler herd and we have 80 beef cattle here at the moment.”
The Thornes own 130 acres and – including conacre – farm 650 acres in total, all within a 20-mile radius of their yard in Lusk. Down through the years, they have forged a stellar reputation for growing excellent quality parsnips and this has seen John Thorne & Sons evolve into one of the largest parsnip producers in the country.
“We grow 160 acres of parsnips and that keeps us very busy during the winter,” John continues. “We do around 80 acres of potatoes now. We used to do a lot more but the demand just isn’t there anymore so we cut back.”
Parsnips are predominantly distributed to Super Valu and Musgraves via Total Produce and into other multiples through Meade Potato Company.
“We wash and bag the potatoes ourselves and these are sold to wholesalers around the country and into the Dublin markets,” John Jnr notes.
The family business – which is fronted by John Snr and his wife Mary alongside Matt, John Jnr. and his wife Orla – is a vital source of revenue in the local community, providing gainful employment to a team of 15 for most of the year, which can go up to 20-25 during peak times, especially during the month of December when demand for parsnips is at its highest.
Some 350 acres of cereal is grown, roughly half and half between wheat and barley, depending on rotation at any given time. Customers include Whites Agri and Quinns in Baltinglass. “We wean and sell the bullocks in Ardee Mart and we fatten the heifers ourselves over the winter using our own waste vegetables,” says John.
All in all, it’s a very impressive and co-ordinated operation – but this of course counts for nothing unless a profit is being made. “Margins are tight but we’re doing okay at the minute. We’re managing to pay our bills and keep the machinery up to date and we’re keeping our heads above water.”
Speaking of machinery, the fleet comprises seven tractors – three New Hollands, three Massey Fergusons and one John Deere. Proximity to main New Holland dealer Armstrong Machinery Ltd. works very much in John Thorne & Sons favour. “We bought two new tractors this year, a new teleporter in 2014 and a new tractor in 2013.
“We also purchased a self-propelled parsnip harvester from Jones Engineering in England last year, which can do four rows at a time. With that machine, we can harvest in one-fifth of the time and at a much lower cost.” The Thornes also operate a self-propelled Grimme harvester (they were growing 200 acres of potatoes at one stage), a John Deere combine for cutting corn, andas couple of delivery lorries.
To what extent is the potential for growing the business restricted by the unavailability of additional land in the immediate vicinity? “Land is hard to get and good land is even harder to get,” John confirms. “And you need very good land. Having said that, there’s no point growing more crops if you don’t have the market. And parsnips are far too expensive a crop to be growing without demand. It all depends on demand. With the machinery I have here now, I can fill any order; if you need an extra six tonnes of parsnips, you could pick them in an hour.
“But it’s not easy to expand your market. There is severe competition in the market, especially from imports and between the multiples. Realistically, you can only actively increase your market share by dropping your prices and taking somebody else’s and that is bad practice for everybody. We’re certainly not going to go down that road.”
Looking to the future, John’s goal is to continue working hard and providing a high-quality product. “We’ll keep going, keep the heads down and maybe expand a little bit,” he concludes. “But we are doing nearly as much as we can at the minute and we’d be more than happy just to consolidate. I’ve a son, who’s twelve, and we’ll see if maybe there’s a future for him in it – if that’s what he wants.
“I’m 39 myself and there aren’t too many 39-year-olds out there growing vegetables. Young men don’t seem to be going into farming. Back in the day, my father would have grown everything – celery, cabbage, cauliflower, leaks, you name it… – but the trend now is to specialise in one area and that’s where the future is.
“We place a huge emphasis on quality. We have a good agronomist here, Johnny Hogan, who was actually my teacher when I did my Green Cert in Warrenstown Agricultural College. We use the best inputs and the parsnips are monitored closely and looked after by Matt all summer to ensure they are good to go for the winter time. We harvest them properly, making sure there is no damage and we use the most up-to-date washing systems.
Quality doesn’t just happen by chance – to get the best quality produce, you have to keep your eye on the ball all the time.”
John Thorne & Sons
Hedgestown
Lusk
Co. Dublin
Taken from Irish Tractor & Agri magazine Vol 3 No 8, September 2015
