Operating from just outside Clones in Co. Monaghan, Maguire Contracts provides an unrivalled agricultural contracting service. Managing director Mark Maguire explains more.
Mark founded Maguire Contracts in 2004 to cater for the needs of farmers in the border region. Committed to providing a quality service and total client satisfaction, the business specialises primarily in silage cutting and slurry spreading, but also provides a range of other services, including baling, ploughing, reseeding, dung spreading and hedge cutting.
Mark has an array of state-of-the-art machinery to carry out your work quickly and efficiently, providing you with value-for-money and an alternative to investing in your own expensive equipment. The knowledge, skill and experience of his staff, combined with ongoing investment in new equipment, has helped to make Mark’s enterprise the success it is today. In short, he delivers the value and quality farmers expect from their agricultural contracting partner.
The decision to concentrate on silage and slurry spreading was a no-brainer for Mark given the landscape and soil type of north Co. Monaghan.
“There is hardly any tillage in this part of the country because the soil doesn’t lend itself to growing crops,” he explains.
“It’s grass country really which means silage and slurry spreading are the two biggies for us. We cut about 1,200 acres of pit silage every year and are after getting into baling as well. We’re linking up with Neville Rickey from just over the border in Newtownbutler in that regard. Neville is a well-respected name in the agri contracting sector and we have struck up an excellent working relationship with him.”
Whereas three cuts of silage per year is common in other parts of the country, most of Mark’s customers only cut the once.
Commenting on this season’s harvest, he says: “The very early cuts were light enough, but they got heavier as the summer went on. We were very busy, despite the fact that one cut of silage is the norm in this area.”
Mark runs four John Deere tractors, which are between one and nine years old. The newest is a 6210R which he purchased from Hanlon Machinery in Dundalk, Co. Louth. He also bought his 6190R and 6930 models from the same dealer. His oldest John Deere – a 6820 – was purchased from Rae Valley Tractors in England.
The Maguire fleet is an impressive sight when in full flow. Mark has two Krone MX320 silage wagons, three Krone mowers and a JCB 310S loading shovel working on the pit. Other plant / equipment includes a Krone round baler, a McHale bale wrapper, a Hi-Spec slurry spreader and umbilical pipe system, a K2 rear discharge spreader, a Kuhn power harrow, an Overum four-furrow plough and a McConnel PA500 hedge cutter.
Mark bought his Krone machinery from Irwin Brothers in Magheraveely, Co. Fermanagh, which is just a few miles from Clones. All machines are upgraded and serviced regularly to avoid breakdowns and downtime.
There is no such thing as a quiet time of the year for this agri contractor. In the early months, the focus is on slurry spreading and sowing. The silage season, which typically runs from May to September, is a particularly busy period for the Maguire team who will work around the clock to keep their customers happy. Slurry spreading and hedge cutting take centre stage at the latter end of the year.
David Humphreys works full-time with Mark. During the silage season, Mark has up to five men working for him, including his brother Brian.
Maguire Contracts boasts a large and loyal customer-base within a 30-mile radius of Clones.
“We’ve carried out work as far north as Brookeborough in Co. Fermanagh and as far south as Mullahoran in Co. Cavan. We will go wherever the work is. But we try to stay as local as possible to keep costs down. No job is too big or too small,” Mark says.
In addition to the contracting business, Mark has a suckler beef farm which he runs with the help of his partner Lorraine and their three children, Michaela (17), Rachel (14) and Colin (10).
The affable Clones man concludes by thanking his customers for their continued support.
“We started out doing contract work for a few neighbours and it grew from there. The support we’ve received from the local farming community has been fantastic. Our aim at all times is to provide them with a top-class, reliable and affordable service.”
Maguire Contracts
Clonshanvo,
Clones,
Co. Monaghan.
Telephone: 086 8255151
E: [email protected]
Taken from Irish Tractor & Agri magazine Vol 3 No 9, October 2015
