Like all industries, farming has progressed over the years and every aspect of this sector has changed, but none more so than what farmers feed their animals with.
The farming community has come to realise that by providing the right blend of feed they can get the best out of their livestock whether it be dairy or beef.
There is certainly a more scientific approach to animal feeds these days as there are many different blends on the market, all of which is generally bought in bulk.
Generally farmers can only obtain feed from merchants who won’t deliver two and a half tonnes, which sees them handed a significant bill when the purchase is made.
However, one agricultural merchant in Co Mayo has bucked the trend by offering his customers a service that suits their needs. Michael O’Malley owns and runs Lough Conn Milling Company Limited, a family run business that has been operating since 1928.
Situated in Killeen, Castlehill, just outside Crossmolina, Lough Conn Milling Company Ltd has covers a wide catchment area with regards to its customer base.
Michael revealed to Irish Tractor that the business goes back to his grandfather’s days.
“My Great Grandfather John O’Malley left Curraghmore Bofeenaun in 1890 and moved to Killeen with his new wife Bridget as herdsperson on a farm owned by Dr Mc Donnell. Being the herdsperson entitled a person to a free house and 1 acre of land in return for looking after the stock and all duties relating to running the farm. They started a family and my grandfather Michael was born in 1894 to a family of seven brothers and sisters. In search of a better life, all seven immigrated to Boston U.S.A. over the following years, leaving my Great-Grand Parents in Ireland on the farm.
“My Grandfather Michael worked in Boston selling insurance and did very well but always had the dream and ambition that someday he would return to buy the land his parents were working so hard on at home in Ireland. In 1925/1926 he sent money home and it is said that my Great-Grand Father John paid for the land in American Dollars. My Grandfather returned home from America in 1927 with his wife, a native of Louisburgh and their six children. Their seventh child was born in Ireland. He set up a small shop in 1928 in their new home in Killeen.
“My Grandfather had two sons, my father John and his brother James. James was killed in 1933 by a runaway pony and cart on the farm, leaving my father as the only son,” said Michael.
“Together with his father Michael, they expanded the shop to include a travelling shop serving the areas Glenisland, Glenhest, Keenagh, Bofeenaun Ballycroy, Rappa, Kilfian, and surrounding areas on a weekly basis. The Ballycroy Market used to take two days and the driver and helper stayed overnight in one of the customers houses.
“In the early 1930s eggs were used as payment for groceries on the travelling shops, so in 1936 my father attended a Course of Instruction in the Testing, Grading & Packaging of Eggs at the premises of Mr Joseph Munnelly, School House Avenue, Crossmolina. He received Certificate of Competency from The Department of Agriculture; this enabled him to export eggs.
“My Father married my Mother Nora Calnan originally West Cork in 1947. Her Brother-In-Law had a small Mill in West Cork which was of huge interest to my father. It gave him the idea to start a Mill in Killeen. In 1959, Lough Conn Milling was established. Several buildings were built to accommodate the raw materials and Mill. These building are still in use by us today.”
The process in the early days involved bringing the raw materials from the ports to the Mill. It had to be ground and the various ingredients added resulting in pig feed as the end product. John concentrated mainly on the production of pig and dairy feed and in the following years the Department of Agriculture promoted the pig industry in Ireland so most farms had a couple of sows for breeding pigs. Lough Conn Milling grew steadily alongside the travelling shop.
“During 1950s, work was so scare, that when they advertised in the national press, workers travelled from Meath, Wexford, Roscommon and Kildare to work at the Mill and my mother Nora kept them in our home where she fed and looked after all their needs while at the same time looked after the shop and did the office work.”
In the mid 1960s there were as many as 20 men working in Lough Conn Milling. One of their workers from Hill of the Down, Co Meath, by the name of Philip O’Connor who worked with them from 1952-1956 left here to study for the priesthood with the Capuchin Fathers.
“He did not contact home, so my Mother packed all his requirements and off he went. We are still in contact with Father Philip to this day, who is now based in Kilkenny after spending many years in the Missions.
“My Grandfather Michael sadly passed away in 1961, with my father taking on sole responsibility of the business. In 1969, along with supplying the local farmers with animal feed, my father also started to sell wholesale feed to smaller shops in the county, he also secured a major contract with Western Farming Co-Op in Ballina supplying them with pig feed, which needed a second shift in the Mill until 12 midnight.”
“In 1972, returning from agricultural college, I worked alongside my father building the business and set-up the haulage company. In 1977, I married Kay O’Toole, a native of Cong and she was involved in the running of the business. By 1980 the use of feed had increased substantially and the bigger Mills nationwide were using the “fillers” so we were not able to compete on price resulting in us ceasing milling ourselves.
“We then began to buy the finished products from the bigger Mills e.g. Paul & Vincent, Wilson Feeds and Avonmore. By 1990 due to the increase in feed sales we installed a weighbridge and put bulk bins into our stores to offer feed to our customers at the bulk price. This proved very successful, so much so that other merchants in the area followed our example and did likewise.
“We expanded the Haulage Business in the late 1980s and built up a fleet of Lorries & Trailers working nationally. I began to focus more on Haulage work and successfully secured a contract with Norfolk Line, a shipping company for the loading and transport of product from Baxter in Castlebar to the various ports of Ireland while also bringing return loads in raw material back to Baxter for their factory.”
In 2003, they sold the main haulage section of the business to Brian Cunningham Haulage Castlebar, keeping three Lorries for their own use and returned to their base at Killeen working for various companies in the Ballina area with their son Jon as the main driver and transport manager.
Downsizing the haulage section of the business meant they were able to invest more time into our facilities at Lough Conn Milling and expanded to include coal, briquettes, fertilizers and all fencing materials.
“In the meantime, my father sadly passed away in 2000 after spending many years working hard at building Lough Conn Milling, leaving Kay and I to continue the family business. My Mother Nora, 88 years, resides with Kay and I in Killeen.”
With more farmers using bulk feed, in November 2011 they decided to make a major investment in their facilities at Killeen with the building of a state of the art Five-Bay Bulk Feed Storage Shed along with a 50 tonne weighbridge and investing in a specialised lorry for the delivery of bulk feed.
“We are currently the only company in the area that will deliver small amounts (2-2.5 tonnes) We also have Lorries capable of delivering bagged feed to farms in the area. The Lorries enable us to deliver any weights from 2 Tonne to 20 Tonne. We are also capable of loading any means of transport that a farmer may have and can weigh the vehicle on our weighbridge. We supply a full range of beef, dairy & sheep feeds as well as variety of rations for both cattle and sheep. We are in the happy position that we can deliver to our customers in bulk, mini-bulk, and bags which makes us unique in Mayo.
Lough Conn Milling Company continues to operate as a family run business. We are operating for over 50 years and I envisage that this family business will continue for many years to come. We wish to take this opportunity to thank our old and new customers for their continued support.”
Lough Conn Milling Company Ltd
Castlehill,
Ballina,
Co. Mayo
Tel: (096)31274
Taken from Irish Tractor & Agri magazine Vol 3 No 10, November 2015
