Coming up on 15 years since first starting his agricultural consultancy firm, Mark McConnell has built a solid reputation amongst his clients. Irish Tractor & Agri caught up with the Donegal man to learn more.
Gaining repeat business from your customers is often the key ingredient to a successful venture and Mark McConnell is happy to report the sizeable client base he has built up since 2001.
A part-time beef and sheep farmer who has been working in Rural Environmental Protection Schemes (REPS) since 1998, he has been running Mark McConnell Agricultural Consultants since for 15 years now. Mark is a member of the Agricultural Consultants Association (ACA) and his company holds current Professional Indemnity Insurance cover.
“We’re based in The Glebe, Stranorlar in Co Donegal and we employ two-full time here,” Mark explained.
“Our main business would be agri consultancy work and we do all types of schemes from grant applications to scheme forms to general advisory on sheep and cattle. We also started auctioneering work around five years ago.”
Originally from Castlefin, Mark received his early education in Castlefin National School and St Columba’s College, Stranorlar. He then spent four years in University College Dublin studying agriculture and was awarded a BAg.Sc Degree in Agriculture.
After that he was on his travels and spent a year working across the other end of the globe on farms in New Zealand, where he learned a great deal, before returning home to work in REPS.
Mark has built up a large client base all over Co Donegal in the 15 years of opening his own consultancy and covers the whole county.
As well as REPS, Mark McConnell Consultancy also deals with other schemes like Single Farm Payments, Grant Applications, Installation Aid, Early Retirement and Farm Waste Management.
The company boasts a long service list, which sees its customers able to choose from a range of options when it comes to agri consultancy.
Mark McConnell Consultancy is an approved agency for the Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development to help consult farmers and assist in increasing productivity.
Delve in the list of services and you will see that they provide a Single Payment Scheme, which is applicable to farmers who actively farmed during all or any of the three reference years 2000, 2001, and 2002, who were paid Livestock Premia and/or Arable Aid payment.
In order to receive payments under the Single Payment Scheme you must follow a variety of regulations on the environment, public health, animal health, plant health, animal welfare and land maintenance.
Another aspect of the company is in soil and silage sampling, which Mark McConnell Consultancy provides both professionally and promptly through a soil analysis facility. Soil analysis will tailor fertiliser application to match crop requirement ensuring optimum crop production, by reducing nutrient loss to the environment and growing farm profitability.
The Bord Bia quality assurance scheme falls under their services as well, leaving them fully qualified to look after all the requirements, including supplying signage for farmers on this scheme. They also organise farm discussion groups for dairy, beef, sheep and tillage farmers.
“We do expert witness work here too,” explained Mark, “and we would have started auctioneering work around five years ago so. It has been going well enough for us and the housing market is starting to turn around now a bit, so we’re excited for the future.”
Residential, Commercial and Farm & Sites all fall under the auctioneering services which Mark’s company provides. They also provide a complete farm accounts service to all large, small and part-time farmers in Donegal, in conjunction with Kelly Accountants.
Their Nutrient Management Planning is an essential service which Mark and his staff provide to anyone wishing to dispose waste by way of land spreading in an efficient, environmentally friendly way. They provide a comprehensive service including soil analysis, waste analysis, waste catchment and storage etc.
An approved agency for the Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development, Mark McConnell Agricultural Consultants’ existing REPS farmers are provided an annual consultancy service, updating plans as required, keeping records and assisting any farmer to comply with the terms and conditions of the scheme.
Mark himself is a Commissioner for Oaths, meaning he is officially authorised to verify affidavits, which are statements in writing and on oath, and other legal documents.
His expertise in Legal Witness, means his services in this particular field are usually required for legal disputes, compulsory purchase order assessments and insurance claims.
Mark is a member of the ACA, along with the Institute of Professional Auctioneers and Valuers (IPAV), and he also writes a monthly farming blog for the well-known site DoneDeal.ie. Other forms of media in which he’s involved sees him hosting a local radio show on different agricultural topics.
His farm shop trades under the name ‘McConnell Seeds and Sprays Ltd’ and supplies quality products directly to farms throughout Ireland, with a guaranteed next day delivery service. They also welcome telephone orders, so if you prefer to order any of their products over the phone they’re open from 9am to 5pm from Monday to Friday.
McConnell Seeds and Sprays Ltd have been main agents for Goldcrop Ltd in Co Cork for the last five years now and their continued working relationship is a testament to the endeavours of both companies in testing economic times.
Indeed Mark has stayed patient throughout the downturn, audaciously starting up his own auctioneering service in the meantime, and he is now looking forward to what the future holds for his company – and how it can continue to improve and broaden its wide range of services.
So if you’re looking for agri consultancy, look no further than Mark McConnell Agricultural Consultants in Stranorlar in Co Donegal.
Mark McConnell Agricultural Consultant
Address:
The Glebe,
Stranorlar.
Co Donegal
Phone: 074 9130772
Fax: 074 9130772
Mobile: 087 2288091
Web: www.agriculturalconsultant.net
Email: info@
Taken from Irish Tractor & Agri magazine Vol 4 No 3, March 2016
