JDS Agri Contracts Ltd is a third-generation agricultural contracting firm based in Downpatrick, Co. Down. It was established in 1959 by the late James Douglas and is now run by his son Adrian with the help of his sons Mark and Stuart.
From humble beginnings, JDS (James Douglas & Son) Agri Contracts Ltd has grown into one of the leading farm contracting enterprises in Co. Down. When James Douglas, who sadly passed away in 2008, started in the business there was just himself and his Massey Ferguson 35. Fast forward nearly 60 years and JDS Agri Contracts has an array of 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 company’s success can be attributed to the knowledge, skill and expertise of its staff, as well as the quality of its machinery. The Douglas team delivers the value and quality farmers expect from the agricultural contracting partner.
Specialising in silage cutting, corn harvesting, slurry spreading, round baling, reseeding, hedge-cutting and excavation / drainage work, JDS Agri Contracts Ltd is committed to providing a top-class service and complete customer satisfaction. The contractor cuts between 3,000 and 4,000 acres of pit silage, makes about 10,000 round bales (silage and straw), and cuts a further 1,300 acres of barley, wheat and oats every year.
“We’re one of the oldest agri contracting businesses in the area and have acquired a wealth of experience over the years,” notes Adrian, who joined the family business in 1985.
The Douglas’ run a fleet of eight New Holland tractors. The models are T7210 (x2), 6080, 6070, TS110A, TM135, T7270 and T6180. All of the tractors were purchased from R Kennedy & Co in Ballinahinch. According to Adrian, the main New Holland dealers, who have another outlet in Ballymena, provide “an excellent backup service and are a great bunch of guys to deal with.”
He continues: “We used to have Massey and John Deere before switching over to New Holland in 1997. Twenty years later and we’re still with them. They’re a great tractor which rarely give trouble.”
The two combine harvesters run by JDS Agri Contracts Ltd are also New Holland (CS540 and CS640) as are the forage harvester (FR600) and the excavator (135). Other plant / equipment operated by the company include three 2,000-gallon slurry tankers (Red Rock, Herron and NC), a pair of McConnel hedge-cutters, two Kverneland five-furrow reversible ploughs, a three-metre Kuhn one-pass seeder, an Accord six-metre drill, a set of CLAAS butterfly mowers, CLAAS and Kuhn silage rakes, McHale and New Holland round balers as well as a McHale bale wrapper. The Douglas’ also invested in an Agquip nine-metre drill bar four years ago, which ensures that slurry goes directly onto the surface, reducing waste and greatly reducing contamination of the grass leaves. It can be used in conjunction with a slurry tanker or an umbilical feed operation.
All machines are upgraded regularly to avoid breakdowns and downtime. Service and maintenance is carried out in-house by Adrian and Mark, who completed a four-year land-based engineering course at the College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE) in Greenmount. Younger brother Stuart is in the first year of his two-year land-based engineering course at the Co. Antrim campus.
There is no such thing as a quiet time for the long-established agri contractor. In the early part of the year, the focus is on slurry spreading and reseeding. The silage season kicks off in May and runs until September. This is a particularly busy time for the Douglas’ who take on part-time staff and work long hours to keep their clients happy. Hedge-cutting and slurry spreading take precedence in the autumn. The company employs four full-time staff.
JDS Agri Contracts Ltd boasts a large and loyal customer-base within a 40-mile radius of Downpatrick. “We cover a large area in Co. Down, including Portaferry and the Ards Peninsula, and have even worked south of the border on a few occasions. We cover a wider area than most contractors, who tend to stay within 10 or 15 miles of their base,” Adrian explains.
The Douglas’ are also tillage and suckler farmers. They keep about 70 shorthorn suckler cows and grow oats on their 300-acre farm on the outskirts of Downpatrick. The cattle are supplied to WD Meats in Coleraine, while the oats go into the making of White’s Speedicook Porridge at their facility in Tandragee, Co. Armagh.
“We would like to take this opportunity to thank our clients for their support down through the years, and look forward to catering for all their agri contracting needs for many more years to come. We pride ourselves on our reliable, fast, friendly, clean, price-competitive and exceptional service,” the affable farm contractor concludes.
JDS Agri Contracts Ltd
38 Church Road,
Downpatrick,
Co. Down,
BT309HR.
Email: [email protected]
Taken from Irish Tractor & Agri magazine Vol 5 No 3, April/May 2017
