Trading for almost a century, Woodfarm Fencing Supplies Ltd is a leading supplier of fencing posts, rail timber, creosote posts and all related fencing accessories to customers in Ireland and the UK. The company strives to provide a high-quality product at competitive prices and is proud to be a rural business providing jobs in the east Galway area.
Woodfarm Fencing Supplies Ltd, incorporating Woodfarm Timber Products, is a household name in the agricultural and horticulture fencing sector. Founded in the 1920s, it’s a third-generation family-run business which employs 28 people. Its sawmill is located between the villages of Ahascragh and Caltra, and is a short distance from Ballinasloe and the M6 Dublin-Galway Motorway.
“The company was originally known as John English Sawmills,” sales manager Kieran Hession explains.
“It was established by John English Snr who passed it down to his son John Jnr. When John Jnr retired about 10 years ago, his son Jason became managing director. Jason is joined in the business by his brother Kenny and sister Jane. Kenny runs Woodfarm Timber Products which manufactures handcrafted timber gates and garden furniture, while Jane works in accounts.”
The company’s core business is the manufacture and supply of farm fencing posts. It produces a wide range of pressure-treated posts in all sizes, including strainers and profile (machined round) posts. Woodfarm also supplies grant posts, creosote posts, timber for garden fencing, gateposts and boards for picket fencing. The combination of using the finest grade timber, sourced from Coillte and privately-owned Irish forests, along with a quality system for wood preservation, makes Woodfarm’s products superior and long-lasting.
“We are a leading manufacturer and stockist of all types of fencing posts, including peeled, machined round, creosote, plastic and steel. We can manufacture posts ranging from two to 12 feet in length and two to 10cm in diameter with various levels of treatment. We have something to suit every pocket,” Kieran says.
An NSAI-approved company, Woodfarm operates the latest technology and machinery to produce a quality peeled post. Peeled posts are the preferred post by the vast majority of farmers in Ireland. They can be treated to grant specifications if requested. Grant specification fencing posts have to be dried and treated in accordance with IS436 to be approved for all grant schemes currently available. Sheep fencing is now included in the TAMS II schemes.
The company’s machined round (uniformed) posts are manufactured on site using two state-of-the-art German machine lines. Machine rounded are also imported from Eastern Europe. Their uniform sizes make them popular with farmers and horticulturists alike.
Woodfarm stocks PDM creosote posts in all sizes. Creosote fencing products are renowned for their durability and are the preferred fencing product to the equine industry. A full range of creosote products for agricultural and horticultural uses are available.
Woodfarm has teamed up with another well-known Co. Galway company, JFC Manufacturing in Tuam, to develop a revolutionary new fencing product called Duo-Post. Having identified a market need for a post that lasts significantly longer than traditional posts and which is cost-effective, the two companies developed Duo-Post with its unique polymer coating system.
Duo-Post is first pressure-treated with Celcure C4 preservative which has been specially designed for Irish conditions. Then a unique 30-year polymer coating is applied for dual protection at ground level. This coating provides a barrier to three or four elements required to start the fungus which leads to rot below ground level. Beneath the coating layer, there is no oxygen or microbes present. Above the coating layer, there is no excess moisture and the Celcure C4 pressure treatment can easily protect this area of the post.
Pro-Post is another newly-developed product by Woodfarm. Incising timber by creating small slits or pin holes in the surface to improve uptake and penetration of preservative has long been recognised as an accepted method for improving the durability of timber. The incising equipment comprises pressurised rollers with knives or pins that penetrate the surface of the timber before treatment with the preservative.
Incising is the only process that can generate the minimum 6mm depth of penetration that is required for the minimum 15 years’ service life as required by IS436. When used with incised timber, Celcure C4 preservative offers the best protection for ‘in ground’ timbers such as agricultural fencing posts.
Woodfarm is also an agent for Staplelok galvanised steel posts and Hampton wire fencing. Manufactured in New Zealand, the Staplelok system is much faster to erect per metre than timber or other steel posts due to its unique method of attaching the wires to the posts and driving them into the ground. Staplelok works because the patented steel post snaps around the staple, locking it firmly in place. The Staplelok staples are driven home with a couple of taps of a hammer.
Hampton is the only UK-manufactured agricultural fencing wire on the market. Woodfarm has fencing wire to suit every application, including mild steel heavy galvanised and high tensile steel. The wire products stocked are of the highest standard and comply with IS436 for grant specifications.
In addition, Woodfarm supplies a large variety of sizes and treatment specifications of post and rail fencing, picket type fencing, sleepers and other timber-related products for horticultural and gardening purposes. Its woodchip is suitable for both biomass use, agricultural bedding and horticultural use, and comes in various sizes to suit your application. Firewood is also produced at the busy sawmill.
“We produce high-quality animal bedding which is used in the farming sector. We also supply biomass to Masonite in Carrick-on-Shannon and to the Bord na Mona power plant in Edenderry, which is used to generate electricity,” Kieran adds.
Operating from the same premises, Woodfarm Timber Products offers a wide range of gates, both domestic and farm gates, which can be manufactured to suit any existing entrance. The gates are constructed using mortise and tenon joints, are pressure-treated and come with strong galvanised hinges. Woodfarm Timber Products also have a wide range of gate posts, including square top, round top, diamond top and castle top. A fitting service is provided, but is dependent on distance.
Woodfarm Fencing Supplies Ltd
Clonbrock,
Ahascragh,
Ballinasloe,
Co. Galway.
Telephone: +353 (0)90 9688755
Fax: +353 (0)90 9688660
Email: [email protected]
Taken from Irish Tractor & Agri magazine Vol 5 No 6, September 2017
