Modern technology has seen huge advancements in the way that farming practices are conducted these days.
Time is of the essence in the farming community and with the machinery available, work can be done many times quicker than was the case in the past.
Agricultural contractors have embraced the new machinery with open arms as it has allowed them to carry out their services to a very high standard, while more importantly in a far quicker time.
None of the quality of the work carried out by contractors has diminished over the years; in fact, the standards have increased considerably given the machinery at their disposal.
One such agricultural contractor that has embraced new technology is Galway based Seamus Doyle who has not been afraid to try new methods in order to improve the service he provides.
Established by Seamus Doyle Snr fifty years ago, the family run business has not been afraid to move with the times down through the years.
Located in Bulluan, Loughrea, the day to day running of the business is left to Seamus’ son Seamus Jnr who spoke to Irish Tractor & Agri about the vast range of services that they provide.
Seamus revealed that they provide services in tilling, silage, maize, slurry, plant work, hedge cutting and much more.
At present, the focus is on slurry work and Seamus told us that they use a system relatively unknown in this country.
“For the past six years, we use a self-propelled tanker that operates on a direct injection system,” said Seamus.
Imported directly from Holland in 2010 his 380 horsepower Vervaet has a 40kph box and is the only one of its kind operating in the country.
The direct injection system has a lot of very obvious advantages that farmers are now seeing at first hand, according to Seamus Doyle.
“The big advantage in terms of nutrient usage is that it eliminates the loss of nitrogen into the atmosphere, one of the major problems with spreading directly onto the grass.
“Secondly the slits into the ground and the gaps in between allows the worm to survive, also a very important aspect of soil fertility, while a third advantage is that the land can often be grazed four to five days after the slurry has been injected into the soil.
“From an environmental point of view, one of the most noticeable advantages is that the smell from the slurry is eliminated as it goes straight into the soil and under the grass surface,”
The slurry can be injected into the ground at depths of between two and four inches and at whatever rate the farmer wants and the slits also help to aerate the ground.
“I think that the price to the farmer is very, very competitive given the advantages of the system – we have to price it that way to get the business, but the return for the farmer is really good we believe.”
Seamus has always been an advocate of giving the farmer what he wants and this is why they can provide many different types of slurry spreading.
“We would also have four normal tankers operating, while for very wet land, we use the umbilical system, so it is up to the farmer which one they prefer, but the injection system is the most popular now by far.”
Of course, one drawback with working with slurry is the ban in place over the winter months, a situation that aggrieves Seamus.
“The ban should go on good farming practice and by this I mean a farmer will know if his land is too wet or not and whether they can let anyone out on it.
“Look at the winter we just had, it was one of the driest in years, yet we couldn’t go out on the land, yet now that the ban is over, there has been torrential rain and you just can’t go out on the land, the ban makes no sense at all. Common sense needs to prevail.”
Seamus operates a fleet of Deutz and Case tractors, while a New Holland FR600 cuts the silage with a Volvo L90G is in the pit. Two Kneverland front and back mowers do all the mowing. McHale Fusion 2 and 3 Plus balers are also part of the fleet with baling being a big part of their business.
Seamus also has Hitachi and Case diggers operating in the plant hire side of the business, while a McConnell hedge cutter keeps the ditches tidy over the winter months.
“We would have an extensive range of equipment and machinery and we would upgrade on a regular basis. It is important to do so in order to keep on top of the workload. Obviously, the summer months are our peak times, but we are busy all year round.”
Seamus admits that he has his customers to thank for being so busy, many of who have been with them for years now.
“We would have customers with us for many, many years at this stage. We cover about a 30 mile radius that includes customers in Galway, Mayo, Tipperary and Offaly.
“The majority of our work is for repeat customers and as long as they are happy with the service that we provide that is the main thing.”
Seamus Doyle Agri Contractor
Bulluan,
Loughrea,
Co Galway
Tel: 090 9675859
Taken from Irish Tractor & Agri magazine Vol 5 No 6, September 2017
