There was delight for the Ronaldson family at the Zurich Farm Insurance Farming Independent Farmer of the Year Awards at The Ballsbridge Hotel in Dublin on Friday, May 26 2017 when they scooped the Tillage Farmer of the Year award for their modern use of technology on their 300-acre farm near Ballymore Eustace in Co. Kildare.
Tim and Jackie Ronaldson, along with their son 25-year-old Mark, were honoured to receive the prestigious accolade which came with a cash prize of €2,500. Now in their fourth year, the Zurich Farm Insurance Farming Independent Farmer of the Year Awards are all about recognising and rewarding the very best in Irish farming, while aiming to shine a light on one of the most successful and important sectors within the Irish economy.
Zurich Insurance Head of Sales & Agri Business Declan O’Halloran said: “The Farmer of the Year Awards are designed to celebrate excellence across a wide range of farming categories and to reward Ireland’s farmers for their contribution to their communities and to society.
“Tim, Jackie and Mark Ronaldson have set themselves apart in their field and we’re proud to help recognise their accomplishments. On behalf of Zurich, I would like to congratulate them and the other winners of the 2017 Farmer of the Year Awards, as well as each and every one of those who were shortlisted. These awards are a celebration of their successes and a showcase of some of the world-class work carried out by Ireland’s farming community, and it’s great to see them becoming an annual highlight in the farming calendar.”
Tim Ronaldson was both surprised and delighted to be honoured.
“We were pleasantly surprised to win the award,” he admits.
“There was tough competition in the tillage category, so to come out on top was a great feeling. This would never have happened if our Teagasc advisor Ivan Whitten hadn’t nominated us. We try to do things as best as we can and as efficiently as possible and, in this regard, our son Mark, has been a huge help since returning from Australia. He’s a graduate in machinery and crop management from Kildalton Agricultural College and is putting his knowledge and expertise to good use.”
The Ronaldson’s are exclusive tillage farmers, growing beans, barley, oats and wheat on their 300-acre holding in Stonebrook, through which the River Liffey flows. They also rent 250 acres and contract farm a further 350 acres locally. They introduced beans into the cropping two years ago and the premium has been very attractive.
“We grow winter oats, winter barley and winter wheat as well as spring barley, spring oats and spring beans,” Tim explains.
“The land and soil is very good which allows us to produce excellent crop yields. We supply our produce to Athgarvan Grain Company near Newbridge, CR Wynne in Moone and Quinn’s of Baltinglass. There is also a very good market for straw and hay in the area, and we service a number of farmers and studs. We have a flat trailer for delivering straw and hay during the winter.”
The family have an impressive range of machinery to carry out all their own work on the farm. They run three New Holland tractors (T7050, T7.210 and TM190), a New Holland CX8080 combine harvester with a 24ft header, a Bateman self-propelled sprayer, a Claydon 4m drill, a Kuhn 4m one pass, a High Spec slurry spreader, a Vadestad 5m carrier and Kverneland five- and six-furrow reversible ploughs. The machinery is serviced and maintained by JR Perry Ltd in Athy, who are harvest and tillage farm machinery specialists.
Tim and Jackie have two other sons and a daughter who aren’t afraid to roll up their sleeves and get stuck in when they’re home. Eldest son Craig (27) is a professional rugby player with Connacht, while Hugh (20) is studying sports science and physiology at Athlone IT and Vicky has just completed first year in Kilkenny College.
“Like any family-run business, everyone helps out. This farm has been in the family for five generations and we’ve always tried to be as self-sufficient as possible and to keep costs to a minimum.”
In 2009, Jackie opened Stonebrook Pet Farm which, like the tillage farm, has gone from strength to strength. Thousands of children and adults have enjoyed their visit to the Pet Farm, which has become a popular destination for school tours in particular. The farm’s picturesque setting in the luscious pastures of the River Liffey valley and adjacent to the Wicklow Mountains is an ideal spot for a family day out. After meeting all the animals, adults can relax over tea or coffee, while the kids can run and play in a large safe play area with splendid views over the farmland.
“Before the school holidays, Jackie could have had anything up to 200 kids a day visiting the Pet Farm as part of school tours. She also caters for groups and birthday parties. It has proven to be a successful enterprise and provides another revenue stream for us,” Tim concludes.
Stonebrook Farm / Stonebrook Pet Farm
Stonebrook,
Ballymore Eustace,
Naas,
Co. Kildare.
Telephone: 086 266 1720 (Stonebrook Pet Farm)
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.stonebrookpetfarm.com
Taken from Irish Tractor & Agri magazine Vol 5 No 8, December 2017/January 2018
