Based in the heart of Ireland, Gaffey Bros Agri has been providing an exceptional contracting service to farmers in the region for over 35 years.
Specialising in baling, wrapping, raking, slurry spreading, dung spreading, dump trailer work, digger work, hedge / tree cutting, fencing and fertiliser spreading, the Moate, Co. Westmeath-based operation has come a long way since brothers James and Francie (Frank Jnr) Gaffey started out with a Massey Ferguson 35 tractor, a Zetor 8111 tractor, a Massey Ferguson finger bar mower and a hay turner back in the late 1980s.
Sadly, Francie passed away following an illness three years ago, but James continues to grow the business along with his nephew David Tyrrell, who helped out during his school days and has been involved in a full-time capacity since returning from Australia in 2014. The 31-year-old studied agricultural mechanisation at Pallaskenry Agricultural College and worked as a combine and truck operator during the grain harvest in the US for nine months as part of his placement.
David then spent two years in Australia where he drove a combine on a grain and sheep farm, and a digger in the mines. James and David are supported by three full-time, including James’ nephew Oisin, and three part-time staff as well as David’s wife Sarah who looks after the bookkeeping. Other family members help out when the need arises.
Gaffey Bros Agri make up to 14,000 silage bales a year, including bales they sell to customers from 200 acres they rent. Committed to providing superior service and complete customer satisfaction, the family business 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, experience, skill and expertise of its staff as well as the quality of its machinery. James, David and their highly-skilled and highly-motivated team deliver the value and quality farmers expect from their agricultural contracting partner.
While they are best-known for baling and slurry spreading, James and David also carry out a large volume of plant hire and digger work with saw head and tree shears. One of their best customers is James’ brother John, who is a building contractor, while Axe Forestry in Roscommon have also availed of their services.
Their tractor fleet includes a New Holland T6080, a New Holland T7.185, a Case IH Puma 145, a Case IH Maxxum 155 and a Fiat F130 along with the aforementioned Zetor 8111 and the Massey 35 which are still going strong. The tractors are maintained by David’s brother, Shane, who works as a mechanic with Sean Shortall Truck & Plant Repairs in nearby Castledaly.
“We’d be lost without Shane. He served his time with Tom Shaw Machinery in Birr and he’s able to carry out the repairs and maintenance we cannot do ourselves. Without him, many machines would not be going,” David says.
Gaffey Bros Agri’s grass machinery includes a McHale Fusion 3 Plus integrated baler wrapper, front and rear Krone EasyCut mowers, a mounted Krone mower, a Krone rotary rake, a Krone Comprima CF 155 XC Plus baler, a McHale 991 BJS round bale wrapper and a new Malone 30ft trailed tedder which replaced a CLAAS Volto.
At the time of writing, the uncle-and-nephew partnership had two Belmac 2,500-gallon slurry tankers with 7.5 Mastek dribble bars. They were thinking strongly of investing in two new Belmac tankers, one with a dribble bar and the other with a trailing shoe.
Other equipment includes a Jeantil rear discharge dung spreader, an NC 300 Series Power Tilt dump trailer, a Dooley low loader, a Carey bale trailer, a new TR elephant trunk handler from Atkins Farm Machinery in Birr, a soft hands bale handler, a double bale handler, a Sulky DX20 fertiliser spreader, a Hitachi ZX135 excavator and a New Holland E135B excavator.
“We draw in about half of the bales we make. This is a popular service with many farmers who don’t have the time to do it themselves,” David points out.
There is no such thing as a quiet time for this highly-regarded contractor who will work around the clock at busy times and take on extra staff if needs be to keep clients happy. Slurry spreading takes precedence in the early part of the year, followed by baling during the summer months. After that comes more slurry spreading and hedge cutting.
“The hedge cutting keeps us busy during the winter. We also do a fair bit of fencing in the springtime. J Grennan & Sons in Moate recommend us for fencing work,” David adds.
Gaffey Bros Agri is a member of the Association of Farm Contractors in Ireland (FCI) which was formed in 2012 to give agricultural contractors a voice at Government and EU level. Its other objectives are to promote good contractor / farmer relationships; to promote the benefits of a good agricultural contracting service; to provide members with knowledge and courses to help them run their business; to promote a good working relationship between contractors.
The family business has a large and loyal customer-base in Westmeath and Offaly. “We cover within a 20-mile radius of Moate, working mostly for beef and dairy farmers. We provide a top-class, reliable and cost-effective service, and would like to take this opportunity to thank our customers and suppliers for their continued support.”
For all your farm contracting needs in the midlands, look no further than the professional and friendly team at Gaffey Bros Agri.
Gaffey Bros Agri
Moneen,
Moate,
Co. Westmeath.
Telephone: 086 243 3721 (David) / 087 656 2625 (James)
Email: [email protected]
First published in Irish Tractor & Agri magazine Vol 11 No 5, October/November 2023
