It’s all go at the moment for Lloyd and Suzanne Forbes of Lloyd Forbes Agri Contracting Ltd in Carrigaline Co. Cork who are switching from a beef suckler system to dairy production.
The husband-and-wife duo, who have a three-year son Tadhg and are preparing to welcome their second child in October, will run the new dairy enterprise in tandem with their successful agri contracting business which boasts a large and loyal customer-base in Carrigaline, Minane Bridge, Douglas, Innishannon, Passage, Ballygarvan and everywhere in between. And with the support of team members Jason O’Leary and Eoin Gallagher, they are confident the move will pay off.
“There’s nothing like a challenge,” Lloyd smiles.
“With sucklers, the margins are very tight. We’ve also found that the Friesian heifers we’ve bought are very docile compared to sucklers. We have a new Lely robotic system purchased and ready for installation, and 50 heifers due to calve in January. We’ll be starting off milking 65 cows and hope to increase that number to 110 over time. We’re assessing our options from a supply point of view. It will come down to the creamery or co-op that offers the best price.
“We have a 135-acre farm and rent a further 80 acres which we sell baled silage off. It’s a busy and challenging time, but it’s also exciting and we’re looking forward to seeing what the future brings.”
The Forbes’ transition to dairying won’t compromise their exceptional agri contracting business which continues to go from strength to strength after almost 30 years. Lloyd has been contracting since he was a 16-year-old in 1996, while Suzanne’s parents and brothers are also agri contractors and farmers in Inchydoney just outside Clonakilty.
Lloyd Forbes Agri Contracting Ltd offers a comprehensive range of services, including baled and pit silage, maize, combine harvesting, slurry spreading, fertiliser spreading, reseeding, ploughing and hedge cutting.
Committed to providing a top-class service and complete customer satisfaction, Lloyd and Suzanne have 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 Forbes team delivers the value and quality farmers expect from their agricultural contracting partner.
The family business runs a 10-strong John Deere tractor fleet which is complemented by a new Fendt 720 purchased from Atkins. “We traded in a 718 and are very happy with the new arrival. We also bought a new McHale Fusion 4 integrated bale wrapper from Atkins which was another big investment,” Lloyd explains.
The John Deeres models are 6810, 6830, 6620, 6630, 150M, 155R, 155M, 195R, 6820 and 6135R, and were either bought from Farm Power or Sean and John in West Waterford Agri. Lloyd Forbes Agri Contracting Ltd’s grass machinery includes a John Deere 97 forage harvester which is in its fifth season and attaches to an 8-row maize header; butterfly Krone and CLAAS mowers; side-mounted Krone mowers; McHale Fusion 3 and 4 balers; CLAAS 2800 and 2900 rakes; JCB 320 loader with Tanco shear grab and Keltec Soft Hands bale handler attachments; one Smyth 20ft and four Smyth Super Cube 22ft silage trailers, including a new Super Cube from Jim Power Agri decked in the Fendt colours; Tanco triple bale wrapper; and a 28ft bale trailer.
The Forbes have also invested in a new Wilson Super Move 12 bale chaser supplied by Trevor Ryall of Ryall Farm & Industrial Equipment in Watergrasshill. Baling over 25,000 bales annually, they have been running bale chasers since 2009.
“We shifted 700 bales on our busiest day. With a good operator on the machine and a reasonable draw, we would normally move about 500 bales daily with the bale chaser,” the affable farm contractor reveals.
In addition, Lloyd’s cousin Lyndon Smith pushes up the silage with his Volvo 110 loading shovel, while Gearoid Harrington of GH Agri mows all pit silage. For slurry, the Cork contracting firm has two Major 2,600-gallon tankers, one with trailing shoe and the other with dribble bar. Other pieces of kit include a new Amazone ZAV 3200 fertiliser spreader with GPS system from Jim Power Agri, a Kverneland one-pass seed drill, a Kverneland five-furrow reversible plough, a McConnel PA775T hedge-cutter and a New Holland TX32 combine harvester.
All machines are maintained and serviced on a regular basis to avoid breakdowns and downtime, with most of this being carried out by Lloyd’s brother Clive, who has been a mechanic with Farm Power for the past 21 years.
Lloyd Forbes Agri Contracting Ltd is a member of the Association of Farm Contractors of Ireland (FCI) which was formed in 2012 to give agricultural contractors a voice at Government and EU level. The FCI’s 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.
Lloyd is full of praise for his small team who are supplemented by part-timers at busy times.
“This year’s first cut of silage was the most demanding in all the time I’ve been in agri contracting. Everything came together at once after months of wet weather. The pressure was on, but our lads rose to the challenge. It’s a team effort and that’s what makes it,” he adds.
He added: “Our customer-base is within a 15-20 km radius of Carrigaline and we continue to attract new customers through word of mouth and recommendations.
“We pride ourselves on good quality work and always getting the job done on time. We’re very grateful for the support we get from our loyal customers, some of whom have been with us from the beginning. We also use the JCB loader to put in silage for three local farmers twice a week.”
Lloyd and Suzanne would like to take this opportunity to thank their clients and suppliers for their continued support as well as their team for their hard work, dedication and expertise.
Lloyd Forbes Agri Contractor Ltd,
White Fawn House,
Knockatoor,
Carrigaline,
Co. Cork.
Tel: 087 834 5338
Email: [email protected]
First published in Irish Tractor & Agri magazine Vol 12 No 3, September/October 2024
Featured, Lloyd Forbes Agri Contractor
