Approaching 40 years’ in agricultural contracting, Patsy Nugent of Rathgormack, Co Waterford is name that can be relied on to get the job done right and on time. He prides himself on the services he provides the farmers who regularly avail of his services.
Patsy specialises in a wide variety of farm contract work and is proud of his proven track record in satisfying the needs of his loyal customers.
His fleet of New Holland tractors, John Deere harvester and associated machinery ensures he provides the best service possible to the highest standards so if you haven’t the time or are unable to do a job yourself, he has the capabilities to cater for your needs.
Patsy’s enviable reputation has been built on the knowledge, experience and expertise gained over the past four decades and these attributes have helped him secure repeat contracts with the local farming community.
Simply put, if you need work to be carried out on your farm, then you can rely on Patsy Nugent. Slurry is a speciality.
“I bought my first slurry tank, a second hand one, in 1981 at the age of 19,” Patsy recalled in conversation with Irish Tractor & Agri, “and my first tractor in 1983. I’ve been working away ever since for a lot of genuine people. I tend to say it as I see it and, in my experience, if you are straight with people you will get on with them.
“I’ve been carrying out work on behalf of some farmers for 30 years. There are three contractors working in the parish here, we all have our own work and we get on well together.”
A father of five, Pasty is married to Honora who he originally met through his contracting work and she currently milks 65 cows on 50 acres.
Agricultural contractors like Patsy provide the farmer with a cost effective and useful alternative for many of their farming operations. They offer a large range of specialist equipment and fully qualified experienced personnel for quality and efficiency.
“Slurry would be the main thing we do. We have a two pipe system and we’re cutting 1400 to 1500 acres of silage but I’s a very short season. We have three hedge cutters and the three of us go off doing a bit of hedge cutting to keep us ticking over. The lads I have working with me are very good and that’s half the battle because good lads are hard to get and keep.”
He added: “Back in 2016, I purchased a dribble bar for the slurry, found it to be very good and bought another one three months later. As recently as today I had a farmer on to me requesting that. If demand continues I’ll have to get a third one. There’s low emissions with them, they spread a lot wider and have proven to be very popular.”
Agricultural contracting is part of Patsy’s DNA at this stage but he admits that being at the mercy of Mother Nature all the time has its pitfalls.
“I do enjoy it but I’d be straight as well and the last year the silage got to me a bit. Your working long hours and it can be stressful. It feels like it’s getting harder and harder every year but if you have good weather and good help – that’s half the battle!”
Always available to help his customers save time on their farm, no shortcuts are taken by Patsy when it comes to health and safety…
“I’ve been agitating slurry since 1981 and I like to do that myself. It’s a dangerous job. As I said, we work long hours but I like to work in daylight hours. I start early and get the job done, don’t like being out working in the dark.”
Patsy – who turned 57 in May – added: “Look, we’re working away. My wife Honora is at the cows it’s good to be at something else. We do a lot of big jobs on the pipe system.”
The aim of Patsy’s service is to add value to your farm by getting the best results that you need from the land, improving yields and quality for today and the years to come.
When it comes to professionalism, reliability and diversity in his range of services, Patsy is always willing to help.
For any more information on his services, contact him at the number below. With his range of agricultural contracting services, reliable equipment, plus highly dedicated workers, he will help improve efficiency on your farm.
Patsy Nugent
Agricultural Contractor
Rathgormack
Co Waterford
Mob: 087 2593029
First published in Irish Tractor & Agri magazine Vol 7 No 7, December 2019/January 2020
