Suppliers of new and used tractors and machinery, Donegal Farm Machinery was established in 1986 by the late Irwin Stewart and since then has developed a reputation for offering top quality products at the lowest prices possible.
Today Irwin’s son Austin runs the Bonagee, Letterkenny-based operation and, along with a friendly staff of six full-time employees and one part-time employee, he is always keen to help his customers find the right tractor or machine to suit their requirements.
“We specialise in new and used tractors, second-hand machinery and garden petrol products (lawnmowers, chainsaws etc.),” Austin highlighted to Irish Tractor & Agri magazine.
“We hold three main dealerships – Landini, McCormick and Kuhn. We also sell Massey Ferguson products having been a Massey Ferguson dealer up to six years ago.
“In our experience farmers prefer mechanical tractors and that is a key selling feature of the Landini and McCormick brands.
“The small to medium farmers we deal with are browned off with too much electrics that are fixed with a laptop. They are looking for a standard mechanical tractor and that helps the resale value for the second-hand market.
“The Kuhn name and products are also well known for reliability and high quality.”
Austin and all at Donegal Farm Machinery pride themselves on the level of after sales care they offer to all their loyal customers, as well as a comprehensive parts store, and look forward to providing the same level of care to all new ones.
“We have very loyal customers that has been built up over the last 50 years,” he added.
“After-sales and parts are the key to our success. We’ve an extensive store, stock, and that to me is as important as sales.
“In terms of repeat business, we rely heavily on word of mouth. We don’t spend a lot of money on media advertising but our customers are happy with what we do and they generally spread the word.
“It’s a very competitive market out there but we’re long established, our reputation stands us in good-stead and after-sales is the focus of our business. We’re also fortunate to have an experienced staff with us for a number of years.”
The personal touch is a key ingredient in Donegal Farm Machinery’s successful formula.
“It’s enjoyable dealing with our customers and you do get a lot of satisfaction from the appreciation they show when you do something extra for them. We really focus on the small-to-medium farmers that a lot of our competitors ignore.”
It therefore doesn’t come as a surprise to learn that Donegal Farm Machinery has enjoyed an upturn in fortunes in recent times.
“Business has been okay. Farming in general has come off a couple of reasonable years. There have been challenges, beef is a problem at the moment, but most sectors have performed reasonable.
“The ordinary small to medium-sized farmer that we work with was not as badly affected.
“Overall the last three or four years have been turbulent and consolidation is the name of the name of the game. Were trying to grow the business back up to where it was and concentrate on our existing customer base.”
Donegal Farm Machinery
Bonagee
Letterkenny
Co Donegal
074 9124221
Taken from Irish Tractor & Agri magazine Vol 2 No 6, November 2014
