With the seeds of its genesis having been sown more than half a century ago, AG Ross Agri Ltd. is an exceptional third-generation family-run business providing a complete range of prompt and professional contracting services to farmers in North Cork. They’ve always operated a progressive, customer-focused enterprise so it’s no surprise to learn that AG Ross Agri hit the ground running in 2025!
It was back in the late 1960s that George Ross took over the contracting arm of the family farming business in Ballyhooly from his dad Michael. Today, George’s son Alan oversees the running of AG Ross Agri, with – as the name suggests – the former still very much involved in daily activities.
No two days are the same for the Rosses – who are also tillage farmers, growing 600 acres of barley and wheat as well as 150 acres of maize – but decades of experience, a magnificent fleet of machinery and a strong work ethic combine to enable them to run the business as close to clockwork as the vagaries of the Irish weather will allow.
In a welcome change from the previous two years, favourable weather at the start of 2025 gave them the opportunity to get ahead of themselves and Alan, George and the team (six full time, expanding to 13 or 14 during high season) took full advantage:
“It’s been a good year so far and the weather has been very good for work,” the Cork man notes. “We got off to a great start in spring and the summer has also been kind so far. Things really came good in March and April and that allowed us to get two weeks ahead of ourselves, and that’s where we’ve remained since.
“In contrast, the last two springs were wet, but this year we got a good bit of ploughing done in March and it’s brilliant to get off to a solid start like that. Silage came in nice and staggered … we definitely can’t complain about the weather in the first half of 2025!”
At the end of the day, all farmers and contractors are hostages to the weather… “You can have the best gear and the best men in the world, but the weather controls it all,” Alan agrees. “The difference between a dry silage season and a wet one is absolutely massive – three weeks to get the silage in or seven, it’s some difference.”
AG Ross run a sensational fresh fleet of Deutz-Fahr tractors (16 of their own plus three more hired in from Foley Agri) and machinery, with reinvestment in fleet replenishment a constant and 2025 being no different than any other year.
To this end, one brand-new tractor has been purchased and a couple more of the models bought new in 2019 (when AG Ross Agri Ltd. was formally established) were traded in for high-quality second-hand tractors with low hours. “Kearney Agri are main dealers for Deutz-Fahr again and they give us a great service. It’s not always easy to get good tractors with low hours but you couldn’t beat Kearneys for new or second-hand gear.”
Elsewhere, Alan also moved up the years and down the hours with his Fusion 4 Baler and Big M. “There’s good value to be had in quality second-hand stuff,” he points out. “It’s hard to come across machinery with low acres but we traded the Big M 420 for a 2021 450 with 9,000 acres, which is low for a four-year-old Big M.
“Fellas are all mad to buy new but once they leave the gate the Big M will drop €40,000 in value. The price of new stuff has soared. We bought six new silage trailers in 2019 for €18,000 plus VAT and the very same trailer is €28,500 now – that’s some increase. The cost of servicing tractors has gone crazy, too – from €900 to €2,000. Since Covid, everything has gone mad.”
There’s no getting away from the fact that farmers – especially in tillage – are getting a raw deal and this is something that irks Alan greatly: “The primary producer isn’t getting a fair share of the end retail price. They’re not getting fairly rewarded for their labour and produce. A pint of beer is €5.50 and the farmer gets about 1c out of that for his barley. They’re just not getting a fair price. Across the board, the farmer probably gets 7 per cent but in my opinion it should be split evenly between the primary producer, the middle man and the retailer, who should all get a third. There wouldn’t even be an end product without the farmer.
“We still need farmers today as much as ever. People forget that they need the farmer three times a day every day – from the scrambled eggs, to the meat in the dinner, the lunch or the protein powder in their shakes. People don’t seem to realise how central to the food chain farmers are, yet he is the least respected, the least rewarded and the narrative is that farmers do nothing but complain.”
AG Ross recruited three workers from New Zealand in November and this has worked out brilliantly. “They are great. It’s so difficult to get dependable Irish labour today. Labour is going to be a big issue for contractors going forward and we’re so lucky to have got those lads. Running costs and labour wouldn’t be such a big problem if farmers were getting a fair price for their produce and work.”
Diversification has been key to the financial viability of the business. “We’ve had to diversify to keep things moving,” says Alan. “We’ve taken on digger work [for farmers and local builders], pipe / umbilical slurry and some sawing and mulching work in the winter too, and we’ve the tillage to complement the contracting, all of which helps to keep the lads going all year around.”
At the heart of AG Ross Agri is the strong ethos and dependability of a traditional Irish family business, with family values front and centre. Alan’s parents George and Betty are still very much involved, with George looking after spraying and tillage work and Betty doing the paperwork as well as helping out with the next generation: young grandchildren Fionn (6), Conal (4) and Aoibh (3) who are already showing a strong interest in farming and machinery.
“Dad’s 73 and he never gets tired of it. He’s out every day and I’m so lucky to have him. I’m with him full-time since I came home in 2013 and his experience is invaluable,” Alan concludes. “I built a new house on the farm and my parents also help out with our kids. We all work together and I’m very, very lucky to have their support. Family always have the best interests of the business at heart and it’s a massive part of what we are all about.”
AG Ross Agri Ltd.,
Ballyhooly,
Mallow,
County Cork.
Tel: 087 772 2128
First published in Irish Tractor & Agri magazine Vol 13 No 2, Autumn 2025
