Operating out of Cappoquin, Co Waterford, Cotter Agri Contractors Ltd marked 10 years this past January since becoming a limited venture. Irish Tractor Agri & Plant spoke with Kieran Cotter to hear more about the family business which appeared on TG4’s popular ‘Contractors’ programme recently.
Business is good these days at Cotter Agri Contractors Ltd and the plan for Johnny and Kieran Cotter and the rest of the team in Aglish, Co Waterford is to keep things that way right through to next year.
Since the 1960s, the Cotter family name has been synonymous with excellence in agricultural contracting around the Waterford region having originally been established by Johnny Cotter himself.
Today, he and his son Kieran head up the agri contracting firm which employs five full-time staff and specialises in mainly growing beet and maize.
Irish Tractor Agri & Plant caught up with Kieran Cotter recently to discuss the ins and outs of the company and overall state of business for it at the moment.
“My father Johnny turned 80 years of age there in February and we’re the two family members involved,” he said.
“My young lad (Dylan) does help out but he’s stone mad into sport, 17 years of age now and he’s on the county minor football team. He’s joint-captain of the team and I’m thrilled about that to tell you the truth.”
He added: “We have nine tractors in the fleet here and we would’ve added a new harvester last year. I bought a Volvo 120 H-Loader second hand and a new Amazon plough. Two New Holland tractors would’ve also come last year.”
The start of 2014 saw Cotter Agri Contractors Ltd officially established as a limited venture and, today, business is good despite the challenges that are out there at the minute.
Weather plays an integral part in any agri contractor’s business and recent times have posed a real challenge for Johnny, Kieran and their team down in Aglish.
“Business isn’t too bad. The weather has been absolutely shocking for us. We got a great first cut silage last year but, since the first cut silage finished, the weather was shocking for everyone in this game,” said Kieran.
“Business is okay though. We’re still doing what we’re doing and still holding our own. Weather is the biggest challenge as far as we’re concerned though.”
He added: “We grow a lot of maize and beet and the minute there’s a dry up, we have a nice bit of maize and beet to get in before we even think about silage. Sure look, it was never not done.”
In recent times, Cotter Agri Contractors Ltd has been getting national coverage after having appeared on a couple of episodes of ‘Contractors’.
The popular TG4 programme aired on Thursday nights from March 21st as a seven-part series and it explores the working lives and personal narratives of eight agricultural contracting families from diverse locations over a 12-month period.
Having initially been hesitant to take part in it, Kieran says now that enjoyed the experience of ‘Contractors’ which hit Irish television screens during the spring.
“They rang me in October in 2022 and I said ‘not a hope am I doing that’,” the Deise man laughed.
“I was very sceptical about it and then Cian (McCarthy, show producer) came down to my house one day and I decided to do it in the end. I decided to do it, but I told him that the main objective why I wanted to do it was that I have a life outside of contracting.
“I wanted that to come across in it because I’m very heavily involved in sport, a big Everton supporter as well, and I just wanted to get across that I do get time out of this job to do those things.
“My young fella is on the Waterford minor football team and I try to get most of his training and matches.”
Away from the agri contracting end of things, Kieran remains very involved with his native club Geraldines and still plays some Over 35s soccer whenever he can.
As a former Waterford senior footballer himself, the GAA – and sport in general – flows through his veins and, it’s safe to say, that the connection will always be there for him.
As for the new experience of filming a national television show while he’s out on the job, Kieran outlined that he “didn’t mind it one bit”.
“The only thing is that if the weather was going against us and we were busy, I had to tell the lads that I could do five minutes talking but that I’d have to get back up on that machine and get at it. But the boys were excellent and we had great craic with them and I didn’t mind it one bit in the end,” he said.
So, all of that considered, the burning question is what has been the secret behind the Cotters’ success in agri contracting to date?
How has a small start-up grown into a thriving business over the decades which holds an excellent reputation amongst its customers?
For Kieran, it comes down to a couple of different factors but, ultimately, he cites his dad as being the common denominator in Cotter Agri Contractors’ undoubted success.
“I suppose first thing’s first, my father and his brother set up this business well over 50 years ago now and we’re probably working with the same customers to this day,” he said.
“Now, I would have a few new ones brought in but we’ve been cutting silage for some lads 50 years now and I don’t think there’s too many contractors around that could say they’re going into one yard 50 years.
“It’s really because of them and the relationship they had started up. I suppose, I’m probably bringing that on again and, look, we take pride in what we do and it’s not all about making money. The first thing’s first and that is that we want to do a good job, so that’s where we are keeping our customers, I think.
“But it’s definitely from my dad and his brother Tom that passed away there over three years ago, they set-up this business and I wouldn’t be where I am today only for my father. I still consider him the main man of this business as he taught us everything we know.”
Indeed, he’s taught them well.
Cotter Agri Contractors Ltd
Aglish,
Cappoquin,
Co Waterford
Tel: 087 622 7677
First published in Irish Tractor & Agri magazine Vol 12 No 2, July/August 2024
