For three decades, Sheridan Agricultural Contractors Ltd has provided customers in County Mayo with a top-class agricultural contracting service. We met up with the long-serving Ballinrobe man to take a look at his impressive fleet and to get an insight into the wide range of services provided.
Agricultural contracting has certainly evolved over the decades and the state of the art machinery used these days allows contractors to get through much more work than they could in time gone by.
Eamon admitted to the Irish Tractor that it has been a strange year, but added that the weather has always played a massive part in their line of work.
“You are at the mercy of the weather from year to year, but this year was a bit different. We found ourselves a bit behind on the silage front, but we eventually caught up,” said Eamonn. “There wasn’t a lot we could do about it, so it was just a case of getting on with it,” said Eamon.
“There are big time constraints in this game, you are up and against the weather and the clock all the time, but once the machinery runs well, you will get through the work.”
Eamonn has built up a comprehensive customer base over the years, many of who have been obtaining the services of the trusted agricultural contractor since he was first established.
“Many of our customers have been with us from the start, we have worked hard and have managed to build upon our customer base over the years. As farmers ourselves, we know the need to get through the work as quickly and efficiently as possible. Like I said, there are big time constraints in this line of work, so it is important to get through as much stuff as you can when you can.”
A tremendous investment of personal care and attention to detail goes into every job, allied to an innate understanding of the land and a steely determination to get the job done right.
Not only does Eamonn boast over 30 years’ experience and a track record that is second to none in the province, he also has at his disposal a superb fleet of tractors and agricultural machinery which he has assembled and maintained painstakingly and meticulously down through the years, always mindful of the fact that a modern fleet would provide key efficiencies and in turn a better service to their clients.
Regular, routine checks, servicing and repairs ensure optimum performance from every unit in the fleet, while a programme of continuous reinvestment and refreshment sees to it that Eamonn consistently owns and operates one of the best fleets of agricultural machinery in the region.
“The machinery is upgraded on a regular basis, we would have Deutz and John Deere tractors, two fusion balers, Malone mowers as well as slurry tankers, trailers and other plant.”
The Mayo based agri contractor provides the full range of agricultural services, which include, mowing, baled silage, round baling, ploughing and reseeding, slurry spreading, dung-spreading, hedge-cutting, plant hire and groundwork.
“We would do a lot of groundwork for the local authority and Lagan Asphalt, which helps keep us busy at all times. I would also farm at home where we have 30 cows, so there is not much downtime,” he laughed.
To carry out all these services and duties, Eamonn has ten employed, many of whom, have been there years. “I’m lucky to have a good crew here, the lads are very experienced at what they do, which is important when operating any type of machinery.
“We do all our own maintenance and that we can ensure that the machinery is kept in excellent condition as breakdowns are something we want to avoid at all costs.”
In this industry, it is almost impossible to keep everyone happy, but Eamonn endeavours to do so and the fact that most of his customers are there years suggests that he is doing something right.
“Every farmer wants the work done straight away and it can be difficult at times, but we do our best to accommodate everyone. As a farmer, I know the needs of my customers, so we try to meet their demands.”
Slurry work is a big part of the business and Eamonn has two tankers running at the moment, while he is also look at other options of slurry spreading.
“We do the tanker system, but we might try the umbilical system at some stage. The land we work on is generally good, but it is an extra option that we may explore.”
There are many overheads to contend with when agricultural contracting and Eamonn stressed that it was all about investing at the right time.
“We have kept things sensible here, changing one or two tractors a year and maintaining them ourselves which, as I said earlier, really helps when it comes to keeping down costs. Investment has to be made, there is no question about that. Machinery is evolving all the time and it cuts down the amount of time we have to spend on any job, so that is a major plus.”
Contact Details:
Sheridan Agricultural Contractors Ltd
Cuslough,
Ballinrobe,
Co Mayo
First published in Irish Tractor & Agri magazine Vol 8 No 4, December 2020
Sheridan Agricultural Contractors
