John Wilson Agricultural Contracts provides a complete agricultural contracting service from the Glens of Antrim. The business was set up by John Wilson 50 years ago and is now run by his nephew Ryan Boyle.

John is still very much involved and can be seen behind the wheel of the CLAAS Jaguar forage harvester when the silage season is in full swing. Ryan has been at the helm for the past 10 years, having inherited his passion for farm machinery from his uncle as a child.

“My mother Anna is John’s sister and I was always around the family farm when I was younger,” he explains.

“The farm is about 120 acres and John keeps suckler cows on it these days.”

Specialising in slurry spreading, ploughing, drilling, silage cutting, wholecrop harvesting, hedge maintenance and excavation, John Wilson Agricultural Contracts is committed to providing a high-quality service and complete customer satisfaction. Ryan and John have a wide range of machinery to carry out your work quickly and efficiently, providing you with value-for-money and an alternative to investing in your own expensive equipment.

The service is so good that there was even a DVD made about it a few years ago, which was fittingly entitled ‘A CLAAS Act’. The 90-minute documentary tells the story of the busy North Antrim contracting firm and follows Ryan, John and their hard-working team of men as they undertake a host of agriculture contracts. It’s a heart-warming production of a close-knit family working together in a competitive market.

The business’ success can be attributed to the quality of its equipment and the knowledge, skill and expertise of its staff. John Wilson Agricultural Contracts delivers the value and quality farmers expect from their agricultural contracting partner.

Ryan runs a fleet of five CLAAS tractors, including a brand new Arion 620 which he purchased from Erwin Agri-Care’s Nutts Corner garage on the outskirts of Belfast. He also bought a new 240hp CLAAS Axion 840 from the same dealership in April of last year, which was one of the first to be sold anywhere in Ireland.

CLAAS is also the preferred brand when it comes to silage-making equipment. As already mentioned, John drives the Jaguar forage harvester. CLAAS trailed and butterfly mowers are used for cutting. A JCB 416 loading shovel takes care of the silage pit. Other machinery/equipment owned by John Wilson Agricultural Contracts include two Kverneland reversible ploughs, two new HiSpec slurry tankers and four silage trailers (three Red Rock and one Kane).

The machines are upgraded on a regular basis, with Ryan stressing: “We like to keep them fresh. It’s cheaper in the long run, especially now that finance is more readily available that it used to be. We can’t afford any breakdowns or any downtime. Breakdowns can run into a lot of money, and you don’t want that. That’s why we operate good quality machines and have them serviced and cleaned regularly.”

John Wilson Agricultural Contracts is based in the village of Armoy, which is six miles from Ballycastle, nine miles from Ballymoney and is situated in the beautiful Glens of Antrim. Ryan and John cover within a 15-mile radius that also takes in Dunloy and Cushendall.

“We are lucky to have such a loyal customer-base, which is growing year-on-year. Our customers are a mixture of dairy, sheep and tillage farmers. Some of them have been with us from day one,” explains Ryan, whose three-year-old son Jonathan is already taking a keen interest in the machinery.

The farm contracting business is busy all year round. For Ryan, who takes on up to 10 extra workers at busy times, the year begins with slurry spreading, followed by ploughing. The silage season, which typically runs from May to September, is a particularly hectic time for Ryan, John and the rest of the team who will work around the clock to keep their clients happy. The harvest, ploughing (for winter cereals), slurry spreading (up until October 15) and hedge-cutting keep the lads busy for the remainder of the year.

Ryan finishes by saying: “I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of our customers for their continued support. We look forward to catering for their needs and providing them with the same great service for many more years to come. Here’s to the next 50 years!”

So for all your agriculture contracting needs in the North Antrim area, make sure to give Ryan a call.

John Wilson Agricultural Contracts
52 Carrowreagh Road,
Armoy,
Ballymoney,
Co. Antrim BT538RS
Telephone: 028 20751134
Mobile: 077 63959451

Taken from Irish Tractor & Agri magazine Vol 3 No 4, May 2015

Agricultural Contracting, John Wilson