Agricultural Contractors know that to get the job done, they have to use every available hour during the summer months and in this country that is easier said than done.

Contractors face a constant battle against the unpredictable Irish weather to get through their customer base, especially during silage season.

Fortunately, there has been a few windows of opportunity to get the job done so to speak and for this month’s edition of Irish Tractor & Agri, we speak to Leitrim based Agricultural Contractor Trevor Johnston of Johnston Agri Contracts and he tells us just what it takes to get through the workload during the summer months.

With over fifty years’ experience in contracting, there are not many contractors out there that have the knowledge and wherewithal of the Johnstons.
Tom Johnston started out with a Dexter cutting silage back in the 1960’s and he has seen the industry evolve as everything involved has become bigger and better.

Tom is still working his day, while he has been joined by his son Trevor for the past 25 years. Together, they have built an extensive customer base which is mainly close to their home in Newtowngore, Co Leitrim.

“My father started out in a small way all those years ago and you can imagine the changes in machinery that he has seen over the years,” said Trevor.
“He has always moved with the times with regards the machinery and we have always upgraded on a regular basis. From getting through a few acres of silage a day, we can now pick up anywhere between 60 and 70 acres a day.”

To do this Trevor revealed that they had an extensive fleet of machinery that included 12 tractors.

“We would have seven Masseys and five New Hollands. The Masseys have been bought from Lunneys here in Leitrim and we would have a good business relationship with them over the years, but we would buy anywhere if the price is right.”

A JF FCT 1060 precision chop is used for picking the silage which Tom usually operates, while seven drivers are employed during the peak times.

Silage is certainly not the only service provided by this family run business as slurry, tillage and hedge cutting are just a few of the other services on offer.

“We would do a good bit of slurry during the winter, although that has been confined to specific months now, due to the new legislation brought in.

“We have tankers for the slurry as well as the umbilical system, which is great when the ground is soft and it is a quick way of operating too. Generally, there would be a lad coming after us when the silage is done and spreading slurry.

“The tillage work involved ploughing, reseeding and stitching, while we would be busy at the hedge cutting too.”

Trevor revealed that the majority of their customers have been on their books for many years at this stage.

“There would be farmers there who are with us since my Father first started out in the business fifty years ago. We have always tried to provide a reliable service and we’re lucky in that our entire customer base would be no further than four mile away from us. We would actually be harvesting 1100 acres of silage in that radius, which is a lot to be fair.

“With the weather in Ireland, you have to act fast and get in and get the job done. When that window of opportunity opens up, you have to be ready to work 24/7 and make sure the farmer is happy.”

Another service provided by Trevor and Tom is the work they have with the local Lakeland Dairies branch in Killeshandra.

“We would draw sludge from them and spread it on the land. It is essentially waste water from the machines that turns into a thick sludge, but it is good for the grass, but it can be only used by certain farmers who have to meet some legislation in order to receive it. This work is also controlled by slurry regulations and cannot be done in winter months.”

Asides from the agri contracting, the Johnston’s farm over 100 acres themselves and are currently milking 45 cows on a daily basis.

One may ask, how do the find the time to do the milking especially when the silage is ongoing and this is where another family member comes to the fore.

“My mother Margaret does the milking twice a day and has been doing so for many years. She looks after that the whole time and she enjoys doing it. It takes the pressure off us when we are so busy, but things should be easing off now a bit in the next few weeks. We are now in the middle of the second cuts, so hopefully we can get a spell of weather to finish them.”

Johnston Agricultural Contractors
Newtowngore,
Co Leitrim.

Taken from Irish Tractor & Agri magazine Vol 3 No 9, October 2015

Agricultural, Contractors, Johnston