Last summer proved to be a godsend for farmers and agricultural contractors alike as all work carried out during this period was done under bright blue skies.
Unlike, recent years when harvesting of silage and other crops was intermittent due to the constant bad weather we had become accustomed too, the 2014 season allowed work to be carried out uninterrupted and agri contractors had little difficulty in getting through their huge workloads.
Regardless of the weather though, the summer months are what can described as a ‘crazy’ period for contractors whose dedication to their profession sees them work almost 24/7 on some occasions.
To do this, they need a modern and efficient fleet of machinery that will stand up to the demands of this hectic period and the majority of agri contractors must invest heavily into their business and for this month’s edition of Irish Tractor & Agri, we profile one such company.
Based in Ramsfort Park, just outside Gorey, Co Wexford, Kinsella’s (Allenwood) Ltd’s customer base covers a big radius from their location, which includes all across their native county and parts of Wicklow, while the owners, the Kinsella brothers, revealed that to ensure customer satisfaction it was important to get the job done as quickly as possible.
“The main aim is to get in and get the job done as quickly as you can. With the weather being so unpredictable, there is only a small window of opportunity to make silage, so it is a case of working 24/7 during that period,” said Tom.
“Fortunately, this year has been great weather wise and it makes life so much easier when you have a bigger window to work through.”
Tom added that having a top quality fleet and work force enables him to get through large quantities of work at one time. The fleet consists of a Claas Jaguar 870 Silage Harvester, 24m Self Propelled Sprayer, Horsch 4m Seed & Fert Drill, Big Square Baling & Wrapping, Claas 255 Round Baling & Wrapping, John Deere Tractors, JCB 414S Loader and much, much more.
“We do have a modern fleet of machinery that which is very up to date and this avoids any unnecessary breakdowns that may occur. We have eight tractors including six John Deeres, while we would have three combines and a wedge baler. There is also a six row maize sower here and a lot of work is done with that. During peak times, we would have eight or ten lads working for us and these are all experienced men.”
Of course, operating such an extensive fleet means that Tom and his team use a lot of diesel. “The price of diesel is huge at the moment and there is no sign of it coming down. It is definitely one of the biggest overheads that we have.
“We would do a lot of our own maintenance work, most of which would be done during the winter months when we are not as busy.”
Tom has been farming all his life and has been at it full time since he left school in 1958. He started the agri contracting in the late seventies and he now runs the business with his brother John and their sons David and Gary.
They provide a number of services including silage, baling, wrapping, slurry, spraying, big square bales 8x4x4 and 8x4x3, crop harvesting, etc., which means they are busy all year round.
“The summer months are obviously the busiest, but we would be kept going all year round, there is always something to be done. In fact, during the end of November and the start of December, we had three tractors draw Christmas trees for a few weeks, so if we are able to do a job, we will do it.”
Slurry spreading is a big part of the business also, but legislation introduced a few years back means, this is stopped between the months of October to January, which Tom doesn’t agree with at all.
“We would do a lot of slurry, but it makes no sense to have the cut-off point from October 15th to January 15th. It is all to do with mucking up the land, but during those months, the land can be dry as the weather is very unpredictable in this country.”
Over the years, the Kinsella’s customer base has grown extensively, given the level of service that they provide and Tom revealed that the majority of customers would be with them years.
“We would be doing work for the same lads for many, many years now. Our aim is to provide a reliable and efficient service in order to keep the customers happy and I think we manage to do that.
“If you can go in and do a job as quickly and efficiently as possible, then the customer is always happy and that is what we strive to do every time.”
Kinsella’s (Allenwood) Ltd.
Ramsfort Park,
Gorey,
Co Wexford
Tel: 0539421159
E: [email protected]
Taken from Irish Tractor & Agri magazine Vol 3 No 1, January/February 2015
