Farmers rely on contractors and other businesses to get the best out of their land. Without the aid of these, greater expense would be needed to ensure that their future is safe-guarded.
However, there are certain businesses that cover every aspect of farming and for this month’s edition of Irish Tractor & Agri, we profile one of them.
McKelvey Bros Agri Contractors was set up by Ivan and Brian McKelvey over 40 years ago. From humble beginnings, the brothers have helped build the business into what it is today.
And that is a one-stop shop for all your farming needs as not only are they agricultural contractors, but they also run a farm store in their home town Ballynahinch, Co Down.
These days, the next generation of the McKelvey family is involved in the business and Brian and Ivan’s sons Thomas and Robert ensure that the operation runs smoothly on a day-to-day basis.
Thomas’ mother Beth looks after the administration side of the business and it really is a family affair, while they have 25 employed during peak times.
Not only do McKelvey Bros supply an agricultural contracting service and farm store, but they also farm in the region of 500 acres which is mostly stocked with cattle.
All this makes for a hectic time, but Thomas revealed to us that a number of factors contribute to make it all work.
“My father and uncle started off doing a bit of agri-contracting over 40 years ago. We know do a full range of services including silage, slurry, ploughing, sowing, fertilising and other things as well,” said Thomas.
“Around 20 years ago, the farm supply store was set up and that has been going ever since. We supply a wide range of products, most of which is to do with the farming industry.”
To cater for all these duties, McKelveys need an extensive range of machinery and Thomas stated that they upgrade the fleet on a regular basis.
“We would have a wide range of machinery here. We do most of the maintenance work ourselves, but we like to upgrade every few years in order to get the best out of the machinery.
“We also have eight trucks on the road and are involved in general haulage. We would haul a lot of fertiliser. The trucks are mostly Scania which would be bought from Roadtrucks in Larne, while we would also go to England to buy our trucks.”
To make the business work, McKelveys rely on their workforce to ensure that their customers get the best service possible and Thomas added that they were very fortunate on this front.
“Many of the people that work here would be with us for many years. They are all very experienced and good at their jobs and without them, we wouldn’t be able to get through half as much as we do.”
On their own land, McKelveys have anywhere between 300 and 400 beef cattle on their land during the summer, while in winter that number goes up 1,200.
Around 150 acres of the land is kept aside for winter crops including wheat, while in spring barley is harvested. “We are kept busy all year round and even though, the winter period is a bit slacker, there is always something to be done.”
The adverse weather conditions in Ireland mean that cutting silage is not a procedure that can be achieved at the same time every year, but when we do get ‘dry spells’, it is essential for agricultural contractors to move quickly.
“The contracting can be very weather independent and when you get that window of opportunity you have to move quickly. We have the machinery that will get through huge acreage on a daily basis and that is why it is important to be continuously upgrading the fleet and making sure that we have the best fleet possible on the road.”
Thomas admits that they are pleased with the direction that the business is heading as they continue to provide a top level service to a large customer base that includes Down and surrounding counties.
“We are busy enough with all the different aspects of the business, if one area is quiet, then usually we are busy in another area. The customer base has grown considerably over the years and once they are happy with the service that we provide, then we must be doing something right.”
“We are continuously investing in new machinery and regards our tractors, we would have mainly Fendt and John Deere. There is an extensive range of machinery here to carry out the services that we provide.
A testament to the success of McKelvey Bros is the amount of repeat custom that they have with many of their customers there from the days when Ivan and Brian first began cutting silage.
“We would have customers that are over 30 years with us. They know that they will get a good service from us and it is up to us to ensure that continues.”
McKelvey Bros
34-36 Lisburn Street
Ballynahinch
Co Down.
Taken from Irish Tractor & Agri magazine Vol 3 No 4, May 2015
