Based in Ballyclare, Co Antrim, David J Strain Agri Contractors have built up a solid reputation down through the years for their first class service. Irish Tractor & Agri caught up with David to find out what they’ve been up to lately.

Having a strong relationship with your long-time customers can often make the difference for you in the business of agricultural contracting, and the Strains up in Ballyclare are what you could call the perfect example of that.

Even before David J Strain first got into the business as a teenager, his father, David senior, was out laying the foundations of what is today a successful company and one that stays busy all year round, particularly during the summer months.

David Strain snr first started with a handful of clients and that list has grown considerably through the decades, with so many jobs having been completed to their customers’ satisfaction to the point where they won’t look elsewhere.

Today, David J Strain Agri Contractors is the title of the company and we spoke to the man himself to learn the ins and outs of the business.

“We’re based at 20 Carnlea Road North, Ballyclare, Co Antrim,” explained DJ Strain, who is currently Managing Director of the company.

“We’d be established since 2000 but my father, David Strain snr, started out on his own long before that of course. But we’re officially established as David J Strain Agri Contractors 16 years now and during the busy times of the year we could have as many as seven staff working here – that includes my father, who is still very much involved here.”

Indeed the staff count can vary dependant on how busy David and his father are during different times of the year and it isn’t just the summer months that sees them flat out. Digger work, in particular, keeps David and co more than ticking over throughout the winter months, along with the other services that they provide.

The fact that these services are carried out in such an efficient and professional manner also counts for a lot when it comes to gaining repeat business.

“We cut silage, spread slurry, farmyard manure, do fertilizer sowing and digger work. We cut whole crop and do maize as well,” David outlined.

However, he doesn’t sugar-coat the fact that business is tough for everybody in the agri industry right now.

With the way milk prices are, it’s a struggle for many farmers and the knock on effect sees those at David J Strain Agri Contractors having to put their shoulder to the wheel and work into the wee hours when it’s required.

“Business at the moment definitely makes for tough times, with the milk prices and that,” said the company MD.

“But in saying that, with regards to our own prices we don’t get too pushy with our customers and I think they appreciate that. That’s the way it was even back when my father was starting out and we’ve stuck with it ever since.”

The fact that so many of David’s clients are ones that come back speaks volume about the work he has and continues to carry out, and this summer he is set to be a man in high demand again around his native Ballyclare.

“I’d safely say that 90 per cent of our work comes from repeat business from our customers. We go where they ask us to go and we provide them with a good service,” he stated.

“We don’t ever let them down and I think that’s more important than anything. When your customer knows that you’re reliable they will continue to come back to you time and time again.”

Needless to say, the summer months provide David with a hectic schedule to try and keep up with and it’s part of the reason why he has invested in a top of the line John Deere fleet, as well as bringing in experienced men to operate them.

As ever, the Strains and their staff will put in huge hours over the next few months to ensure that the silage is cut for their various clients.

David jnr says he’s once again relishing the rush: “May, June, July and August are our busiest months of the year obviously, but the whole thing is steady all year round.

“At the moment we’re doing a spreading and digger work, which tends to keep us busy all year round. We cut rushes as well but we’re busy with the slurry at the minute and looking forward to the summer.”

He continued: “The summer time is definitely crazy for us but it can be fairly weather dependant too. The last two summers have been damp enough and that can often see us working late when the good days but we can’t complain about that. We’re delighted to get the work when we have it and are willing to work into the morning if needs be.”

As aforementioned, the company operate with a John Deere fleet – a brand which David has always found to be trustworthy from Day One.

“We have five John Deere tractors altogether,” he explained. “John Deere are a reliable brand and we find them to be a comfortable tractor to drive and operate, so much so that we’ve continued to stick with them all the way. They’re good machines.”

Speaking of good, David will be hoping for an improved summer weather-wise than in recent years, having had to contend with back-to-back wet summers in the last two years.

Those conditions led to longer hours on the good days and although David sometimes welcomes the challenge of putting in 14-hour days, he would still like to see some consistent sunshine over the coming weeks and months.

“We’d hope for good weather this summer and continue to retain the customers that we have. As I said, we get the job done for them in a professional and reliable manner and that’s important,” he said.

“Last year was a damp summer and it tends to play a big part. There were a few occasions in 2015 where we were working into all hours of the night but, as the lad says ‘you have to make hay when the sun shines’.”

Never were there truer words spoken.

David J Strain Agri Contractors

Address:
20 Carnlea Road North,
Ballyclare,
Co Antrim
BT399 TQ

Mob: 07710390555

Taken from Irish Tractor & Agri magazine Vol 4 No 8, October 2016

David J Strain Agri Contractors