Quigley Agri Contracting Ltd recently celebrated winning their second Glanbia Grain Supplier of the Year Award in three years. As in 2019, the father-and-son combination of Francis and Michael Quigley came out on top in the ‘Dried Feed Wheat’ category.
The Quigleys farm approximately 250 acres of excellent tillage land at Kildangan on the Kildare-Laois border. The main crops grown on the farm include winter wheat, winter and spring barley, and forage maize which is grown for sale to local dairy farmers. They dry and store all of their own grain which is supplied to Glanbia Quinn’s of Baltinglass on a smaller scale.
The Quigleys’ Glanbia agronomist is Sean Boland.
“We wouldn’t have won this award without Sean’s input. He’s a very good crop advisor. Whatever he recommends, we try to do it,” Michael says.
Glanbia Co-op chairman John Murphy said the calibre of entrants to the awards is a reflection of the hard work, dedication and professionalism displayed throughout the grain sector.
“We are extremely proud of our top-class portfolio of grains and the high quality is a direct result of the pride that our growers take in their work each and every day,” he commented.
“The weather often takes a toll on farmers, particularly grain growers, and it was good to note the favourable conditions and excellent yields were matched by strong prices for the 2021 harvest.
“We feel it is important to recognise the efforts that growers make to produce top-quality grain on a consistent basis and to adopt sustainable practices. It is noticeable that some growers are winning an award for a second or third time in different categories.”
Francis and Michael are equally well-known for their very successful agri contracting enterprise which has been in operation for three generations. The contracting business is focused on the sowing of cereal and maize crops, and the harvesting of cereals, maize and silage.
“We specialise in pit silage, wholecrop, maize, tillage and digger work. We’ve been in the agri contracting business for over 40 years and continue to go from strength to strength by providing an exceptional service,” Michael adds.
The Quigleys 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. Their success can be attributed to the knowledge, skill and experience of their staff as well as the quality of their machinery. The Quigley team delivers the value and quality farmers expect from their agricultural contracting partner.
The Co. Kildare operation runs seven tractors, including a stunning John Deere 6215R which was purchased new from TFM Farm Machinery last year. The other John Deeres in the fleet are a 6195R, a 7530 and a 7230R, which does the mowing. Completing the fleet are two New Holland T720s and a JCB Fastrac, which pulls a new Smyth tri-axle big square bale trailer.
The Quigleys also recently took delivery of a new CLAAS 990 forage harvester from Kelly’s of Borris, which was bought as a replacement for a CLAAS 970. Other grass equipment includes a set of CLAAS butterfly mowers, a Volvo L704 loading shovel, a Volvo L110G loading shovel, a CLAAS four-rotor rake, a CLAAS two-rotor rake and a range of Smyth Super Cube silage trailers, some with steering axles.
For tillage, the Quigleys have Kverneland five- and four-furrow reversible ploughs, a Simba 5m disc harrow and a Kuhn 3m one-pass power harrow. They also have an Accord maize drill that sows in the open and a Samco that sows under plastic. In 2019, they invested in a Horsch 4m trailed drill for seed and fertilizer which is in constant demand.
Other machinery operated by Quigley Agri Contracting includes a Bredal fertilizer spreader, a Gem Sapphire self-propelled sprayer, a New Holland BB980 big square baler, a Hitachi EX120 excavator and a Master dryer for drying grain.
There is no such thing as a quiet time for this highly-regarded contracting firm which will work around the clock and take on extra staff at busy times to keep clients happy. Ploughing and sowing take precedence in the early part of the year, followed by silage and baling during the summer months. After that comes drawing straw bales, maize and digger work.
All machines are maintained and serviced on a regular basis to avoid downtime, with most of this being carried out in-house. For bigger repairs, the Quigleys send their machines to main dealers such as TFM Farm Machinery and WR Shaw Tractors.
Quigley Agri Contracting has built up a large and loyal client-base within a 30km radius of Kildangan.
“We have some great customers in North Kildare, Laois and Offaly. We have a lot of customers in and around Portarlington. While tillage, silage and maize are our ‘bread and butter’, we also do some land drainage and a small bit of digger work on one-off house builds and sand arenas for horses. We’re always kept busy,” Michael explains.
Passionate about growing top-quality grain and agri contracting, Francis and Michael would like to take this opportunity to thank their customers and suppliers for their continued support as well as their staff for their hard work, professionalism and expertise.
Quigley Agri Contracting
The Courtyard,
Kildangan,
Co. Kildare,
W34 NY67.
Telephone: 087 810 7268
Email: [email protected]
First published in Irish Tractor & Agri magazine Vol 10 No 4, July/August 2022
