From a time when everything was hands on, the machinery available in the farming community these days allows agricultural contractors to get through at least ten times as much work on a daily basis.

Agricultural Contractors have benefitted greatly from the evolution of technology, but there is one thing that cannot be surpassed and that is experience.

Being able to know what a customer wants and giving them the service that they require cannot only be achieved through a modern fleet of machinery.

Agricultural contractors are an integral part of the farming industry and without them; many farmers would not be able to get their work done.

There are many overheads in agri contracting as machinery doesn’t come cheap, but in order to carry out their duties to the highest standard, nothing but the best will do.

There are many agricultural contractors that have been providing a loyal and efficient service to their customers for many years, and one of these is Wexford based Alfie Byrne Agricultural Contracting Ltd.

As Agricultural Contractors, Alfie and his staff provide a wide range of services that include all things connected to arable, silage, baling, reseeding, slurry and tillage.

The adverse weather conditions in Ireland mean that the services provided by agricultural contractors are procedures that have great time constraints and can’t be achieved at the same time every year, but when we do get ‘dry spells’, it is essential for agricultural contractors to move quickly.

To do this, they need a modern and efficient fleet of machinery that will stand up to the demands of this hectic period. For many years, Alfie has provided a top quality service to a large customer base as the agricultural contractor built up a reputation for reliability and efficiency.

Having grown up on a farm, Alfie knew what his customers wanted and this helped him no end when it came to attracting new business over the years.

As the business grew, so too did the quality of machinery that Alfie used and today, he has an impressive fleet that is regularly updated.

“We are continuously investing in new machinery and last year, we bought two new tractors, both Fendts and we have a 141 Claas as well as a Valtra. There is an extensive range of machinery here to carry out the services that we provide.

“During the winter months, which is probably our quietest time, we would ensure that all the machinery is maintained and ready for our peak time during the summer months.

A testament to the success of this business is the amount of repeat custom that they have with many of their customers there from the days that Alfie first began cutting silage.

“We would have customers that are over 25 years with us. They know that they will get a good service from us and it is up to us to ensure that continues. Also some of the staff is with us many years and they are very experienced, which helps get the work done so efficiently, especially Ywai, Brendan and Pat.”

Alfie revealed that the combining is done with a Claas Lexion 560 and Claas Lexion 580 and he prefers to use  Broughan and redrock trailers for drawing the grain and silage.

“We would do a lot of business with Keogh Brothers and Kelly’s who I find to be very good to deal with. I’m delighted with the machinery I have here, but the aim is to continuously upgrade in order to keep the fleet fresh.”

Another area that Alfie is keen to progress is baling and he has a 131 McHale Fusion baler that is getting through a lot of work.

“I’d like to get more into the baling and provide the full range of services. I’m fortunate to have a loyal set of customers, many of who have been with us for years.

“I’d like to thank them for their business and hopefully we can continue to provide a reliable and efficient service that they have been accustomed to.

“We would have the same customer base for many years now and the fact that we provide so many services means that they usually get us in to do more than just silage.”

Alfie customer base not only covers parts of Wexford, but Carlow and Wicklow also and he is hoping that the customer base will continue to grow.

Alfie Byrne Agricultural Contracting Ltd
Crowsgrove,
Kildavin,
Bunclody,
Co. Wexford

Taken from Irish Tractor & Agri magazine Vol 3 No 8, September 2015

Agricultural Contracting, Alfie Byrne