Agricultural contractors play a central role in Irish Agriculture. It is estimated that 80% of the heavily mechanised work, such as silage making, is done by contractors.
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 can 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.
Farmers are a loyal breed though and if they are happy with the work being done, they are unlikely to change.
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 Edward Thompson ably assisted by his brother Robert and loyal staff.
For the past 33 years, Laois based Thompson and Son Agri Ltd is a family run business based focused on providing high-quality service and customer satisfaction to the farming community.
Edward hails from a farming background and this has helped him know what his customers want which has been of a huge benefit to not only him, but his customers also while it also helped when it came to attracting new business over the years.
“The emphasis is on keeping the customers happy that is the main thing,” said Edward. “No business will grow unless you are providing the right service and that is something that we would be very conscious of.”
Situated in Erril, Edward’s customer base is within a 20 mile radius, and many of these customers have been employing him and his team to do a wide range of services for many years.
“We provide a wide range of services that include all things connected to arable, silage, baling, reseeding, slurry, dung spreading and hedge cutting. A lot of the customers would be with me since the start and I suppose that is a sign that we are doing something right. 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,” added Edward.
“Without doubt the best form of advertisement is word of mouth. If you do a good job for someone and they spread the word, what better endorsement could you get?”
To carry out his duties to the highest standard possible, Edwards admits that he needs a fleet of machinery to maximise their workload.
As the business grew, so too did the quality of machinery that Edward used and today, he has an impressive fleet that is regularly updated.
“We have a wide range of machinery to carry out the work quickly and efficiently, providing the customer with value for money and an alternative to investing in their own expensive equipment and with over 33 years’ experience in agricultural contracting, we feel that we can give them what they want.”
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.
The fleet of tractors include Valtra Claas and New Holland. Four 10ft Claas mowers are used for knocking meadows, while a Claas 850 Harvester picks up.
“The fleet would be upgraded regularly. When you are making silage you can’t afford any breakdowns as there is a small window of opportunity to get the work done due to the weather in this country.
“When purchasing new machinery, we would mainly deal with Kelly’s of Borris, Tom Shaw and WR Shaw while the bulk of our machinery repair is done by Castlefleming Farm Machinery.”
For many years, Edward has provided a top quality service to a large customer base as the agricultural contractor built up a reputation for reliability and efficiency and he revealed that the summer period is certainly the busier time during the year
“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.
Asides from the contracting work, Edward farms in the region of 250 acres of land which is used for sucklers and corn.
“We’d be always kept busy with the farm even in winter, there is always something to be done. My son Richard is coming along now and he is the future.”
Thompson & Son Agri Ltd
Borroughan,
Erril,
Portlaoise,
Co Laois.
Taken from Irish Tractor & Agri magazine Vol 4 No 1, January 2016
