Smith’s Farm Plastic Recycling & Agri Contractors in Ballyjamesduff, Co. Cavan recycles all forms of farm plastic, silage wrap, silage pit covers, chemical containers, netting, twine, fertiliser and feed bags while also providing a complete farm contracting service.
It’s all go for Ronan Smith who juggles his farm plastics collection / recycling and agri contracting business with running his dairy, suckler and sheep farm. He has been in the agri contracting business since 1989 and has been collecting and recycling farm plastics on behalf of the IFFPG (Irish Farm Film Producers Group) for the past decade. Ronan is contracted by the IFFPG to collect and recycle farm plastics in counties Cavan, Monaghan, Westmeath, Longford and Donegal.
The IFFPG is the national farm plastics recycling compliance scheme. Its role is to provide cost-effective compliance to members and a comprehensive recycling service for farmers nationwide to ensure that the national recycling targets set out by the Government are exceeded. This is achieved by operating approximately 235 bring centres annually as well as providing a farmyard collection service. The IFFPG is currently recycling in excess of 25,000 tonnes of farm plastics annually, which equates to a national recycling rate of over 70 per cent. The scheme is “not for profit” and is funded through a levy that is charged to members. Additional funding is received through a weight-based collection charge that farmers pay.
“As an approved IFFPG contractor, we collect both at the farmyard and at designated bring centres in five different counties,” Ronan explains.
“The IFFPG assists local authorities with enforcing the farm plastics regulations. We have two rigid trucks, three Broughan trailers, including one which is fitted with a crane, and a digger dedicated to collecting and recycling. Tom Reilly and Paddy Cosgrove look after this side of the business for us.”
IFFPG contractors such as Smith’s Farm Plastic Recycling & Agri Contractors have their trucks fitted with sophisticated weight cell equipment which is used at farmyards to accurately weigh the plastic and charge the farmer accordingly. The contractors weigh plastic at bring centres on static weigh bridges (where they exist) and mobile weigh bridges. Once the plastic is collected, the material is baled up for shipping and recycled into refuse sacks, piping, damp proofing products and even garden furniture.
The agri contracting end of the business is also going from strength to strength and has come a long way since Ronan started out with a Massey Ferguson 165 and a Welger PR12 round baler almost 30 years ago. Hay and silage baling remains at its heart with between 17,000 and 20,000 bales produced each year. Committed to providing a top-class service and complete customer satisfaction, Ronan has an array 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. The contractor’s success is down to the knowledge, skill and expertise of its staff, as well as the quality of its machinery. Smith’s Farm Plastic Recycling & Agri Contractors deliver the value and quality farmers expect from their agricultural contracting partner.
“We started from humble beginnings,” Ronan recalls.
“We had a Massey 165, a Welger RP12 round baler and a Massey square baler at the outset. We then added a Massey 135 and a Kverneland 7512 bale wrapper. After that we purchased an International 956 and a Welger 200 round baler.
“We then bought a Fiat 11090 tractor and a Welger 200, which was our first chopper baler. We then upgraded to a Welger Profi 220 which wrapped the bales in net and was far quicker than baler twine. We bought a Taarup 336 8ft conditioner mower before replacing it with another one and then with a Taarup 337.”
The affable contractor continues: “Our love affair with McHale round balers began about 15 years ago when we took delivery of a 550. Around the same time, we traded in the Fiat for a Massey 4260 which had a power shuttle and was therefore ideal for reversing when baling. We changed the McHale 550 for a McHale Fusion in 2005 and the Massey 4260 was upgraded to a Massey 6465. We also bought a Massey 6480 along with a second McHale Fusion.”
Nowadays, Ronan runs eight Massey Ferguson tractors, including two 6465s and two 6480s. Completing the fleet are a 4255, 4260, 7618 and 7620. Other plant / equipment includes three McHale round balers (two Fusion and one 550), two trail mowers, front and side-mounted mowers, tedder, silage rake, McConnel hedge-cutter, excavator, teleporter, Hi-Spec 3,000- and 2,000-gallon slurry tankers and a state-of-the-art umbilical system with dribble bar, which got a lot of use in 2017 owing to the exceptionally wet weather.
“While baling is our main focus, we also do slurry-spreading, hedge-cutting and draw bales of straw,” Ronan says.
All machines are upgraded regularly to avoid breakdowns and downtime. Martin’s Garage in Baileborough are the local Massey Ferguson dealers and Ronan has struck up a very good relationship with Ronnie and Trevor there. Clarke Machinery supplies all the McHale equipment and provides a great backup service. Terry Gilsenan Farm Machinery in Mullagh looks after all of Ronan’s pipe repairs and also provides a top-class service.
During busy times, the Smith team will work around the clock to keep their clients happy. They retain long-time customers and attract new ones by offering a professional, reliable, clean and value-for-money service.
Ronan is full of praise for his staff, which includes his brother Jim and Darren Farrelly. He is also grateful for the support he receives from his wife Barbara and sons Ross (18) and Mark (16). As mentioned already, he combines his farm plastics collection / recycling and agri contracting enterprise with running the family farm. He has a herd of 80 cows and supplies his milk to Lakeland Dairies.
Smith’s Farm Plastic Recycling
& Agri Contractors
Carnin,
Ballyjamesduff,
Co. Cavan.
Telephone: 086 2506129
Email: [email protected]
Taken from Irish Tractor & Agri magazine Vol 6 No 2, March/April 2018
Smith’s Farm Plastic Recycling
