From Kilworth in North Cork, Conor O’Brien is an enthusiastic, energetic agri contractor with an immense passion and insatiable appetite for farming and machinery. The young Cork man genuinely enjoys what he’s doing, so little wonder Conor O’Brien Agricultural Contracting Ltd. has made such a big impression in the six years since its inception!
Within seconds of striking up a conversation with Conor O’Brien, one can immediately detect that, as an agricultural contractor, he’s living the dream. Conor, who grew up on a mixed family farm, loves machinery and loves working the land.
Contracting is his calling and he hit the ground running when setting up his own business in 2019, quickly expanding his fleet of tractors and machinery to provide a comprehensive range of services to nearby dairy and tillage farmers, amassing a large, loyal base of satisfied customers in the locality through the consistent delivery of outstanding services.
A positive character by nature, Conor is even more upbeat than usual in 2025 thanks to the favourable working conditions contractors and farmers have been enjoying: “Weather-wise, it’s the nicest year we’ve ever been at it. It’s been a real pleasure to be working and harvest was a dream,” he enthuses.
“It’s grand to grow crops, but it really takes the pressure off when you have good weather to harvest them. The weather has been ideal and it’s definitely been a fantastic year.”
From a young age, Conor was always destined to go down the contracting route. “I grew up on the home farm and have always loved machinery,” he confirms. “I went out on my own, contracting, in 2019, having worked for another contractor for six years prior to that. It was something I always dreamed of doing and thankfully it’s been going very well so far.”
On the back of the prompt, professional, value-added and friendly services provided, Conor O’Brien Agricultural Contracting Ltd. has grown exponentially year on year. “It’s never stopped and has increased year on year,” he notes. “I started with one farm tractor and now have five tractors of my own alongside the farm tractor. You keep adding more machinery every year and I have everything now except a self-propelled harvester … but we’ll never say never!”
Tractor-wise, Conor currently runs four Case Puma 165s and a Massey Ferguson 7S180. He likes to keep a fresh fleet to ensure optimal performance, with a replenishment programme of replacing the tractors every two years. In 2025, two new tractors were purchased. “I try to keep them right and the tractors have gone well in the system we have for them.”
For slurry, Conor started off with one vacuum tanker and now has three as well as a rear discharge dung spreader and dribble bar / trailing shoe setup. He also operates a full baling outfit with rakes, tedders and two balers, currently baling up to 16,500 bales per year. Other services offered include ploughing, spraying, fertiliser spreading, reseeding, setting crops, hedge cutting, and much more besides.
Conor O’Brien Agricultural Contracting also draws grain and dung, with a brand-new Broughan Trailer added to the fleet last year.
Despite being a relative newcomer to the world of agri contracting, Conor is delighted to already have close to one hundred customers on his books. “That could range from 20 bales a year to 1,000 bales a year but I treat them all the same,” he reveals. “A customer is a customer and you give them all the best possible service.”
Alongside his contracting business, Conor also helps out on the family farm at home, owned by his parents, Pat and Irene, who have 104 dairy cows, a suckler to store beef operation and 55 acres of tillage.
His location is ideal as Kilworth nestles in the heart of North Cork’s dairy hinterland but also with a lot of tillage going on nearby… “We’re right beside Moorepark and dairy is very big around here. But if you go 15 minutes to Castletownroche, you are in tillage territory, so we have the best of both worlds. We’re lucky to have that variety and I was also lucky in that I got into contracting at just the right time. The timing was perfect and dairy has taken off since my first year. I probably couldn’t have timed it better.”
There’s a refreshing spirit of togetherness in the agri community in North Cork, with everybody pulling together. “I worked with a man full-time for six years and when I decided to set up on my own, he helped me get going. Life is too short to be falling out with people and we all work together as much as we can. Everybody here helps each other out. I’d be very friendly with a couple of local contractors – when they are busy they will put some work my way and when I’m busy they’ll help me out.”
Of course, one of the biggest problems facing both farmers and contractors in 2025 is the spiralling price of machinery. “The cost of tractors has gone to a whole new level,” says Conor. “A tractor today is €50,000 more expensive than when I started in 2019. That’s the way it is, unfortunately, and rates have had to go up too to account for this.
“It’s a big increase in overheads but I still believe that if you can keep the tractors new, then lads are more likely to mind them and to take more pride in them and in their work. I’ve four full-time lads with me now all year around – one is here six years, two for three years and the other for over a year already. We’d also take in some part-time lads too when we’re busy.”
The man behind Conor O’Brien Agricultural Contracting Ltd. is very much the epitome of a hands-on boss who leads from the front and leads by example, never happier than when he’s out in the fields working… “I love driving and to be honest I don’t see it as work,” he concludes. “For me, it’s more of a pleasure and I honestly can’t get enough of it.
“I love setting crops for people and watching them grow. There’s so much about this job that I love – it’s a privilege and I feel blessed to be at it. I’ve no intention of stopping or slowing down any time soon; we’ll keep going at the same speed for as long as we’re able!”
Conor O’Brien Agricultural Contracting Ltd.,
Ballinglanna,
Kilworth,
County Cork.
Tel: 097 4127318.
First published in Irish Tractor & Agri magazine Vol 13 No 2, Autumn 2025
Conor O’Brien Agricultural Contracting Ltd., Featured
