Garvey Agri Services is based in Ballyortla, Ennis, Co Clare, and is run by Tom Garvey, who also farms a suckler and beef enterprise on his own farm, while working in partnership with his father Tom senior on his own farm.

“There is never a shortage of work around here,” Tom tells us “as long as you’re willing to put in the effort and get your hands dirty.”

Tom is helped in the business by his mother Sheila, who keeps the workforce fed and watered, along with his wife Carol, who looks after the ever-important book work. Tom senior is also always on hand to help out when needed during the busy seasons.

History

As with many young machinery-obsessed people, Tom left school early after completing his Junior Cert in 1999 and went on to Pallaskenry Agricultural College where he completed his green cert, while also specialising in machinery during his time spent in college.

As part of his course, Tom completed a 12-month placement with local agri contractor Oliver Taaffe in Tuber. It was here that Tom really fell in love with the idea of becoming an agri contractor himself. Tom says he learned a great amount about machinery and the complete agri contracting business from Oliver and owes a lot of his success to him.

Upon finishing his placement, Tom stayed working with Oliver for a further four years. “I really enjoyed working there. They were great lads to work with and I learned a lot from them, which I brought home to my own business,” explains Tom.

In 2004, Tom went travelling to New Zealand where he did the silage season for four months. “This was a great experience. I had always wanted to do it before I came home to farm full-time and I would recommend it to anyone thinking about it.”

Once Tom came home, the machinery bug had well and truly bitten him and it wasn’t long before he gave into the temptation and bought a new Massey Ferguson 6480 from Abbey Retail in 2005. This was to be where it all started.

He started mowing silage for bales with a John Deere 1365 10ft mower and picked up extra work drawing silage for local contractors.

Tom invested in grass reseeding machinery in 2005 in the form of a 3m Amazone KG 303 power harrow, complete with stock air seeder. This proved to be an extremely popular service in the area, so much so that Tom is considering adding another unit into the enterprise this year.

In 2008, Tom purchased a new Abbey 3,000-gallon tandem tanker with 7.5m trailing shoe. This was the machine that really got Garvey Agri Services established.

“Customers were becoming more aware of the value of slurry, so I saw a niche in the market and decided to take the chance. Thankfully, it paid off, and we got loads of work around with new customers who we still work for today.”

From 2009 to 2013, Tom constantly expanded the business, updating and investing in new machinery in order to continue to provide an efficient and reliable service to his ever-expanding customer base.

A milestone for the business was reached in 2013 when Tom set up Precision Harvesting with business partner Patrick Heir, who runs Clare Farm Supplies. Precision Harvesting looks after the silage harvesting operation, with the various equipment involved owned by the company along with Clare Farm Supplies

“This makes it far easier on everyone, as nobody has to invest in all the machinery; it spreads the commitment and costs while enabling us to constantly expand the silage operation into the future.”

Tom made the decision to set up a plant hire enterprise within the business in 2014. He purchased a Hyundai 160 16t track machine and Herron 20t dump trailer. The plant hire was an immediate success, with strong demands for work to be done in the area, as well as general haulage work with the dump trailer. “The only regret I have is not buying a digger sooner,” explains Tom.

Services provided

Garvey Agri Services provides a vast array of services to the farming community within a 50-mile radius of its base in Ennis.

This year will see the machinery travel the length and breadth of Clare, as well as going into both Galway and Limerick. The area and workload is ever-increasing, as Tom has built his business on a good reputation and word-of-mouth referrals by providing fast, reliable and cost-effective service to farmers.

This year will see Garvey Agri Services start off with slurry spreading, using either a conventional splash plate or a trailing shoe fitted to a 3,000-gallon Abbey tank, which will be kept busy for two and a half months.

Next up is the tillage season, which will see the guys reseeding over 1,000 acres – although this can vary depending on the weather. The demand for reseeding was so intense that Tom recently invested in a 4m Mandam disc harrow in order to get through the work more efficiently, saving money for the customer while also helping to make a modest profit for the business.

“When I change a machine, I don’t make the decision lightly. I look at what is available and go for what can do the job quickly, efficiently and most importantly correctly.”

Following on from the reseeding, green fever hits Garvey Agri Services, as the silage season will see the Precision Harvesting company cover over 2,500 acres, which Pat and Tom hope to steadily increase over the coming year.

“I feel we can easily cover 3,500 acres in the next few years. We have the right machines for the workload and good men operating them,” explains Tom.

Another side of the business is plant hire, which stays steady all year, providing land reclamation, site clearance, drainage and haulage services. The contracting makes up 50% of the yearly workload, with the remaining 50% made up of farm work on the family suckler and beef farms.

Staff

Garvey Agri Services employs all seasonal staff, with two or three employed during spring work. This will increase to five or six during the busy grass season. The autumn work requires three or four employees, but once that is completed, Tom works on his home farm himself, getting in help as needed. Tom senior is always on hand to help out, which Tom says is a great help.

“Good staff are hard to find nowadays,” says Tom. “There are plenty of lads willing to drive new machinery, but when it comes to physical work, they are just not willing to do it. I am very lucky to have the guys I have; I can rely on them to get the job done right.”

Problems facing contractors

We asked Tom what he felt are the issues facing agri contractors today and any challenges he has faced in the business so far.

The main issue, as with most agri contracting businesses, is the money collection problem, Tom tells us. “When dairy and beef prices are down, we simply cannot get paid and end up serving as a bank for customers.”

The time involved in collecting money is a huge problem also, especially in a business where time is critical. “You could spend a day trying to collect money and come home with nothing,” he says.

The next issue which Tom has noticed is that the window to get the work done is getting smaller and smaller, with the weather becoming an increasing factor.

Nobody will want you one day and everyone will want you the next, meaning machinery has gotten much bigger, faster and more efficient, but with increased cost on the contractor to purchase and keep these machines updated.

Tom has noticed a drastic improvement in the technology within machinery over the past decade, with more power and output in smaller-sized machines, as well as increased fuel efficiency.

With the cost of diesel becoming an ever-increasing concern, it is vital to keep cashflow in the business under control, explains Tom. “We only get 30 days’ credit, which in the busy silage season can amount to a substantial bill which has to be paid.”

With an annual fuel bill of approximately €70,000, Tom has looked at the efficiency of his operation and is constantly improving and updating equipment to get the most out of the machines, while also getting through the work load faster.

He tells us his old New Holland 7060 mowing 20ft of grass with a front and rear mower conditioner combination used 35 to 37 litres of diesel per hour, whereas the new Claas Axion 830 with the same mowers only uses 16 litres per hour. The money the Claas is able to save on fuel is making half the payments for itself, explains Tom.

On the issue of fuel quality, Tom feels it’s not meeting the requirements it should be, with varying quality seen between fills. This can lead to costly mechanical problems and reliability issues.

Most of the machines in the fleet now require low-sulphur diesel, which is not a problem. However, in order to test each fill for quality, you have to send a sample away at a cost of €100 each time. Tom feels there is a need for a home test kit or local service to do the same in a shorter time frame and with a lower price.

Tom won’t forget 2012 in a hurry. He remembers it was an extremely wet year where ground conditions were a big problem. Machinery couldn’t travel the land to do the work.

Between getting stuck and mechanical breakdowns, he couldn’t make any headway at all. It was a tough year on machines and men alike, and served as a reminder of the implications the weather can have on his business.

Health and safety

Tom prides himself on being very conscious of health and safety within the business. All machines are kept in top mechanical condition, with all safety guards and devices in place and properly maintained.

Tom ensures all employees are educated on the dangers involved in the business and around machinery. All machinery operators get full training on each machine before being allowed to operate it. Employees are also educated on the dangers of complacency around the farm and machinery. They all receive first aid training and are shown where the first aid kits and fire extinguishers are kept.

The machinery fleet is kept updated to not only ensure an efficient service, but to avoid any possible safety issues which may arise with older machinery and breakdowns.

Machinery

I asked Tom what the favourite machine he ever owned was? “It has to be the Massey Ferguson 6480 and John Deere 1365 mower that I started off with; I have very fond memories of working those machines.”

I went on to ask him what the current best machine in the fleet is. “Definitely the Hyundai 160 Digger. I wish I had bought it sooner. That machine opened up a complete new range of work for us to do and has led to expanding our business and our customer base.”

The best machine Tom tells us he has ever had is the Claas Axion 830 and butterfly mower combination, which he currently operates mowing silage. “It’s a super machine to operate, with great comfort coupled with its ability to get through work fast, while being extremely efficient on diesel.”

The longest-serving and most reliable machine in the fleet currently is a 2009 Massey Ferguson 6490 with 8,500 hours that was never touched mechanically. The only thing the tractor ever got was a new set of tyres and regular servicing.

When asked what his dream machine would be, Tom says: “I would buy another 3,000-gallon tanker with all the bells and whistles complete with a trailing shoe. I think they are a super machine and was what really gave me a start in the business.”

From looking around the farmyard, it is clear to see one brand seems to dominate – Claas.

Tom tells us that he uses Breen’s Farm Machinery, which is only a few miles up the road in Ennis and provides him with top-quality service and backup. Tom finds Claas machinery very economical to run in comparison with other brands which he had previously, so much so that he hires an additional two Claas tractors off Breen’s during the busy silage season.

When buying a new tractor, Tom also purchases a service plan, which leaves him with a fixed cost and payment plan with no hidden surprises. Although he has a fully kitted-out workshop, all servicing and repairs are sent back to the main dealers, with only general repairs and maintenance carried out in the yard.

Future plans

Tom feels positive for the future. With farm sizes increasing, he sees a demand for a top-quality, dependable and efficient agri-contracting service, which he feels he can provide to his existing customers as well as building the business with new ones. “We are gaining a few new customers each year without losing any and hope to continue to do so into the future,” explains Tom.

He also hopes to expand the business by updating existing machinery as well as investing in new machinery. Already this year he has changed the Claas Axion 830 for a new version, while the Precision Harvesting end of the business has changed shade of yellow from a JCB 434S to a Volvo L70H.

Conclusion

To conclude, Tom hopes to continue to keep his customers happy, while reducing his overheads and costs in order to make the business more efficient and profitable in the future.

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