Down Carlow way

and further suitable leases arise.

The plan is to allow contractors to harvest the maize; he has no intentions of buying maize harvesting machinery just yet.

Installing solar energy panels on some land is an interesting new development for Nolan Farming this year and clearly outside of the core tillage business. But what was the idea behind the move?

“We did a lot of research into payback periods and have decided along with a local businessman to invest in solar farming. It means we are putting solar panels over 30 acres of ground which will be capable of providing around 5 Megawatts of power to the grid. They will pay for themselves in about eight years and have a lifespan of 25-30 years. I see it as a way of de-risking the business by bringing in an alternative revenue stream separate to the tillage side. God forbid if things went wrong or we get a few bad years in tillage it is good practice to have other sources of income.”

Tractor talk

Nolan Farming uses three tractors to run operations; a 131-registered Fendt 828 Vario with 5,000 hours and extended warranty is charged with doing most of the heavy tillage work; while two 09-registered John Deeres, one a 6630 with 6,000 hours on the clock and the other a 7430 with 7,000 hours on the clock, have proven hugely reliable over the years.

The operation uses reliable local dealers as far as possible including the likes of Kehoes in Camolin, Kellys of Borris and the TFM Kilkenny branch. “The back-up from dealers these days is just incredible,” he says. “There are some brilliant young mechanics in the country these days that don’t get enough credit.”

Kevin is open to trying new brands in the future, but he admits to having a weakness for Fendt and the technology level it brings. “I can’t see a time when I don’t have at least one Fendt and a John Deere on the farm if I’m being honest. Having said that, I’m always open to looking at different brands. The JCB Fastrac is a machine I could see being useful here at some point in the future as we do a lot of road travel between farms.

“For a job like spreading liquid nitrogen on crops it could really come into its own. I like to buy demonstrator models and that helps a little to keep costs down. My advice for anyone buying new tractors is to opt in for extended warranty cover; not doing so is madness because breakdowns and repairs are so expensive these days.

“We love to look after our tractors and machinery here; when we get students in I make a point of teaching them how to respect and look after kit by giving them their own toolbox and tools. A lot of students from Kildalton that passed through Nolan Farming have since gone on to set up their own farming and contracting operations and I know for a fact many of them still have the same toolbox!”

All combining is currently done with a 162-registered Claas Lexion 760 that is fitted with a 40kmh transmission, shod on Terra Tracs and working with a 30ft wide Vario header. The experience to date has been very good with this combine and features like the CEMOS Claas system and yield mapping are starting to prove themselves with local farmers. Terra Trac gives the edge for tractive performance and “isn’t too heavily wearing on the road” according to Levin.

One downside noted by the Carlow man are that the dividers on the Vario header could be better; he is thinking of opting for a MacDon header next time after being impressed by a recent trial. The combine harvester is the biggest single investment in any tillage business but Kevin has learned that you simply need scale to get the job done. He pulls out a calculator from a storage pocket in the tractor cab and taps a few buttons before showing me a number. “If you do the maths it actually works out as 59 acres of crop harvested per foot of combine width — which I think is pretty efficient,” he smiles.

Kevin’s appetite for using the most cutting edge machinery to drive his operation and increase output has become a sort of trademark and led to big followings on the company’s Facebook page (Nolan Farming). But is this a weakness for machinery that could lead to overspending on the latest kit?

“I wouldn’t say that,” he remarks. “Yes I like having good kit and everyone knows I love machinery. However, the difference is that I have everything costed on this farm and repayments are down to a fine detail. We tend to keep our machines over a good few seasons to make them pay for themselves. The combine is the classic example.”

Family life

When it comes to family life Kevin is married with three young kids aged 12, nine and six. He tries to keep to a rule whereby Sundays are marked out as a family day off. That isn’t possible 52 weeks a year, but it takes something exceptional to make him get into the cab of a Sunday.

“Maybe one or two weeks I might have to miss out, such as when we are in the thick of the harvest, but by and large it is a down day,” he explains.

“I’m turning 40 this year and life is just too short to miss out on the kids growing up; I meet loads of older contractors and they often tell me they regret not spending more time with their kids. I don’t want to make that mistake.

“I don’t know if they will follow me into this business but I can’t wait until they reach an age where they can help out on the farm. My daughter will be a fantastic driver; girls always look after machinery better than boys in my experience!”