Plenty of deals for businesses at huge ploughing event
AGRICULTURAL businesses from Fermanagh and surrounding counties reported a busy week with enquiries and sales at the National Ploughing Championships held over three days in Co. Laois last week.
The event was the first held since 2019, and attracted 277,000 visitors over the three days.
Machinery exhibitors were a big draw and there were plenty of local companies getting attention.
The Clarke Machinery Group, from near Cavan, had numerous implements featured on their stand including the Echotec Tree Shear manufactured near Magheraveeley.
The company says it is an innovative and creative manufacturer supplying attachments and implements to the agri, forestry and construction industries.
Specialising in the supply of tree shears, they offer standard, tilting and rotation models. Echotec offers a service for bespoke design and manufacture to meet the needs of its customers.
The Redrock company, which had an extensive range of slurry tankers and sheargrabs on their massive trade stand, were also launching a new range of dump trailers.
Frank Flynn of Redrock said these were among the first trailers manufactured at their new Fivemiletown facility which has a workforce of 15 people, and has a need for a further 15 fabricators, welders and assemblers.
These dump trailers are half-pipe design and sit lower for smaller excavators and for road works. They come in sizes of 16 tonnes, 18 tonnes and 20 tonnes. They feature full commercial running gear and are rated to 60k.
Despite challenging times, Redrock has had a busy year, exporting to 12 countries as well as having a big local market share.
Another relatively new company to feature at the National Ploughing Championships was M-tec Engineering, from Swanlinbar, run by members of the Melanaphy family and part of the Enterprise Ireland marquee.
Adrian, Patrick and Therese Melanaphy
were all on the stand, where they featured a new range of trailers; a small tipping trailer and a livestock trailer.
The family began manufacturing small general purpose trailers and progressed to a tipping range, and are now beginning to expand their livestock trailers range as well as plant trailers and flat beds.
They reported a full order book from the first day of the ploughing event.
Supporting the family in their innovative business was Heather Humphreys, Minister for Social Protection.
Other companies with a local link was UTV LED Lighting Systems, where design engineer, Jack Campbell from Ballinamallard, and colleagues were demonstrating their high-quality range of LED lighting for tractors, vehicles and machines. The company can design bracket systems for various vehicles.
They featured a range of light bars and work lights.
Also featuring at the Ploughing Event this year was William Allingham from Quadcrate, based at Garrison. He was demonstrating a quadbike with his bubble cab and reported a number of sales after one and a half days.
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Agricultural businesses from Fermanagh and surrounding counties reported a busy week with enquiries and sales at the National Ploughing Championships held over three days in Co. Laois last week
THE Board of Lakeland Dairies has announced Colin Kelly as the new Group CEO Designate. He is currently Managing Director for Trading and Member Relations at Ornua.
Mr. Kelly will take up his appointment in January 2023 succeeding Group CEO Michael Hanley who earlier this year announced that he will retire in December.
Farmer owned Lakeland Dairies collects 2bn litres of milk from 3,200 farm families across 16 counties on a cross border basis. The co-operative makes a wide range of dairy food ingredients, foodservice and consumer products, which it exports to over 80 countries worldwide, in addition to comprehensive agribusiness operations.
Colin Kelly will join Lakeland Dairies having worked at Ornua since 2011, where he has held a range of senior finance and general management positions.
Prior to his current role at Ornua, he served as Head of Strategy Planning and Risk Management and before this as President and also as Chief Financial Officer of Ornua Ingredients North America. Before joining Ornua, he was a Senior Auditor with Deloitte.
A native of Lusmagh, Co. Offaly, he is an Accounting and Finance graduate of University of Limerick and is a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland.
Niall Matthews, Chairman, Lakeland Dairies said, “Colin’s knowledge and experience of the Irish and international dairy industry will be of significant benefit to Lakeland Dairies where he will lead the ongoing future progress, growth and success of our co-operative in the interests of our 3,200 farm families, our staff and our global customer base.”