Read Agri Contracts '“ going from strength to strength

He is committed to providing a professional silage, slurry, sub-soiling and re-seeding service to farmer clients in the Fermanagh and West Tyrone area.

“Grass re-seeding has been a strong tradition within the business,” Barry explained.

“And this can be carried out by going in with the plough and carrying through on a traditional basis or stitching into an existing sward.

“Making best use of grass is a now a key focus for all of the livestock sectors. And as part of this, re-seeding and the benefits of utilising improved grass varieties should take on greater significance.”

As many people are aware, most parts of Fermanagh were badly flooded last winter.

“And this included our own farm,” Barry added.

“The damage done to land in many parts of the county has been considerable. And this may result in farmers having no option but to subsoil fields, in order to get them back into good heart.”

Barry is also keen to expand the company’s range of operations. A case in point is the straw grinding service, which is in growing demand on dairy farms throughout the winter months.

“We use a Roto Grind machine for this, which can process large quantities of straw in a relatively short period of time. We currently have customers as far away as Cookstown making use of the service,” he explained.

But slurry spreading and silage making are at the very heart of the services provided by Read Agri Contracts. A theme that connects both of these activities is the use of Redrock equipment.

“We have three Redrock slurry tankers: 2,500 gallons; 4,000gallons and 4.500 gallons. An umbilical system, in tandem with dribble bar can be attached to the two bigger options. Each has an emptying rate of five minutes,” said Barry.

“During the silage season we use five Redrock trailers, ranging in capacity from 13t to 20t.

“We have traditionally used Redrock equipment because of its quality and longevity. The first trailer was bought almost 20 years ago. And it was in use up until 2015. We also have a Redrock low loader and dump trailer.

“Reliability is everything in this business. We provide farmers with a total silage service. So every piece of equipment that we use must work to its maximum capacity when required.”