Irish Tractor & Agri Magazine

For over half a century, Duffy Agri & Plant has been providing top quality, reliable contracting services to a growing customer-base in the West of Ireland. Based in Balla, Co. Mayo, the second-generation family business’ services include baled silage, slurry spreading, tree surgery, site clearance and drainage.

As the Championships drew to a close, it was announced from the Grandstand that the 2027 National Ploughing Championships will take place in Boherkill Farm, Rathangan, Co. Kildare. The 95th National Ploughing Championships came to a close today after three fantastic days in Screggan, Tullamore, with 75,000 visitors attending Day Three and 243,000 attending across the three days.

Day Two of the 95th National Ploughing Championships saw another huge crowd descend on Screggan, with visitors enjoying a packed programme of ploughing, livestock, food, fashion and entertainment as attendance reached 91,000. The ploughing fields were once again at the heart of the action, with Senior Conventional and Senior Reversible classes getting underway alongside the Farmerette Conventional Plough Class, horse and vintage classes. The Five Nations Competition also concluded today.

From humble beginnings, Swaine Agri has grown into one of the most successful Valtra dealers in Ireland and even has the award to prove it. Named ‘Dealer of the Year 2022’ by Valtra UK and ROI, Swaine Agri has gone from strength to strength since it was appointed dealer for the Finnish tractor brand for Co. Offaly, north Kildare and north Laois in 2020.

Located in the heart of rural County Carlow, sits Ireland’s most recognisable agricultural trailer manufacturers, Broughan Engineering. Broughan Engineering has built its long-standing reputation the old-fashioned way, through hard work, strong family values and a relentless focus on quality. Based in Coppenagh, Tullow County Carlow, the company produced its first trailer in 1999 and has grown steadily ever since. Founder and leading operations on the manufacturing floor, is Patrick Broughan.

Few agricultural contracting businesses can claim to have successfully evolved across two generations while continuing to expand and diversify. Pat Cronin & Sons, based in Gattabawn, Gneeveguilla, near Rathmore, Co Kerry, is one such operation. Celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2024, the family-run enterprise has grown from modest beginnings into one of the most respected contracting and plant hire businesses in the south-west.

Kverneland Group Ireland, an official sponsor of this year’s National Ploughing Championships, will launch two new grass machines onto the Irish market as part of a broad display of Kverneland, McConnel and SILOKING machinery. The new Kverneland Tactus twin-rotor rake and Tersus 4000 flail chopper will make their Irish debut at this year’s National Ploughing Championships, as Kverneland Group Ireland launches both machines onto the Irish market.

Farmers nationwide benefit from the superior products and services of Clonearl Engineering – an industry-leading metal fabrication business located in Daingean, County Offaly. We headed to the midlands and interrupted hands-on owner Jack Pilkington’s busy schedule to find out more. Clonearl Engineering is an award-winning County Offaly headquartered steel fabrication company that specialises in sheds, trailers, gates and agri-tech solutions.

Minister of State with responsibility for Forestry, Farm Safety and Horticulture, Niall Collins TD, has announced the publication of the Department’s Annual Forest Statistics Report for 2026. Minister Collins said: “The Forest Statistics Ireland 2026 annual report brings together a wide range of information into one place to provide a detailed picture of the forest sector in Ireland.

By Brendan Boylan If any of you have come across my writings previously, it will almost certainly have been in a sporting context. Predominantly over the past couple of decades on my own website – www.boylantalkssport.com as well as in several local and national publications. The thing is though, even if you have happened upon some of my work on sporting matters, there is an ongoing possibility that you have already or will come across reference to farming somewhere along the way.