Robin & Alan Ferguson, Derrygonnelly, Enniskillen, Co. Fermanagh
Robin and Alan Ferguson run a father-and-son contracting business just outside Enniskillen, specialising in digger work, silage contracting and slurry.
“With the weather we’re working with and your larger customers getting bigger and their needs getting greater, it’s just that you have less of a window of opportunity to get the work done,” Alan explained. “Half an outfit would do us but unfortunately living down here with ground conditions and going when it needs it most, you just have to adapt,” he added. “We purchased a new Krone 780 there last year. The last five years I’d run a Krone 780 as well—she was a 2019. We just got a good offer from the Irwin Brothers to change and felt it was a smart move for us at the time.” Looking back at their earlier fleet, he continued: “At the very start, our first self-propelled would have been a John Deere. We just felt at that time we needed something a wee bit hardier”
Their first experience with Krone left a lasting impression. “When we started with Krone, we bought a 700 out of England,” Alan recalled. “She done really, really well—properly well. You hopped into the machine and headed away on a day’s work, and she didn’t give you very little grief,” he added. “She just done what you meant to do—no nonsense—and very simple to work at.”
“We felt the parts were very cheap if we needed them,” Alan said. “Wear liners, knives and things like that—we thought they were very competitively priced. It just fitted what we were about really.” We weren’t buying new harvesters back then,” he continued. “That’s what was on the market, that’s what we could afford—so that’s what we bought. And we knew what we were getting.”
Dealer support is something Alan takes very seriously when purchasing machinery. “The dealers we deal with—the Irwin Brothers around Rosslea and Newtownbutler—they’ve taken over the Krone dealership there the last few years,” Alan added. “I’ve known Steven and John a long time. We started off in the early days contracting and bought machinery off them years ago. 90% of the reason I’m sitting in this today is because of them. Real, real good guys—could not fault them” he added. “You ring them—they not only help you, but they know how to help you,” he said. “They know what they’re talking about. Steven there—no matter what you need, you get it. And no matter what time you need it, you’ll get it.” Recalling on a conversation Alan added: “I said to Steven, the only reason to buy a second harvester is if something breaks down. He said, ‘If you break down, I’ll have a harvester with you in an hour. Don’t you worry about that—just work away. That means a lot. It’s a can-do attitude—you know if you want it, you get it done. They’re fair—they know they have to make money, and so do we.” “You don’t work to lose money,” he added. “But at the end of the day, you charge a fair price and try to absorb a wee bit of extra cost—trying to make sure their business is working along with your own.”
Alan spoke about his trust of the Krone brand. “At the end of the day, Krone has never let me down. They’re a hardy machine. They put the grass into the pickup, and they put it out through the chute—that’s all you can ever ask for. When you’ve a long day’s work to do, you’re guaranteed it’ll be done. That starts with Krone and the Krone brand—right through from mowing, right through to lifting the grass and cutting the pit,” Alan explained. “We’ll use it the whole way across the board.”
Alan had the opportunity of meeting Lillian Krone (daughter of Bernard Krone) and allow her the opportunity to drive a BiG X for the first time. Lillian shared her thoughts on her visit to Ireland: “I’m currently doing a tour of Ireland with Farmhand,” Lillian explained. “I’m still studying and completing an internship, and over the last few weeks I’ve been travelling through the Netherlands, Germany and now Ireland to see how the machines are working in different countries” she said. “I think harvesting in Ireland is very different compared to Germany. The conditions are more challenging — especially with the weather and ground. It’s not that easy.” They say if a machine works in Ireland, it will work anywhere in the world,” she wisely noted. “It’s really important for us to come here and see how the machines are performing in real conditions.” Lillian and her family have deep ties to Ireland. “My family always talks about Ireland,” she explained.
“My grandfather sent my father here years ago, so I wanted to come and see it for myself and understand how everything works here.” What I really like about Irish people is that they give very honest feedback,” Lillian said. “That’s something our family business is built on — honest opinions that help us improve our machines. I really enjoy the creative side of marketing,” she added. “I’ve worked on social media before, so it’s great to see how Farmhand presents the machines and shares what is happening on farms. It’s one thing seeing the machines at home,” she said, “but seeing them working here, in these conditions, is completely different.”
Alan recalled a time he was invited to the Krone factory by Bernard Krone; “We had a bit of craic with him and then he sat down to talk to us a bit about the history of the place and then he turned around and he said to a contractor, ‘If I tell you my story he’s telling me your story, tell me about the harvester. What’s wrong? What do we need to change? Can you see anything we need to change? anything we need to do’”. And you know, I don’t know if many other big machinery dealers would really care” he noted. “I don’t know if they would take that on board or they might do a bit of new data or send a few guys out and ask a few questions. He was very generous when we were over there too like and he was good”, Alan concluded.
