McCormicks show us way on wood fuel
Tuesday November 24 2009
A REPS inspector told me a few years ago that when he was visiting farms, all he had to do was drive in the entrance and look at the house and yard. Without getting out of his car he could see what sort of farmer he was dealing with and what the rest of the farm would be like.
He knew that some people just have an ability to farm well, getting the maximum income out of their land and, seemingly, without undue effort. These are often the same people who also host open days, give talks to local groups and generally help in their community.
It confirms the old saying: "If you want to get something done, ask a busy man."
I was reminded of this when I recently went to the McCormick farm at Carrowmore Lacken, Co Mayo. The land lies near the coast beyond Killala where they run a dairy enterprise, but I was especially keen to view their firewood- processing facility.
Before I ever arrived at the yard, I could see that pastures were outstanding. This farm was clearly being managed to an exceptional standard, and a tour of the wood-fuel production facilities told the same story. Alan McCormick, with the assistance of his father, milks 170 Jersey/Friesian-cross cows and rears replacements. They also used to grow potatoes but, given their close proximity to some of Ireland's largest woodlands, they decided to diversify into wood-fuel production four years ago. Before this, Alan had done some contracting work for Coillte and had bought sawn wood from them for heating his home -- and from there his new enterprise started.
Everything about this part of their farm business has been carefully thought through, and full use has been made of available machinery and buildings to avoid additional costs.
Much of the equipment used in producing firewood and kindling has been made on the farm. Alan's father, Donal, is now 80 years of age, but when I arrived he was busy with a welder building more devices to assist in the production of logs.
Alan told me that their philosophy is to question every expense -- however small -- and if something can be made or adapted they will do so. Virtually the only purchases made were a Palax 100s firewood processor and a kindling machine. The log rack, elevators and cleaner were all either homemade or had been bought for the potato venture. Even machinery for bagging the logs and kindling has been modified from another use, as has the kiln for drying. Once processed and cleaned, the logs move up an elevator, which shakes off any remaining brash, and are then moved to the waiting bags -- with just one operator required. From start to finish, the entire production works efficiently in existing buildings.
This is a lesson on how to make full use of any assets we have and how to economically farm during a recession.
The McCormicks are always looking for ways to increase sales and add value to their products. They now supply the wholesale markets in much of the northwest with both logs and kindling, and also produce longer-length logs specifically for the log-gasifier market.
The markets for quality wood fuel are growing rapidly, but so are the numbers of producers. One man told me he had last year placed an advert in his local paper for firewood when there was only one other competitor. This year there are 11 such adverts for firewood.
Another firewood producer and wholesaler in the midlands has recently gone out of business as he found he could not compete with the bags of logs on sale from Eastern Europe. There is nothing wrong with competition -- it keeps us on our toes -- but we must remain aware of the need to keep our production costs down to a minimum.
I learnt a lot from my visit to the McCormicks on how to make the most of what facilities we already have, and to think long and hard before committing to spending on equipment where a bit of ingenuity might provide the solution.
Check out www.timberland woodfuels.ie for their range of products or email info@timberlandwoodfuels.ie
- Joe Barry
Irish Independent
