Gurteen College is 'seeing red' with new tractor fleet
It is a case of new year, new fleet for students at Gurteen College in Co. Tipperary.
The college has taken delivery of six Massey Ferguson tractors on lease from EV Condell in Portlaoise, following a robust tendering process.
The hire fleet consists of six tractors of various models, including a 5M125 and two 5S135 tractors.
The three larger tractors in the fleet are a 6S155, a 7S165, and a 7S180. These tractors are Dyna-6 with full auto guidance, section control, ISO BUS, and load-sensing hydraulics.
Located in Roscrea, Co. Tipperary, Gurteen College teaches Level 5 and 6 Certificate in Agriculture, where students can specialise in dairy, drystock, or agricultural mechanisation.
The college also offers a degree in Agricultural Science and Sustainability in partnership with Technical University of the Shannon (TUS), and a Level 5 and 6 course in Horsemanship and Equitation.
Gurteen undertakes almost all of its own machinery work, so the new fleet of Masseys will soon be busy with slurry, fertiliser, and establishing winter cereals. As the year goes on, they will be used for grass reseeding, mowing, and baling.
The second-year students specialising in agricultural mechanisation will use the tractors to plough, till, and sow all of the college's winter cereals. Meanwhile, the smaller tractors are used to help teach the fundamentals of tractor operations.
Commercial enterprises
Farm manager at Gurteen College, Kenneth Flynn said: “We very much run commercial enterprises, but the whole reasons we have [the farm] is to facilitate the education of the students.
“We have 240 dairy cows, 70 suckler cows, and on average we finish about 140 head of cattle every year. Also, we have 100ac of tillage, and 80ac of willow that we use to heat the college.
“We also have 20 horses, but they’re not commercial – just there for education.”
Flynn said that leasing is suited to Gurteen’s needs. “We find it suits us very well,” he said.
“We’re consistent in the number of hours that we put on tractors so we can discuss, with anyone we’re leasing from, how many hours we’ll put on the tractor.
"That suits a leasing system, and it allows a new up to date fleet for education. [Students] seem to like [the leasing system].
“The consensus is that it’s good to have a new fleet to see more up to date technology that’s available on them," he added.
