If you've invested in agricultural machinery, every day that machine sits in the yard is costing you money.
Whether you operate a tractor and flail, specialist overseeder, flail collector, subsoiler, hedge cutter or a complete fleet of agricultural machinery, finding enough suitable local work to keep that equipment productive isn't always straightforward.
That's where Emmerdale Agriculture can help.
We're developing a network of agricultural contractors across the UK and connecting them with landowners, equestrian yards, estates and other customers who need agricultural and paddock work carried out.
You tell us where you work and what machinery you have. We help connect you with customers looking for those services. Joining is free.
Helping agricultural contractors find more local work
There are thousands of potential customers around the country who need agricultural machinery services but don't necessarily know who to contact.
This is particularly common in the equestrian sector.
A horse owner may know that their paddocks need improving, but they probably don't have a list of local agricultural contractors who own an overseeder, subsoiler or flail collector.
They search online, ask other yards, post in local groups and telephone contractors trying to find someone who can help. (That's the other side of this: our note for customers on finding a paddock contractor walks through exactly that problem.)
At the same time, there could be a contractor ten miles away with exactly the machine they need.
Emmerdale Agriculture wants to connect the two.
What sort of jobs can we help contractors find?
Our enquiries can cover a wide range of agricultural, paddock and estate work, including:
- Flail mowing
- Paddock topping
- Flail mowing and collecting
- Grass and vegetation collection
- Harrowing
- Rolling
- Overseeding
- Grass seeding
- Fertiliser spreading
- Lime spreading
- Soil sampling
- Soil compaction testing
- Aeration
- Subsoiling
- Cultivation and rotavating
- Stone burying
- Paddock renovation
- Pasture restoration
- Hedge cutting
- Drainage work
- Weed-management operations
- General tractor and machinery work
We're particularly interested in contractors with machinery or capabilities that aren't always readily available through ordinary grounds-maintenance businesses.
Alongside the paddock and field work that makes up most of the network's enquiries, we also pass on hay, straw and haylage enquiries and tractor and operator hire for weddings, proms and events.
Put your existing machinery to work
Agricultural machinery represents a substantial investment.
The tractor itself is only part of it.
You may have tens or hundreds of thousands of pounds invested in tractors, implements, trailers and specialist machinery.
Finding additional work for equipment you already own can therefore be an attractive way of increasing utilisation.
Perhaps you've bought an overseeder primarily for your existing agricultural customers.
If Emmerdale Agriculture can find an equestrian property nearby requiring 15 acres of overseeding, that's another potential job for a machine you already own.
The same applies to flails, collectors, subsoilers, rotavators, spreaders, aerators and other equipment.
We're not asking you to buy machinery specifically for our customers.
We want to know what you already have and help find customers who need it.
Equestrian paddock work is a significant market
One area we're particularly interested in developing is agricultural contracting for the equestrian sector.
There are huge numbers of horse paddocks across the UK requiring ongoing maintenance.
Those fields need mowing, harrowing, rolling, overseeding, fertilising, weed management and periodic renovation — the seasonal rhythm of it is set out in our note on the September jobs worth doing.
And when paddocks deteriorate badly, considerably heavier agricultural machinery can be required.
Compaction may need relieving.
Damaged ground may need cultivating.
Grass may need completely re-establishing.
Large areas of vegetation may need flailing and collecting.
Many equestrian businesses don't own the machinery required to carry out this work themselves.
That's an opportunity for agricultural contractors.
You don't need a huge fleet
You don't need to operate a massive agricultural contracting business to work with us.
In fact, smaller contractors can be particularly useful for equestrian work.
Many horse properties have relatively small paddocks, restricted gateways and buildings that make enormous agricultural equipment impractical.
A compact or mid-sized tractor with the right implements can be ideal.
Equally, larger equestrian estates may have 20, 50, 100 or more acres requiring maintenance, where larger agricultural equipment becomes considerably more efficient.
We're interested in hearing from both small specialist operators and established agricultural contractors with larger fleets.
The important thing is knowing what you can do, what equipment you operate and where you're prepared to work.
Specialist machinery? Tell us about it
Some of the most difficult enquiries to fulfil are also potentially some of the most valuable.
That's because customers often need a particular machine rather than simply a tractor and operator.
For example, we're particularly interested in contractors operating equipment such as:
Flail collectors. Flail-and-collect machines can be extremely useful on horse paddocks where vegetation needs cutting and removing rather than simply being left behind.
Agricultural overseeders. Dedicated overseeding equipment allows existing paddocks to be improved without necessarily undertaking complete cultivation.
Subsoilers and aerators. Compacted equestrian ground is common, particularly around gateways, feeding areas and heavily trafficked paddocks.
Stone buriers and seeders. These can be particularly useful during complete paddock renovation where a clean, level seedbed needs establishing.
Lime and fertiliser spreaders. Many smaller equestrian properties don't have suitable equipment for accurately applying larger quantities across several acres.
Forestry and heavy flail equipment. Overgrown paddocks and neglected land sometimes require considerably heavier machinery than an ordinary finishing mower.
If you own something unusual, tell us about it.
The more we know about your capabilities, the easier it becomes to match you with the right enquiry.
Reduce the time you spend finding customers
Winning work takes time.
You can spend money advertising online, maintaining social-media accounts, responding to Facebook posts, building a website and trying to rank on Google.
And even then, many of the enquiries you receive may be unsuitable.
The job might be outside your operating area.
The customer's access might be too restricted.
They might need machinery you don't have.
Or the job simply isn't large enough to justify travelling to it.
Our aim is to make that process easier.
When we know where you operate, what services you provide and what machinery you have, we have a much better chance of sending relevant opportunities your way.
Fill gaps in your existing workload
You don't necessarily need Emmerdale Agriculture to provide your entire workload.
For many contractors, the real value could simply be filling gaps in the diary.
If your main contracting season is busy but you have quieter periods between larger jobs, additional paddock and estate work can help keep machinery earning.
Likewise, you might already be travelling to a particular area for an existing customer.
If another suitable job is available nearby, being able to combine the two could make both considerably more economical.
Geography matters enormously in agricultural contracting.
That's why we're interested in building a genuinely nationwide network rather than simply maintaining a generic list of contractors.
How the Emmerdale Agriculture contractor network works
We want to keep the process straightforward. Tell us:
Where you're based. Give us your postcode or general operating area.
How far you're prepared to travel. Some contractors might work within 20 miles. Others may travel considerably further for larger jobs.
What machinery you operate. Tell us about your tractors and implements, particularly any specialist equipment.
What work you undertake. Let us know which services you're interested in providing.
What size jobs you're looking for. If you don't want half-acre paddocks, tell us. Likewise, if smaller paddock jobs are exactly what you're looking for, we need to know that too.
When we receive a relevant enquiry in your area, we can then identify contractors whose capabilities fit the job. You choose the counties you cover when you sign up, and jobs posted in them come to you by email.
Build relationships with equestrian customers
Paddock work also has another advantage for contractors: a one-off job can become a recurring customer.
A customer who initially needs five acres flail collected might subsequently need their paddocks overseeded.
They may then require fertiliser spreading.
Later in the year, they might need hedge cutting.
The following spring, another field might require renovation.
A well-maintained equestrian property generates recurring land-management requirements.
Do a good job, communicate well and turn up when you say you will, and a single introduction can potentially develop into a valuable long-term customer.
Agricultural contractors wanted across the UK
Emmerdale Agriculture is looking to build relationships with contractors throughout the country.
Whether you're an established agricultural contractor, an owner-operator with a tractor and several implements or a specialist business operating a particular machine, we'd like to hear from you.
We're particularly interested in contractors providing:
- Paddock maintenance
- Flail mowing and collecting
- Overseeding
- Subsoiling and compaction relief
- Pasture renovation
- Cultivation
- Lime and fertiliser spreading
- Hedge cutting
- Estate maintenance
- Specialist agricultural machinery services
But if you provide another agricultural service, tell us about that too.
Looking for agricultural contracting jobs?
If you're searching for agricultural contracting jobs, paddock work, tractor work or additional machinery work in your area, register your interest with Emmerdale Agriculture.
Tell us what you do, where you operate and what equipment you have available.
Our objective is to build a nationwide network where customers can come to us with a job and we can identify contractors with the right machinery, experience and location to carry it out.
For customers, that makes finding specialist agricultural services easier.
For contractors, it creates another route to potential work.
You already have the machinery.
You already have the experience.
Let Emmerdale Agriculture help you find the customers who need it.
Join the Emmerdale Agriculture contractor network
If you'd like to receive suitable contracting opportunities in your area, join the network. Send us:
- Your name or business name
- Your postcode and operating area
- Your contact details
- The services you provide
- The machinery and implements you operate
- Your typical working radius
Photos of your machinery are welcome too.
Whether you're looking to fill occasional gaps in your diary or actively grow the contracting side of your business, we'd like to hear from you.
Join the Emmerdale Agriculture contractor network and let us help bring the work to you.
