It’s a silage season with a difference for contractors and farmers, but the safety message remains the same

IT’S mostly business as usual for silage cutters, but the Covid-19 pandemic has put an end to one “beautiful tradition”.

Silage season has kicked off for Co Limerick-based contractor John Sheehy, and usually, the silage men are invited into farmers’ homes for food. The leaves of the table are pulled out to make it bigger, and everyone sits down for a meal and a chat. Not this year.

“It is a beautiful tradition and very much appreciated by us but for the last while we haven’t been going into houses,” says Mr Sheehy, a former chairman of Farm and Forestry Contractors in Ireland (FCI) who remains on the national executive.

“We are still being offered food all the time and it is being brought out to us,” says Mr Sheehy.

“We have no problem with that, it is just more awkward for the householder, farmer and their wives having to bring it outside, instead of just turning around and putting it on the table.”

There are a couple of other Covid-related changes.

“No passengers are allowed, which is nearly gone anyway… giving children a drive that is going to be a no-no. Everyone has to watch what they are doing and be mindful of the situation we are in. We all have to do our bit,” says Mr Sheehy.

Mr Sheehy has two jobs done already and reckons this week it is going to “kick off”. Despite the lack of rain, he says the crops are in good order.

“They are no worse or no better than you would be expecting at this time of the year,” he says. “There are fine returns, fine crops. Even though we haven’t had rain in the short term, we had plenty of it in the long term!”

Difficult

Getting drivers has been difficult in recent years but Covid-19 has changed that.

“There has been a lot more enquiries, lads dropping in their names to say they are available,” confirms Mr Sheehy, whose new Claas 870 harvester will be taking to the roads and fields. One advantage will be the quieter roads.

“It will definitely make a difference, although the roads aren’t as quiet as they were a month ago but still road users have to be

Ready to go:

Bruree-based agricultural contractor John Sheehy the country really kicks off this week

aware we are going to be out the next couple of months,” he says.

“We will do all we can to accommodate them but we expect the same in return.

“We will pull in when we can but people need to be mindful that we could be coming around the bend on narrow roads.”

As the Bruree man alluded to, the FCI is particularly concerned about (pictured left)

the risk to children on farms this year. With children are off school due to the Covid-19 restrictions and the arrival of the silage contractor can provide some excitement for them, in what can be an otherwise boring time.

“We are urging all farm families to pay particular attention to child safety on farms over the coming weeks,” said FCI national chairman says the silage season in his part of

Richard White.

“We are urging farm families not to allow children into silage fields when the harvesting is taking place, from the time of mowing onwards.

“We are appealing to them to keep children at a safe distance away from the silage pit as trailers unload and the process of building the silage clamp begins. The risks are simply too great.”