‘Contractors’ - highlighting farming life
There’s a monumental lot of work to be done on the land from April to September as farming enters its busiest 6-month period. From slurry spreading to hedge cutting, ploughing to round baling, the farmers of Ireland can’t do it alone. So they turn to farming contractors and their families, who are now telling their stories in a new series - ‘Contractors’ – which commenced on TG4 last Thursday.
The seven-part observational entertainment-based documentary series explores the working lives and personal narratives of 7 agricultural contracting families from diverse locations, including Tipperary man, Thomas Moloney from Clogheen. Running an agri and tree care business, along with his father Jim, they undertake silage work, digger and dump trailer work, etc.
Providing a unique practical and personal insight into contemporary life in rural Ireland, the series covers a critical six month period beginning in April, with the 7 ‘feisty contracting crews’ coming from all corners of the country - from Limerick, Kerry, Meath, Tipperary, Galway, Donegal and Clare.
Highlighting their professional challenges, the high and lows of their daily routine and their hopes and dreams, the series presents a no-holds barred portrait of members of an agricultural sub-economy, without which farming would not be possible. These individuals and their families make farming happen, who tackle the monumental job of work to be done.
For the 137,000 families whose livelihoods depend on it, farming is a full-on, full-time job. But few farmers have the time, the manpower or the expensive specialist plant equipment required to do it. And so, they call on the services of 1800 agricultural contractors from all around the country.
Every year and in all weathers, these hardworking journeymen and women arrive with 20,000 tractors and harvesters, €150 million worth of agricultural machinery and 10,000 full and part-time operators to get the job done. They are the ‘white knights’ of farming.
Season 1 Episode 1 saw Alistair in Donegal tackle the slurry season, which had just begun, while down in Meath the Farrelly Brothers were erecting a shed and Peadar in Galway headed off to spread some lime.
Over the course of our seven episodes – each one defined by a separate theme based on the time of year and the work involved – the series will intercut between the personal lives and daily routines of its protagonists. As the series progresses, viewers will get to know them, as they become increasingly invested in the challenges they face both on and off the job.
The series can also be viewed on the TG4 Player.