“Getting paid over the years has been tough at times," agri-contractor Kevin Leahy told the Irish Farmers Journal. "This year it’s not so tough. We’re almost up to date with payments for the 2017 first cuts already. I don’t think it’s ever happened us before.

"We have a couple of customers doing part payments but most have paid, if not going out the gate, then pretty promptly after silage has been cut. It helps big time with the bills, especially the big ones – wages and diesel."

It's frustrating when you give time on the road trying to collect money, it’s so disheartening

It’s vital to get half going out the gate, he added. And it has put him in a very strong position this year.

"It's frustrating when you give time on the road trying to collect money, it’s so disheartening and you’re trying to collect the money months after the work is down. Last year was impossible – the weather and milk price were upsetting guys and if farmers aren’t in good form they are slower to pull out the chequebook”.

Speed

As well as improved weather and milk price compared to last year, Kevin put increased speed of payment down to farmers putting more value on contractors.

“Farmers have realised there is a decline in contractors and they still need the contractor to do the work," he said. "There seems to be an appreciation of the service provided now that might not always have been there in the past. Farmers in general don’t switch contractor too often and once they are happy with price and service, they are loyal enough. That works both ways.”

Construction

Labour has been tougher to source this year, with construction activity picking up gradually around the country and north Kerry is no different. Kevin works alongside his uncle and father in the business and, while they have some regular workers, he has found it tougher to source extra drivers this year.

Three or four years ago there was no problem getting drivers

“For the busiest three weeks or so during first-cut silage there is up to eight working here and for the corn harvest there is five," Leahy said. "Three or four years ago there was no problem getting drivers, there was almost a spare person available for each machine. This year I was a little bit worried that we wouldn’t have enough drivers but we managed to pull a full crew together. I try to keep the same crew – that way each guy has his own tractor and he is responsible for it. If something happens it is his problem”.

Concrete

With most of the first-cut silage sorted, Leahys will be focusing on a bit of concrete work for the next few days while at home they have bales of their own to cut.

"We bought a baler last year as bales are putting pressure on harvesters – more farmers are making second silage cuts in bales around here. We’re back about 650 acres ourselves from guys switching from pit silage to bales.”

Tillage

Leahys are hoping for a more favourable year for their own 580 acre tillage operation in 2017 after the difficult harvest of last autumn.

“We lost serious crops in 2016 and there has been little recognition of it; we had 26 days of rain last September. The tillage area is confined to a small area in north Kerry from Ardfert up to Causeway and Lixnaw out to Kerry head; like all Irish tillage areas, hurling country.

"I remember talking to a tillage man in Tipperary and they were putting away their combine and we had three-quarters of our crop left to cut."

Read more

Will beef farmers milk cows to address dairy labour shortage?

Tillage crisis fund reaction: 'We're all just trying to make a few pound to live'