Over the last few weeks, the calm of the countryside has been somewhat shattered by the racket of tractors revving at full speed and festooned with machinery to cut silage or hay, or drawing home turf. This current hot spell might be longer than usual, but agricultural contractors are forever on the clock, and not a moment can be wasted. Those big tractor, trailers, mowers, etc. cost a fortune and the only way to recoup the investment is to squeeze every possible amount of work out of them.
However, if you travel out to Connemara, you’ll still see the remnants of traditional farming – small meadows cut late and hay stored as haycocks. While this year has been ideal for drying hay, it’s been too hot and dry for the grass to grow fully, so the yields are a little down. It’s tough to be an Irish farmer.