From the age of 11, Kylie Walsh from Duagh, Co. Kerry, started taking an interest in contracting, especially in tractors and taking them for spins around the yard.
“Bit by bit, I started getting the odd few jobs like rolling fields, drawing bales and spreading slurry. From there I got hooked,” she told Agriland.
The 25-year-old features in the new series of ‘Contractors’ which is on TG4 on Thursday nights.
“I grew up on a suckler farm and my uncle next door has a dairy farm. I was always going between the two places growing up, on evenings, weekends and school holidays,” Kylie explained.
“I spent two years in Pallaskenry Agricultural College. On the second year, studying the machinery course really drove on the interest I had in tractors. I went on to doing an apprenticeship in toolmaking which I’m now qualified in.
“I began working with Paddy Lane of Lane Agri in 2017/2018, working weekends, holidays and evenings if needed.
“I started drawing pig slurry for a few weeks, went onto agitating, pumping, mowing, raking, drawing grass, power harrowing and land levelling,” she added.
Contracting
Kylie explained that she was joined by Amy Brouder and Ellie Lyons in contracting a few years later.
“The first year the three of us were together all the farmers were getting confused. They knew it was a woman driving, it took them a while to figure out who was who,” Kylie continued.
“Sharon O’Donoghue draws grass and comes on when she gets a chance. It’s lovely to be able to work alongside women in such a male-dominated job.
“Paddy’s jobs would range in the north Kerry and west Limerick areas mainly,” she said.
Her favourite tractor when she is working with Paddy is a Valtra t191.
“The t191 does a lot of pumping and hauling slurry in the spring and mowing, drawing grass as well as tilling ground later on in the year,” she said.
“There is a variety of Valtras in the yard, any of which you could be driving, depending on the job.
“My favourite tractor would have to be Fendt. They’re such a comfortable machine and easy to operate.”
Seasonal
Right now slurry is providing the work, with the weather being very challenging, Kylie said. “A lot of rain has fallen this spring, making ground conditions tacky.
“Once the weather gets better there’ll be a variety to the work.
“What I like most would have to be working at silage. The weather is good and there’s a gang of us together having the craic.”
The Kerry woman explained that what she least likes is when something goes wrong – usually slurry related – or ‘getting destroyed’ in slurry.
“I’ll stick to the day job as a toolmaker and giving Paddy help with the contracting,” Kylie joked.