I have been speaking to a number of farmers and contractors off and on over the past few days, all preparing for the first-cut silage season.
And, no doubt, there’s a whole lot more like them.
Grass growth rates have taken off across the country, and the frenzy to get all of this high-quality forage into silos will be very intense – and that’s putting it mildly.
Yes fields have to be cut, yes crops have to be ensiled, and yes bales have to be made. But does it all have to be done at such a breakneck pace and incur such long hours?
To be honest, even the likes of junior doctors would find the prospect of silage contracting an uphill struggle, given the intensity and the duration of the effort required.
Silage season
Let’s be honest – modern grass-cutting and harvesting machinery are extremely efficient and sophisticated pieces of ‘kit’.
However, when put in the wrong hands or used by people who are extremely tired – the result of just too many continuous hours at the coal face – accidents will occur.
All it takes is one unthinking moment for a tragedy to take place. Nothing can replace the loss of a human life or the devastation caused by a serious accident.
Everything in life is about balance. So as another season of grass cutting and harvesting beckons, I would ask all contractors not to overdo it.
Apart from increasing the risk of a serious accident, tiredness will also reduce operator efficiently dramatically. So making sure that everyone gets their proper rest is just so essential.
Farm safety
The statistics confirm that farming is one of the most dangerous professions to be involved in. Both machinery and livestock constitute a serious health and safety hazard.
So why add to the risk by cutting corners and taking senseless chances?
Preventing accidents from taking place requires those involved in any farm-related activity taking that little bit of extra time to work through all the permutations with regard to what could and what could not happen.
No job is that urgent that an extra minute or two of preparation would not help the project to be completed more efficiently and safely, from everyone’s point of view.
All the regulations in the world will not improve farm safety levels on local farms. Mind you, any farmer found to be breaching any health and safety regulations must be dealt with vigorously by all the relevant adjudicating bodies.
What’s really required, though, is a concerted effort on the part of those involved within the farming industry to put their safety and the safety of others first at all times.