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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
“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<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The 25-year-old features in the new series of ‘Contractors’ which is on TG4 on Thursday nights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “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\u2019m now qualified in.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n “I began working with Paddy Lane of Lane Agri in 2017\/2018, working weekends, holidays and evenings if needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “I started drawing pig slurry for a few weeks, went onto agitating, pumping, mowing, raking, drawing grass, power harrowing and land levelling,” she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kylie explained that she was joined by Amy Brouder and Ellie Lyons in contracting a few years later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Sharon O’Donoghue draws grass and comes on when she gets a chance. It\u2019s lovely to be able to work alongside women in such a male-dominated job.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n “Paddy’s jobs would range in the north Kerry and west Limerick areas mainly,” she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Her favourite tractor when she is working with Paddy is a Valtra t191.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “There is a variety of Valtras in the yard, any of which you could be driving, depending on the job. <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n “My favourite tractor would have to be Fendt. They’re such a comfortable machine and easy to operate.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Once the weather gets better there\u2019ll be a variety to the work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “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.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n The Kerry woman explained that what she least likes is when something goes wrong – usually slurry<\/a> related – or ‘getting destroyed’ in slurry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “I’ll stick to the day job as a toolmaker and giving Paddy help with the contracting,” Kylie joked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Contracting<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Seasonal<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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