No time for a brew...

Selectamatic

Member
Location
North Wales
The area under our feet is no bigger than 20 years ago

The machinery we use is capable of a significantly more work per hour than 20 years ago

So, why does the farmer's wife feel like she is in the way when she comes to the field with a brew for the workers? Its too busy to 'keep her lit' and push on.

10 mins for a stretch of legs and a bite to eat would not cause disaster, would it?
 

Flossie

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Lancs
Don't stop to have a brew during milking, keep it at front of parlour with paper roll on top to stop flying sh*te dropping in, and have a couple of slurps every time I get to front. Might sneak another if there's a side with a slow milker;)
As for silaging, depends how we're doing. If weather is catchy and there's a big day ahead, then it's breakfast, dinner and baggin on the tractor and inside for supper and a beer. If we're on top of the job, then we stop for dinner. Take it as it comes:)
 

kiwi pom

Member
Location
canterbury NZ
Never really used to stop for a brew unless one was fetched to me, always stopped for lunch though (unless I was on the spreader end of an umbilical system) for half an hour.
Have to stop for 30 mins every 5 and a half hours in current job, if we don't stop it will involve a trip to the office at the end of the day:whistle:
Mate drives a chopper for a contractor in Cheshire, they have half an hour for lunch and tea. He tells me if the farmer comes over complaining they have an hour:D
 
The area under our feet is no bigger than 20 years ago

The machinery we use is capable of a significantly more work per hour than 20 years ago

So, why does the farmer's wife feel like she is in the way when she comes to the field with a brew for the workers? Its too busy to 'keep her lit' and push on.

10 mins for a stretch of legs and a bite to eat would not cause disaster, would it?

I worked for a silage contractor once and they never stopped once all summer!!! You felt like real sh!t by the end of the day!
 

yellowfrog

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
somerset
I worked for a silage contractor once and they never stopped once all summer!!! You felt like real sh!t by the end of the day!
Trouble is ,is that what its come to? the need for speed? I have spoken to many farmers and they mostly say the same thing. Huge foragers going like the clappers, trailers going like they were in a grand prix, and the poor chap in the pit ramming the grass in as fast as he can. quality suffers. ploughs going so fast, they are unable to do what they are designed for, bury weeds! At the end of it all what have you gained? poor workmanship, indigestion, bill for broken machinery and a bad reputation.
 
Trouble is ,is that what its come to? the need for speed? I have spoken to many farmers and they mostly say the same thing. Huge foragers going like the clappers, trailers going like they were in a grand prix, and the poor chap in the pit ramming the grass in as fast as he can. quality suffers. ploughs going so fast, they are unable to do what they are designed for, bury weeds! At the end of it all what have you gained? poor workmanship, indigestion, bill for broken machinery and a bad reputation.

It was f**king awful, the hunger some days and eating junk food you buy from the shop just before you start. Plus we were averaging less than 6 hrs sleep, started at 9am and didnt finish till 2am most days!! All for £30 a day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This was in 2003.
 

yellowfrog

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
somerset
Sorry to have to say this,been there , done that, got the teeshirt! between the seventys and 2000 worked for contractors and yes in the early days tea wood be brought out to us by farmers wife . we were happy in our work and it was all very enjoyable then about mid 80s it all seemed to stop ,very occasionaly we might have cup of brew. now I work on my own so I please myself.
 

jondear

Member
Location
Devon
I worked for a silage contractor once and they never stopped once all summer!!! You felt like real sh!t by the end of the day!
Been there done that .Bad job if can't stop for 15 mins .The number of times I've ended up with yoghurt in your lap trying to drive .Farmer won't thank you at end of day because you have saved 15 mins and spread your entire lunch box around your cab!
 

Yale

Member
Livestock Farmer
During silage we always stop everything for a cuppa and have half an hour for lunch in the house.

It gives you time to have a walk around the machines to spot any problems,discuss strategy and most importantly give your batteries a quick charge.

These days with modern weather forecasts (thanks Simon) there is no need to go hell for leather if the weather window is long enough to complete the job.

If we were contracting then perhaps breaks would be short or non existent but we're not and have modern equipment with plenty of capacity to get the job done fast.(y)
 

Rob Holmes

Moderator
BASIS
As I was once told "an empty bag won't stand"

When combining mum will come in the field with the very least sandwiches, but normally it will be a pie or pizza of some sort, we will stop for about 15 mins and will do the same for tea or if she's busy, one of us will have a some money on us and go to chippy for us all

Combine driver never wanted to stop as he had his pack up with him but he lost his wife earlier in the year so will insist he stops too.

Years ago when I worked for a baling contractor, one job I went to my mate did the combining, I would arrive about 3pm, catch the combine up for about 7-8, then he'd throw me the keys to his pickup and I'd go and get some chips, did that for about 4 days on that job (y)
 

Netherfield

Member
Location
West Yorkshire
When my Mrs was in charge of catering, every body provided their own lunch,all stop for 20/30mins, between 6 and 6.30 she would provide a cooked meal for everbody, alternating between beef thick rib,leg of pork,sausages,chicken joints all with new spuds and carrots,except friday when it was always fish and chips. Sunday she would do both lunch and evening,evening was always roast beef and yorkshire pudding.

The first year after taking over from my mum, one evening we were sat at home and there was a knock at the door, the contractor and his mrs had brought a big bunch of flowers,box of chocolates and a bottle of wine for my Mrs, they went on to say he had never been treated so well and always enjoyed coming to do the foraging for us, and further that over the last 20 years how the decline in being offered food at other customers had happened,usually it was when the older farmers wives gave way to the next generation who couldn't or wouldn't bother to look after the workers.
 

Pennine Ploughing

Member
Mixed Farmer
i worked years ago for a contractor and his wife would fetch his supper out to him blanket on the ground and picnic type supper, not one of the staff were offered or given anything,

been at other places and looked after well in clueding a forum member and looked after very well,

maybe an age thing now, but i do and will stop to eat now, and strech the legs, if others want to carry on that is up to them,

now one contractor if he don't get fed by 7.30pm he just goes home
 

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