Do you feed your contractors or leave them hungry?

Sam Kade

We always give them grub, there's a few that wouldn't around here including a big farmer that they could spend a day at the silage there. I know another big farmer that always feeds them as he says they can't work hungry.

3 the square

Sam Kade wrote: »

We always give them grub, there's a few that wouldn't around here including a big farmer that they could spend a day at the silage there. I know another big farmer that always feeds them as he says they can't work hungry.

Can't expect lads to work all day without a bite to eat

Mooooo

All get grub here bar the odd crew such as maize lads who may stop on the road, depending on when they are drawing we always offer to them tho

lakill Farm

Mooooo wrote: »

All get grub here bar the odd crew such as maize lads who may stop on the road, depending on when they are drawing we always offer to them tho

Would normally be here only for 2/3hours. But always offer something and usually just throw them a few chocolate bars and a travel mug Or cold drink and ice cream.

Buford T. Justice XIX

Always feed the silage crew and never have a problem with covering the pit afterwards either.

The slurry lads and round baler crew are generally too busy to eat but we always offer anyway.

As 3 the square said, if they can't eat, they can't work. Generally a stew or shepherds pie heated up by myself unless herself is off.

pedigree 6

Always feed and always pay on time.
So never have a problem getting them when I want them.

They leave the non feeders and slow payers till the end of the day or when it's raining.;)

whelan2

Normally feed them. If at dinner time I pay for their dinner in local. Will cook tea if they are here at tea time. Otherwise I send them to local shop which has a deli. They just put the rolls or whatever down to me.

uck51js9zml2yt

Interesting thread. I mustt speak to my boss about giving us all a free lunch.
Why cant they bring their own lunch like the rest of the workforce?

larrymiller

Always feed them. The lad joining me is to mean to feed himself let alone others. But 2 years ago we both had hay ready to be baled and rain on the way. He came to me first cause he was mad for some of the mothers brown bread.

Any way as he was down to the last bale it started lashing and didn't stop for a week. The neighbour had to bale his up and burnt it in the field.

patsy_mccabe

In the old days when we did pit silage, it was an all day and sometimes 2 day affair. They were always fed then. Now the local guy baling is only here for a few hours so it's in and out as quick as he can. Offered him grub when he started baling for us first but he always declined. Don't even offer now. He only lives a few miles away anyway.
Noticed the older the people are, the more likely they are to take a cup of tea. Think the younger generation are afraid they'd be offered cold hairy bacon. Remember that episode in All Creatures Great And Small.:D

Username John

Braelynn Wet Can wrote: »

Interesting thread. I mustt speak to my boss about giving us all a free lunch.
Why cant they bring their own lunch like the rest of the workforce?

Do you work in one location, or are you off site the majorly of the time - as would be the case with contractors. As I suspect different rules apply in each case...

Wouldn't have contractors here for long enough to offer me anything, plus, they are only based a half mile over the road...

The one person that might be here for a day or two is a digger man, and he always brings his own grub.

The Backwards Man

Eating whatever you don't like first just to be polite because you know the hassle whomever did the cooking went through to feed a dozen or more mouths that day, only to get the rest of the pot dumped on your plate

Glad those days are coming to an end.

Sam Kade

patsy_mccabe wrote: »

In the old days when we did pit silage, it was an all day and sometimes 2 day affair. They were always fed then. Now the local guy baling is only here for a few hours so it's in and out as quick as he can. Offered him grub when he started baling for us first but he always declined. Don't even offer now. He only lives a few miles away anyway.
Noticed the older the people are, the more likely they are to take a cup of tea. Think the younger generation are afraid they'd be offered cold hairy bacon. Remember that episode in All Creatures Great And Small.:D

When I was working with a contractor we came across the cold hairy bacon and cold beans in one place needless to say the hunger wasn't long leaving us
When I was baling hay one time the farmer arrived on with a saucepan full of scraps from their own dinner, Jaysus a dog would turn his arse to it but an older man doing the rowing in tucked into it :eek:

Bullocks

We always offer anyone that comes into the place tea or a bite to eat if it's eating time . I remember when there was a gang here for pit silage years ago there would be a supply of Carroll's, Sweet Afton and bottles of Guinness left on a wall beside the pit .
There could have been 4 lads forking / keeping the sides back then

kollegeknight

We are small farmers and no matter who comes in- they are fed. Even if they are working at our place for only an hour.

Had hoppers in- they were 2 days at a neighbours and a few hours at ours- fed and watered. One driver couldn't believe it.

davidk1394

Any person who does work for us is always fed and offered tea when leaving. I'm fed in most places aswell . Having a nice dinner and lunch served up to you means a lot during a long day. I do a small bit of work for a 1 contractor and the bastárd is so mean he give you a junior box and a carton of warm milk and expects you to keep going while while eating

Mooooo

Bullocks wrote: »

We always offer anyone that comes into the place tea or a bite to eat if it's eating time . I remember when there was a gang here for pit silage years ago there would be a supply of Carroll's, Sweet Afton and bottles of Guinness left on a wall beside the pit .
There could have been 4 lads forking / keeping the sides back then

Remember when younger being sent out with 6 cold cans of Heineken to the lad on the loader to give to each fella drawing as he passed as it was a warn day, went out a few hours later to call em innfor the tea and the fecker had 6 empty cans on the floor of the loader

Bullocks

Mooooo wrote: »

Remember when younger being sent out with 6 cold cans of Heineken to the lad on the loader to give to each fella drawing as he passed as it was a warn day, went out a few hours later to call em innfor the tea and the fecker had 6 empty cans on the floor of the loader

Haha , he was ****ed if was going to get down every time . I would have been handing the can as I was plugging in the tipper pipe . I started on the ground and worked my way up

mahoney_j

Contractors always offered grub here and my baler man has a right Gra for cold cider !!!!!,in fairness it's always appreciated and when. Bills are setteled nearly all will allow u a few quid or something at Xmas for it .

The part time boy

We all ways feed lads here . All though now that I am a small poor farmer these days lads are not in the yard long enough to be around for meals .

While I would feel strongly that's contractors should be feed it's funny how we see it .

I sure out In the real world people doing jobs dont get feed .

A plumber doing a job in a house for a day would not nor expect to get feed apart from a cup of tea . Unless it's a farmer house. If it's a farmer house they prob get a dinner lol

Biscuitus

I'd be lucky to feed myself during silage season or any busy day. I do offer when things have eased off and slurry guys are in but they always have their own food planned.

Who2

I cover a good few counties in the day job. Louth we always get offered tea going in the door, and usually a tip leaving. Monaghan the odd time, Dublin it's a rarity to even get a cuppabar it's in one of the less affluent areas. Cavan usually live up to their name and will usually offer when your packing up to go home. Meath you will get the cup of tea but never a tip. Although 90% of farmers we do work for will have at least a cup of tea and a slice of brown bread. If they ask for extra done like small bits and pieces we throw it in on the original deal if they feed us.

X6.430macman

Dread going into houses as God only knows what could be left up in front of you. When doing silage at a home farm of a lad that drives for the contractor is always great because they know what the lads want and its always a great feed

KatyMac

Always offer. Fed 9 lads their dinner last year but only 5 were actually working with me! They were changing a tractor and trailer for the extra lads to go to another job and I dragged them all in! They had a choice of breast of chicken, spuds/chips and veg or bacon and cabbage and spuds. The idea was the lads were going to get the 'fancy' chicken dinner and the family were going to get the boring bacon. Didn't work that way they scoffed the lot!!!! When they went back to work I had to go back to the cooker!
Like the others said, I never have to wait on the contractor. He always rocks up when promised. A decent feed and payment on time work really well.

harr

The part time boy wrote: »

We all ways feed lads here . All though now that I am a small poor farmer these days lads are not in the yard long enough to be around for meals .

While I would feel strongly that's contractors should be feed it's funny how we see it .

I sure out In the real world people doing jobs dont get feed .

A plumber doing a job in a house for a day would not nor expect to get feed apart from a cup of tea . Unless it's a farmer house. If it's a farmer house they prob get a dinner lol

Not a farmer but from country back ground and a lot of relatives and friends would work on farms...
Even though I am now in the town I always offer grub to anyone working on the house, I do get some funny looks when I offer up the grub...it's rarely turned down mind and I never have any problems getting lads to do work even if it's only a small job or out of hours..they always make the effort.

Keepgrowing

Don't feed here. I don't live at farm but we have a canteen (room with kettle and fridge) that's available. I bring my own grub with me and can't understand why lads working can't. If work drags on late into the night I'll organise grub for them.

3 the square

Knew a lad many years back who used to always arrive with the bottle of paddy and few glasses in the evening
The lads always said ye was one sound old skin..

The part time boy

That reminds me ..the mother gave the sillage lads a chicken curry in the mid 90's we were the talk of the parish lol

zetecescort

used to love when the silage crew came in for a feed when I was young, twas like hanging with the older, cool kids from school. a bit of swearin, the odd dirty joke and great craic around the table

whelan2

zetecescort wrote: »

used to love when the silage crew came in for a feed when I was young, twas like hanging with the older, cool kids from school. a bit of swearin, the odd dirty joke and great craic around the table

My kids are the same.

pedigree 6

harr wrote: »

Not a farmer but from country back ground and a lot of relatives and friends would work on farms...
Even though I am now in the town I always offer grub to anyone working on the house, I do get some funny looks when I offer up the grub...it's rarely turned down mind and I never have any problems getting lads to do work even if it's only a small job or out of hours..they always make the effort.

I have land taken for silage and grazing.
The contractor cut the field for silage and turned it out.
Myself and the father went to have a look at it in the tractor down a laneway that we would be drawing the wrapped bales on.
(We usually go a different way in so hadn't been on this lane for a few months).
Well the lane was overgrown and I wouldn't have a hope of seeing anything coming out onto the main road and the bales would be torn in bits.
The silage was to be drawn in the next day.

So I rang up my hedgecutting contractor and told him this and he said he'd be there in a while. Half an hour later he turned up and cut the ditches on the lane and the ditches either side of the entrance to the lane and got him to do the entrances to another field I have taken.

He always gets the dinner here and paid at the dinner and this was no exception.
2 hours and a dinner e80 and a good chinwag later and i was a happy repeat customer and no burst bales the next day or no one killed in a road traffic accident.

That's business and people management on both sides.:)

blue5000

Depends who they are. Maize crew used always bring their own. Silage crew normally fed either a dinner or tea.

Keepgrowing

pedigree 6 wrote: »

I have land taken for silage and grazing.
The contractor cut the field for silage and turned it out.
Myself and the father went to have a look at it in the tractor down a laneway that we would be drawing the wrapped bales on.
(We usually go a different way in so hadn't been on this lane for a few months).
Well the lane was overgrown and I wouldn't have a hope of seeing anything coming out onto the main road and the bales would be torn in bits.
The silage was to be drawn in the next day.

So I rang up my hedgecutting contractor and told him this and he said he'd be there in a while. Half an hour later he turned up and cut the ditches on the lane and the ditches either side of the entrance to the lane and got him to do the entrances to another field I have taken.

He always gets the dinner here and paid at the dinner and this was no exception.
2 hours and a dinner e80 and a good chinwag later and i was a happy repeat customer and no burst bales the next day or no one killed in a road traffic accident.

That's business and people management on both sides.:)

We rang contractor to cut silage and he did it. We just paid him

pedigree 6

Keepgrowing wrote: »

We rang contractor to cut silage and he did it. We just paid him

There's no shame in not being able to boil an egg.;)

The part time boy

Another side of the coin is on a lot of farms these no women to cook a dinner . Now before I offend any women I don't mean a man can't cook a dinner for contractors but if the farmer his probably busy as there sillage been cut .

Most farmer wife's are out working now so if the mother not still alive lads find it tough

kevthegaff

Keepgrowing wrote:

Don't feed here. I don't live at farm but we have a canteen (room with kettle and fridge) that's available. I bring my own grub with me and can't understand why lads working can't. If work drags on late into the night I'll organise grub for them.

I was able to make a packed lunch at 5, can't understand how grown men can't? Answer is sometimes!

whelan2

The part time boy wrote: »

Another side of the coin is on a lot of farms these no women to cook a dinner . Now before I offend any women I don't mean a man can't cook a dinner for contractors but if the farmer his probably busy as there sillage been cut .

Most farmer wife's are out working now so if the mother not still alive lads find it tough

I am sure in this day and age most men farmers can cook a dinner

Muckit

Keepgrowing wrote: »

Don't feed here. I don't live at farm but we have a canteen (room with kettle and fridge) that's available. I bring my own grub with me and can't understand why lads working can't. If work drags on late into the night I'll organise grub for them.

Ya mane oul hoor!!

Grueller

Have a long draw with a crew of 13 on silage. They must Cross town so always draw at night. Therefore what I do is pay a chip shop in town and they throw them out a feed on the go.

st1979

whelan2 wrote:

I am sure in this day and age most men farmers can cook a dinner

Nearly always feed lads here. Even if it's just rashers and sausages and chips. Only takes about 10mins. Often done it myself when I am busy at silage. Have to cook myself so a few more in the pan is no big deal. My late mother would of done a proper meal.

Lady is a tramp

The part time boy wrote: »

Another side of the coin is on a lot of farms these no women to cook a dinner . Now before I offend any women I don't mean a man can't cook a dinner for contractors but if the farmer his probably busy as there sillage been cut .

Most farmer wife's are out working now so if the mother not still alive lads find it tough

My uncles are all farmers (several bachelor brothers in their 60s/70s living together) and they'd have starved long ago if they'd given up on having dinners when their mother died almost 20 years ago.

They have their main meal in the middle of the day, it's well in between milking times, it's not like it takes long to stick some meat and spuds and veg on and it can be cooking away while they're getting other jobs done. You'd have to be a fairly incompetent adult not to manage it. And then they'd usually have salad in the evenings, so no waiting around for food to heat etc, each of them grabs their own when they've got a few minutes.

And yeah they stick extra on if there's ever anyone else around, contractors etc.

I don't think having no woman in the house can really be used as an excuse! They manage it grand.

Base price

Always feed anyone working here. If working all day the would get fed at tea time as well.

paddysdream

Posted the following in another thread;

To be honest have never missed 1 dinner ever whilst drawing silage.Guy I do it for would under no circumstances miss a dinner or tea.Can assure you that if no call for dinner came by say 2 pm the plug would be pulled,harvester stopped and all load up and off to the nearest ating house for a proper dinner,none of that takeaway sh*te.All bar maybe one or two places give dinner.
Dinner means a proper one ie spuds meat veg and dessert,no ham sambos.Although you would get quare sick of bacon and cabbage for dinner and ham salad for the tae for 2 or 3 weeks in a row.Nice fry with chips for the tea goes down well on the odd occasion its fired up.
The quality of the dinner is the one thing any silage crew remember.Nice bit of roast beef with gravy and a tasty fry for the tea makes up for bumpy car roads,bumpy fields,tight yards,stinking tyres full of rat p*ss and pits designed for 40 acres expected to hold 80.

To all those wondering why anyone at silage might like the dinner provided rather than bringing a few ham sambo's like your plumber etc the answer is as follows;
How many plumbers etc might start on a Tuesday morning at say 7am and work till midnight,then off again the next morning at 7 again and so on for maybe 9 or 10 days straight(weather dependant obiviously).
Any proper silage contractor should give a discount where dinner is provided(or they add on a wee bit if not!).Saves a lot of messing around and very very annoyed employees.
Any farmer should understand that providing dinner etc means a half hour stop at 1pm or 6.Loading everyone up and hauling to local diner will entail at least an hour plus stoppage.Not ideal when weather is broken and farmer is wailing about wet grass etc.
Nobody minds if grub is late in cases where say job will finish at 8pm and no pressure on.

Reading the replies on here either none of ye farm near me or ye dont have pit silage because as far as I know any of the local sp silage outfits get dinner anywhere they go or just stop and go for at least their dinner every day.
Life is too short to be fcuking about and working for farmers who will whinge and cry about their grass for feeding their stock but couldn't be even bothered to feed those picking it up.

This topic is fresh in my mind as first cut finished up this week after a rather prolonged wet spell

Bass Reeves

I Think a lot of people did not read PTB post and understand it. He made the point that in a lot of cases the farmers wife may be working away on silage days and the farmer himself busy with farming to cook a dinner for 5-8 people.

In a way I cannot understand the expectation of lads doing work on farms to get a dinner during the day. I myself work on the road every day. I have a kettle in the back of the van and a box with mugs, cultery, T-bags etc and during the winter a few cup of soups.. I can be everywhere and anywhere. I usually make enough in a lunchbox for tea in the morning and lunch in the middle of the day. Some days yes I get a hankering for something else anf may pick something up from a deli or chipper but generally The lunch box is it. I cannot understand any worker that is mobile not packing a lunch.

Mind you the thinking of some contractors where there are not organized meal stoppage time is from a time warp. If lads start at 6 or 7 in the morning they should be stopping at between ten and eleven and again between two and three for half an hour. If working late into the night a break again at 7pm should be taken. This idea that someone else must organize there meals is an attitude issue.

Now I know that lads may wish for a hot dinner but again that should be organised as opposed to a hap happence affair. I do not live on the farm and it is baled silage I make so lad is come and gone in half an hour. If working on the farm myself and the lads we usually either bring lunch or stop at a supervalu on the way and get a few rolls, ham and a pack of biscuits. If I have a lad with me for the day a digger driver or the the lad that fences I skip away at 10ish and get a few chicken rolls, biscuits and a few scones. We will stop again at 2ish for whatever is left. But usually the eleven break is feeding time.

It is interesting as well to see the change of attitude of trades men that come to do a job for you they all bring there own like going to a student party.

paddysdream

Around here its expected that dinner is provided to anyone who comes to work on your farm for the day.Not talking about someone who is only there for an hour or two.
To those who say bring sandwiches,a roll etc well would expect most of them will be at home before 8 or 9 at night and then get something to eat.
You roll in home at 12 or 1am after going since maybe 7am and back again at 7 the next morning for maybe a week or 2 solid inc. Sundays then maybe a few spuds might be nice.
Only speaking for myself but there is nothing haphazard regarding eating and our crew.Each job is organised so as to not miss the grub and in the rare cases where no meal is going to be provided for whatever reason then this would always be known in advance and alternative arrangements in place ie all loaded up into van and off to local carvery.
A few cases of batchelor farmers its usually an after dinner start so no onus on them for a dinner but even the worst cases would have a salad for tea or a fry up.
Anyone at silage for any length of time knows that a happy and full crew is essential.
Only thing at this stage is that knowing what is for dinner in each and every place gets a bit boring.Could tell you what is going to be left up in any one of 30 or 40 places before silage even starts.Bacon and cabbage in the majority,one always with roast beef,a couple with stew and another few with chicken.Salad for the tea in the vast majority of farms with an odd fry(very much looked forward to).Can't think of any place that doesn't have dessert after dinner along with tea and a few biscuits.
One or two give unusual grub which is hit and miss(pasta doesn't exactly appeal to many of us to be honest)

From a farmers point of view a good dinner will often mean the difference between an enthusiastic pit covering or a few tires fired half heartidly around whilst the rest head off with the harvester to the next customer.Thats the reality of it.
Although the guy I do it with is at the game a long long time with payments on a new harvester,trailers and tractors etc and farmers ringing constantly to keep the pressure on, he will not countenance missing his or our dinner under any circumstance.

lakill Farm

Dead fecking right the contractor looks after his crew. That's why he probably has the same crew most years.

paddysdream wrote: »

Around here its expected that dinner is provided to anyone who comes to work on your farm for the day.Not talking about someone who is only there for an hour or two.
To those who say bring sandwiches,a roll etc well would expect most of them will be at home before 8 or 9 at night and then get something to eat.
You roll in home at 12 or 1am after going since maybe 7am and back again at 7 the next morning for maybe a week or 2 solid inc. Sundays then maybe a few spuds might be nice.
Only speaking for myself but there is nothing haphazard regarding eating and our crew.Each job is organised so as to not miss the grub and in the rare cases where no meal is going to be provided for whatever reason then this would always be known in advance and alternative arrangements in place ie all loaded up into van and off to local carvery.
A few cases of batchelor farmers its usually an after dinner start so no onus on them for a dinner but even the worst cases would have a salad for tea or a fry up.
Anyone at silage for any length of time knows that a happy and full crew is essential.
Only thing at this stage is that knowing what is for dinner in each and every place gets a bit boring.Could tell you what is going to be left up in any one of 30 or 40 places before silage even starts.Bacon and cabbage in the majority,one always with roast beef,a couple with stew and another few with chicken.Salad for the tea in the vast majority of farms with an odd fry(very much looked forward to).Can't think of any place that doesn't have dessert after dinner along with tea and a few biscuits.
One or two give unusual grub which is hit and miss(pasta doesn't exactly appeal to many of us to be honest)

From a farmers point of view a good dinner will often mean the difference between an enthusiastic pit covering or a few tires fired half heartidly around whilst the rest head off with the harvester to the next customer.Thats the reality of it.
Although the guy I do it with is at the game a long long time with payments on a new harvester,trailers and tractors etc and farmers ringing constantly to keep the pressure on, he will not countenance missing his or our dinner under any circumstance.

Never wrestle with pigs

It's hard for a young lad to pack lunch when he starts at 5/6 am and might go until 1/2. The few hours at home is straight to bed.It's only a few weeks of the year.

When they are at slurry/hedge cutting it's usually flying solo and the farmer is at work so it's easy to get a roll etc in the shop.

You usually get fed at the smaller farms and don't at the bigger places.

kevthegaff

Bass Reeves wrote:

It is interesting as well to see the change of attitude of trades men that come to do a job for you they all bring there own like going to a student party.

Bass Reeves wrote:

Now I know that lads may wish for a hot dinner but again that should be organised as opposed to a hap happence affair. I do not live on the farm and it is baled silage I make so lad is come and gone in half an hour. If working on the farm myself and the lads we usually either bring lunch or stop at a supervalu on the way and get a few rolls, ham and a pack of biscuits. If I have a lad with me for the day a digger driver or the the lad that fences I skip away at 10ish and get a few chicken rolls, biscuits and a few scones. We will stop again at 2ish for whatever is left. But usually the eleven break is feeding time.

Bass Reeves wrote:

Mind you the thinking of some contractors where there are not organized meal stoppage time is from a time warp. If lads start at 6 or 7 in the morning they should be stopping at between ten and eleven and again between two and three for half an hour. If working late into the night a break again at 7pm should be taken. This idea that someone else must organize there meals is an attitude issue.

Bass Reeves wrote:

In a way I cannot understand the expectation of lads doing work on farms to get a dinner during the day. I myself work on the road every day. I have a kettle in the back of the van and a box with mugs, cultery, T-bags etc and during the winter a few cup of soups.. I can be everywhere and anywhere. I usually make enough in a lunchbox for tea in the morning and lunch in the middle of the day. Some days yes I get a hankering for something else anf may pick something up from a deli or chipper but generally The lunch box is it. I cannot understand any worker that is mobile not packing a lunch.

Bass Reeves wrote:

I Think a lot of people did not read PTB post and understand it. He made the point that in a lot of cases the farmers wife may be working away on silage days and the farmer himself busy with farming to cook a dinner for 5-8 people.

+1 I've fed many a contractor with no thanks, can't believe the self entitlement of a dinner

X6.430macman

Pit lads are way better Fed than lads at bales I reckon...proper dinners being listed out here and I go into alot of places at bales and a good cup of tea and decent sandwiches are a blessing

Grueller

There is another side to this.

My mother when I was building the last slatted unit here fed all workmen. 10 and 1 like clockwork. After a while the contractors turned into pricks about it. They started arriving at twelve from another job and going again at maybe three. Or one or two there all day and then another three arriving around 12 - 12:30. I never begrudge anyone a feed but by God I started to begrudge this.
For a finish I hauled the boss on it and told him that I would only feed men there from 8 o clock on. He got a shock and was also a bit cool for a few days. In fairness he stopped the bollixing and gave the mother a €200 voucher for a local boutique as a good will gesture at the end as well as pouring about 3m of concrete around the back door free of charge that mam wanted as well.

Reggie.

Grueller wrote: »

There is another side to this.

My mother when I was building the last slatted unit here fed all workmen. 10 and 1 like clockwork. After a while the contractors turned into pricks about it. They started arriving at twelve from another job and going again at maybe three. Or one or two there all day and then another three arriving around 12 - 12:30. I never begrudge anyone a feed but by God I started to begrudge this.
For a finish I hauled the boss on it and told him that I would only feed men there from 8 o clock on. He got a shock and was also a bit cool for a few days. In fairness he stopped the bollixing and gave the mother a €200 voucher for a local boutique as a good will gesture at the end as well as pouring about 3m of concrete around the back door free of charge that mam wanted as well.

Proper order