Watch the video to experience a day in the life of a silage contractor.

The silage season is one of the busiest and most demanding times in a contractor's calendar.

From organising drivers and managing farmers, to keeping machines running smoothly and watching the weather; everything must come together perfectly. It's a stressful period, but there's also an undeniable buzz in the air.

The Irish Farmers Journal spent a day with contractor Stephen Mohan in Co Meath during the first-cut silage in May to get a sense of what this hectic time of year means for contractors like him.

Stephen runs a modern fleet of John Deere tractors and mowers, John Deere and Class self-propelled forage harvesters, two Fendt forage wagons, Smyth triaxle trailers, Krone rakes and tedders and also runs the second biggest JCB loading shovel in Ireland.

Cab chats

In conversation in his cab, we delve into the pressures of the job, the machinery he relies on, and the sheer volume of phone calls he handles daily. He also discusses the challenges facing modern farming and offers his perspectives on these issues.

The Irish Farmers Journal also catches up with members of Mohan's crew to discover what draws them to this demanding job, with early mornings and long days.

We learn about the importance of calibrating equipment to keep tonnage meters accurate and the differences in information needs between seasoned farmers and young, tech-savvy ones.

The interview also touches on the economic pressures faced by tillage farmers and the impact of good weather on farm productivity.