Tractor mad Laura from Laois stars in the Contractors

Young Laois woman Laura Miller is set to play a starring role in the new series of the popular TV show Contractors.

A lover of farm machinery, the Timahoe native features in the new season of the hit show, which kicks off this September on TG4.

A daughter of Julie and Joe Miller, Laura is employed by Ballyroan farming and construction machinery contractor John Mulhall. Her work for the Laois man drawing silage and cutting hedges features in two episodes of the series. Cameras also accompanied Laura at the Knock Vintage day last year. 

New Departures Media, which makes the show, describe Contractors as a series that explores the working lives and personal narratives of eight agricultural contracting families from diverse locations over a 12-month period. They say ‘Contractors’ offers a unique, practical and personal insight into contemporary life in rural Ireland.

Laura spoke about her part in the show while drawing silage. She said she got involved after seeing a post on social media from the producers who wanted to feature women working in the contracting business.

She is rooted in agriculture, having been raised on the family farm in Timahoe. Describing herself as being “just mad about tractors”, Laura has always had a love of machinery, helping out on the farm.

Her brother Jason has been working for Mulhall’s for nearly a decade, and it was through him five years ago that Laura took up employment in Ballyroan aged 18.

She wasn’t a novice, as her family draw their own silage and she was behind the wheel helping out at home since she got her licence at the age of16.

Employed full-time, she said the work is varied and sees her doing everything from driving tractors to diggers, mainly in agriculture but sometimes in construction.

"I love it, as all I want to do every day is to be driving. It’s also nice that you are so high up in a tractor that you see different things while at work, not like in a car. You also meet lots of people,” she said.

While women are a minority of the workforce, Laura sees change.

“It is definitely changing, and many girls are getting into it. It is not like what it was when I started, when there were only a few girls – now it is not as male-dominated,” she said.

She said it is possible to build a career in the business, especially working for John Mulhall as he has diversified into the construction sector.

Laura, who is related to the late Laois GAA legend Bobby Miller, said this came into play during the drought when farm contracting came to a virtual standstill. She spent much of the summer on diggers and doing other construction driving. 

She says it’s possible that with the ending of the drought following significant rain, there could be a busy autumn on farms for contractors depending on the weather.

Laura said it is physically demanding, with her back bearing the brunt. She highlights safety as another challenge due to the size of the vehicles. Nevertheless, she encourages others to consider it as a job. 

"I would definitely recommend it. If you are into it and not afraid to get your hands dirty – why not. I love it anyway,” she says.

As to the future, she finished college in May with a level 8 in land management and level 7 in agriculture. Before she decides on the long term, she hopes to travel and has applied for a visa for New Zealand, where she will work again driving tractors.

As to her choice of tractor, Laura says that she mainly drives a 01 registered TM 150 New Holland. It’s one of five tractors on the family farm, which also includes a vintage 135 Massey Ferguson. 

As to her preferred tractor as a contractor, she picks the John Deere 6930 Premium. She gives an understandably pragmatic reason for her preference.

"It’s reliable,” says Laura.

 Forever busy, Laura is looking forward to the upcoming Knock Vintage and Threshing weekend on September 12 and 13. She is PRO for the event and invites the farming community from around Laois to come along and enjoy the event.

As for the TV series, it features crews from Wicklow, Cork, Dublin, Kildare, Armagh, Donegal, Laois and Mayo.

The producers say that throughout the year there’s a monumental amount of machinery work in agriculture which farmers can’t do it alone. So they turn to farming contractors.

"Without them, fields would be unploughed and unseeded, slurry would be unspread, silage would be uncut, and hedgerows would descend into chaos,” say the producers.

Some featured in the series are full-time farmers who work seasonally, while others are dedicated contractors who hire additional help for the busy months. Apart from featuring day-to-day work, the series also reveals how contractors deal with shrinking margins and logistical challenges, and balance work and family life.

“Contractors are the heartbeat of rural Ireland – crucial players in a food-producing sector that is central to Ireland’s economy. Their job is arguably more difficult than that of farmers themselves, and without them, modern farming itself would not be possible.

“Over the course of our 7 episodes – each one defined by a separate theme based on the time of year and the work involved - we will intercut between the personal lives and daily routines of our protagonists. As the series progresses, we’ll get to know them as we become increasingly invested in the challenges they face both on and off the job,” say the producers.

The first of seven episodes in season three screens on TG4 at 9.30 pm on Thursday, September 17.