Independent.ie - Farming RSS Feed

Debt-free co-op key to Glanbia sale plan

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0000

Delivering a debt-free business will be essential to securing farmer support for the purchase of Glanbia's Irish operations, Glanbia Co-op chairman Liam Herlihy has said.

Herlihy backs dairy revamp

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0000

Liam Herlihy has delivered a clear signal that Glanbia Co-op would be active participants in the restructuring of the dairy industry should the plan to acquire Glanbia's Irish businesses get the green light.

Majority takeover support hangs in balance

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0000

Securing 75pc farmer backing for the Glanbia Co-op buy-back plan will be a real challenge for the proposal's supporters.

Tag delays may hinder sheep live export trade

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0000

Delays in the delivery of 12-digit tags for the electronic tagging of sheep (EID) could have serious implications for the live export trade to Britain and France.

IFA targets €250m drop in input costs

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0000

THE IFA is plotting a €250m reduction in input costs to realign Irish production costs with those of its competitors.

Mixed-type farms can boost efficiency and cut costs -- plus spark your interest

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0000

We live on a main road in the south east and almost every day we see big loads of straw heading north and west. When transport costs are added, this straw will not be cheap.

Farm bodies demand action on credit

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0000

farm organisations have cranked up the pressure on both the Government and financial regulatory authorities to act on the continuing credit squeeze.

Gardai probe dumping of dead sheep

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0000

A GARDA investigation is now underway into two instances of illegal dumping of sheep carcasses in Co Galway.

Fat score splits add another 50 grid categories

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0000

SEVERAL grades that are not on the official list for the Quality Payment System (QPS) for cattle are being operated by the factories, it has emerged.

Calf exports hit an all-time high

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0000

Weekly live exports of calves, weanlings and finished cattle have hit record levels.

Dale Farm to invest €43m

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0000

Ulster dairy processor Dale Farm is to invest €43m (£39m) in plants in Tyrone and Antrim in one of the largest-ever investments in the Northern dairy sector by a single company.

Now is time to clean off paddocks

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0000

Looking at grassland today is like going back 30 or 40 years when a lot of stock was out-wintered and fields were bare at this time of the year.

Quotes unchanged despite a 5,000hd increase in numbers

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0000

Farmers waiting for any significant improvement in cattle prices or a drop in the kill figures are getting a taste of the frustrations of doctors and patients who are waiting for their letters to be read in some of our major hospitals.

Continentals popular as bullocks up €30/hd

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0000

Bullock prices were up by €20-30/hd at some of the marts this week, which reported a particularly strong trade for quality continental bullocks and heifers.

Assess feed options for best price

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0000

It looks like grass growth is three or four weeks behind normal. In fact, there has been no growth since the end of November.

High demand for weanlings of U and E grade

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0000

There was "exceptional demand" for U and E grade weanlings at Carnew Mart on Saturday, which had a large entry of 780 cattle and 100 calves.

Strong kill but quotes stalling

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0000

Brian Lenihan's accusation that the unions are bullying the politicians made front page headlines in the Sunday Independent at the weekend.

Get cows outside overnight and cut silage from diet

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0000

Grass quality on dairy farms is in pretty poor shape. Never mind the fact that we have had no growth whatsoever, the quality of the material ahead of cows last week was moderate.

What kind of a cow will you be milking in 2015?

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0000

Critical decisions about breeding are being made on dairy farms as I write.

Snub economics and look after herd

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0000

There is a pretty robust debate among dairy farmers at present regarding meal feeding levels to cows post calving. Dairy farmers are only too well aware of the problems encountered in feeding cows last year.

A poor time for grass growth

Tue, 23 Feb 2010 05:00:00 +0000

Grass growing was almost non-existent last week. Sharp frosts every night have meant that soil temperatures are at, or just below, zero.

Browned off but all's not lost

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 05:00:00 +0000

I walked my first farm of the year last Friday. A little late in the year, I know, but priority had to be given to other work commitments. Last November, grass quality looked really good on dairy farms. A fine October allowed swards to be grazed out really well. And while November was very wet, we still looked in good shape going into the winter.

Make technology your friend

Tue, 02 Feb 2010 05:00:00 +0000

As we are all aware, last year was a devil of a year. In a few articles last year, I monitored the performance of a discussion group, comparing last year's performance with that of 2008.

Feed meal supplements to make up for poor pastures

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0000

As I write, the cold spell is still with us and even though the days are somewhat milder, we are still getting hard frost at night. Soil temperatures, according to Met Eireann, hovered between 1.6 and 4.7°C, depending on location, in the period from March 4-10. These figures are still below the 6°C required for growth and are back about 3°C from where they would normally be for this time of year.

Returns to lift again as stock levels set to tighten

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0000

As numbers tighten, mart managers predict sheep prices will lift in the coming weeks.

Western factories set trend with 5c/kg rise

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0000

The sheep trade continues to be as steady as the Irish lineout, with positive outcomes for farmers and rugby fans alike.

Ensure lambs get adequate colostrum to offer best start

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0000

Many mid-season lambing flocks have their first few lambs on the ground at this stage -- but if they haven't, they are not too far off that point.

Good times return as quotes up 5-10c/kg across the board

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0000

The good times returned for former Eurovision winner Niamh Kavanagh on Friday when she took maximum votes for her song, It's for You, to qualify for this year's contest in Norway.

Predicted stock fall set to boost returns

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0000

Big numbers were turned out for sale at some of the marts this week, although mart managers predict these will shortly begin to tighten, which could have a positive impact on price.

Push for a target yield of 3t/ac

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0000

At this time of year crop growth should be gathering pace and grass should be waving in fields all over the country. However, crops have not moved over the past week and fertiliser applied over the same period is still sitting on the surface of the ground. Increased temperatures and rain are forecast over the next few days, which will help fertiliser to penetrate the soil for uptake by the plants.

Keep an eye out for compaction

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0000

Yet another week has passed with little or no growth and crops appear to have retreated into the ground rather than increasing leaf mass.

Apply fertilisers to encourage growth of shoot numbers

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0000

The early risers such as snow drops, crocuses and daffodils are the only plants which are pointing the way to spring. The combination of a cold airflow and cold soil temperatures has prevented any growth over the past few weeks. Grass has gone backwards and it has become visibly yellow, which is probably because of leaf death from all the frosts over the past couple of months.

Growers need to sit down and work out their margins

Tue, 23 Feb 2010 05:00:00 +0000

The cold, dry airflow over the past week has helped land to soak and dry on top. Ploughs were at work all over the country over the past week and some progress has been made with sowing crops on lighter land. Growers shouldn't expect to see these crops for some time as soil temperatures are low, at around an average of 3-3.5C.

Analyse your costs to decide if spring crop sowing is viable

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 05:00:00 +0000

The long struggle to lift the ban on ploughing imposed by the Nitrates Directive hasn't counted for much this year. Up to now, all ground, with the exception of very light ground, has not been fit to plough.

Grain conference offers some hope

Tue, 02 Feb 2010 05:00:00 +0000

It wasn't difficult to judge the mood of tillage farmers who attended the National Tillage Conference last week. Although there was a sense of apathy among many, others arrived with some optimism as the cost of fertiliser was a long way down from last year. There was a quiet questioning of the whole tillage production system and whether crops should be planted this spring or not.

Tired holding sells in frenzied bidding

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0000

A packed room in O'Donovan's Hotel, Clonakilty, resulted in the auction sale being relocated to a larger room last Friday.

Local buys up Listowel 57ac for €362,000

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0000

FIFTY-SEVEN acres near Listowel in Co Kerry sold at auction on Friday for €362,000.

Withdrawn Louth farm completed in post-auction deal

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0000

A 42ac holding in Co Louth sold after auction for an undisclosed amount.

Lands set for 'biggest' sale

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0000

SEVERAL farms will be some of the properties offered for sale at a public auction on April 30.

Sea views on offer in popular tillage region

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0000

Blarney-based Daniel Fleming Auctioneers are handling the sale of 60ac coastline property in east Cork, which is being guided at around €10,000/ac.

Hard to price lots in sale of Latton parcel

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0000

Executors are the only vendors bringing property to auction lately and the sale of an 18ac Co Monaghan holding is no exception.