Saturday 17 November 2018
2018 has been a difficult year in terms of farm management. We have faced many difficulties including the fodder woes of the spring, the intense summer drought and overall poorer market prices for livestock.
Farmers have very little influence over the renewal of pesticide approvals or of new pesticide registrations. In order to protect their survival and to enable them to achieve our national agricultural production targets, tillage farmers must:
I travelled north-west to Mayo last week, to see a farm not far from Ballina. The last time I visited that part of the country the fine summer had just begun, the sun was high in the sky and the west looked magnificent.
We have approximately half of the cattle indoors at this stage, with the remaining being housed as they start running out of grass.
A lack of UK Government vets risks exports animals and animal products being delayed at the UK border in a no-deal Brexit scenario, according to the UK Parliament’s own Public Accounts Committee.
Vincent Cronin is a young dairy farmer who took over the family enterprise in Skahanagh near Bantry, Co Cork in 2013 and is at that early stage in his farming career where he is reviewing the situation - should he expand or just sit tight?
The Department of Agriculture “is preparing for all eventualities” when it comes to Brexit, Minister Michael Creed has said.
Repercussions from Brexit and the implications for farmers from a revised Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) were described as a "double threat" to the agricultural sector on both sides of the Irish border at a weekend seminar.
A North Galway farmer, who employed a Brazilian national to work on his land 16 hours a day, failed to pay the 47-year-old man, Tuam District Court was told this week.
Irish farmers buy more tractors in the 90-125hp power bracket than any other power segment.
An Irish dairy industry operated by two large farmer-controlled co-operatives, with the meat processing sector repositioned as high-margin protein businesses, was the radical vision for the future proposed by renowned food analyst Joe Gill.
There is growing speculation that the long-awaited ANC review will be published next week, writes Declan O'Brien.
British Prime Minister Theresa May’s cabinet on Wednesday approved a draft Brexit deal with the European Union, more than 500 pages of legal text that was long held up by disagreements between the two sides on the Irish border.
The Farm Relief Service (FRS) is searching from northern Europe to the southern oceans for seasonal workers for the busy spring period on Irish farms.
Storm Powell travelled to Delvin Mart last week to get farmers' views on the IFA suckler campaign, distribution of forestry plantations and the fodder situation ahead of this winter.
Strong demand from Northern Ireland breeders boosted demand at the Irish Charolais Cattle Society elite show and sale of heifers at GVM Mart, Tullamore on Saturday.
Accounts published by the Irish Farmers Association show the organisation’s finances continue to be in the red since a high profile pay scandal rocked the organisation in 2015.
A peat extraction company has told the High Court its business faces closure if the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) gets injunctions aimed at halting the firm's wet peat extraction activities in the midlands.
Friesian bull calves will have to be bought at €50-70/hd this spring for beef finishers to make money, according to Pearse Kelly of Teagasc.
The European Court of Justice has ruled that the taste of a food product is not eligible for copyright protection after a dispute between two soft cheeses producers,
The factory trade showed some signs of improvement yesterday as Kepak Athleague moved their quote for lamb upwards by 5c/kg to €470+5c/kg QA (quality assurance).
Nine pregnant cows and six calves have been stolen from a farm near the Border between Friday evening, and the early hours of Saturday morning, November 10.
In a vote on Wednesday, MEPs confirmed their position on the next EU long-term budget, including maintaining the financing of the EU’s long-standing agricultural policies.
Farmers are great at attending sick cows, but they may forget about the lame cows or allow the lameness to become too severe, according to Teagasc Dairy Cow Welfare Research Officer, Muireann Conneally, speaking at the recent Shinagh farm walk in Bandon, Co Cork.
It has been confirmed that 2018 advance payments will issue to farmers in respect of the Green, Low-Carbon, Agri-Environment Scheme (GLAS) from today.
Last week I had the privilege of attending the UCD Lyons research farm with a discussion group from Limerick.
Kerry Co-op members say they are being denied access to results of a survey on the future direction of the co-operative - including what do with a 13pc stake in Kerry Group worth €2.2bn.
Greater restrictions on trespassers and a special task force on rural crime are being demanded by the country's farming organisations.
Last week saw the cattle kill tip over the 40,000 mark for the first time this year, the final figure being 40,022.
Dublin agricultural technology company MagGrow has raised €3m in funding.
More farmers who mistreat animals should have fines docked from their CAP payments, European officials believe.
Britain has "it will be alright on the night attitude to Brexit", chair of the agri-food committee of the British Irish Chamber of Commerce Maree Gallagher has said.
The Criminal Assets Bureau has seized eight vehicles, plant machinery, drugs, cash and a gun in an operation targeting an organised crime gang in County Meath who are involved in drugs, theft and fraud.
Changes published in the Finance Bill are set to spell 'very bad news for farmers', according to Declan McEvoy Head of Tax at accountancy firm Ifac.
Ornua's board meeting which was due to take place tomorrow has been postponed due to 'governance issues' at board level.
In a new climate change submission to the Government, the Irish Farmers Association has sought a re-examination of the calculation of greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture.
MagGrow, a Dublin-based agricultural technology company, has raised €3m in funding.
Americans are losing their taste for chicken and eating more beef and pork as President Donald Trump’s trade wars reduce U.S. pork exports to China and Mexico and leave cheaper bacon and ribs at home.
It is goodbye Daisy, Buttercup, Marigold and Henrietta.
Around 1,000 new members a week are joining the new Beef Plan 2018-2025 Group, founding member Eamon Corley has told the Farming Independent.
Lakeland Dairies has held its base milk price at 32.78 cents per litre including VAT for October milk supplies.
Factories have slashed cow prices, with quotes back as much as 30c/kg over the last fortnight - or around €80/hd.
A farmer who shot a dead a teenage burglar has revealed that he has no regrets over the incident and would do it again.
The Fair Deal scheme could still end up being ruled out as an option for nursing home care by many elderly farmers, despite the Government's bid to make it more attractive.
A man who refused to comply with orders restraining him interfering with a fund-appointed receiver taking possession of his lands in Co Wexford must be jailed for contempt, the High Court has ruled.
A farmer who has recently entered a dairy farm partnership with her father has been crowned this year’s Clarke Machinery Queen of the Land.
The majority of beef demand growth over the next ten years will be in Asia, top analysts of the sector have predicted.
Analysis by the IFA Dairy Committee of co-ops’ milk prices had shown that most had failed to pass back the full value of the Ornua PPI since last May.
Teagasc has appointed Dr Ewen Mullins as Head of the Crop Science Department, based in Oak Park, Carlow. Dr Mullins qualified with a B.Sc. (Hons) from the National University of Maynooth, before graduating with a PhD in plant pathology from University College Cork.
New Holland has announced extensions and upgrades to its six to nine meter telehandler offering, which introduces the new naming and livery.
Young trained farmers face a cap in the level of farming supports they can avail of at reduced tax rates.
There is yet more rainfall expected in the coming days - but at least the cold temperatures are letting up.
The ongoing issue of aggressive trespassers with dogs travelling over farmers’ land has been raised with the country’s top garda.
Police arrested a controlling shareholder of meatpacker JBS SA and two former Brazilian agriculture ministers on Friday in connection with an investigation into illegal campaign contributions.
Farmers are very good at looking after their machinery and livestock.
The Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB) has identified hundreds of small-time criminals and rural crime gangs in every county.
The three golden rules of cooking a perfect steak are being disregarded in households across Ireland.
Fears about the potential for family feuds have delayed changes to the Fair Deal Scheme, which had been promised as a massive boost to business owners and farmers.
John O'Connell runs a sheep enterprise on heavy ground across nearly 100 acres in two equal blocks three miles apart in Ballinamore in Co Leitrim and is a member of the Sligo-Letrim Producers Group.
Consolidation of farms and more cows per farm in the United States has been going on for decades. But the trend toward fewer, bigger farms is now fundamentally changing market dynamics.
If you ever fancied owning a property on a peninsula, then a traditional farmhouse painted in an eye-catching blue on 5ac at Coolbawn, Blind Strand, near Courtmacsherry in West Cork could be as near as you will get.
The EU and UK are heading for a Brexit showdown with their main agricultural trading partners.
Sales of winter-feeding equipment like diet feeders and straw blowers have been absolutely flying, according to industry sources from the Irish machinery trade.
The last of the wether lambs have been moved indoors for fattening. They started outside on a small amount of concentrates and have been building up slowly on the high maize ration.
There are no immediate plans to make the 8 million or so former Irish Land Commission (ILC) records generally available to the public for research purposes or otherwise, according to the Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed.
Thirteen-month-old Carrickmore Maximus Et has set a new Irish record for the Limousin breed after selling for €38,000 at the society Premier Show and Sale at Central Auctions Mart, Roscrea.
EU Agriculture Commissioner Phil Hogan was blunt in his speech at the presentation of the Paddy Fitzgerald Memorial Community Award in Limerick recently in stating the importance of generational renewal in agriculture.
Philip Higgins is the latest farmer to join the Sheep Tech joint venture run by Teagasc in conjunction with Irish Country Meats.
The weather that we missed out on last spring has been more than compensated for this autumn with excellent conditions for sowing. As a result, winter plantings have been very good.
STORM force winds and torrential rain caused travel misery across Ireland with widespread flooding reported across the south and south east.
Accident claims at marts are driving the cost of insurance to be a loss-making business, something that needs to change, the CEO of FBD has said.
Farmland is continuing to sell strongly with parcels large and small making strong money.
As the housing crisis shows little sign of resolution, the availability of land banks in Dublin and the greater Dublin area is a hot topic.
New technology could help farmers tackle the costly problem of sheep rustling.
Ornua has hired a consultancy firm whose co-founder was an executive at Kerry Group and Coca-Cola in an effort to standardise its business model following a number of acquisitions, the Irish Independent has learned.
A High Court judge has ruled after a bitterly fought six-day hearing between two sides that the eldest son in a family is to receive 90 acres of land, after he challenged his late mother's will.
Ornua's Chief Executive John Jordan has said that the prospect of Glanbia's 'Truly Grass Fed' cheese on supermarket shelves will erode the value of the Kerrygold brand.
West of the Shannon, auctioneer John Earley sold two large Roscommon farms under the hammer last week, netting a total of €2.6m and averaging over €8,000/ac.
Total intervention Skimmed Milk Powder (SMP) sold to date by the European Commission is now around the 200k mark.
It was a case of stagnation once again on beef prices at the mart last week.
Concerns have been expressed about the European Court of Auditors report published today which sharply criticizes the proposed reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) for the period after 2020.
China found three new African swine fever cases on pig farms in Hunan, Jilin and Jiangxi provinces, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs said on Thursday.
What does it take to become the world's best female chef? And where did it all begin? Antrim-born Clare Smyth won that coveted title in Bilbao last June. And she was the first woman to hold and retain three Michelin stars when she worked as Gordon Ramsay's Chef Patron in his flagship restaurant Chelsea in London. Her own restaurant, Core, in Notting Hill, was this year awarded two Michelin stars.
Members of the Oireachtais Climate Action committee have hit out at the Department of Agriculture for “not being ambitious enough” when it comes to reducing agriculture emissions.
The Indian summer experienced in the months of September and October has made an incredible difference to the mood of dairy farmers.
A new Garda dispatch system - likened to the international taxi-sharing app Uber - will be rolled out around the country next year.
Kylie Magner from Magners Farm in Fethard, Co Tipperary, home to 450 free range pasture-fed hens, will be taking over the FarmIreland Instagram account today and talking about how she started off in the poultry business with little or no knowledge.
Negative commentary on forestry needs to come to an end if we want to reach climate targets, Secretary General at the Department of Agriculture Brendan Gleeson has said.
Heifer mastitis can be a significant problem for some herds, but the risk can be reduced according to UCD veterinary school lecturer Catherine McAloon.
The proposed reform of the Common Agricultural Policy after 2020 falls short of the EU’s ambitions for a greener and more robust performance-based approach, according to an opinion published today by the European Court of Auditors.
Global dairy prices dropped for the sixth time in a row at a fortnightly auction early on Wednesday as prices for a key product, whole milk powder, sank to a two-year low.
Qatar Racing has doubled down on its investment in County Limerick by purchasing a second million euro farm.
A farmer who was killed in a farm accident in Co Waterford yesterday has been named locally.
Antibiotic dry-cow therapy undoubtedly has an important role to play at treating infections that persist at the end of lactation and maximising cure rates.
Land fragmentation is an issue that's often highlighted as an impediment to achieving targets for growth in the farming sector.
Kerry Group has reaffirmed its full year guidance of adjusted earnings per share growth of 7pc to 10pc for 2018.
Another week has slipped by with prices for steers continuing to remain static at €3.75/kg and heifers on €3.85/kg among the majority of factories.
Consumers are spending more money eating out this year with the largest growth coming in the hotels sector and cafés, according to a survey by Bord Bia which forecasts that spending in 2018 will hit €8.2bn this year.
Allocating a dry period of over four weeks in between lactations for cows increases subsequent lactation yield by up to 25pc, according to Teagasc Dairy Advisor Mark O’Sullivan.
Some 28 deaths in the past 10 years were livestock-related fatalities, according to a Health and Safety Authority report.
A second man could have lost his life in a farm-yard crush accident that claimed the life of father of one and farmer Michael McGrath last year.
The dark evenings since the clocks went back have brought with them the beginning of winter.
Talks are intensifying on a law to ban the “unfair” treatment of farmers by supermarket giants.
Small farmers are being forced out of the land market in Leinster’s commuter counties, and the banks are still reluctant to lend to non-dairy farmers, auctioneers claim.
North American farmers are finding increased levels of a plant toxin known as vomitoxin in this year’s corn harvest, adding insult to injury for growers already suffering as the U.S.-China trade war hurts soybean exports and crop prices.
Ornua has insisted that it will defend the premier position of its “iconic” Kerrygold brand in the US market against the threat posed by Glanbia’s Truly Grass Fed dairy range.
Agriculture Science at UCD placed 19th on the list which was compiled by US News and World Reports and was also named among the top five universities to study agriculture science in Europe.
A farmer has died following a farm accident in Kilmacthomas, Co Waterford.
A country estate that makes £230,000 per year and comes complete with 17 homes, 1,845 acres and a village pub, has come on the market in Nottinghamshire.
Meat Industry Ireland (MII) has denied that a total revamp of the beef grid or QPS was being considered, but the processor representative body accepted that some changes to the cattle payment system were needed.
Surging milk production over the last two months has transformed output predictions for the year.
The dry period is an opportunity for cows to prepare for the next lactation and also allows the mammary tissue time to repair.
What a pleasure it has been farming for the last month.
The Minister for Agriculture, Michael Creed announced the roll-out of an innovative collaboration between Government and industry delivering 30 new ‘Agricultural Sustainability Advisors’ to work with farmers across the country.
South Tipperary auctioneers have become very fond of the auction room as land in that area sells like sugar candy at a carnival. The local lords of the turf have an insatiable appetite for property and deep pockets with which to feed it.
Until this year Niall Canning was used to spending summers presenting his family’s award-winning cattle at agricultural shows all over the country, but this year he swapped his beloved wellies for football boots to take part in Tg4’s Underdogs series.
The Beef Plan Movement has organised a series of meetings to drive membership and detail its plans for the beef industry in the coming weeks.
Two pet lambs reared from prize-winning sheep at a Northern Ireland prison have been donated to a charity that provides animal therapy for children with autism and life-limiting illnesses.
The proportion of unpaid work by family members on Irish farms is among the highest in the EU at about 95pc, according to newly released data by the European Commission.
Since the mid-2000s, North Dakota farmer Paul Thomas has planted more of his land with soybeans as China’s demand for the oilseed grew.
Drivers need to pay more attention to the health of their tyres.
A Limerick farmer buying hay to beat the fodder crisis has been scammed out of a “considerable amount of money”.
Consumers can expect the humble spud to possibly double in price over the next year according to suppliers, as the hot weather this summer means the crop is down 25pc this year.
Broadband is fast becoming the key battleground for a general election after newly-appointed Communications Minister Richard Bruton admitted there was "no question of a Plan B" despite the current process hanging by a thread.
The winter housing and feeding period is a stressful time on both man and beast.
What an exceptional autumn. Ground conditions are superb and not what we're used to dealing with in Kerry at this time of year, but it's a welcome change.
On a grass finishing beef farm such as mine, late summer/autumn is a very important time of the year. This is when I sell my finished cattle and buy in their replacements.
Can a semi-state body such as the ESB, Bord na Mona or Irish Water (Ervia) become a viable substitute for the current National Broadband Plan?
When it comes to bakery giant Aryzta, there has been 'trouble at mill' for some time. After getting a controversial €800m rights issue over the line at this week's AGM, chairman Gary McGann may feel it is a case of job done.
Grass growth on the main grazing platform at Lyons was running at 35kg DM per ha per day up to October 22.
I ventured to the north Meath/Cavan region recently where I visited Crossdrum House — a lovely Georgian home on 35ac on the outskirts of Oldcastle in Meath.
Caroline Rigney is an unlikely farmer. She comes from a non-agricultural background in Westmeath and was a stay-at-home mother until she and her husband Joe — a paving contractor who resurfaced many of Dublin’s streets — decided to move halfway across the country to buy a small farm in Kilcornan outside Adare, Co Limerick 20 years ago.
Claas has unveiled a new 626hp addition to its Jaguar forage harvester range, the Jaguar 880, which will only be available in Ireland, the UK and the USA.
Ed O'Sullivan should have been looking forward to a profitable future in suckler farming. In the 1990s he was producing finished beef at 12 months for a niche market returning a premium price.
Just as the days are getting shorter, we are getting to the end of the sowing.
The Department of Agriculture is hoping that signifciant progress can be made on access to China for Irish sheepmeat, after a meeting of officials today.
New forestry figures show that in 2017 there was over 5,536ha around the country planted with forestry, down from the 6,293ha planted in 2015.
In my column two weeks ago, I heralded the 2019 Budget as being reasonably good for farmers, but I included the caveat that people should watch out for the 'sneaky stuff' in the Finance Bill. Well, sure enough I wasn't disappointed.
A commentator recently wrote in the Farming Independent that the CAP promises a fair standard of living for all farmers - not just dairy farmers. I agree and have never said otherwise.
Chuck Wirtz voted for Donald Trump in the 2016 election, inspired by the then-political outsider, but the veteran Iowa hog farmer now has buyer’s remorse as the US Republican president’s trade policy exacts a heavy toll on his business.
Joint receivers appointed over agricultural land in north county Dublin have claimed before the High Court that the owner, his son, and a gun club are attempting to frustrate the sale of the property.
Mould problems are being reported as overheating occurs in some pits of silage that were harvested at very high dry matter levels during the summer.
Gillian O’Sullivan has been announced as the Farmer of the Year in the Zurich/Farming Independent Farmer of the Year competition tonight.
A dispute between a vegetable grower and a farmer over lands in Co Wexford has been resolved, the High Court heard.
The future of the suckler herd has been in the spotlight of late due to falling margins, a sharp drop in cow numbers, and collapsing morale among farmers.
IBR is a highly infectious disease caused by a virus caused by bovine herpes virus- 1, this virus is mostly involved in respiratory infections, according to Dr Maria Guelbenzu speaking at the recent National Beef Conference.
A judge has ruled against the driver of a tractor with a load of silage who was involved in a crash with a car.
A veterinary heath certificate for the export of pigmeat from Ireland to Malaysia has been agreed, the Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed has announced on the last day of a trade mission to the region.
The Department of Agriculture has not committed to a date for publishing the long-awaited review of the Areas of Natural Constraint (ANC) scheme, and is continuing to engage with the EU Commission regarding the process.
The UK's Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Secretary says his assurance is backed by the International Trade Secretary and Cabinet.
Glanbia managing director Siobhán Talbot has said that the year is "progressing as planned" after the group reported volume growth of 6.7pc in the first nine months of 2018.
In November 2015, some 19 drystock farmers in Sligo and Leitrim came together to investigate the potential of contract rearing dairy heifers as a means of increasing stocking rate and increasing the profitability of their farms.
The Department of Agriculture, Food & the Marine has announced that interim Nitrogen and Phosphorus statements for the period January to September 2018 and are now available online at agfood.ie
Offaly councillors have demanded that Bord na Móna chief executive Tom Donnellan attend their next meeting as concerns grow over the future of local jobs.
Ireland must push for a Free Trade Agreement with Indonesia if it wants to successfully compete in the South-East Asian market, Head of Dairy Industry Ireland (DII) Conor Mulvihill has urged.
Irish farmers are only seeing 50-60pc of their grass growth potential and are not realising the full benefits of the cheapest form of feed – grazed grass, according to Teagasc.
They say no news is good news, except, I expect, when you’re expecting news. Two months ago as factory kill numbers started to climb, few could have foreseen the current reality that as we head into November weekly average kill numbers over the last two months have remained stubbornly over 38,600.
There is not enough support yet for an EU ban on the key tillage fungicide chlorothalonil, but the Commission is determined to continue lobbying member states on the issue.
ICOS has rowed in on the ongoing debate over Glanbia's move to launch a 'Truly Grass Fed' (TGF) brand, saying that there should not be
Dairy farmers have a responsibility to provide genetics to beef farmers that will enable them to ‘economically’ finish animals according to John Kehoe, beef farmer and Chairperson of the Beef Stakeholders Group, speaking at the National Beef Conference this week.
The IFA and Glanbia have clashed over plans by the dairy giant to launch a new Truly Grass Fed (TGF) consumer brand in the US.
China has found three new African swine fever cases on small pig farms in Shanxi, Hunan and Yunnan provinces, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs said.
Given the evidence for widespread parasitic/anthelmintic resistance on dairy calf-to-beef farms in Ireland it is vital for farmers to implement practices to minimise or stop the anthelmintic resistance on farms, according to Dr. Orla Keane, of Teagasc.
The Court of Appeal has dismissed a farmer's appeal against injunctions restraining him from placing animals on his lands that are up for sale.
Agriculture Minister Michael Creed has claimed the reputation of the Irish dairy industry is "enhanced", despite news of a salmonella detection only publicly emerging more than a month after the incident.
Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed said he is hopeful that no damage will be done to the reputation of the Irish dairy industry as a result of the recent closure of the milk powder section of Tipperary Co-op due to Salmonella.
Protestant farmers are more likely to farm on large farms than their Catholic counterparts, official figures have shown.
Prices for both bullocks and heifers fell back across a majority of weight categories in a meaningful way for the first time in over a month.
Over 2,000 farmers around the country have signed up to a new beef action group, which is calling on the IFA to take on board a 16-page plan it has for the sector.
The US Department of Agriculture is not planning to extend an up to $12 billion aid package for farmers into 2019, Secretary Sonny Perdue said on Monday, to mitigate farmer losses due to the imposition of tariffs on American exports.
The EU will withhold CAP payments from Ireland and other member states unless new measures to support both young and older farmers are put in place, Agriculture Commissioner Phil Hogan has warned.
Farmers in north Co Dublin have warned they will take the law into their own hands if rural crime continues to go under the radar.
A delegation from Bord Bia, the Department of Agriculture and members of the media met with the managing team of Milkco, one of Indonesia’s fastest growing dairy companies on the first day of its trade mission to South-East Asia today.
Salmonella has shut down the milk powder production unit at a dairy.
North Co Dublin farmer John White says his community has had enough of being intimidated, assaulted and robbed by criminals.
Despite outraging half of Ireland's beef farmers with my last piece, Farming Independent editors have let me off the leash again.
Irish researchers have developed a new animal testing sensor which can detect cattle diseases in "real time" and allow farmers and vets to isolate an affected animal before the infection can spread to the rest of their herd.
In the next couple of years, we are going to have to make a serious decision about whether we continue suckling. I have never felt as disillusioned about it as I do now.
The new Claas Orbis 600 SD and 750 maize front attachments feature both large and small discs for an optimal crop flow, high efficiency and functional reliability.
Storm Powell profiles the shortlisted candidates in the Dairy, Tillage, Beef and Sheep categories for the Zurich Farm Insurance/ Farming Independent Farmer of the Year Awards 2018
The Calvey Family from Keel, Co.Mayo are the inaugural winners of the National Farming for Nature Award 2018.
Building awareness of Ireland will be one of the biggest challenges Irish exporters face when looking to increase exports to south east Asia, Bord Bia CEO Tara McCarthy has said.
IFA has made a submission to An Bord Pleanála objecting to the proposed South Kerry Greenway project.
Sustainable forestry expansion, including native woodlands on dairy and other farms, is a critical priority for Ireland to help achieve its climate change targets, the new Chairman of Teagasc has said.
THE Government is preparing to announce a new delay to a broadband roll-out for a million people living outside our cities. This will push back new rural broadband connections until 2020 at the earliest.
Nicole Winkelmann is the finance director of a 500-cow farmers’ co-op farm near the German/Polish border. She is one of 37 local co-op members who own and farm the 2,300ha farm, which has a 500-cow unit and the remainder in tillage.
The new CAP has greater ambitions for climate action and environmental care including water, according to Gerard Shortle, DG Environment, European Commission.
It is widely accepted that the difference between an average farmer and a highly profitable farmer is “ten days”.
Ken Maschhoff, chairman of the largest US family-owned pork producer, has watched profits fall as trade tensions rise between the United States and China.
Irish weather may not suit crops such as coffee beans, olives, bananas, and citrus fruits - but we have an abundance of grass. For that reason, we are one of the greatest global beef and dairy producers.
The German and French organic markets - worth a combined €17bn - are being targeted as opportunities for Irish producers as the sector continues to grow in the country.
I've been busy getting the flock ready for the breeding season. I let the rams out on October 22 so lambing 2019 should kick off around on March 15-17.
Bernard Looney grew up on a farm in Ashgrove, near Kenmare in Co Kerry. Today, the 48-year-old UCD engineering graduate is based in London and spends about half his time travelling the globe for the world's sixth-largest energy company, BP.
Fair Deal - the State scheme set up to provide financial support to those in need of nursing home care - can be a bad financial move.
Most farmers freely discuss every aspect of their farm businesses with a sense of pride and achievement. It is common to hear stories along the lines of: "My grandfather bought this holding in the 1930s, he then transferred it to my father and now I'm proudly carrying on the family tradition - we have grown it to five time its original size and my plans are to grow it further." Succession...
A substantial 95ac residential farm at Garthy, Castletown Geoghegan in Co Westmeath is coming for auction early next month.
Three whiteboard farm maps hang on the wall of the Heffernan dairy in Dunnamaggin, Co Kilkenny.
A few weeks back the first piece of robotic equipment arrived on my farm. I purchased a Lely discovery scraper. It replaced the 16-year-old automatic scrapers which were starting to show their age.
Perhaps it’s a legacy of the long hot summer but the colours of the autumn leaves are more rich and varied than I have ever seen them.
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