Agricultural News
Tracking plan for scrap metal
The IFA has called for the introduction of a 'track and trace' compliance scheme that would require all scrap metal dealers to record the source of all the metal they receive....
Farm bodies challenged by new anti-treaty group
A new group called Farmers Say No has challenged the main farm bodies to defend their pro-treaty stance in the upcoming referendum....
Cow kill to jump by over 10,000hd
An extra 10,000-20,000 cows, mainly from the dairy herd, will be slaughtered at meat plants this year, Bord Bia has predicted....
Coveney says no Coillte sale before assets are valued
No decision on the possible sale of Coillte's standing forests will be taken until a full valuation of the State body's assets has been completed, the Minister for Agriculture, Simon Coveney, told the Dáil last week....
Foreign investors to put €50m into Irish dairying
A group of foreign financiers is examining the possibility of investing up to €50m in Irish dairy production, it has been revealed....
Dairy board slashes butter price by €600/t
Fears grow of serious drop in milk price for peak supply months...
Rules cost pig farmers
Irish pig farmers face average bills of at least €300,000 each in order to meet new regulations on sow housing, according to the latest Teagasc estimates....
IFA lobby Kenny on new AEOS scheme
Hopes that an AEOS scheme can be re-opened were reignited at the weekend following an hour-long meeting in Mayo between Taoiseach Enda Kenny and an IFA delegation....
Ireland's 'bull beef revolution' needs tuning but is here to stay
Ireland's bull beef revolution is on its way. Or is it? Let's look at the weekly export plant cattle kill. In the week leading up to Christmas 2011, Irish cattle history was made. That week may have been curtailed due to holidays, but, for the first time ever in the Irish beef business, the factory throughput of young bulls exceeded that of prime steers. The figures were 3,866 young bulls...
Feeling the heat down under with the cotton club
After spending a year Down Under, William Ganley has spoken to the Farming Independent about his experiences on the other side of the world....
Know when your forest is ready for its first thinning
Proper and timely action can have a huge impact on the overall profitability of your plantation...
Macra seeking Young Farmer of the Year entries
Macra are seeking applications from young farmers throughout Ireland for the fourteenth FBD young farmer of the year competition. A candidate will be chosen to represent each county before entering the final round of the competition in September....
Gardening by the book reminds me of patchy history of growing food
The lengthy dry spell we enjoyed up to Easter Monday was most welcome and allowed me to complete all the essential springtime gardening tasks with ease....
Plainer cattle struggle but prices for quality lots are on the up again
Cattle prices remained steady for quality lots this week, although plain cattle were noticeably slower to sell. Dry cow prices are very strong, with an increase of €10-20/hd reported in some marts....
Mother Nature having last laugh
It appears that Mother Nature is having the last laugh this spring. First of all, we had a very mild winter which provided an abundance of early grass, then we had a dry spell which was a great bonus as it allowed all of this early grass to be fully utilised....
The challenges of a difficult calving
The spring calving is well upon us here in the north east and with it comes the usual difficult cases. We had a cow with twins presented last week with four legs and no head in the birth canal. These can be quite difficult to rectify, especially in small heifers with a very narrow opening....
Farmer pressure averts fall in price
While our Taoiseach thinks that we all went mad, some factory sources are convinced that it's mainly beef farmers buying stores that fits into Enda's description....
Tricky decision on where to go with first slurry
It was amazing to look out of the kitchen window in Christmas week and see that seeds which had fallen to the ground from the bird table were starting to germinate and some had sprouts up to an inch long....
Longer days a welcome relief for doing key tasks
As I feed my cattle these mornings and look out over the unseasonally green countryside, I find it incredible to think that this time last year we were just emerging from a long period of very severe frost....
Price cut attempts fail to materialise
While Standard and Poor's were very definite in stripping France of its AAA rating, there are less decisive attempts being made by a few of the Irish meat processors to strip a few cents off the base quotes for steers and heifers....
Weaning weights have greatest influence on farm profitability
World beef prices are at unprecedented levels and are forecast to remain strong for the foreseeable future, due mainly to short supplies in the main beef-producing regions....
Supplies tight but prices strong as dairy stock hits €1,000-2,000
There is no let up to the mart trade. Supplies are pretty tight but prices are very strong. Dairy stock in milk is making €1,000-2,000 depending on age and milkability. Young sucklers with a calf at foot are at €1,400-2,000....
Boost profits by making efficient use of fertilisers
On farm, this year's most significant difference compared to 12 months ago, and 2010 for that matter, is the amount of pasture cover farmers have on the milking block....
Consider scanning cows 14-20 days after calving for breeding season boost
Mild weather, high grass growth rates and a positive outlook for the dairy industry all lead to an upbeat mood among dairy farmers....
New guidelines to ensure that colostrum counts this spring
Getting back into the swing of things after Christmas and New Year often takes a degree of motivation. However, there is nothing more motivating than a freshly born calf -- and for the spring-calving herds, this will soon be a reality....
Prepare a strategy to tackle milk fever in the weeks prior to the cows calving
One of my favourite books is Modern Dairy Farming that originally belonged to my great, great grandfather and was printed in 1911. It highlights milk fever as the most formidable of all conditions that attack dairy stock....
Keep on top of your cows' heat cycling
This is the first year that many dairy farmers have stopped milk production over the Christmas period. Normally, these farmers will milk late calvers and empty cows from the spring breeding programme during the winter period. Some of these cows would normally be bred to calve down next autumn, while others would be bred next spring....
Sheep and goat census extended
The deadline for receipt of this year's sheep and goat census forms has been extended to March 11, the Department of Agriculture has announced....
Keep a close eye on ewe pre-lambing feed needs
Our ewes were scanned two weeks ago and it's fair to say we were disappointed with the results. In the mature ewes, conception rate to first service was 80pc and for the ewe lambs it stood at 60pc....
Quotes up again with tight supply
Hurricane Fly was the talk of the day at Leopardstown on Sunday for having six-and-a-half lengths to spare over Oscars Well in the Irish Champion Hurdle....
Trade holds steady despite some dips
It was a reasonably steady week for the sheep trade at the marts around the country, with a few reporting some improvement while others said that prices may have been a shade easier....
Strong trade drives on prices at all marts
Farmers with heavier type lambs are losing money if they are sending them to the factory and getting paid on a 23.5kg carcass, because trade for those lambs is extremely strong at the marts....
Keep a close eye on hygiene and cleanliness to remain step ahead of infectious diseases
EARLY flocks have plenty of this year's lambs on the ground, so now is the time to run through our disease control and prevention programmes....
Locals eye Kildare land
Tillage farmers are expected to make up the bulk of those interested in a 27.9ac parcel of ground coming for sale at Killeen, Narraghmore, Co Kildare. The property will be sold at auction with a guide price in excess of €10,000/ac....
Farmers urged to forward sell
Tillage farmers have been urged to look at forward selling a greater proportion of this year's harvest as crop projections suggest that global production could be up significantly on 2011....
Sell grain while prices up: Delany
Tillage growers are being urged to assess prices and sell some grain if possible....
Results prove regular soil sampling is essential
Sustainable intensification could be the future of tillage farming, according to Professor Ian Crute who spoke at the National Tillage Conference in Kilkenny last Wednesday....
Avoid the temptation to plough before soil is dry
The recent good weather has led to a start in field activity, with some ploughing carried out on selected fields. Land has been drying out with good daytime temperatures and wind helping to improve ground conditions....
Get chemical stores in order to avoid wasted supplies
Hopefully your chemical store is now empty and your pesticide records showing all purchases, PCS numbers and applications for 2011 are ready for inspection....
Farm on high land goes for €470k
A farm on some of the highest arable land in Ireland at Ballinahinch between Roundwood and Newtownmountkennedy in Co Wicklow extending to just under 89ac sold at auction last week for €470,000, or almost €5,300/ac....
29ac farm with derelict building sells for €284k
A 29ac farm with a derelict residence located three miles from Mountnugent, and seven miles from Oldcastle in Co Meath was sold at auction last week for €284,000, or €9,800/ac....
Offaly farm sells in its entirety after auction
Much to the surprise of the vendor and the auctioneer, a 125ac farm at Broughal, Kilcormac, Co Offaly, sold in its entirety rather than the six lots in which it was offered. One of the lots had been sold prior to auction and auctioneer John Mollin expected the rest to go the same way....
€14,000/ac asking price in Dublin
Land in north Co Dublin means flat ground, cereals and vegetables. A farm of 160ac at Ballyboughal will have the tillage community talking and those with ambitions will certainly be doing their sums in advance of auction....
Offaly plot withdrawn
A 103ac farm of land located at Garr, Rhode, Co Offaly, was withdrawn from auction during the week after a bid of €540,000....
House and 11ac for €150k
There has been a lively start to the land market in the southeast this spring, with a lot of farmer interest in holdings both for purchase and long-term lease....