Farmers Journal Scotland | July 1st by Farmers Journal Scotland

FARMERS JOURNAL Scotland

1 July 2017 Vol 1 No 5 | £3.10

Scotland to Siberia and back again After stints in Siberia and Vietnam, Andy McGowan is settled in Scotland as CEO of the Scott ish Pig Producers Six page Focus on agricareers >> 11-16

No CAP deadline ﬁnes – EU The looming threat of a £60m ﬁne for the Scottish Government for late payments to farmers has receded JOHN SLEIGH SCOTLAND EDITOR jsleigh@farmersjournal.co.uk

EXCLUSIVE

Scotland is unlikely to face fines running into the millions as a result of late payments, the European Commission has indicated to the Farmers Journal Scotland. This comes two weeks after Audit Scotland suggested that the Scottish Government would miss the deadline and be landed with a fine of up to £60m. Applications have been processed at double the speed within the last few weeks. If there are still outstanding applications after the deadline, the number is likely to be so small that any penalty will be modest and far removed from the initial threat. The Farmers Journal Scotland understands that while there has been a request for an extension to the payment deadline, the Commission is unlikely to provide it, given that the payment rate has been ramped up significantly in recent weeks.

Ä Continued on page 2

Grazing under the midnight sun by the burn of Geosetter in Shetland. \Malcolm Younger

Farmers Journal

Political big hitters set out stalls at the show

With the way prices have been lately, lambs should be worth around £20/head more than last year

Royal Highland Show coverage

News >> 3

Farm Proﬁt Programme >> 36

News >> 3, 8-10

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FARMERS JOURNAL Saturday 1 July 2017

2 NEWS

Comment John Sleigh Scott ish editor jsleigh@farmersjournal.co.uk

No more excuses on BVD eradication

t is imperative that the industry rapidly tightens the next BVD phase. Pressure must be kept up to ﬁnish the eradication of BVD in Scotland. Our cattle herd has taken a massive amount of eﬀort to get to this stage, through comprehensive testing and culling of persistently infected (PI) calves – oftentimes prime cattle. As we move into phase five, the pace must not be let up or we are in

jeopardy of letting the programme stall. We must never forget the near eradication of BVD in Orkney, which failed because a couple of herds thought they would keep a few PIs on the place to vaccinate their cattle. The assumption on Orkney that the disease was on the way out meant farmers dropped their vaccination programme, so when a couple stirks from the positive herd jumped the fence, the disease spread through

all the naive cattle. This is an important lesson for the industry. Unless we keep up the pace on eradicating BVD, farmers may drop their vaccination programme or even become more lax in the required biosecurity. That said, the vast majority of farmers have taken the programme seriously and made great efforts to play their part in the scheme. Unlike more recent eradication programmes – such as in Northern Ireland – our scheme had a gentle start, which built tougher controls on a phased basis, gradually shifting the pressure on to those with active BVD on farm. It would have been impossible to have started a stringent scheme requiring all calves to be tissue-tagged and PIs killed within a month. Firstly, there was little appetite for compensation from Government and, secondly, in order to work all farmers needed to take part, so a tough start would not have achieved the support needed to get the scheme off ground. Tightening the net any further has been seriously affected by Government’s unwillingness to further re-

strict farmers in the run-up to the elections in 2015 and 2016. This has delayed the next phase and allowed the PI issue to escalate. Compulsory removal of PIs is an attractive option to bring the programme into the final stages. However, the Government is unwilling to find the budget. Farmers who went through the expensive process of doing the right thing by removing PIs are treated unfairly when those yet to properly engage get financial benefit from PI removal. What needs to happen now is that animals in herds posing a risk to the scheme – those termed “not negative” – need to be virus tested soon after birth, with tissue testing the ideal option. As soon as PI calves are identified, they should be isolated in a building to avoid risk to neighbours or to other cattle in the herd. This impracticality, coupled with the inability to move stock off the holding, should leave early slaughter the only viable option. This requires some regulatory changes to make it work. We need to force tissue-tag testing in not negative herds. Rules must also force

farmers to house and isolate PI cattle, which would require spot checks to ensure compliance. Excessive retention of PI animals should result in additional biosecurity requirements, like double fencing or housing cattle until the PI is removed. We all have our part to play to encourage our peers to engage in eradication. The new positive status of herds with an active PI may help increase urgency, as farmers don’t want their businesses tarnished with the status. However, breakdowns can happen to anyone, and farmers who try their best to swiftly eradicate the issue should not find this too damaging to their business. While naming and shaming farmers may be attractive, it is not without risk. Errors can be made, which can damage businesses, families and farming communities. However, if phase ﬁve does not signiﬁcantly reduce PI numbers it cannot be ruled out. The programme is starting to stutter, and if we do not get the next phase running soon we could go backwards.

No CAP deadline ﬁnes FROM PAGE 1

It is also understood that little credence is being paid to the request in Brussels, given that one of the reasons provided by Scotland was that it received an extension in 2016. The Commission has received a request from Scotland for an extension but it is adopting a wait-and-see approach with regards to the volume of payments it is issuing. The Commission is understood to be happy with the progress made in recent weeks. Speaking after the Rural Economy and Connectivity Committee meet-

ing on Wednesday, Cabinet Secretary Fergus Ewing said 15,115 BPS and greening payments worth some £311m have now been issued. This represents approximately 82% of the total payments. “The very latest assessment looks like we may miss the target of 95.24% by a small amount. However, our priority remains completing payments for farmers and crofters as quickly as possible in the coming weeks. That is what farmers are entitled to expect, and we are sparing no eﬀort to deliver it,” Ewing said. The Cabinet Secretary again pointed to the fact that £275m was “made available via BPS loans” in order to provide farmers with “important ﬁnancial security.”

Inside this week 01.07.2017 Contents

8 News

News A farmer writes Overseas Highland Show special

6 7 8

AGRIBUSINESS Feature 20 minutes with Industry Insight

20 22 26

Technical Focus Dairy Dairylink Beef Sheep Farmer know-how Pedigree Machinery Business of Farming

11 29 30 34 35 38 39 45 70

Highland Show piece

3 News Political big hitters set out stalls at the show All of the country’s political heavyweights we re out in force at the 2017 Royal Highland Show, where Brexit continued to be the talking point

FARM PROFIT PROGRAMME Meet husband and wife team Arthur and Muriel Duguid, who run a mixed farm with their children

Ä Page 26

FARMERS JOURNAL Saturday 1 July 2017

FOCUS 11

FOCUS AGRI CAREERS

INTRODUCTION Working in the agri sector

t was 2011 and it was the darkest days of Ireland’s recession. There were 327,000 people unemployed, high levels of emigration and there simply weren’t any jobs available – except in agriculture. We made it our mission in the Farmers Journal to highlight the job vacancies in the Irish agricultural sector. During a very trying economic time, the agricultural industry was able to provide hope for students, jobseekers and their parents. And after years of being neglected when the construction sector was booming (which, in fact, pried young people away from farms in the first place), during this period, agriculture finally received the recognition it deserved, particularly from the mainstream media, who were keen to highlight, during the recession, areas people could find jobs. It was a valuable lesson to everyone; Mary to never forget or unPhelan derestimate the importance of this sector to the economy. Because, in Ireland, agriculture was there when we needed it most. And now that the economy has improved, thankfully agriculture hasn’t taken a back seat. As careers and education editor in the Farmers Journal, the one thing I have tried to do over the years is to highlight – to both the farming community and to those who are not involved in the sector at all – that there is a great range of employment opportunities to be had in the agri sector. While the agri sector has vacancies for farm labourers, farm managers and for an array of positions on meat factory floors, what many people don’t realise is that there is opportunity aplenty for a range of other skills too – particularly for engineers, accountants, marketers and those with qualifications and experience in sales, HR and IT. The beauty of working for an agricultural company is that, more often than not, the jobs are in rural parts of the country. This is an industry that allows you to move out of a city when looking for a job, rather than the other way round. Peter Wood from Ringlink told Farmers Journal Scotland: “There aren’t enough young people entering into the industry.” He also added that “a lot of young people don’t know about the opportunities that are available in the agricultural sector.” It is up to mediums like Farmers Journal Scotland to promote these opportunities – and this something we are very happy to do. Every sector needs young blood coming into it to keep it alive. In order to attract fresh, enthusiastic young people, the sector needs to be marketed to them as a great industry in which to work. Let’s showcase the industry, and the opportunities it provides, together.

53 Focus Agri Careers A guide to working in the agri sector

Farmers Journal Scottish Edition, Rural Centre, West Mains, Ingliston, Newbridge, Edinburgh, EH28 8LT Editorial Tel: 0131 472 4107 edit@farmersjournal.co.uk Advertising Tel: 00 353 14199555 ads@farmersjournal.co.uk Subscriptions Tel: 00 353 14199500 subs@farmersjournal.co.uk

Printed by DC Thomson, Dundee, Scotland. Published and originated by The Agricultural Trust, Irish Farm Centre, Bluebell, Dublin 12.

FARMERS JOURNAL Saturday 128 July January 2017 2017

NEWS 3

Political big hitters set out stalls at the show All of the country’s political heavyweights were out in force at the 2017 Royal Highland Show, where Brexit continued to be the talking point SARAH ANDERSON FARMERS JOURNAL sanderson@farmersjournal.co.uk

UK and Scottish ministers addressed their traditional receptions at the Royal Highland Show, marking Brexit’s one-year anniversary. Recurring themes included market access, the future of support and convergence, freedom of movement, devolution of agricultural decision-making and the need for the industry to come forward with ideas for the post-Brexit landscape. Speaking at the president’s breakfast, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said that, as the UK is a significant net contributor to the EU, there should be a positive balance in the Treasury after Brexit and that it is up to UK agriculture to argue for that cash and to help the Scottish Government create key priorities. Key to this is securing tariﬀfree access to the EU single market for beef, lamb, cereal, fruit and vegetables, she said. The ﬁrst minister is still not convinced by the UK Govern-

ment’s approach to Brexit. She warned of the “double whammy of losing trade on the altar of freedom of movement”. Cabinet Secretary for Rural Economy and Connectivity Fergus Ewing upheld the importance of tariﬀ-free access to the EU single market and freedom of movement, noting in particular the red-meat processing sector’s dependence on EU nationals, critically vet inspectors. Ewing also called for the UK Government to treat devolved administrations as “partners, not strangers”, criticising their unilateral cancellation of scheduled Brexit meetings. New Defra secretary Michael Gove spoke of his ideal of “free and frictionless trade”. He said he is looking at the evidence for convergence funding “to Michael Gove: free and frictionless trade.

see why it’s been allocated in the way it has, and make sure I can defend the way it is allocated in future”. Gove also said that the UK Government is looking to increase the power that all devolved administrations have and that he wanted to have regular meetings on Brexit back up and running.

Ä For our extensive cover-

age from the 2017 Royal Highland Show see p8 to 10.

Grand parade at the Royal Highland Show. This year saw 190,000 visitors attend the four-day event. \ Craig Stephen

Farmer optimism as commodities up PATRICK DONOHOE NEWS EDITOR pdonohoe@farmersjournal.ie

Beef, lamb, milk, cereals and pork have all seen signiﬁcant rises over the last 12 months. This is largely put down to the falling sterling making imports less competitive.

£178

Beef steers per head

A 400kg R3 steer is worth £178 more a head year-on-year. Farmers are getting almost £100 for lambs, up over £15 a head compared to last year, bringing hope for the main crop in the back end. Spot feed barley prices are running at around £128/tonne, up £33/t on last year.

£15

Lamb per head

£33

Feed barley per tonne

JOHN SLEIGH SCOTLAND EDITOR

There are still 175 farms in Scotland with 437 persistently infected (PI) animals on them. Alarmingly there are three holdings with more than 20 PIs. The continued presence of PIs in the national herd is increasing the pressure on Government to move swiftly on the next phase of BVD eradication. Nigel Miller, chair of Livestock Health Scotland, spoke to the Farmers Journal Scotland from a BVD event in Birmingham this week. He said: “We are failing to control the risk posed by PIs

to the national herd. Clearly PIs are the real driver of the disease. Without removing them we cannot be successful in eradication. “Programmes in Ireland are having faster success than here, as they remove PIs from herds within ﬁve weeks. We must at least match this target if we are to end the disease. “At the conference we heard from Isle of Man oﬃcials. They explained that they previously had 34 PIs on the island. But this plummeted to 10 when details of farms with PIs were published.”

–PATRICK DONOHOE

£32

Pigmeat per head

this is in the context of total cattle numbers down by 1.4%. “For beef and sheep producers, higher costs will be having an eﬀect in restricting the margin that farmers and crofters can extract from the market, particularly livestock farmers, who are ﬁnding themselves facing higher feed prices.”

Milk non-aligned per litre

Tory-DUP deal secures Highland Meats lands £2m from Scottish Government farming budget jsleigh@farmersjournal.co.uk

437 PIs still on Scottish farms

Meanwhile, pig prices are at £1.60/kg up 40p/kg, a rise of one-third in 12 months. Average milk prices for nonaligned farmers are also up by around 7p/l compared with this time last year. NFUS Livestock chair Charlie Adam said: “Prices for cattle and lambs are up, although

A clear commitment to continuing the same cash total for farm support until the end of the parliament has been made by the new Tory-DUP Government. The three-page agreement highlights the importance of agriculture to the rural economy and commits to a maintained budget. That commitment is not new, having previously appeared in the Tory party election manifesto, published in May 2017, but by repeating the pledge now it should give more assurance that it will actually be delivered. The great unknowns remain whether the British government lasts

Northern Ireland’s First Minister Arlene Foster. \ Kelvin Boyes

to the end of the parliament in 2022 and, of course, whether the UK actually leaves the EU in 2019, or at a later date. “Further discussions will take place on the future framework for farming support,” according to the DUP-Tory agreement.

Highland Meats will get £2m from the Scottish Government to upgrade its processing facilities. Speaking to the Farmers Journal Scotland, the Ayrshire-based meat processor said the money is for upgrading equipment and facilities. Isla Roebuck, Dawn’s UK operations director, said the company planned “development of our facility to ensure that Highland Meats has the most modern technologies that will allow future growth opportunities for quality red meat from Scotland. “We are delighted that the Scottish Government has agreed to support that investment through the Food Processing Marketing and CoOperation Grant scheme,” said Roebuck. Highland Meats is part of the Irish-based Dawn Meats

group, which recently entered a joint venture with Dunbia as the majority partner to merge their operations in the UK. In Scotland this means that Highland Meats will be part of a group that includes Dunbia’s small factory in Elgin and its retail packing facility in Ayr, which is close to Highland Meats in Saltcoats. Highland also supplied beef for sampling at SIAL Toronto at the end of April, along with Donald Russell. Other recipients of upgrades were ABP Perth, which received £667,061 to upgrade faculties. The Chapman’s Aberdeen & Northern Egg company was awarded £241,774 for a site upgrade. Sandyford Abattoir was also awarded money for a site upgrade, to the tune of £100,171.

–JOHN SLEIGH

FARMERS JOURNAL Saturday Saturday 1June July 2017 Saturday 28 24 January

4 NEWS

AHDB discusses future of UK Could Brazil’s trade in a post-Brexit world diﬃculty be our JOHN SLEIGH SCOTLAND EDITOR jsleigh@farmersjournal.co.uk

The 13th AHDB Meat Exports Conference was held yesterday (Thursday) in Warwick, one year on from the UK decision to leave the EU. The focus of the conference was trading in a post-Brexit world, as will be the case after 2019 unless the period for discussions is extended which will require the agreement of the 27 other EU members. Adam Quinney, a Shropshire farmer who chairs the AHDB Beef and Lamb board, introduced the keynote speaker for the event, George Eustace, MP, Minister of State for Agriculture Fisheries and Food. The minister, who campaigned

for the UK to leave the EU, gave an upbeat assessment of how competitive British agriculture would be once the UK leaves the EU. He was positive in his assessment of how UK farmers could find opportunities once the UK was free to pursue its own trade deals. He also reaffirmed that there would be no change in the support for farming during this parliament from what was available under the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and that a new policy would be developed during this Parliament that would take effect from after the next general election with an input from the devolved administrations. Jean Pierre Garnier from AHDB’s exports division up-

dated the conference on progress over the past year in growing export sales across all major export markets for both beef and lamb. The benefit from a significant weakening in the value of sterling in driving export sales was acknowledged. Professor Alan Matthews, Professor Emeritus of European Agricultural Policy at Trinity College, gave a presentation on how the UK could choose to trade with the EU outside being a member. This included the different types of membership of the single market, membership of the customs union and having a comprehensive free-trade agreement. The problem with all of these is that they bring with them conditions on move-

ment of people and court jurisdiction that the UK Government doesn’t want. That leaves the default position of falling back on WTO trading terms which are particularly onerous on beef and sheepmeat trading. AHDB used the conference to launch a comprehensive 32-page study on how WTO membership works and what it means in a global trading context. It provides detail on the various levels of tariffs UK beef and lamb exports to the EU would be subject to as well of course as imports arriving in the UK from EU countries. There will be full analysis of the conference papers and what it means for Scottish farming in next week’s Farmers Journal Scotland

opportunity? PHELIM O’NEILL MARKETS SPECIALIST poneill@farmersjournal.ie

f the EU were to follow the example of the US in banning Brazilian beef, the gap in supply would increase the value of beef from Scotland. The decision by the US to ban imports of beef from Brazil, just a few months after granting access, is a blow to the beleaguered Brazilian beef industry. There is, however, no direct immediate beneﬁt to Scottish beef producers unless the EU was to decide that they would follow the US example and issue their own ban. Until now the EU has settled for increasing the frequency

and intensity of checks on Brazilian beef entering the EU. However, it would make a real difference in the demand for home-produced beef if there was a decision by the EU to exclude Brazilian beef. Over 300,000 tonnes were imported by the EU from Brazil in 2016, and a significant portion of this was into the UK. If this was removed from the market – and it is predominantly high-value steak meat – then a gap in supply would emerge that would increase the value of home-produced product. As of now there is no indication that the EU will follow the US lead, but the situation with Brazilian meat remains very fluid.

Animal health must be a priority post-Brexit PATRICK DONOHOE NEWS EDITOR pdonohoe@farmersjournal.ie

Gathering silage bales at Mark and Shona Mackay’s, Greenvale Farm, Dunnet, Thurso, Caithness.

Options if your bull stops working DECLAN MARREN LIVESTOCK SPECIALIST

Should they be more severe, there are a few options open:

dmarren@farmersjournal.ie

Most spring-calving herds will have their bulls out with the cows at the moment. With over 50% of calf registrations falling in March, April and May in Scotland, bulls should be going out over the next while. If they have, here are a number of management tips to consider. Option 1: Rest for a few days and return to work again This is easy to do but may not solve the problem, with some injuries being more severe.

Option 2: Increase cow:bull ratio across the rest of the bulls pros: A quick solution. By spreading the cows from this group through the rest of the group, it means no need for another bull. cons: If the ratio is already high, you might be risking damaging another bull. Also needs care to check cross relationships. Not really an option in smaller herds. Option 3: Hire another bull Pros: Quick solution. Get another bull on the ground

quickly. Bull can leave again at the end of the season, giving more time to consider the options for next year. Also gives the option to try a different breed if available. Cons: Availability. May not be many available in the peak season and may have limited choice. Biosecurity can also be an issue, especially in a high-health herd. Option 4: Buy another bull Pros: Similar to the hire option but also means that the bull is then in the system for next year. Cons: Again, similar to the hire option – limited choice and biosecurity implications

Option 4: Switch to AI Pros: Cheaper long-term option and also more biosecure. Gives access to bloodlines that would otherwise be out of reach. It might lead to a change in breeding plan if the progeny turned out well. Cows could be synchronised to keep calving more compactly. May also give option of totally unrelated heifers for future replacements. Cons: Cows need more handling so must be close to facilities. Also needs extra labour and can be time consuming. Not an option if the cows are on land away from the main farm.

The Livestock Brexit group, made up of 20 organisations including NFUS, SBA and NSA, has called for the Government to appreciate the importance of animal health and suggest that it plays an important role in post-Brexit farm policy. At a meeting earlier this week the group called on the UK’s farming ministers to focus farm policy on high animal health to deliver for farmers, the environment and the wider rural economy. The group went on to highlight that healthier animals would improve farm eﬃcien-

cy, increase welfare and help the Government hit climatechange targets. Livestock Auctioneers Association executive secretary Chris Dodds, who chairs the industry Brexit group, said: “Brexit is a massive challenge to the industry and future policy needs to be based on moving the sector forward. “We feel that focusing rural policy on livestock health could oﬀer this solution. The health of ﬂocks and herds is vital to maintaining business which underpin the rural economy and help maintain the landscape. “It is also animal health which drives the welfare,” according to Dodds.

Show hosts World Angus Forum JOHN SLEIGH SCOTLAND EDITOR jsleigh@farmersjournal.co.uk

It was a special year for the Aberdeen Angus breed, which used the Highland Show as the centrepiece of their World Angus Forum. The four-yearly event only comes to the UK every 40 years. This pushed the Aberdeen Angus entries to 144 cattle. With such a large number, there were two people awarded the role of judge, one for the females and another for the males.

While a hard job for any person, with classes as high as 28, mixed feelings were expressed from onlookers particularly with regard the males. Show time for the breed was pushed off until four in the evening, to maximise the amount of spectators around the ring and bring a bit more prestige to the event for international delegates. However this tactical move came under much criticism, with many spectators who just ﬂew in for the day missing the main championships and a number of classes.

FARMERS JOURNAL Saturday 124 28 July June January 2017 2017 2017

NEWS 5

Conﬁdence rises with milk prices AIDEN BRENNAN DIARYING abrennan@farmersjournal.ie

The mood among dairy farmers in the most intensive dairy farming region of Scotland is positive. Average milk prices for non-aligned farmers is up by around 7p/l compared to this time last year. Despite a recent price drop announced by Arla, and a static Global Dairy Trade auction last week, the market sentiment in dairy farming is good, and this is fuelling expansion at farm level. Three farmers in the Galloway area are planning to increase cow numbers. One of these farmers is waiting for planning permission before constructing a new 500cow cubicle shed, to run alongside the existing 1,500-cow farm. Another farmer, who is also

milking 1,500 cows at present, already has built a new shed for 500 cows, but is waiting for cow numbers to increase organically before stocking it fully. At the moment, the shed is being used to rear youngstock, and as the cow numbers increase it will be converted to cow cubicles. This farmer wants to increase cow numbers by 100 head per year. Both of these farms are fully conﬁned units, milking three times a day. Meanwhile, work is about to commence on a new rotary milking parlour at Stranraer. The 70-point parlour is being constructed on a 500-cow farm purchased last year by a consortium headed up by Cheshire-based dairy farmer Ed Dale. The farm is being set up to milk over 400 cows in a grassbased spring-block calving system.

Iain Mackinnon’s sheep at Gress, on the Isle of Lewis. \Alistair Sim

A winning formula since 1997

Seasonal workers in short supply Farmers are critically short of workers, says NFU England and Wales, whose survey shows a 17% drop in workers coming to the UK from abroad and 1,500 unfilled jobs on British farms in May this year. The NFU is calling on the UK Government to reassure growers that they will be able to access a reliable and competent workforce until and following Brexit. NFUS horticulture group chair James Porter said the industry needs a workers scheme as a bare minimum in order to secure workers for

next year. “Some growers are up to 10% short,” said James. “That doesn’t mean they’re not picking fruit: workers will be doing a lot of overtime and getting pretty tired. Overtime costs more too. The weak pound may be driving shortages,” James believes. “But with a week’s pay in the UK is equivalent to one month’s in Romania. It is still worthwhile for pickers to come to the UK; they won’t get a guarantee that they can stay, however, so they may still be looking for jobs here, but in other industries.”

Hogg scheme to pay £65.69/head JOHN SLEIGH SCOTLAND EDITOR jsleigh@farmersjournal.co.uk

Claimants to the Scottish Upland Sheep Support Scheme will receive £65.69/sheep. This is up £8.56 on last year. The £6.7m coupled scheme will be paid to around 700 farmers by 30 June 2017. Producers must have homebred ewe hoggs, no more than 200ha of Payment Region 1 land, and 80% of their holding must consist of land in Payment Region 3. NFUS vice president Martin Kennedy said: “Payments are likely to start this week. The

numbers are up slightly on the year, a reflection of improved lambing conditions but exchange rates have also helped boost the value of the headage payment by around £8/head.” Kennedy went on to spell out some of the changes they are seeking with the scheme. “For the future, NFU Scotland still believes improvements including a wider application period; a new retention period; and linking the total number of ewe hoggs a producer can claim to a percentage of their breeding ﬂock would be of genuine beneﬁt to the scheme.”

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A formula for success

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FARMERS JOURNAL Saturday Saturday 241June July 2017

6 VIEWPOINTS

A Farmer Writes Highland Show fun, fencing and forage quality

’m writing this after a second day Compare that to many of the strainat the Royal Highland Show. ers, gate and turning posts changed in What a fantastic show of stock, recent years, some of which are lucky machinery and the industry itself; to have been in the ground even seven each year the display highlights or eight years before rotting through the industry’s worth and its value to all at ground level. You don’t want to change strainers and posts at Balgray the supply trades. too often, thanks to shallowLike most farmers, I enjoy ness of soil and the presence the journey to and from the of many stones and rock; show almost as much as the many post chappers can find show itself, with more than their limitations and, even occasional glances over the with a posthole borer, it can fences and dykes assessing end up being a hand-digging mainly crops, but the whole job. countryside as well. Crops The forklift also has benand stock are looking well BEEF efited from a visit from Docin this part of the country, and are well advanced in Tom French runs tor Drew recently; diesel been finding its way in comparison with other an 80-strong had among the engine oil, neyears. My own barley – suckler herd cessitating frequent oil while nowhere near as far progressed as elsewhere as at Balgray in changes. I was conscious that it could be out of serwe’re in such a late area – is Lanarkshire vice for some time and had looking fairly well; rainfall put the repair off for nearly has been well short of nora year, but hopefully the mal in this area but seems change of seals and reconditioning of to have come just when needed. the injection pump will cure the probI have spent much of my time in the lem. past week or so stripping down and Silage and hay are approaching raperecting a couple of stock fences. idly. Not so long ago it appeared likely Hopefully the replacements will last as that neither would begin till later in long as originals: one of the strainers July, but crop growth has been quite was still in reasonable condition, in exceptional recently. Tractors, mower, spite of having given the best part of wrapper and balers will receive a good 50 years of active service.

There will be more than a small tear in the eye when the old bull departs

Farming is not all about producing food ARABLE Gerald Potterton farms tillage and some beef in Co Meath, Ireland

et me say at the outset that politically I hold nothing in common with Clare Daly or Richard Boyd Barrett or any left-of-centre politician or political party. Fianna Fáil has even shifted too far left for me with its populist anti-water charges agenda. Politically, I’m further to the right. I believe in private enterprise and that it

should be rewarded and I expect little in the form of handouts from the State. If I become thirsty or tired or sick, I won’t look to the State for help. I expect you may have suspected this already but I feel the need to stress it now as I am about to make a statement, which you would expect to come from Ms Daly or Mr Boyd Barrett. The Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) should be capped. There is no good

once-over and service in advance. Yes, ‘balers’ is correct, as a team of elderly Claas machines are employed in an attempt to keep machinery and contractor costs under control and to have complete control over timing. Two balers are maintained in working condition at all times so that when the inevitable breakdown happens on the Saturday or Sunday afternoon just after the dealerships have closed, the weather window is not lost. This year’s objective is to improve forage quality considerably over last year. Last year, quality ranged from very good to very poor. In spite of the less than ideal weath-

er last year, we managed to make some hay. Some of this was sold to a neighbour, but we also used some to bed cattle. Put through the bedding machine, it saved a fair bit in bedding costs, replacing around two full loads of straw. The cows and calves have been out for ﬁve or six weeks and settled well this year. When switching the bulls within the next couple of weeks, I will take the opportunity to introduce the new bull I purchased earlier this month. He’ll get a fairly easy start with a group of 15 cows. There will be more than a small tear in the eye when the old bull departs;

reason why any individual farmer or farming business should receive in excess of €200,000. I expect that most of you would probably agree unless, of course, you are Larry Goodman or one of the dozen or so who are in this league. But I have to be braver than that and lower the bar considerably. Let’s look at this from the other side. The BPS is a very necessary tool for maintaining farm proﬁtability. Without it, most of us would be losing money year-on-year. Generally, commodity prices are too low and costs are too high to make farming viable without the BPS. However, as an aside, if you’re still losing money even with the BPS, it’s time to chuck it in.

If you are not a farmer, you may suggest that if farming cannot stand financially on its own feet then you shouldn’t be at it. After all, if I’m a (unsubsidised) trailer manufacturer in Carlow or assembling computers in Leixlip and it doesn’t pay, then I get out or go under. Non-profitable businesses die and rightly so. But farming is different. Firstly, there’s the whole issue of food security and safety. Without subsidies, Europe would be beholden to the rest of the world for its food supplies which may not be of a standard required by the EU. Secondly, rightly or wrongly, farming in Europe is not all about producing food. Europe’s over-regulated farmers have to increasingly manage their environment in terms of water,

FARMERS JOURNAL Saturday 124 July June 2017 2017

VIEWPOINTS 7

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Keep up to date with our farmer writers on www.farmersjournal.co.uk

Memory jogged on the problem of redwater

Cattle grazing on marginal land are at an increased risk of redwater.

he’s been an excellent servant with an ideal temperament, but unfortunately he never truly recovered from digital dermatitis two years ago. He owes nothing, being the son of previous stock bull, who himself was bought as a calf at foot. Despite being advised about the attributes of several other native and continental breeds, I went with a Limousin again as they are tried and trusted: an ability to complement the lack of uniformity in the breed and quality in the herd of cows, their ease of calving and decent growth rates, were the criteria, but being good on legs and feet were also important.

As ever, time will tell, but he definitely looks the part right now, being slightly less rangy than the old one. I think progeny will be more easily finished for the next man in the chain. The intended establishment of a breeding sheep flock has, in the main, been postponed at this time. Trade for all classes appears pretty good but, with uncertainties over Brexit, there may be a better time to enter the sector. Aside from a buying few sheep with the objective of fostering and encouraging the next generation’s interest, we’ll keep a watchful eye on things for the time being.

soil and air quality and biodiversity. We eﬀectively manage the countryside for all the people and for all of this we need ﬁnancial help and hence we have the very welcome BPS. The BPS keeps European farmers producing food to the highest quality and maintenance of the countryside to the highest standard. If as a farmer you don’t like that, then try New Zealand – I’m too old.

This has become a very ﬂawed historical basis for claiming a big BPS today. Bigger farmers shouldn’t necessarily get the biggest payments. Where’s all this so-called economy of scale that I’m sick hearing about? Big BPS payments only fuel an already overheated conacre market. The real beneﬁciary is the landowner with his feet up. The average BPS in Ireland is just €18,000. My thinking is that it should be capped at around €75,000 which, yes, will hurt me too. I’d be much more comfortable with a €100,000 cap but I’d be open to the accusation of taking a partisan view. But, still, I bet you can’t trump that for radical thinking – or maybe, with all the sunshine, I’ve lost the plot.

BPS Now, back to my leftish views on capping the BPS. Generally speaking, the more active you were as a farmer in the 1990s/early 2000s, ideally with lots of conacre or sugar beet or bullocks (not heifers or sheep), the higher your BPS is now.

hen I was younger, I wondered why my father always took so long to check the cattle. I would have thought all that was required was a quick look around, get the number, and that would do until the next day. My father, on the other hand, would spend up to an hour watching them and he would make sure they all got up if they were lying. He would have done this at least twice per day, every day. This was to watch out for the dreaded redwater. He wanted to see cattle doing a good stretch or chewing their cud. Then, if there was any doubt, he would wait to see them urinating to check if it was red. Even if it was clear you could not be sure that it hadn’t the disease. While my father had become quite an expert at catching them early, he would still have lost the occasional one or two. Experience also taught him to be very careful who he bought store cattle from, because cattle from diﬀerent areas were more prone to redwater than others. Greenmount When I went as a student to Greenmount I asked our lecturer about redwater to see if I could be of some help to my father. I was told that it was only found on inferior quality, badly managed land. I wasn’t going to go home and tell my father that. I researched a bit more into it and found that the disease was transmitted by ticks which thrived in wet conditions and on under-grazed, marginal land. I could see this when I went home. The land was wet with rushes and lots of long seedy grass. The best advice to reduce the cases of redwater was to get rid of the tick and its habitat.

BEEF Fermanagh farmer John Egerton recalls how his father used to check stock twice daily for the disease

The first thing I did when I came home to farm was to buy some sheep. At that time, there was compulsory dipping twice a year which probably wiped out a lot of the ticks. The sheep also helped to keep grazing under better control. Then we set about a programme of drainage and reseeding and general improvement in grassland management. We also stopped buying in cattle and only kept home-bred animals. Something must have worked as I haven’t had a case of redwater for upwards of 30 years (I hope I don’t jinx myself). In fact, I don’t think I would be any good at spotting an early case now – too many cattle and not enough time to stand about. To be honest, I had forgotten about the problems and hassle that can be caused by redwater until recently, when I was talking to some farmers. One had four cattle in a field and he caught two of them with redwater. After bringing them into the house to be treated, he realised the other two had it as well. These were year-old heifers which had been reared on the farm. Then I was talking to another farmer who had bought a cow during the winter and got her in-calf, but shortly after letting her out she took redwater and died. When I look at some of their land, I can see how difficult it is for them to get rid of the habitat that allows the tick to thrive. You would certainly call it an area of natural constraint (ANC). The point worth making is that these sorts of problems and limitations highlight why ANC farmers need a little extra support. Not money just given to everyone who owns ANC land. It should be targeted at those farmers who are actively trying to make improvements to both their land and livestock.

FARMERS JOURNAL Saturday 1 July 2017

8 NEWS

2017 HIGHLAND SHOW PIECE Fraiser Anderson came all the way from the Shetlands to promote his Shetland-cross sheep.

Shetland shepherds sell their A dedicated group of young farmers once again travelled over 15 hours with their Shetland-cross sheep to spread the word on the commercial breed “I honestly couldn’t tell you how far away it is, but it’s a 12-hour ferry to get from the Shetlands to the mainland,” Fraiser Anderson told the Farmers Journal Scotland. “We leave at seven at night and we get there at seven in the morning. Then it’s a three-hour drive from Aberdeen to Edinburgh. But what makes these sheep so special that it’s worth hauling them that distance?

They’ve a cracking mothering ability and they can graze on varied ground, they’re good foragers

“You can cross it with nearly anything: it’s good for a foundation female. They’ve a cracking mothering ability and they can graze on varied ground, they’re good foragers,” Anderson said. “We’re just two young boys trying to promote the breed, make folk realise that the Shetland sheep is good on a commercial basis.” At home on the island, he has 250 Maylambing ewes and holds down a full-time job as well. He went on to say: “We try to promote the breeding side of the Shetland sheep a lot, because a lot of folk will work with a mule.

FARMERS JOURNAL Saturday 128 July January 2017 2017

NEWS 9

Talking heads at the Royal Highland Show Hazel Baxter – coordinator Angus world forum was there running the Angus events. “We’ve got some super delegates from more than 25 countries. We’re half way through the WAF 2017 tour, and delighted to be at a really good Royal Highland Show. “The Angus classes have been a spectacle, with really good quality animals from Scotland, England and Northern Ireland.”

Alan Laidlaw, chief executive Royal Highland Society “There’s a real buzz at the Show, and lots of public engagement. The Angus Forum is going well and it’s great to see so many international visitors.”

Scott Walker – chief executive NFU Scotland: “The UK and Scottish governments have got to move away from political point-scoring. We need consensus and unity to get the best outcome for the whole rural economy. We are talking about people’s livelihoods, their jobs.”

John Fyall – chairman National sheep association Scotland “This is a good Highland Show. We’ve had lots of engagement with our membership, with lots of people coming on to the NSA stand, including new members. “There has been good political engagement too, with politicians pledging to support the sheep sector. “We’ve had trade visitors from New Zealand and Meat & Livestock Australia. There are markets in the Commonwealth wanting to buy lamb. They’re wanting team players and we might have to work with New Zealand. “If the pound stays as it is, we won’t have a lot of worries, but if we see two proﬁtable years for lamb, we could see subsidy and marketing in a horrible place.”

Christopher Nicolson – chairman Scottish tenant farmers association “We’ve had a busy Show. Tenants have a lot of new information to pick up, especially in light of the Land Reform Act. Some people have been coming to the stand to be brought up to speed on the new amnesty on tenant’s improvements, which is a once in a lifetime opportunity to get paperwork up to date. Brexit is a real concern; we have no more clarity than we did a year ago. I’m particularly concerned for farmers in outlying areas, and for beef and lamb export markets.”

Paul Coates – Barrockend Farm, Carlisle “It’s been a good show. Livestock have been particularly good this year, and I’ve been looking at sheep-handling equipment, and sheep EID and weighing equipment. “It’s still early days to make a judgment about Brexit. Long-term, I think it will be good for the country.”

Lord Aberdeen – president Royal Highland Show 2017

breed at the Highland Show “Your Shetland ewe will be easier to keep and she can deal with a bigger lamb. We’re trying to get more numbers used in Scotland. They’re hardier, and they don’t take as much feed and still have a good bag of milk,” said Anderson. On the Shetlands, the ShetlandXCheviot ewe lamb is then paired with a good continental breed, such as a Texel. “You’re looking at 40kg-plus killing weight” for one of those lambs, explained Anderson.

Most people in Shetland rear lambs for the store market, as the cost of getting feed and concentrates up to Shetland is prohibitive. “Your pure Shetland ewe will be out all year round,” said Anderson, and they are supplemented with “feed, silage and the odd concentrate”. This is Anderson’s third year at the Highland Show, and he said “there is more and more interest” every time they come.

–JOHN SLEIGH

“I can’t believe how well the Aberdeenshire village has turned out. It far exceeds my expectations, and we have had many compliments about it. “We have everything from tourist attractions to cookery demonstrations, and I’m keen to give people an idea of the parts of Aberdeenshire that were overlooked while oil and gas industry was at its height.”

Jim McLaren – chairman Quality Meat Scotland “Obviously the Royal Highland Show is a huge opportunity to get our message in front of the general public. This year we changed our stand to make it more welcoming and open to consumers. “We operate in an increasingly crowded marketplace, and the success of our ‘hero brands’ Scotch Lamb, Scotch Beef and Specially Selected Pork is because they oﬀer something diﬀerent. “I know that farmers are uncertain about Brexit and have concerns about where we’re going. We need to focus on the opportunities.”

FARMERS JOURNAL Saturday Saturday 241June July 2017

10 FEATURE

Show highlights We had a look round the machinery which was attracting a crowd at the Royal Highland Show.

The Unistock squeeze cattle crush

Stubble cultivator

This 7.3m SPEARHEAD stubble master cultivator also doubles as a topper for managing grassland. This particular machine has been sold to Eddie Stobart to cut the grass at Southend airport. Many of these machines are also sold to Azerbaijan and Australia. The stubble master retails at ÂŁ36,000 plus VAT and also comes in a 12m width. You need at least a KS WUDFWRU WR SXOO WKLV P oYH URWRU PDFKLQH

Massey combine

The Massey Ferguson combine model number 7370 PL is a six-walker, 276hp engine that can be boosted to 306hp. Retail price starts from ÂŁ220,000 plus VAT and, according to Massey, ideally it would suit a 600 to 800 acre cereal farmer. The header on the combine at the show was 18ft but ideally this machine should have a 22ft header that retails for ÂŁ21,000 plus VAT.

Muck spreader

Sales director Mike Murray said that the Richard Western brands of muck spreaders are becoming more and more popular. He said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;We have a sister company in Lithuania and they handle most of the exports to Scandinavia.â&#x20AC;? The larger model D4150, 6.1m muck spreader with 14.4 cubic metre capacity on the left retails at ÂŁ39,188 plus VAT. The slightly smaller D4100 model retails at ÂŁ31,457 plus VAT and has a 9.9 cubic metre capacity. Mike said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Falling currency value is also impacting on the machinery trade, with steel prices rising gradually over the last year.â&#x20AC;?

Slurry tanker 7KH OLWUH JDOORQ 6WRUWK VOXUU\ WDQNHU ZLWK oEUHJODVV ERG\ DOORZV IRU WKH WDQN WR FDUU\ MXVW EHORZ the legal weight limit. The stand sales director said the ÂŁ56,350 tanker is most popular for contractors drawing to and from anaerobic digestate plants. There is a lobe pump, not a pressure pump, on the front with a self-steer rear axle to help with turning in the yard.

George Clark, owner and managing director of Premier Livestock Handling based out of Dalbeatie, reported he had lots of activity and had a good number or orders at WKH VKRZ *HRUJH VDLG k:LWKLQ WKH ODVW oYH \HDUV ZH KDYH gone from selling zero to 70% squeeze crushes. Much of this is due to the aging structure of farmers and less help available on farms. We have developed a new multi-angle squeeze crush that has a number of different patented features compared with some of the other squeeze crushes on the market. The multi-angle squeeze means that the front and back of the animal can be squeezed independently so instead of the parallel squeeze crush VWRSSLQJ ZKHUH WKH FUXVK oUVW PHHWV WKH DQLPDO XVXally at the animalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s belly), you can now apply pressure at the front or back of the animal. George exports a lot to Australia and Poland and the retail price of the multiangle crush is ÂŁ5,245 plus VAT. The more standard parallel crush retails at ÂŁ2,475 plus VAT.

Big Baler

New Holland relaunched its 1290 Big Baler at the Highland Show. The key difference with the relaunch is the 80cm bigger bale chamber. Retail price for the New Holland starts at ÂŁ130,000 plus VAT. Made in the New Holland factory in Belgium, the baler was measured producing 1,254 bales in 17 hours over two days with average bale weight of 434kg.

John Deere tractor

On the John Deere stand it was the 6250 tractor that really attracted attention. The sales director said this model is currently sold out and orders submitted now canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be met for a number of months. He said the model is designed to compete with the Fendt 828. The John Deere retails at ÂŁ220,000 plus VAT. Over 70 have been sold since November. Using dual clutch technology, the power goes up to 300 hp and the tractor weighs 9.3t.

FARMERS JOURNAL Saturday 1 July 2017

FOCUS AGRI CAREERS

FOCUS 11

INTRODUCTION

Working in the agri sector

here are thousands of opportunities to get started working in Agriculture in Scotland. The farming sector currently employs around 67,000 people directly, making up 8% of the rural work force. This makes it the third largest employer in the countryside. However, with an aging population and a Government focus on the food sector, there is a demand for more people to enter the industry. In the next 10 years, the growing Mary food and agriculPhelan tural sector is going to need vibrant and dynamic recruits. As the UK leaves the European Union, never has it been more important for businesses to employ fresh talent to face the challenges ahead. Scotland will increasingly need to adapt to market pressures and this will open up opportunities for people. Working in the agricultural sector is not just about feeding cattle and sheep. Farms are high-tech work places with demand for tech-savvy employees.

As the UK leaves the European Union, never has it been more important for businesses to employ fresh talent to face the challenges ahead Outside the farm there are hundreds of potential employers looking for new talent to move forward. The evergrowing speciality required in producing food means that where before a single adviser could oﬀer a farmer all the technical advice they needed, now most businesses have a half dozen. Animal health advisers, agronomists and dairy robot technicians are just three examples in this growing area. Not all jobs in the rural sector require people to study away from home for years to get a degree. The Scottish Government’s drive to oﬀer modern apprenticeships to young people has allowed many to learn on the job while gaining practical skills.

FARMERS JOURNAL Saturday 1 July 2017

12 FOCUS

Scotland to Siberia and back A Siberia, Yugoslavia and Vietnam were just some of the stops on Andy McGowan’s world pig tour, but now he is well and truly settled in Scotland as Chief Executive of the Scottish Pig Producers, writes Mary Phelan

Pretty much every pig in the place had been taken out in the civil war

ndy McGowan has made his career in the ag sector but he’s not from a farm. Andy grew up in Helensburgh which is just north of Glasglow. Growing up, Andy spent many of his summers in this part of the world. Andy studied an honours degree in general agriculture at Aberdeen Univeristy and says he picked agriculture because, “to be honest I didn’t have a burning clue really of what I was going to do at all, but when you start getting pushed in to having to make a decision and flicking through the books, accountancy was first, but I’m no good at math. Then ag jumped off the page.” Given he had always had such a good time on the farms of Northern Ireland as a child, Andy felt ag wasn’t a bad choice. He describes his course in Aberdeen as “fantastic”, noting he has “a fairly short attention span so the diversity of stuff you do in an agriculture course really appealed – economics, marketing, biology, animal science, soil science - all those kind of things.” Andy then went to Australia for a year “and worked on a couple of cattle, sheep and pig places” in New South Wales and then Western Australia. “In New South Wales the guys have been doing it a long time, they find riding around on a motorbike rounding up sheep really dull, whereas for someone like me you’re thinking ‘you’re actually going to pay me for this!’” Back to Aberdeen Andy then went back to Aberdeen, was “at a bit of a loose end” and bumped into one of his old lecturers, Professor Peter English. Professor English said he had a place on his Masters in pig production if Andy could start next week so Andy did just that. But why specifically pigs? Andy had done some work on a pig unit during his degree and really enjoyed working with the pigs; he was intrigued in particular by their intelligence. After his Masters, Andy secured a place on the graduate trainee scheme with breeding company PIC. He spent about 18 months in the UK and then in a spur of the moment decision (he had “just been dumped by a girlfriend”) he said yes to an opportunity to go and work for PIC in Omsk in Western Siberia. This was 1998. Omsk Bacon had about 50,000 sows at that time. PIC imported great-grandparent stock to gradually replace the existing Russian genetics. This took a few years to get the genetics down through to the slaughter generation and there was a technical assistance programme to assist them to maximise the genetic potential. Andy notes that Siberia was not a particularly logical place for pig breeding because “nine months of the year it’s minus 30 and then three month of the year it’s plus 30. It’s pretty harsh conditions.” Andy went to work in the role of account manager for PIC, “just to help introduce the genetics and change the management practices.” PIC also brought in specialists from other parts of the world - nutritionists and vets for example, who would fly in for weeks at a time

Andy was in Omsk for two years. He says living in Siberia was “a bit of a challenge” – mainly because the country was going through an economic crisis at the time “which saw the power being shut off for a couple of hours - so you were kind of sitting alone in a flat in Siberia in the dark for a couple of hours a night.” “And it’s minus 30 degrees Celsius,” adds the Farmers Journal. “Aye” he answers. Had he heat if there was no power? “Yes they have central heating so the whole town gets heated from a central boiler,” says Andy. In terms of other expats in Omsk, Andy “heard of one other Brit. There was one and a half million folk and I never managed to bump into him.” Andy’s entertainment the Siberian city was limited to vodka, while he also learned how to play the bagpipes. Bosnia The contract in Siberia was coming to an end and PIC bidded for an EU-funded project to restart the pig industry in Bosnia. “Pretty much every pig in the place had been taken out in the civil war,” explains Andy. He and his colleagues set up some small boar studs and a small breeding pig modification unit in each territory - one in the Serb part, one in the Croat part, for example the idea being these would develop into sustainable businesses. They were located in a part of the for-

mer Yugoslav Republic where “it was hard to tell when Bosnia stopped and Serbia started, it was bit of a confused place.” In terms of active shooting, the conﬂict had settled down since about three years previous but risks were still posed by land mines. “It got a bit sticky when Nato were bombing Kosovo because they weren’t very keen on the British passport

I can see a lot of potential in what we’re doing here, I think it could be a greater industry than it is so I applied for an Irish passport,” says Andy. “I have to say that completely changes everything. If anybody thinks you’re Irish, they just wave you through. He says it was a “fascinating” place to work, “quite a sad place actually because… there were very few young folk… they all went away during the war and never came back.” His next stint abroad saw him spend about three months out in Vietnam with PIC “touring Vietnam on the back of a motorbike…it was absolutely fantastic.” When foot and mouth struck in 2001 PIC decided to cut the team so Andy was made redundant at the end of 2002 “which was fair enough really because we couldn’t operate sensibly with all the foot and mouth restrictions,” says Andy. He wanted to come back up to Scotland

at that point because “the travelling - it doesn’t do wonders for your social life” and his next job was with Quality Meat Scotland (QMS) - the public body responsible for helping the Scottish red meat sector improve its efficiency and profitability. Andy was with QMS for 11 years, starting off looking at the quality assurance schemes and then it developed into looking after the whole technical side, research and development, a lot of knowledge transfer work, and working with the meat processors. His next job was with IdentiGEN a DNA traceability company who are based in Dublin but Andy worked from home – outside Edinburgh. In IdentiGEN he worked with the big meat processors from the UK retailers to try and put in place systems for verifying the traceability through the supply chains. Scottish Pig Producers When Andy was at QMS, he had very close links with Scottish Pig Producers “because the pig industry is fairly small and in many cases QMS would be funding the work and Scottish Pig Producers would be doing the delivery of it. Towards the end of 2014 the chief executive of the Scottish Pig Producers retired after 37 years. Andy had “kind of known this was coming and I thought it was too good an opportunity to pass up” and although he “was sorry to be leaving IdentiGEN”, he started with the Scottish

FARMERS JOURNAL Saturday 1 July 2017

FOCUS 13

again

Scottish shortage of vets Alison Sinnott speaks to Melissa Donald, president of British Veterinary Association Scotland, and Penny Middleton, NFU, about the decline of vets in the region and the eﬀorts to tackle the issue

are more expensive and only a short-term solution.” Farm income Melissa mentions that, over time, there has been a signiﬁcant drop in farm income resulting in a hesitancy when contacting vets. “Academically, vets are very clever. However, a reduction in farm income has led to an unwillingness to get a vet involved on the farm from the beginning. This means that their knowledge is not being used. The vet then isn’t involved in the whole process of treatment. This isn’t exciting and creates a low job satisfaction.” Penny echoes Melissa’s sentiment regarding farmers’ use of vets as a final measure after all other routes have been explored. “Farmers should be working with vets to prevent disease. They should be working together.”

S “

Pig Producers in 2015. “I can see a lot of potential in what we’re doing here, I think it could be a greater industry than it is.” Andy says he has built his career in the pig industry for a number of reasons; “I suppose bacon had a lot to do with it. I think it’s very efficient way of producing food and I like the people who are involved in it, I find them very entrepreneurial and positive. “Often the subsidy element of ruminant farming can crowd a lot of the discussion whereas with pigs it’s just about the commercial profit/loss of the thing… there’s fewer people involved in it and those who are left tend to be very positive forward-thinking guys rather than complain about stuff. They get on and do things and I find that quite motivational.” On where the industry is at currently, Andy says “I think we’re totally reaching the bottom - it has been a kind of a slow decline over the past twenty odd years. We’re just starting to see a wee bit of growth now and looking at the market opportunities and the situation post Brexit and so on. “We’re net importers in a big way of pork, both in Scotland and the UK so there’s got to be an opportunity there to regain some of the market. That’s what gives us the optimism and we’ve put a lot of effort you know over the last couple of years to get the new processing facilities open.”

adly we have noticed a decline in vets available in rural areas,” says Melissa Donald, who was recently elected president for the Scottish branch of the British Veterinary Association. “The problem is not only in Scotland however, there are problems recruiting across the UK.” The trojan work of veterinary surgeons plays an integral role in rural society. However, quite often, this form of work is referred to as a vocation, as the deﬁnitive line between work and leisure hours becomes blurred. “Veterinary medicine used to be a way of life, but now people are looking for a way around this. They want the work-life balance,” says Melissa. The challenge Though shortages of vets are seen across the board, large animal practices have taken the biggest hit in terms of workforce. Melissa notes that the problem with large-animal practices is they involve a lot of out-of-hours work. “This can be in the middle of nowhere and you still have to get up and go into work the next day,” says Melissa. Penny Middleton is the policy manager for animal health and welfare with the NFU and reiterates the problem that faces Scotland: “It is something that we are very aware of.” Penny also notes that “a lot of vets start out with large-animal, but change throughout the years to small animals.

President of British Veterinary Association Scotland Melissa Donald.

With small animals, they have provisions on their working hours. There is no oncall and if an animal is sick, it will be brought to you. You have all that you need there and have adequate handling facilities.” Penny says that good large-animal vets are getting more diﬃcult to ﬁnd and to keep. “A lot of foreign vets are coming into the country, but will they stay?” When it comes to recruiting, European Union veterinary surgeons have taken up an increasing proportion of the workforce in recent years, with fewer coming from Australia and New Zealand. “This isn’t necessarily an ideal situation because in many cases the New Zealand and Australian vets are more accustomed to the challenging conditions of the highland conditions,” says Melissa. “There are locum (temporary) vets that help with the problem. However, they

The future The Scottish government is spearheading The Scottish Vets Future Project, which has three main target areas: out-of-hour provisions, recent graduate support and sector collaboration. “We have to face that we are losing an older generation of vets and their knowledge,” says Melissa. “They are burning out. It is a team effort and not just down to one sector. It’s about mentoring farmers and the local community. Young farmers should help the young vets that are involved in the area. We should encourage these people to come into the area and have a good place to work, so that they want to settle.” Melissa concludes: “It’s not just a case of one-size-ﬁts-all [in Scotland], there is no easy answer and everyone will have to work together.” Penny agrees: “Vets are still young when they come out of college, they still have lives. Remote areas are struggling to attract young vets.”

FARMERS JOURNAL Saturday 1 July 2017

14 FOCUS

A future in red meat processing What are the jobs opportunities in the Scottish red meat processing sector? Alison Sinnott takes a look.

ccording to Tasty Careers, food manufacture accounts for 43,400 jobs in Scotland and a prospective 11,000 more before 2022, which comes as a nugget of promise to employees hoping to forge a career in the red meat processing sector. Executive manager of the Scottish Association of Meat Wholesalers Ian Anderson explains that a career in the red meat processing industry in Scotland can be paved a number of different ways. “There is a wide range of career opportunities in the red meat processing sector to suit employees of different skills and abilities,” says Ian. “In the larger companies, you find a variety of professional and skilled jobs at graduate or certificate level, similar to other sectors,” he continues. The beef-processing sector opens up a world of opportunity in terms of prospective jobs and there is a particular demand for accountants, engineers, HR specialists and IT experts. In order for a business to succeed as a whole, it takes a collective effort. “Sales people and marketers are also important employees in meat companies,” says Anderson. “Within the processing sphere, there are a variety of opportunities and, of

course, logistics, packing and dispatch positions are crucial to ensuring that products reach their retail and wholesale destinations,” he continues. In terms of graduate opportunities, Anderson says: “Within big companies, there are a number of graduate training schemes.” These training schemes oﬀer positive career advancements for post-graduates who hope to develop and diversify their skills and bridge the gap between academic studies and the working world.

There is a wide range of career opportunities in the red meat processing sector to suit employees of diﬀerent skills and abilities

Dawn Meats & Highland Meats Dawn Meats supplies premium beef and lamb products to over 40 countries worldwide and has done for over 30 years. Dawn Meats is looking for graduates who have the potential to succeed in a fast-paced, dynamic business environment, in the hope of developing the skills necessary to become future managers. Highland Meats, which is a division of Dawn Meats UK, produces PGI Scotch Beef and Caledonia Crown-branded Aberdeen Angus. Highland Meats prides itself on the business’s positive working environment and welcomes prospective employees with open arms. HR director of Dawn Meats Group

Helen Rees says: “At Highland Meats, graduates will have the opportunity to work across a multitude of disciplines in a close-knit and friendly community. Producing world-renowned PGI Scotch Beef and Caledonia Crown-branded Aberdeen Angus, Highland Meats offers unique access to the procurement and marketing of these brands.” Graduates can expect quality training with handson involvement across key areas of the business itself. Recruitment at Dawn Meats is ongoing and CVs should be submitted to hr@ dawnmeats.com. More information about job opportunities can be found on the careers section of their website. Modern apprentice meat and poultry skills courses In terms of hands-on work at the heart of meat production, Scottish Meat Training offers government-backed modern apprenticeships. Training co-ordinator for Scottish Meat Training Claire Simpson says: “Workbased training frameworks are specifically tailored to meet the skills needs of employers in Scotland. There is currently a very healthy job-market in the meat industry and, at any one time, we have over 200 trainees on our programmes.” The apprenticeship qualifications are

designed to be a true reflection of the day-to-day job requirements and include experience in areas such as butchery, meat-processing, distribution, food manufacturing excellence and counter assistance. “We have employers who are actively recruiting for the right personnel,” says Claire. “We are happy to employ new trainees who have no previous experience and give them the training required to be a valuable member of the team.” There are a number of different levels within a Modern Apprenticeship. A level two modern apprenticeship can take up to two years to complete, depending on the experience of the candidate, and is comprised of Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) 5 Scottish vocational qualification (SVQ), five core skills, hygiene certification and one other skills unit. A level three qualification would take up to a further two years and comprises of a SCQF 6 SVQ, five core skills and two additional skills units. There are also a number of short courses within Scottish Meat Training. These include level two food safety, level two HACCP and meat managers hygiene and HACCP (level three) throughout the year, and these are always well attended.

FARMERS JOURNAL Saturday 1 July 2017

FOCUS 15

Scotlandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Rural College You may need a qualiďŹ cation before you can get a job in Scotlandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s agricultural industry. Barry Cassidy caught up with Scotlandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Rural College to ďŹ nd out what it oďŹ&#x20AC;ers

cotlandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Rural College (SRUC) has approximately 8,000 students mainly based at its six campuses across Scotland. There are roughly 3,000 full-time students at the college while the remainder are mainly â&#x20AC;&#x153;part-time students who are coming in doing day release and short coursesâ&#x20AC;?, says David James, head of education at SRUC.

The most popular courses at SRUC this year are animal care and veterinary nursing. The reason for veterinary nursingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s popularity may be due to the good employment prospects in that area. â&#x20AC;&#x153;If you listen to the industry they canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get enough of them at the moment,â&#x20AC;? says David. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We could ďŹ ll those programmes four or ďŹ ve times over.â&#x20AC;? He also notes â&#x20AC;&#x153;weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re told all the time there are dairy managers requiredâ&#x20AC;?. Sonia Filby, student experience manager, describes agriculture as â&#x20AC;&#x153;our staple foodâ&#x20AC;? on all of the SRUC campuses. She says many of the graduates of the agriculture courses go into careers that are allied to the agricultural industry; â&#x20AC;&#x153;perhaps animal nutrition, or working for

David James, head of education at SRUC, and Sonia Filby, student experience manager.

feed companies. We also have a strong interest in our environmental courses â&#x20AC;&#x201C; countryside management and conservation, which we oďŹ&#x20AC;er from access level right through to degree level.â&#x20AC;? Sonia says many students who study agriculture in SRUC will go back to family enterprises with the intention of eventually taking over. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not necessarily salary that theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re looking for there, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s more the contribution theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re making to the family business and investing in it. We then have graduates that will go into good positions with feed companies, perhaps working in estates and taking over land management positions.â&#x20AC;?

Ninety-ďŹ ve per cent of SRUC graduates are in work or continuing in full-time education within six months of completing their course. Sonia says: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re regularly contacted by employers looking for students. We also hold an annual careers fair and we have employers coming in and meeting the students at that. We open it to all our students and it doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t matter what level theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re studying at because even if theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re intending on being with us three or four years and working their way through a level of awards itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s important they know whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s out there, whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the potential for them. They can then look at what they need to study to get them to that.â&#x20AC;? The college has an education division, a research division and a consultancy division. â&#x20AC;&#x153;What we try to do all the time is to integrate the activity that the research staďŹ&#x20AC; are taking on with the activities the students are engaged in,â&#x20AC;? says David. He says SRUC has â&#x20AC;&#x153;consultants out in the industry on a regular basis and theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re feeding to us the latest feelings and challenges faced by the industry to both ourselves in education and the research staďŹ&#x20AC;.â&#x20AC;?

Student proďŹ le At the Royal Highland Show, Odile Evans catches up with Aimee Budge, who is studying agriculture at SRUC $LPHH %XGJH KDV MXVW oQLVKHG VHFRQG \HDU DW 658& DQG ZKHQ VKH LV oQLVKHG WKLUG \HDU VKH LV KRSLQJ WR JR KRPH DQG UXQ WKH IDPLO\ IDUP $LPHH VD\V WKH UHVRXUFHV DW 658& FRXOG EH EHWWHU DQG WKHUH DUH QRW DV PDQ\ FOXEV DQG VRFLHWLHV DV VKH ZRXOG OLNH ZKLFK LV ZK\ VKH DQG VRPH RI KHU SHHUV VWDUWHG DQ HTXHVWULDQ VRFLHW\ ZKLFK KDV EHHQ kUHDOO\ JRRG DQG ZH YH KDG VRPH UHDOO\ SRVLWLYH IHHGEDFN IURP LW DQG ZH UH IXOO VKRZLQJ SHRSOH DUH NHHQ WR MRLQ WKHP :H MXVW QHHG WR VWDUW PRUH y $LPHH VD\V WKH FROOHJH LV LQ kWKH SHUIHFW ORFDWLRQ EHFDXVH LW V PLQXWHV WR $EHUGHHQ ZKLFK LV JRRG EXW DW WKH VDPH WLPH LW V VXUURXQGHG E\ oHOGV VR \RX IHHO OLNH \RX UH LQ WKH FRXQWU\VLGH ,W V D QLFH FDPSXV LQ WKDW UHVSHFW y ,Q WHUPV RI SUDFWLFDO OHDUQLQJV IRU KHU KRPH IDUP $LPHH VD\V oUVW \HDU ZDV EHWWHU RQ WKH WKLV VLGH RI WKLQJV EHFDXVH kZH KDG DOO SUDFWLFDO PRGXOHVy DQG WKH\ ZHUH RQ WKH IDUP PRUH WKHQ +RZHYHU WKH FRXUVH KDV EHFRPH PRUH WKHRU\ EDVHG DV VWXGHQWV SURJUHVV $LPHH VD\V WKH VWXGHQWV FRPH IURP D ZLGH UDQJH RI EDFNJURXQGV DQG VKH IHHOV WKRVH ZKR GRQ W FRPH IURP IDUPV QHHG D ORW RI SUDFWLFDO H[SHULHQFH ,Q WHUPV RI WKH FRPSRVLWLRQ RI SHRSOH RQ WKH FRXUVH $L PHH VD\V KHU \HDU LV DERXW kKDOI DQG KDOI >ER\V DQG JLUOV@ EXW LQ WKH FROOHJH LQ JHQHUDO , G VD\ WKHUH V PRUH ER\V HVSHFLDOO\ GRLQJ WKH UXUDO EXVLQHVV PDQDJHPHQW FRXUVHy 2YHUDOO $LPHH ZRXOG UHFRPPHQG WKH FROOHJH kEHFDXVH LW V D JRRG H[SHULHQFH DQG WKH SHRSOH ZKR JR WKHUH DUH JRRG IXQy

At the 2017 Agri Careers Fair in Dublin were Clara Fahy, Marie Claire Murray, Orlagh Johnstown and Ciara Finnegan of ABP Group. ? 3DWULFN %URZQH

Stuart Murphy, ABP speaking with Robert Cooney, Westmeath, Bernard Gaffney, Cavan and Steve Hardcastle, ABP at the Agri Careers Fair 2017 by the Irish Farmers Journal and Open Eir in the RDS, Dubln, Ireland.

ABP UK has a very structured Talent Academy Programme writes Alison Sinnott

Sonia McCleary, HR; Clara Fahy, HR; Ciara Finnegan, QA; Lisa Keenan, HR; Niall Browne, loan coordinator; Andrew Keys, Procurement Grad; Dearbhala Casey, HR management; at the ABP Food Group stand at the Agri Careers Fair at the RDS 2017

ABP has focus on developing talent

BP Food Group is one of the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leading food processors and ABP UK is its UK division. The company works with a global network of over 35,000 farmers to deliver beef, pork and lamb products for the retail and foodservice sectors. The processor works

across 14 locations in the UK, including Perth in Scotland. Not surprisingly, given the size of the company, job vacancies regularly arise in ABP UK. These jobs are in many divisions including commercial, finance, engineering, IT, quality and technical as well as procurement and operations. ABPâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s UK Talent Academy

Programme oďŹ&#x20AC;ers two-year courses in these areas while the ďŹ nance course is three years in duration. Successful applicants spend one week in bootcamp and six weeks on a generic learning programme. ABP aims to oďŹ&#x20AC;er a progressive, supportive and friendly working environ-

ment through the academy, with regular performance and development reviews to aid progression within the business. ABP is seeking someone who is self-motivated and determined, has an analytical approach, a keen eye for detail and good communication. For more information visit www.abpfoodgroup.com.

FARMERS JOURNAL Saturday 1 July 2017 Saturday 28 January

16 NEWS

Editorial Justin McCarthy jmccarthy@farmersjournal.ie

With consolidation must come full transparency

ast week it was announced that Larry Goodman’s ABP Food Group is to acquire a 50% shareholding in Linden Foods in Northern Ireland. The move sees the last remaining farmerowned beef and lamb processor on the island of Ireland eﬀectively fall into private ownership. Linden Foods had previously been 100% owned by the farmer-controlled Fane Valley co-op. On pages 16 and 17, we examine how – at the expense of farmer coops – two privately owned Irish companies have eﬀectively taken control of the beef and lamb processing sector, not only in Ireland but also in Britain.

The announcement of the latest ABP/Linden joint venture came as no surprise to the industry. It had been widely anticipated following the decision by the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) to grant approval for ABP to enter into a 50/50 joint venture with Linden Foods in the Republic for Slaney Foods. Approval for the joint venture was granted despite a campaign by the IFA highlighting the threat to farmers’ incomes from a lack of competition in an increasingly consolidated processing sector. Despite IFA concerns, the sector is to consolidate further – in Ireland and Britain. The recent announcement that Dawn Meats is to acquire

Dunbia’s slaughtering and processing facilities in the Republic, along with a controlling shareholding in its business in NI and Britain, gives ABP and Dawn huge influence on both sides of the Irish Sea. As Phelim O’Neill and Lorcan Allen highlight on page 18, the two entities will control over 50% of the cattle and sheep kill in the Republic while in NI they will control 50% of cattle slaughterings and practically 100% of lamb slaughterings. At present, 40% of NI lambs are slaughtered in the Republic. It will be interesting to see if ABP’s growing presence in the NI lamb market inﬂuences this trade – the majority of NI lambs imported into the Republic are slaughtered by ICM, which of course is now controlled by ABP. In a hard Brexit scenario, it will certainly be of no comfort to farmers in NI to have their lamb market controlled by just two players. Of course, given the importance of the British market for Irish beef exports and the link between the British and Irish farmgate price, we should also be conscious of the fact that ABP and Dawn will have control of over 40% of the British cattle kill. The challenge for farmers is how they respond to further consolidation. Given its track record, few farm-

ers will have any real confidence in the CCPC protecting farmers. But perhaps there is a better route. There is a strong argument that larger, more efficient processors are good for the industry in that they can extract more value from the market in terms of processing efficiencies, better routes to market and the ability to invest in research and development. All will be important if we are to extend the reach of Irish beef into markets such as China. Of course, this argument falls down when we consider the sheer lack of transparency as to who is harvesting the margin within the supply chain. With such a control over the market, it is not tenable for the Government or Brussels to allow the fortunes of rural Ireland be controlled by two privately owned companies where there is no insight into the level of margins being achieved. With consolidation must come increased transparency – not just in finances but also around market returns and processing practices,

It is not tenable for the Government ... to allow the fortunes of rural Ireland be controlled by two privately owned companies

particularly in relation to carcase grading and trim. In the beef forum, we were promised an equivalent to the dairy PPI for the beef sector to give farmers greater insight into market returns along with increased oversight on carcase trim at meat plants. The Department and Bord Bia have failed to deliver – once again proving the beef forum to be merely a political mudguard used during a time of crisis for those who are meant to be leading the sector. With the level of consolidation taking place, farmers have a legitimate case to demand legislation that delivers price and processing transparency. On grading and trim, the imaging technology is available to monitor activity on the processing line and for these to be checked either in real time or retrospectively. The results of noncompliance in these areas should be made public, as should the weekly kill at each factory. Aligned to this, legislation similar to what is in place in the US needs to be introduced to force factories to give daily market information on the price of beef cuts and oﬀal, and the volume of stock in storage. If there is nothing to hide, no one should have anything to fear from giving farmers more insight into the processing sector and market returns.

ARABLE

BRAZILIAN BEEF BAN

Communication must be improved on MCPA usage

EU must follow US Less than a year after letting Brazilian beef back in, the US has banned it, reflecting a loss in confidence in Brazil’s control systems. This puts the spotlight on the EU, which is supposedly guided by the precautionary principle, to the extent where it ignores the WTO ruling and continues to ban the use of hormones in beef production. If the ultra-cautious approach is justifiable in the interests of consumers, preventing farmers in the process from achieving maximum output and efficiency, surely the same principle should apply to imports? If Brazil’s official controls aren’t considered sufficient for US authorities, how are they sufficient to satisfy the EU? Despite the US’s relaxed approach to hormone use, it appears to want to protect consumers from countries that have had systemic failures in recent months.

There is clearly a need for better communication and education between farmers, advisory, research and the Department of Agriculture on questions around the effectiveness of MCPA spray usage guidelines. Why, when and what else can be done? Farmers don’t intentionally set out to pollute watercourses, nor of course is bad practice tolerable. The industry needs a chance to develop, revisit or adapt new or existing technology that could improve the effectiveness of MCPA usage. Is there a sticker available that can improve effectiveness and reduce losses? We must also be aware of all unintended consequences before any significant change is made.

NI comment

David Wright, Northern Ireland editor dwright@farmersjournal.ie

Competition is key in every farm sector

ou would have to suspect that if beef prices were currently at levels seen last June (around 320p/kg), there

might have been more concerns raised by farmers about the proposed deal between ABP and Linden Foods.

Assuming the deal gets past competition authorities, it eﬀectively means that between them ABP and Linden will control about 40% of the cattle kill in Northern Ireland. That leaves approximately 13% with Dunbia, something similar with WD Meats, about 25% with Foyle (Omagh and Campsie) and the remainder picked up by Primestock Meats and Lakeview Farm Meats.Given that Dunbia and Foyle traditionally have avoided competing directly with each other for cattle, future options are fairly limited for beef ﬁnishers. Yet, what the last few months have shown is that if the dynamic of demand moves ahead of supply, there is enough competition there to ensure improved returns are

passed back to farmers. There is no reason to think that the proposed deal between ABP and Linden will have a negative eﬀect on the market in the short term. But in the

There is no reason to think that the proposed deal between ABP and Linden will have a negative eﬀect on the market in the short term. But in the longer term, it is important that competition remains longer term, it is important that competition remains – take the example of the south of England, traditionally the lowest beef price

region in Britain mainly because of the lack of alternative outlets for cattle. Before being too critical of meat plants, it should be pointed out that they tend to operate on thin margins. And in European terms, the price paid for beef here is extremely competitive, with NI R3 heifer prices currently third behind Sweden and Britain. Compare that to the position of NI milk prices in a European context. Looking at data for April 2017, and at an average milk price in NI of 26.05p/l, we lie in 22nd place, and 3p/l to 5p/l behind most of Europe’s main milk-producing countries. That same 22nd place in the beef price league is a price of around 220p/kg.

FARMERS JOURNAL Saturday 128 July January 2017 2017

NEWS 17

Northern Ireland

NI farmer resistance to lamb price cut KIERAN MAILEY NORTHERN DEPUTY EDITOR kmailey@farmersjournal.ie

Lamb processors in Northern Ireland (NI) have cut prices by as much as 50p/kg within the past two weeks, wiping over £10 per head oﬀ the sale value of a 21kg carcase. This week, factory quotes have fallen to 440p/kg, down from 460p/kg last week. Just two weeks ago lambs were consistently selling from 490p to 500p/kg. However, farmers and producer groups are resisting the price cut and reports suggest they have had some degree of success, with some plants raising their quote to 445p/kg, and 450p/kg being paid midweek. Other producer groups indicate they are holding out for more next week. Factory agents point to increasing numbers of ﬁnished lambs coming onto the market, and slower sales as the main holiday period starts, as reasons for the current price drop. But farmers argue that cutting prices is nothing more than processors trying to control the market. While competition in NI marts between buying agents for plants North and South of the Irish border has eased since Ramadan ended last week, mart prices are still running £3 to £8 per head higher than factory prices.

In addition, there have been reports that some agents for NI factories remain extremely active this week across several marts, typically paying £97 to £102 per head for good quality lambs. With plenty of grass on farms, producers are currently in no rush to offload lambs especially with lower prices on offer. In addition, there are indications coming from producer groups that members will be more inclined to wean lambs early should prices remain subdued. With lambs weaned early and treated for parasites, it will act to stem the flow of lambs coming onto the market in July, causing the supply of finished lamb to tighten. Scotland In Scotland prices of 480p to 500p/kg have been paid this week, raising the prospect that some producer groups in NI might look to sell lambs direct to Scottish plants if the price gap remains. Ireland In the Republic of Ireland, plants have also tried to pull prices but with limited success. Lamb numbers coming onto the market are tighter than factory agents would like. Prices paid are running well ahead of quotes with southern plants paying the sterling equivalent of 465p to 470p/kg this week.

A FAMILY AFFAIR: Kiera McPoland with her brothers Niall and Darragh, along with cousins Ellie and Ruby Fitzpatrick, all from Hilltown, at the Newry Show. \ Houston Green

Outlook for dairy markets remains positive KIERAN MAILEY NORTHERN DEPUTY EDITOR kmailey@farmersjournal.ie

Arla have announced an increase to its milk price in Britain by 2c/litre, eﬀective from 1 July. The price increase will add an extra 1.44p/litre onto their farm gate price once exchange rate and currency smoothing measures have been factored in. This brings their July liquid price to 28.03p/litre, while their manufacturing price has increased to 29.17p/litre.

The dairy processing giant has conﬁrmed that the price rise is due to the strong demand for butterfat and an improved market outlook. Just over one month ago, the company announced a cut to milk price for June of 0.4p/l citing pressure on market returns. Other leading milk processors in Britain are now facing growing pressure to follow Arla’s lead and increase their milk price for July. Meanwhile, UK butter prices have strengthened by as much as £700/t during June,

to hit £5,100/t towards the end of the month. Market outlook remains positive and supply is still falling short of demand. With seasonal supply of butterfat traditionally lower in summer, markets should hold ﬁrm in the short term. Cream prices increased by £300/t throughout June and now stand at £2,600/t, while skim milk powder saw prices rise from £1,550/t at the end of May to £1,700/t by the end of June. Improving UK commodity prices has seen the Actual Milk

Price Equivalent (AMPE) increase by 5.4p to 36.4p/litre. Global production Elsewhere, global milk production during the ﬁrst four months of 2017 totalled 94.3 billion litres, an increase of 67 million litres (+0.1%) on the same period in 2016. Production in April was ahead of estimates due to higher than expected yields in New Zealand due to good grazing conditions. EU production has been boosted by increased production in Ireland and Poland.

ÁEU intervention stocks hit 360,000t There have been no new offers of skimmed milk powder (SMP) to intervention since 15 May. The scheme re-opened on 1 March, and since then, there has been 7,937 tonnes of SMP moving into stores. Of that, 1,162 tonnes has come from the UK. Total EU intervention stocks now stand at approximately 360,000 tonnes. While there has been some steady improve-

ment in prices in recent weeks, both on GDT and Dutch auctions, powder markets remain relatively weak and low prices are being partly offset by the strength of butter prices. SMP has been tendered for sale on a monthly basis with little success. Just 100 tonnes was sold in the most recent tender, at a price of €1,850, which is slightly above the intervention buying price of €1,698.

FARMERS JOURNAL Saturday 1 July 2017 Saturday 28 January

18 NEWS

Republic of Ireland

Irish milk supply surges again in June JACK KENNEDY DAIRY EDITOR jkennedy@farmersjournal.ie

On average, Irish June milk supplies will be up 7% for 2017, according to our survey of milk processors completed this week as we near the end of June. This result suggests it is likely the processors will collect over 900m litres in June. Monthly volume predictions from processors around the country vary from 5% higher volumes in the Lakeland re-

gion to 10% in Arrabawn. Last year, Central Statitics Oﬃces (CSO) results showed that 856m litres were collected in June. If this lifts 7% on average, as our survey ﬁgures suggest, it will mean an additional 60m litres of milk in June. At a value of 27p/l (31c/l) or 28p/l (32c/l), this is an additional output value of £15.8m (€18m) to £16.7m (€19m) in milk output value. This will be the third consecutive year that the June monthly milk supply will be

up as CSO ﬁgures for June 2015 were 819m litres. Glanbia and Dairygold report June milk supplies are up 8% and 7%, respectively. In the west and northwest, Aurivo reports it will be up 6% for June, while Lakeland reports a lift of 5% for June. Arrabawn, headquartered in Tipperary but collecting in the west and midlands, reports that volumes are up 10% for June 2017 compared with the same month last year. Most of the west Cork co-ops report preliminary predictions for June up be-

tween 6% and 8%. Kerry reports that June volumes are up by 5.5%. The May milk league published this week shows, on average, the price paid for May milk was £3.78/kg (€4.30/kg) milk solids (26p/l or 30.8c/l excluding VAT) at 3.3% protein and 3.6% fat. The west Cork co-ops top the league with £3.92/kg (€4.46/kg) MS, while the two plc/co-op hybrid models Glanbia and Kerry bring up the rear paying £3.71/kg (€4.22/ kg) milk solids excluding ﬁxed scheme prices.

Cattle boat set for Turkey PAUL MOONEY NEWS CORRESPONDENT pmooney@farmersjournal.ie

The next shipment of live Irish cattle destined for Turkey is due to load next week. A livestock boat is en route for Waterford Port in the southeast and will be loaded with just over 3,000 yearling bulls by Purcell Brothers. The cattle are now completing a period of quarantine. This will bring Purcell Brothers close to halfway in filling its 20,000 head contract with Turkey’s state import body, the meat and milk board. The firm had a deadline of August to deliver these cattle but it is likely now that the final shipments could run on into the early autumn. Boat inspection The Irish Farmers Journal understands that Purcell Brothers has asked the Department of Agriculture to inspect another livestock boat for approval to carry cattle to Turkey. If approved, this boat would carry subsequent shipments. It has broadly similar

capacity to the boat the firm has used to date, at close to 3,000 head. Cattle buyers from a number of other non-EU markets continue to show interest in Irish cattle. One Irish exporter was in talks this week with a Libyan company which has an interest in buying a boatload of slaughter-weight bulls here in early autumn. Algerian buyers are also seeking prices and quotes. The other market which has a requirement for cattle is Egypt. Ireland has an export certificate in place with this market covering slaughter-weight cattle but none for younger, feeder-weight animals. The Egyptian veterinary authorities have just agreed a health certificate with France covering export of feeder-type cattle, according to Bord Bia’s meat and livestock manager Joe Burke. That is a positive sign, he says, as it indicates demand there for cattle. The Department of Agriculture has been in discussions with its Egyptian counterpart for some time regarding a new health cert.

Concerns over Dawn/Dunbia deal PAUL MOONEY NEWS CORRESPONDENT pmooney@farmersjournal.ie

Ireland’s largest farm organisation, the IFA, has made a submission to the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) on the proposed Dawn Meats/Dunbia merger. In it, IFA president Joe Healy raised concerns about the possible impact on competition at farm level in the beef and sheep sectors and asked the CCPC to investigate this thoroughly. The CCPC must be able to guarantee there is maximum competition operating in the market, he said.

Conor O’Donoghue busy bedding down his shed for Angus calves when they come in for the evening. He and his father Francis are beef and dairy farmers from Ballyshane, Co Offaly. Conor is 16 and plans to study agriculture in Birr. \ Philip Doyle

Ireland ramps up bioenergy plans PATRICK DONOHOE NEWS EDITOR

False ‘negative’ BVD results AMY FORDE NEWS CORRESPONDENT aforde@farmersjournal.ie

There have been 56 cases since 2016 where calves have had an initial negative test result on their BVD tissue tag sample but have subsequently had a positive test result. The Department of Agriculture has conﬁrmed that anal-

ysis of test results on the programme database shows that half of these animals were identiﬁed as positive for BVD when they were re-tested after they had produced a persistently infected (PI) calf. A Department spokesperson said that no biological test is 100% accurate, although these apparent false negative results represent a very small propor-

tion of the more than 47,000 animals that have given a positive or inconclusive result during the course of the BVD eradication programme since 2013. “All testing within the BVD eradication programme is carried out in designated laboratories using approved test kits and conducted to an internationally recognised accreditation standard.”

There are a number of reasons why a PI animal may have an initial negative result, the spokesperson said, including: errors at tagging, delays in sample submission, laboratory error or a genuine failure of the test kit to detect the presence of the virus, although it is very difficult to definitively identify the cause in any given case.

The submission includes evidence, previously highlighted by the IFA to the CCPC, pointing to weak competition for farmers selling cattle and sheep to meat factories in Ireland. It also raises concerns around the areas of factory feedlots, rendering and the relationship between factories and retailers. Joe Healy requested a meeting with the CCPC on the proposed merger. The deal would see Dawn acquire the Dunbia beef factory in Slane and beef processing plant in Kilbeggan. Dawn’s share of the national beef kill would rise to about 25%.

pdonohoe@farmersjournal.ie

Plans to develop and grow a bioenergy industry in Ireland have received approval from the Cabinet this week. Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment Denis Naughten brought forward plans for the creation of a new bioenergy division of Bord na Móna (BnM) known as Bord na Móna Bioenergy. The division will take on the work of the existing body, Bioenergy Ireland. The Cabinet meeting took place on Tuesday of this week.

Key details included within Minister Naughten’s include: Evaluate the feasibility of growing energy crops on cutaway bogland near BnM plants. Support the Department of Agriculture in the development of a new energy crop grant scheme. The delivery of at least three substantial international biomass supply chains including an African biomass supply chain and build a pellet plant in the US. Promote afforestation by private landowners, facilitated by Coillte’s recent loan agreement with the European Investment Bank.

FARMERS IRISH FARMERS JOURNAL JOURNAL Saturday 124 July June 2017 2017

British negotiators can’t win on Brexit

the single market. Similarly, it is ritish government possible to be outside the EU ministers have beand in the customs union: gun to battle in Turkey is the only example. public about the Strictly Turkey is not a memcountry’s negotiatber of the customs union, it ing objectives on the terms has a customs deal with the of Brexit. Last June’s referenEU’s customs union which dum afforded the electorate makes it close to being a comthe opportunity to vote THE ponent of the customs union against continued memberfor many important purposship in the European Union, OUTSIDE es. and 52% of voters duly did so, VIEW It is in principle open to the in a pretty high turnout. Both UK to quit the EU while staythe Conservative and Labour Colm in the single market, to parties have committed to McCarthy ing quit and stay in the customs respecting the result and the union, or even to quit and minority Conservative govstay in both, the outcome ernment has finally begun which would best meet Irish concerns, exit negotiations in Brussels this week. north and south of the border. There is The trouble is that, while the voters no current example of a non-member rejected continuing EU membership, in both but it could be negotiated. they did not indicate what form of exit Note that membership in the Common arrangement they preferred. They Agricultural Policy is a feature of EU were not asked. membership, not of single market or Britain is currently a member of customs union. So Brexit means no three external relationships. It is a more CAP membership for the UK, member of the EU, of the EU’s single even in the softest form imaginable. market and of the customs union. It is A customs union is an arrangement possible to quit the EU while remainof countries which levy no tariffs on ing in the single market: several nongoods (services are not covered) intermembers, notably Norway, are part of

VIEWPOINTS 19

nally and identical tariffs on goods imported from outside. Thus merchandise can circulate freely without tariffs inside the customs union. The single market is much more ambitious. It covers services and aligns regulations so that products and services acceptable in any country are acceptable in all. It also provides for free circulation of both capital and labour and gives all persons and firms access to supranational dispute resolution systems, such as the European Court of Justice. All contribute annually to the costs of running the show. The policy of the UK government is to negotiate a free-trade agreement (FTA) with the EU-27. This is not the same as membership in the single market or the customs union. The EU has FTAs with various non-members, including Canada and South Korea, and is negotiating one with Japan. Negotiations with Donald Trump’s US are in limbo. Problem The problem for British politicians is that membership of the single market and of the customs union deliver benefits for Britain which cannot be replicated in an FTA. But this is what they have been promising – the election manifestos of both the Labour and Conservative parties pretend that an FTA can somehow be fashioned which leaves existing trade relationships with Europe unchanged. It is not possible to stay in the single market while limiting free movement, or escaping from common regulatory standards. Nor is

UK politicians will seek to blame the EU-27 but the fault lies with those who have promised what is simply not possible

it possible to negotiate bilateral trade deals around the world while remaining in the customs union. When the negotiations fail to deliver the existing benefits through an FTA, and they will because they must, this will have to be somebody’s fault. UK politicians will seek to blame the EU-27 but the fault lies with those who have promised what is simply not possible, namely withdrawal from single market and/or customs union with no negative consequences. There is no precedent for an FTA which would reproduce all of the features of both the single market and the customs union. Staying in the single market, as in the so-called Norway option, would be popular with business but would abandon ambitions to take back control over free movement and implies ongoing payments to the EU budget and continued European Court jurisdiction. Staying in the customs union means no bilateral trade deals with countries outside Europe. However improbable such deals might be, the Brexiteer faction regards the freedom to pursue such deals as an article of faith and trade minister Liam Fox has been reappointed, in effect, to take the UK out of the customs union. Should the UK alter course and opt for the benefits of continued participation in both single market and customs union, the entire rationale for Brexit begins to unravel. The simplest way to achieve this outcome is to stay in the EU, the course of action ruled out by accepting the referendum result.

IRISH FARMERS JOURNAL Saturday 1 July 2017

20 AGRIBUSINESS

AgriBusiness What ABP-Linden deal means for the beef industry Phelim Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Neill and Lorcan Allen analyse last weekâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s announcement by ABP to take a 50% stake in the Northern Ireland meat processor Linden Foods While the joint venture announcement between ABP and Fane Valley to acquire the Allen family shares in Slaney caught many by surprise, last weekâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s announcement on Linden was no great shock. Once competitors, ABP and Linden became familiar with each other after they became 50:50 business partners in Slaney Foods last year. It was therefore logical that the beneďŹ ts of extending that partnership to include Fane Valleyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s meat interests in Northern Ireland and the north of England would make the outcome of this ABP-Linden joint venture inevitable. The question now is whether this arrangement will be for the long term, or will Fane Valley want to get out of meat processing altogether, leaving ABP in complete control of Linden and Slaney Foods? In practice, the move formalises an arrangement that had been developing since

Linden and ABP joined together last year to operate Slaney Foods. The processing facilities in Northern Ireland were ideally placed to do supermarket work that met the Red Tractor requirement on meat supplied to UK supermarkets. What each party brings to the table In Northern Ireland, Linden has some of the best abattoir and processing facilities available. Fane Valley invested heavily in all areas of the Dungannon factory and have one of the best abattoirs in the business as well as a modern retail packing and new product development facility. What ABP brings is the best customer portfolio in the UK retail sector and a huge international marketing operation that will ensure the byproducts and lower-value oďŹ&#x20AC;al cuts will be placed in the best market. While the ABP facilities have had multiple upgrades over the years, there is general belief that Lindenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s factory has the edge. The ABP Newry factory site in particular is believed to be of huge commercial value for development and with current exchange rates attracting southern shoppers in their droves, it would have appeal to any UK supermarket, particularly those not already in Newry.

Impact on competition Whatever the future might hold in terms of a continued joint venture or a move by ABP to acquire the remainder of Fane Valleyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s interest, the reality is that between ABPâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s existing business and Linden Foods, they will account for approximately 40% of Northern Irelandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cattle kill. While this is high, the picture is arguably even starker in the lamb trade. Currently only three large exporting factories kill lambs in Northern Ireland â&#x20AC;&#x201C; ABP Lurgan, Dunbia and Linden. With this move, Dunbia is the only other option for farmers. Of course there is the live trade, which accounts for over 40% of lamb sales. But this will have to deal with whatever the outcome of the Brexit negotiations might throw up. The other twist here is that a major buyer of Northern Ireland lambs is Irish Country Meats, which is part of Slaney Foods, the original joint venture that brought ABP and Linden together. They have operated independently in the Northern Ireland market to date and farmers will be watching if this continues. With the recent Dawn-Dunbia deal, lamb processing on the island of Ireland has now become extremely concentrated.

Eoin Lowry (01) 4199500 elowry@farmersjournal.ie @FJAgribiz

Geographical footprint of ABP and Slaney/ICM/Linden Foods Location and annual slaughter estimates ABP beef

ABP sheep

Slaney beef

ICM sheep

Perth 80,000

Lurgan 45,000 (sheep 180,000) Dungannon 75,000 Clones 62,400

(EBITDA) of ÂŁ3.2m in the year, which was down by almost a third (-28%) yearon-year. Earnings margins in the business fell 60 basis points to 1.7%. Linden recorded a 75% GHFOLQH LQ RSHUDWLQJ SURo WV for the year to ÂŁ251,162, leaving the business with a UD]RU WKLQ SURo W PDUJLQ RI just 0.1%. Lindenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s facility in Dungannon is the prize asset in the business with

capacity to slaughter up to 100,000 head of cattle and more than 200,000 head of sheep per annum. The site accounts for almost 80% of group sales. The other facilities are of a much smaller scale. In Lisnaskea, Linden controls the Kettyle Irish Foods business, which is a niche operator selling premium dry aged meats to more than 800 high-end restaurants in Ireland, the UK and

Poland 100,000

Burradon 25,000 Blackburn 40,000

York 32,000

Lisnaskea Newry 60,000

Navan and Camolin combined total of 1.1m

Ellesmere 60,000

Nenagh 62,400

Shrewsbury 110,000

Rathkeale 41,600 Bandon 52,000

Waterford 78,000

Somerset Cahir 100,000 78,000 Bunclody 85,000

The reality is that between ABPâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s existing business and Linden Foods, they will account for approximately 40% of Northern Irelandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cattle kill

Lonhienne Guilford 40,000

Yetminster 750,000

Will farmers be better or worse off? Only time will answer this question. In recent months, Northern Ireland beef prices have closed the gap with their UK counterparts to the point that it was non-existent. However, it isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t possible to make the individual factory price comparison in the north, the same as is possible with individual factory prices being

What does the Linden Foods business entail? Linden Foods UK comprises three processing facilities, two of which are located in Dungannon and Lisnaskea in Northern Ireland, along with another facility situated in Burradon, close to Newcastle in the north of England. Linden Foods recorded VDOHV RI d P IRU LWV o QDQ cial year ended September 2016, which represented a 4% decline compared to the previous year. The business generated earnings

Linden beef

Europe. Kettyle recorded sales of just under ÂŁ15.5m, which represents just 8% of the Lindenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s overall business. In the north of England, Linden operates an abattoir at Burradon processing 25,000 head of cattle per annum. Burradon generates annual sales of ÂŁ24m, which accounts for less than 15% of the entire Linden Foods UK business.

Sturminister 60,000

published every week in the south. Therefore, while it will be possible to analyse the relative performance of Slaney Foods before and after the joint venture, this isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t currently possible with Linden. It would give tremendous conďŹ dence to Northern Ireland farmers if both organisations were to make this information available for independent analysis.

How much did ABP pay for a 50% share of Linden Foods? The price multiple paid on a meat processing business such as Linden would be a maximum of ďŹ ve to six times earnings (EBITDA). Therefore with Linden Foods generating earnings (EBITDA) of ÂŁ3.2m for its most recent ďŹ nancial year, the entire business is valued anywhere between ÂŁ16m and ÂŁ20m. At this valuation, it is likely a price in the region of ÂŁ8m to ÂŁ10m was paid by ABP for the 50% stake it has taken in Linden Foods.

FARMERS IRISH FARMERS JOURNAL JOURNAL Saturday 1 July 2017

MAIN MOVERS

AGRIBUSINESS 21

+6%

+3%

Butter €6,100/t

FBD Holdings €8.40

Tipperary co-op profits increase Tipperary co-op has reported pre-tax profits of £2 m for its 2016 financial year, which is almost double (+89%) compared to the previous year’s profits. Sales for the year were back 2% to £153 m, reflecting weaker prices for dairy commodities. The dairy co-op based in Tipperary town reported operating profits of £3m, which was a 67% increase over the previous year. Profit margins in the business improved 80 basis points to 1.9% following cost reduction over previous years and strategic investment in new markets last year. Tipperary co-op paid an average milk price of 24p/litre in 2016 as well as paying out a year-end bonus of 0.5p/l to farmer suppliers at a total cost of close to £1m. Milk collections from the 390 dairy farmers supplying Tipperary increased 7% in 2016 to more than 151m litres. The total volume of milk processed by Tipperary co-op, which includes milk processed on behalf of neighbouring processors including Kerry and Glanbia, actually declined 4% to less than 295m litres as less milk was brought in from outside for further processing. Tipperary chief executive John Daly, who took over from

the retiring Ted O’Connor in January 2017, said the co-op had invested in additional capacity to allow farmer suppliers expand post-quotas. However, despite recent investments, Daly said the co-op will be looking towards further capacity expansion as early as 2019. Capital expenditure by Tipperary for 2016 exceeded £6m as the co-op ﬁnalised the expansion and modernisation of its Tippagral site in Dijon, France, which cost a total of £4m. According to Daly, the Tippagral business had another “exceptional” year and continues to perform strongly for the co-op. Tipperary increased butter production by 6% in 2016 to 13,250t, all of which is sold through Ornua. The co-op produced more than 8,000t of cheese, while milk powder production was ﬂat at 13,815t. On the current price of butter, Daly described the market as unsustainable. “You could get over £5,340/t for butter today which is not sustainable. Those sort of prices are not real. We sell our butter through Ornua and its branded sales of Kerrygold will generate a more sustainable return over the longer term,” said Daly.

The likely suitors for Moy Park EOIN LOWRY AGRIBUSINESS EDITOR elowry@farmersjournal.ie

Following last week’s news that Moy Park will be sold by JBS, the embattled Brazilian meat processor, a number of meat companies have already been linked with the Northern Ireland poultry giant. But with sales of £1.4bn and earnings (EBITDA) of £132m, the list of suitors with the financial firepower to buy Moy Park is quite narrow as a price tag above £1bn is to be expected. One potential buyer is Tyson Foods, the largest meat company in the US with sales of $37bn and profits of $2.8bn. Its domestic rival Cargill is another that could be interested given that it already operates six poultry processing facilities in the UK, France and

Russia. In Europe, the French processor LDC could potentially be interested. With just £50m in debts and cash reserves of £175m, LDC generates an annual profit of £160m and is focussed on developing consumer brands, similar to Moy Park. Looking further east, a number of Chinese companies could make a move for Moy Park. The WH Group, which has annual sales of $22bn and profits of $1.8bn, has already shown an appetite for largescale acquisitions after it struck a deal in 2013 for Smithfield Foods, the largest pork processor in the US. Recently, it has been scouting for US and European beef and poultry assets to buy, in a move that would sharpen its rivalry with global meat packers Tyson Foods and JBS.

Kerry Group €76.73

-2%

Brent crude oil $49.83

SMP €1,890/t

-3%

-6%

Origin Ent €6.40

-8%

€1=

£0.8866 US$1.1369

on 28/06/2017

MacSweeney to retire after 25 years as Carbery chief EOIN LOWRY AGRIBUSINESS EDITOR elowry@farmersjournal.ie

After 25 years as chief executive of Carbery Group, Dan MacSweeney will step down as CEO and retire from the board at the end of December this year. Having joined the company over 38 years ago, MacSweeney has been the steady hand that has built Carbery into the business it is today. Under his leadership, the group has expanded to employ close to 600 people, operating from eight locations including, the UK, the US, Brazil and Thailand with a turnover of £303m and profits of £33m in 2016. It has been one of the great success stories not only of the Irish dairy industry, but of Irish agribusiness. Under his direction, it has not forgotten its farmer roots, consistently returning profits through the payment of leading milk prices in Ireland – much to the envy of many other co-op boards. Growth Owned by the four west Cork co-ops – Barryroe, Bandon, Lisavaird and Drinagh – not only is its Ballineen facility the largest single cheese-producing site in Ireland, with almost 25% of Ireland’s annual cheese output, but also Carbery has extended into whey proteins and ingredients which end up in infant formula, sports and clinical nutrition and other functional foods. However, it will most likely be Carbery’s move into addedvalue flavours for which MacSweeney will be most remembered and credited for. From what can only be described as a crossroads in west Cork, it embarked on an ambitious acquisition strategy in the 1990s in the UK, US, South America and Asia. This ultimately built the hugely successful high-margin international flavours business, Synergy. But true to its co-op roots, the unique Carbery Group structure allowed the profits from this business to essentially channel back to the co-op owners and ultimately farmer suppliers through the milk price. Speaking exclusively to the Farmers Journal, MacSweeney said it has been a privilege and honour working with the Carbery Group and that it has been exciting building and developing the business

Dan MacSweeney, CEO Carbery Group. \ Donal O’ Leary

over that time. He says he is confident in the Carbery business model and has no doubt the group

will continue to grow and develop in the years ahead and continue to deliver for west Cork milk suppliers.

Chair of Carbery Group Dermot O’Leary said the company is now undertaking a process to identify a successor.

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FARMERS JOURNAL Saturday 1 July 2017

22 AGRIBUSINESS

20 minutes with Barry Downes

Ireland can be used as a testbed by companies and for initial deployment of new technology

Business brieﬁng

Lorcan Allen

Asda worst supermarket for VXSSOLHU WUHDWPHQW LQ 8.

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Asda, the UK’s third-largest retailer, has been singled out as the worst of the UK’s largest supermarket chains for its treatment of suppliers. The Walmart-owned supermarket chain came last in an annual survey of food suppliers compiled by Christine Tacon, the UK’s grocery code adjudicator. About 12% of Asda’s suppliers said the retailer rarely or never complied with the Grocery Code of Practice. In the survey, food suppliers to Asda complained that the retailer had taken incorrect deductions from invoices without notice, requested lump sums to make up proﬁt margins, and conducted “abusive” audits of suppliers’ accounts. Aldi placed highest in the survey of suppliers for the fourth consecutive year, followed by Sainsbury’s. The survey showed that delay in payment from the large UK retailers continues to be the greatest issue for food producers, with almost a third (32%) of suppliers identifying it as a major issue. Other major concerns that remain include positioning payments and pay to stay.

Limerick-based agri-tech company BHSL has acquired Hydro International, a Navan headquartered company that specialises in wastewater and effluent treatment. No fee was disclosed for the deal. Hydro International has a range of blue chip customers for its wastewater purification and effluent treatment systems, including Smurfit Kappa, ABP Food Group, Kerry Group, Irish Water and Coca Cola. Hydro International will be integrated into BHSL to create a new division within the company called BHSLHydro. The acquisition is being described by BHSL as an extension of their existing business that will transform the group into a broader environmental solutions company. BHSL already manufactures a technology which converts poultry manure into energy to be used for heating chicken houses. Any excess energy from the process can then be sold back into the electricity grid, while the ash from the burnt manure can be spread as an environmentally friendly fertiliser.

The bottom line My ﬁrst priority is to protect American consumers. That’s what we’ve done by halting the import of Brazilian fresh beef – Sonny Perdue, US secretary for agriculture

When was the fund set up? We were established in March this year. The fund is primarily investing in Ireland at the moment and we are out there engaging with Irish companies right now. Ultimately we also expect to invest in the UK as well. How much will you invest in any one company? We’re a seed venture capital company. Typically we will invest up to about £445,000 in the seed round for a percentage of the company. We would be investing up to £445,000 and another seed venture ﬁrm might be coming in for £222,500 to £267,000. Enterprise Ireland would also be coming in for £158,420 to £198,025. And of course there can be a variety of combinations to that. We look to both lead in seed rounds and partner with other venture ﬁrms, where we come in on a round that they’re leading.

Title: Managing partner at Suir Valley Ventures. Initial fund size: £20m. Symposium: Suir Valley Ventures are attending an ag tech symposium at The Horse and Jockey Hotel on Wednesday 5 July. Information: www. agtech2017.eventbrite.ie. 076-106 6553.

ÁChart of the week Sales growth in UK supermarkets 20 15 10 5

When do you generally anticipate a return from a company? Our fund is a 10-year fund. We invest capital into a business over the first five years and in the second five years we work with companies to get that return. Return on investment could be from a listing on a public market or from the sale of the company. Typically on average it takes five to six years to get a return in the industry at large. The investors in the venture capital fund are governmental institutions, sovereign wealth funds and also family offices. They invest in venture capital because they see it as producing potentially high returns over a long period of time.

World news 3URoWV IDOO IRU 6LVWHUV DIWHU CWRXJK TXDUWHU Boparan Holdings, the parent company of 2 Sisters Food Group, has reported a 37% decline in operating profits to £13.7m for the third quarter of its financial year. Boparan chief executive Ranjit Singh described the three-month trading period to the end of April as “tough”, with bird flu in Europe and the depreciation of sterling all negatively affecting performance. Singh said the weakened UK currency had led to a sharp rise in input costs with imports more expensive. UK grain pric-

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What do you expect of companies after you invest? We invest at the seed stage but we then follow on from the initial investment. There’s a long-term capital requirement for a new company and we would certainly allocate funding to help grow the business. So we really see ourselves providing capital to companies at a seed stage but also supporting the company during its journey as it grows.

What is Suir Valley Ventures? Suir Valley Ventures is an early stage venture capital firm that invests in a number of sectors. We invest in augmented (AR) and virtual reality (VR) technology, internet of things (IOT) and fin-tech. Specifically looking at agri-tech, we see IOT and AR or VR technologies as being very relevant to innovations in the ag-tech space.

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Can Ireland compete globally in ag-tech? I think the simple answer to that is yes. I think there’s great opportunity here in Ireland both in terms of the underlying practices and processes of agriculture.Ireland can be used as a testbed by companies and for initial deployment of new technology and then expand internationally.

For the 12 weeks to 19 June, Lidl and Aldi were the fastest growing retailers in the UK, with sales for both discounters growing at just under 19%. Online retailer Ocado also saw strong growth in the period, with sales up 11%.

es, which are traded in US dollars, have also become more expensive due to the fall in sterling. Despite reporting a 5% increase in sales to £822m for the period, 2 Sisters saw pre-tax profits more than halve (-54%) to £9.4 m. Profit margins in the business narrowed sharply by 110 basis points to a slender 1.7% for the UK’s third-largest food company. The company’s net debt position increased by £84m during the quarter to just under £795m, meaning the group is highly leveraged with a net debt to earnings ratio of 4.7 times. In his outlook for the rest of the year, Singh said that difficult challenges would continue in 2017 but added that recent actions taken on price recovery and cost efficiency savings would yield rewards in the final quarter of the year. 2 Sisters recently cut over 300 jobs after it announced the closure of its Smethwick site in the West Midlands of the UK.

FARMERS JOURNAL Saturday 1 July 2017

AGRIBUSINESS 23

Japan â&#x20AC;&#x201C; land of rising hope for Scottish exports

INDUSTRY INSIGHT Phelim Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Neill

apan is the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s third-largest economy behind the US and China, worth $4.4tr. It is also a huge net importer of agricultural produce as just over 12% of its land is arable and suitable for food production. Therefore, the prospect of a free-trade agreement between the EU and Japan should excite large agri-food exporting countries. For Scotland, the great beneďŹ ts will be found in whisky sales and possibly opportunities for beef once approval is secured. The challenge with pigmeat at present is to supply the home market, though the Asian market provides an outlet for parts of the carcase not consumed here. Dairy exports happen in significant volumes, mainly through cheese from Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, but UK exports are limited. This could change if the 35%-40% tariďŹ&#x20AC; was eliminated or even reduced. Being one of the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wealthiest nations with relatively low agricultural capacity relative to its population means Japan protects its agriculture to a level that is among the highest in the world. Tariffs have varied depending on the availability of domestic supply, with butter being a particularly good example. If suďŹ&#x192;cient supplies of Japanese production are available, tariďŹ&#x20AC;s can go as high as 200%, though these can equally be reduced at times when international supply is required to satisfy consumer demand. Chinaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s insatiable demand for proteins

FARMERS JOURNAL Scotland

900,000t Pigmeat imports

715,000t Beef imports

249,285t Cheese imports (2015)

meant it took over as the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s top importer of pigmeat last year, but up until that point Japan was the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s top pigmeat importer. Japanese pigmeat imports were just under 900,000t in 2016, making up half of Japanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s consumption. Falling domestic production has been an issue, with less than 5,000 pig farms in 2016 compared with over 83,000 in 1985. Pig prices in Japan are around the equivalent of ÂŁ2.88/kg, dramatically higher than the ÂŁ1.60/kg British price at present. The Japanese market for pigmeat is, like all other categories, heavily pro-

Farm proďŹ t programme: farmers ease winter grazing pressure with brassicas Livestock >> 26

10 June 2017 Vol 1 No 2 | ÂŁ3.10

Brexit to cut farmer red tape

MACHINERY

Industry expert says Brexit can free farmers from unnecessary rules JOHN SLEIGH SCOTLAND EDITOR jsleigh@farmersjournal.co.uk

EXCLUSIVE

Leaving the EU could reduce the impact of draconian regulations which tightly deďŹ ne how farms are inspected. The chair of the Scottish Governmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Independent Regulatory Review Group, Professor Russel Griggs OBE, believes that once out of the EU, the Government â&#x20AC;&#x153;could move to best-practice auditing standards which use a risk-based approach. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This could mean that if the risk of breach in certain farming schemes was deemed to be very low, the number of inspections could drop. Currently, European rules require a certain percentage of applicants to be inspected regardless of the risk of breaches.â&#x20AC;? For example, 3% of all cattle herds are inspected annually, with many of these farms picked at random regardless of the risk they pose.

Ă&#x201E; Continued on page 2

10 June 2017

This wet Highland cow braves the elements near Bankfoot, Perthshire.

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There is huge potential on Scottish beef and sheep farms to grow and utilise more grass

ly or even partially, would improve this performance. For Scotland and Northern Ireland, Japan is out of reach at present, but this may be about to change. An inward visit by Japanese inspectors will take place early in July to the UK and this is the ďŹ rst step in getting the UK approved to supply Japan again. Irish dairy sales to Japan had a good year in 2016, with volume up 23% on 2015 to 5,570t, worth ÂŁ15m. Cheese is the main dairy product exported from Ireland to Japan, representing 85% of all dairy exports, up 38% on the previous year. Northern Ireland has also been active in the market, but to date hasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t been a priority market for the UK. This reďŹ&#x201A;ects the growing westernisation of the Japanese diet and demand for pizza. Japan has the highest cheese price in the world, at the equivalent of ÂŁ21/kg, compared with the global average of ÂŁ7.73/kg (Euromonitor). Like other agricultural products, cheese attracts a tariďŹ&#x20AC; of 35% to 40%, and a FTA that tackles this makes it a more attractive market for Irish and EU exporters. The Japanese market feels seriously underdeveloped from an Irish perspective, with high tariďŹ&#x20AC;s the major barrier to entry. A FTA will address this and in turn create a real market opportunity across all commodities, though China will remain the Asian market with most potential. For Scotland this remains some way oďŹ&#x20AC;.

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New-entrant farmers building for the future Feature >> 8

tected by import tariďŹ&#x20AC;s. The big suppliers are the US, Canada, Germany and Mexico, with Ireland supplying just 2,000t in the ďŹ rst quarter of 2017, double the level for the same period in 2016. Tariffs are variable on pigmeat and often products are combined to maximise tariďŹ&#x20AC; eďŹ&#x192;ciency. For example, a popular combination is loins and pork bellies, which attracts a tariďŹ&#x20AC; the equivalent of ÂŁ3.64/kg. Obviously a reduction in this tariďŹ&#x20AC; would make Japan a much more attractive option to exporters, either in the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland or indeed Scotland. Japan has been the second-largest importer of beef in the world after the US although, as with pigmeat, China will move into second spot in 2017. According to USDA and Meat and Livestock Australia data, the US and Australia dominate Japanese beef imports, accounting for 87% between them. Overall, according to USDA, Japan imported 715,000t of beef in 2016, of which 297,000t came from the US and 276,000t came from Australia. Ireland secured approval to export beef to Japan at the end of 2013, having been out of the market for several years because of BSE. It is currently approved for under-30-month beef, which excludes cow mountain chain, for which Japan was historically a valuable market. In 2016, Ireland exported 1,322t of mainly oďŹ&#x20AC;al to Japan, which makes Japan one of Irelandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lower-volume export destinations. Removal of tariďŹ&#x20AC;s, either whol-

SP O EC A FFE IAL FARMERS VAILAB RS LE JOURNAL Scotland The slaughter records give valuable information for breeding decisions. Some sheep are plain looking, but they kill out well

28 January 2017 Vol 70 No 4 R2

Farmer focus >> 26

BSE negligible risk status recommended for Scotland JOHN SLEIGH SCOTTISH EDITOR jsleigh@farmersjournal.co.uk

EXCLUSIVE

The Scottish Government have announced that they are a step closer to BSE negligible status. This comes after the World Organisation for Animal Healthâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s (OIE) scientiďŹ c commission recommended that Scotland be recognised as an area of the UK having Negligible Risk status. This recommendation will need to be passed by the OIE General Assembly of Delegates at its meeting in late May 2017. Before the May meeting any other country has the ability to ask for the papers and pose questions which has the potential to delay the process. Along will Northern Ireland, Scotland hopes to become the ďŹ rst region of a member state awarded BSE negligible risk. Scotland has been BSE-free since 2009, and has had no cases of BSE in animals born since 2005. The status could be worth millions of pounds to the beef sector as more parts of the animal could be used and more export markets could be opened up.

FARMERS JOURNAL Saturday 1 July 2017

24 AGRIBUSINESS

Global Focus

US import ban the latest setback for Brazil’s beleaguered beef industry The USDA’s decision to suspend all imports of Brazilian beef is a wake-up call for Europe, writes Lorcan Allen

n Thursday night last week, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the immediate suspension of fresh beef imports from Brazil amid “recurring concerns” about the food safety of the product. The USDA said it has been inspecting 100% of all imports of Brazilian beef since March, when a meat scandal erupted in Brazil after a number of meat processors were found to be selling rotten or tainted meat after bribing customs officials. In that period, the USDA said it has rejected 106 lots of Brazilian beef, which came to a combined 862t, on public health concerns, sanitary conditions and animal health issues. The 106 lots rejected by US authorities equates to an 11% refusal rate on Brazilian beef imports since March, which the USDA says is substantially higher than the rejection rate of 1% of shipments from the rest of the world. For European beef farmers, the USDA ban on Brazilian beef is further verification that the country’s beef is not produced to high enough standards to enter the EU market and the European Commission will now be under pressure to follow the US lead. The US ban has prompted fresh calls from European farmer organisations that beef be removed from any potential trade deal between the EU and the Mercosur trade bloc, of which Brazil is a member. The IFA has said that the Mercosur countries had consistently failed to meet EU standards on the key issues of traceability, animal health and welfare controls, as well as the ban on hormonegrowth promoters and environmental controls. The European Commission is being called on to publish its full report on Brazil’s meat industry, after food safety officials went on an inspection tour of processing facilities in the wake of the meat scandal in March. While the report is yet to be published by the European Commission, early indications are that there were plenty of reasons for concern during the inspection tour. Corruption For Brazil, the events of the last four months have been a disaster for the country’s reputation, both in political terms and as a food exporter. The meat scandal that first erupted in March following the revelations of Operation

Beef accounts for 43% of Brazilian exports.

Agriculture accounts for

20% of the Brazilian economy and

43%

of total exports

Annual beef exports are close to $6bn

Weak Flesh has only been the tip of the escaped prison time for their co-operation with the wider investigation, known as iceberg. Operation Carwash. President The country’s largest meat procesTemer became entangled in sor, JBS, has been at the very the corruption scandal centre of a corruption scanafter it emerged Joesley dal that now looks like it Batista, chair of JBS will lead to the imand member of the peachment of PresiB a t i s t a f a m i l y, dent Michel Temer. which controls the Less than a year in meat processing office, giant, had secretTemer is now bely recorded on ing charged with tape a conversacorruption amid altion between himlegations he took milself and Temer dislions of dollars in cussing bribes made bribes from J&F Invesby JBS to politicians. timos, the parent comJust 11 months in office pany of JBS. after he took over from the Seven senior executives previous leader Dilma at JBS have already signed Rousseff, who herself was a plea agreement with Bra- Brahman cattle in Brazil. impeached for breaking zilian prosecutors after admitting to charges of paying £147m in fiscal laws, Temer now finds himself as bribes to public officials and politicians the first Brazilian president to ever be formally charged with a crime. in Brazil since 2010. Appointed on a reform agenda, TeJBS was handed a £2.67bn fine as a result of the bribery charges but executives mer is deeply unpopular with ordinary

Brazilian’s and his position as president is becoming weaker by the day. Export declines For Brazil’s meat industry, the combination of the meat scandal in March and the corruption charges levelled at JBS over recent months has been especially damaging. Agriculture accounts for 20% of Brazil’s economy and almost half (43%) of total exports. Annual beef exports are close to $6bn with 1.4m t shipped in 2016. In March, when the meat scandal ﬁrst came to light, Brazilian beef exports declined by 11% year-on-year to less than 100,000t. This decline intensiﬁed in April as exports deteriorated by 19% year-onyear to just over 70,000t, which was the lowest volume of beef exported from Brazil in a single month since April 2012. In May, Brazil shipped just over 90,000t of beef to export markets, which represents a 10% decline compared to the same month last year. Major buyers of Brazilian beef including China, Russia and Hong Kong have all reduced orders in recent months from the South American country.

FARMERS IRISH FARMERS JOURNAL JOURNAL Saturday 1 July 2017

AGRIBUSINESS 25

It’s not a case of taking the money and running. We see the opportunity with these guys to take the business even further

£62m Price paid by Scandi Standard for Manor Farm

>> CARTON TO STAY ON FOLLOWING SALE OF MANOR FARM TO SWEDISH GIANT

Lorcan Allen and Patrick Donohoe spoke with Vincent Carton of Manor Farm shortly after the company announced the sale to Swedish poultry giant Scandi Standard this week

arton brothers Vincent and Justin will continue to run Manor Farm for at least three years following the company ’s £62m sale this week. On Tuesday, it was announced that the eighth-generation family owned business was sold to Swedish poultry company Scandi Standard in a cash and shares deal. Scandi Standard generated sales in excess of £543m last year with operating profits of about £22m, giving the business a healthy profit margin of 4% to 5%. The Swedish company is about five times the size of Manor Farm, which had sales of £142m in 2016 and earnings (EBITDA) of £11m. The £62m deal for Manor Farm will see majority owners Vincent and Justin Carton given a combination of a cash payment, which will be used to clear Manor Farm’s debts, and 9.99% of the shares in Scandi Standard, making the two Carton brothers the largest shareholder in the Swedish company. Both Vincent and Justin Carton will also take up seats on the board of Scandi Standard as part of the deal, while Vincent Carton has expressed an interest in playing a greater role with the running of the Swedish company’s business. Based on Tuesday’s closing share price for Scandi Standard of £5 (SEK55.50), the Carton brothers’ stake in the business is worth more than £27m.

Family decision Headquartered in Shercock, Co Cavan, Manor Farm employs approximately 850 people and accounts for about half of all the fresh chicken sold in Ireland. Speaking to the Irish Farmers Journal on Tuesday, Vincent Carton confirmed that the process to sell the company was shaped by family decisions. Neither of Vincent’s nor Justin’s daughters are interested in making the company a ninth-generation business. “They [their daughters] knew they didn’t want to go into chicken. That was very clear to us,” Carton explained. “After that, it has been ﬁnding someone to take on the business, particularly with the values we’re interested in. We just didn’t want to be part of another big conglomerate,” he said. Carton explained that Scandi Standard is the only chicken processor in the world that sells 100% campylobacter-free and salmonella-free chicken and uses very low levels of antibiotics in its chickens. “It was only when we learned of the Scandi Standard mod-

It was only when we learned of the Scandi Standard model that we became interested. They’re a chicken-only company and not a protein player, like JBS

el that we became interested. They’re a chicken-only company and not a protein player, like JBS,” he said. As part of the deal, the current Manor Farm management team will remain in situ for a period of time. “It’s very much not a case of the Carton family taking the money and running. We see the opportunity with these guys to take the business even further,” said Carton. For Manor Farm growers, the message is that it will be business as usual according to Carton, who spent much of this week ringing his poultry farmer suppliers to personally tell them the details of the deal. Further development The aim will be to continue to develop the Manor Farm business, which Carton believes will benefit significantly from the takeover thanks to Scandi Standard’s wider customer base, particularly for fifth quarter products. “At the moment, we export 30% of what we produce but that’s only 12% of our value,” said Carton. “One thing that has jumped off the page to us is the markets for byproduct that Scandi has.” He said that at present, Manor Farm sells only one chicken leg in the Irish market for every 12 fillets. But with the markets that Scandi Standard has for chicken legs, feet and fifth quarter offal, it should lead to increased business.

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FARMERS JOURNAL Saturday Saturday 241June July 2017

26 LIVESTOCK

A family affair in North Cranna Husband and wife team, Arthur and Muriel Duguid run a mixed farm with help from their children. Robert Gilchrist paid them a visit.

he Duguids farm in a family partnership at North Cranna, on the outskirts of Aberchirder in Banffshire. The running of the farm is a real family affair, with husband and wife team Arthur and Muriel and son Scott looking after the day to day work and daughters Gemma and Amy and Arthur’s uncle Charlie helping during busy periods. The farm extends to 164ha and is quite steep-running – from 160m up to 800m above sea level. It is a mainly grass farm, with some barley grown for feeding and bedding. There is also about 7ha of swedes grown for feeding to the cows, with some left in the ground for finishing later lambs. The herd of 150 cows is split with 90 spring calvers and 60 autumn calvers. Cow type is mainly Simmental cross, with a few Saler crosses. Bulls used are mainly Charolais, with a Simmental for replacements and first-calving heifers going to a Limousin. Stock not kept for breeding is sold as stores at 12 to 14 months at Thainstone. There is also a flock of 240 Scotch and Cheviot mule ewes. These go mainly to Texel tups, although there are a couple of Suffolk and Beltex tups. Lambs are mostly sold prime through the mart. The farm is currently well-stocked. Over the next few years of the programme, the Duguid’s aim to retain a similar number of cows on the farm but, by changing grassland management, plan to increase sale weights and improve overall output per cow. Autumn calving also needs to be tightened, with a long-term view toward a strict 10-week period, to make management easier. On the sheep side, the plan is to increase the number of lambs weaned per ewe and increase lamb performance from grass. This will also help improve output and will reduce sale age. Getting lambs out of the system earlier, will allow ewe numbers to increase over the next few years.

With the way prices have been lately, lambs should be worth around £20/ head more than last year

Oceans of grass Kind weather and a few recent management changes mean that there is oceans of grass this year. The Duguid’s started a month earlier with some of the grazing fertiliser this year, and have been really pleased with the results. At the last update, there was 139 ewes and lambs on rotation on the seven hectares that were treated early. Numbers are now up to 149 ewes with lambs on the same rotation and they are now keeping pace with the grass growth.

The Duguid farm

£2,000 Feed bill saving from turning out one week earlier Scott and Amy were giving the ewe lambs a chlostridial vaccination a few days ago and took the opportunity to put the lambs across the scales. The Duguid’s were really pleased with the results, with lamb weights averaging 26.5 kg at 70-days-old. That gives an average growth rate of nearly 310g/day. The 10 largest lambs are heading for the fat ring at Thainstone this week. This is around seven weeks earlier than normal. With the way prices have been lately, they should be worth around £20/head more than last year. Improvements These improvements have come from a range of reasons. For one, the early fertiliser really got the grass growing and it has kept on growing all the way through. Secondly, getting lambs on to clean grazing has really helped cut out worm challenge for the lambs. Finally, keeping the quality in the grass ahead of the ewes and lambs has kept them growing. At the time of the last update, the Duguids were about to cut out a quarter of the rotational grazing field. That is now done, with 26 bales of really good quality silage being cut. Some of the grass on the rest of the field and another field that the sheep have been grazing had some seed head coming up, so they topped just after the sheep had left,with another 85 kg of nitrogen applied to keep the grass going. Swedes have been sowed and there was a bit of cabbage root fly floating around, but they are now dealt with.

Scott, Arthur and Muriel Duguid

Sheep on the Duguid farm.

Neeps have always been grown on the farm, and they are used for both the sheep and cattle. In years past, a good bit would be used for feeding the autumn cows and the stores, with the lambs that were still to fatten running on the rest. This year, the aim is to get the lambs out of the system much sooner and use the remainder of the neeps to graze the ewes over winter. This will take pressure oﬀ the grass and give more cover coming into next spring.

Cattle were turned out about a week earlier than last year. It might not sound like a lot, but with 160 cows and calves, it works out to be a saving of over £2,000 on feeding and bedding. With a planned approach to closing up ﬁelds this back end and the ewes on the swedes for a period over winter, the Duguids are hoping to turnout even earlier next year – if conditions will allow. A saving of £2,000 a week is not to be sniﬀed at! The autumn cows went in for the vet

FARMERS JOURNAL Saturday 124 July June 2017 2017

LIVESTOCK 27

Cattle on the Duguid farm in North Cranna.

Table 1: Weaning percentages Average weight (kg) 0RVW HIoFLHQW FRZV 543 $YHUDJH FRZV 645 /HDVW HIoFLHQW FRZV 669

to PD them, with very disappointing results. Of the 58 cows checked, 13 were empty. The family had a very bad go with autumn calving last year, with three caesareans and each of those now empty. The rest are being put down to the Simmental bull, who went lame during bulling last year. This year, he has been checked by vet and has a clean bill of health. Having said that, a close eye will be kept on him and cows will be scanned much earlier to try and catch any problems. Armed with the weaning weights, the cows were put across the scales to get weaning percentages. A summary of the results is in table 1. Looking at these numbers, there is a diﬀerence of nearly £100 per cow in feed costs to produce calves that are 40kg lighter between the high and low performers. These numbers will be analysed to ﬁnd the cows that are really perform-

Average annual feed cost £356 £423 £444

Calf 200day weight (kg) 221 223 180

Weaning percentage

Arthur Duguid baling surplus grass from one of his paddocks.

41% 35% 27%

ing and the data wil be used to help when making culling decisions. Both groups of cattle were put together when going out to get more grazing pressure on the grass, as some of the ﬁelds were starting to get ahead. Again, like the sheep paddocks, once the cattle are oﬀ each section and on to the next it is topped to get rid of the seed heads. The main silage cut has also been started, but the weather is proving to be pretty frustrating, with slow progress being made. Having said that, a good week next week should see it fairly well tidied up. Yields certainly look to be well up on last year.

Scottish Rural Development Programme

Silage cutting has begun, but the bad weather is hampering efforts.

FARMERS JOURNAL Saturday 1 July 2017

28 LIVESTOCK

Livestock

(01) 419 9530 livestock@farmersjournal.ie @FJdairy @FJbeef @FJsheep

Milk league

Markets continue to deliver as price lifts JACK KENNEDY DAIRY EDITOR jkennedy@farmersjournal.ie

Positive summer market signals continue for dairy commodities. Dairy farmers received a welcome May milk price increase but most market experts say given global market prices and signals there should be another 0.14c/ kg MS (1c/l) price lift coming for June. The May league order remained relatively unchanged as all processors have lifted May price by 0.14c/kg MS (1c/l). This is interesting in itself given the various product mix diﬀerences among the processors. With butter prices continuing to make record prices of $5,500/t and skim milk powder making over $2,150/t, farmers continue to look for their share of the upturn. The west Cork Co-ops are

out on top for May and this price excludes the milk quality bonus (0.5c/l) that is available for top-quality milk (milk under 200,000 SCC) which over 70% of west Cork suppliers will be able to get. The two smaller north Corkbased co-ops are next in the league followed by the other larger Cork-based processor Dairygold. After the Cork coops, Arrabawn and the Tipperary Co-op come next in line, eﬀectively payng 0.14c/ kg milk solids (1c/l) less than the west Cork brigade. The third division holds the bulk of the milk in the country, with this batch of processors paying between €4.22 and €4.27/kg milk solids (effectively 30 c/l in round ﬁgures ex VAT). On average, the price paid for May is €4.30/kg milk solids or approximately 30.8c/l exVAT at 3.3% protein and 3.6% fat.

Figure 2

Figure 1

May milk cheque (€) for farmers supplying 14% of 300,000 litres (using national average solids) €14,592 €14,592 €14,578 €14,577 €14,191 €14,138 €14,115 €14,057 €14,035 €13,959 €13,933 €13,877 €13,844 €13,804 €13,800 15,500

Drinagh Co-op Lisavaird Barryroe Co-op Bandon Co-op North Cork Boherbue Dairygold Arrabawn Tipperary Co-op Aurivo Lakeland Dairies Centenary/Thurles LacPatrick Co-op Kerry Group Glanbia 10,000

May milk cheque (€) for farmers supplying 14% of 300,000 litres (using co-op average solids) excluding conditional bonuses Barryroe Co-op Drinagh Co-op Lisavaird Bandon Co-op Dairygold Tipperary Co-op North Cork Boherbue Arrabawn Glanbia Centenary/Thurles Aurivo Lakeland Dairies Kerry Group LacPatrick Co-op 5,000

P3.49% F3.84% P3.46% F3.83% P3.41% F3.81% P3.45% F3.77% P3.44% F3.82% P3.41% F3.87% P3.41% F3.79% P3.39% F3.82% P3.39% F3.82% P3.46% F3.85% P3.40% F3.76% P3.34% F3.82% P3.33% F3.72% P3.37% F3.72% P3.32% F3.69%

€14,228 €14,148 €14,022 €13,740 €13,633 €13,619 €13,601 €13,595 €13,576 €13,508 €13,274 €13,199 €13,102 €13,044 €12,847 15,500

Expressed at national average solids of 4.10% fat and 3.45% protein

Milk league for May 2017 A

Ranked on €/kg milk solids

Cash price c/l net of transport and conditional bonuses at 3.6 BF and 3.3 PR

Notes

Division one (over €4.40/kg MS) Drinagh Co-op

6.038

4.025

0.037

4.469

31.74

Lisavaird

6.038

4.025

0.037

4.469

31.74

Lifted 0.14 c/kg MS (1 c/litre) & excl 0.50 c/l for SCC under 200,000 cells/ml. Lifted 0.14 c/kg MS (1 c/litre) & excl 0.50 c/l for SCC under 200,000 cells/ml.

Barryroe Co-op

6.080

4.053

0.040

4.465

31.68

Lifted 0.14 c/kg MS (1 c/litre) & excl 0.50 c/l for SCC under 200,000 cells/ml.

Bandon Co-op

6.080

4.053

0.040

4.464

31.68

Lifted 0.14 c/kg MS (1 c/litre) & excl 0.50 c/l for SCC under 200,000 cells/ml.

6.004

3.602

0.04

4.346

31.01

Up 0.14 c/kg MS (1 c/litre) on April price, incl 1.25 bonus for SCC under 300,000 and TBC under 40.

4.330

31.00

Up 1 c/litre on April price.

Dairygold

6.067

3.708

0.040

4.323

30.76

Up 0.14 c/kg MS (1 c/litre) on April price.

Arrabawn

6.526

2.714

0.034

4.305

31.07

Up 1 c/litre on April price, 2.18 unconditional bonuses included.

Tipperary Co-op

6.917

2.984

0.040

4.299

30.81

Up 0.2 c/kg MS (1.5 c/litre) on April price.

Division two (€4.30 - €4.40/kg MS) North Cork Boherbue

Division three (less than €4.30kg/MS) Aurivo

5.750

4.043

0.043

4.275

30.27

Up 0.14 c/kg MS (1 c/litre) on April price.

Lakeland Dairies

6.905

2.877

0.035

4.267

30.63

Up 0.14 c/kg MS (1 c/litre) on April price.

4.250

30.41

Up 0.14 c/kg MS (1 c/litre) on April price.

30.11

Up 0.14 c/kg MS (1 c/litre) on April price.

Centenary/Thurles Co-op LacPatrick Co-op

4.954

4.054

0.035

4.240

Kerry Group

6.510

3.255

0.040

4.228

30.18

Up 0.14 c/kg MS (1 c/litre) on April price.

Glanbia

6.839

2.976

0.040

4.227

30.27

Up 0.14 c/kg MS (1 c/litre) on April price.

The milk league is ranked on the price paid for a kilogramme of milksolids at 3.45% protein and 4.10% butterfat – the national average solids for 2016.

FARMERS JOURNAL Saturday 1 July 2017

LIVESTOCK 29

Animal health

Prevention better than cure AHI and Teagasc are running a series of events around the country over the next few weeks highlighting health issues on farms. Adam Woods went along to the ďŹ rst event held in Meath last week

Faecal sampling

Teagasc beef specialist Aidan Murray explained to farmers the importance of taking care when dosing to avoid wormer resistance building up on farms. He said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;On some farms where overdosing is taking place there is a real risk of anthelmintic resistance becoming a problem. We have already seen this problem developing in some research herds. Dosing needs to vary based on animal type, grazing history, turnout dates and weather conditions. Faecal sampling can lead to a more informed, targeted approach to dosing if used in consultation with your vet.

nimal Health Ireland and Teagasc in association with Meat Industry Ireland are running a series of events across the country titled Prevention is Better than Cure. The ďŹ rst of these events took place last week on the farm of Mark and Edna Moore, Ballinabracky, Co Meath. The farm and system Mark farms 600ac of tillage and 250ac of grass and ďŹ nishes 1,000 bulls annually for Kepak. While the farm is predominantly tillage, the beef enterprise has been growing over the last number of years, with more cattle ďŹ nished on an annual basis. Mark said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;We now kill about 20 bulls a week and try and keep the system as simple as possible. We are ďŹ nishing under-16-month bulls and some older 18-month bulls.â&#x20AC;? In the past the farm has concentrated on purchasing Aberdeen Angus X bulls but more recently, due to diďŹ&#x192;culty sourcing good suckler-bred AAX stock, has moved to purchase some continentals alongside the traditional bulls. Mark pays close attention to detail when purchasing stock. About 80% of the animals are purchased in livestock marts while 20% are purchased on farm. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re ďŹ nding less problems with the on-farm purchases but it takes time to build a supplier base buying on farm.â&#x20AC;? Animal management Mark insists that animals purchased in marts arrive on the farm that night and arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t left standing around marts or on lorries for prolonged periods. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s all about reducing the stress on the animal as much as possible.â&#x20AC;? When the animals arrive on the farm they are put on to a straw/peat bed in the intake shed. Animals always come into the same shed so there is no confusion with lorry drivers at night etc. This shed is very well ventilated and animals will settle here for a few days and

Antimicrobial resistance

How to take a faecal sample Mark and Edna Moore pictured with their children, Andrew, Isobel, Olivia and Gwen.

1. Discuss with your vet which animals to sample: a. Sample from animals of the same age in the VDPH EDWFK E 7DNH WKH oUVW IDHcal sample of the grazing season 6-8 weeks after turnout. 2. Use disposable gloves. 3. Take fresh samples (stimulate the calf to pass dung or collect freshly passed dung samples from the ground), place in a clean pot and send to the lab/vet immediately.

:KDW FDQ , oQG RXW IURP D IDHFDO sample?

A shed roof was raised on the farm to increase ventilation.

Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re ďŹ nding less problems with the on-farm purchases but it takes time to build a supplier base buying on farm

Brian Leonard, vet to the Moore farm explained the importance of antimicrobial resistance developing on farms and how it could render many medicines useless if care is not taken with their use. Excessive, unnecessary

Overhead walkways means animals can be monitored very safely.

then get their pneumonia vaccine and a levaside pour on. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We ďŹ nd the levaside is a little easier on the animal and doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t give as severe a kill as the ivermectin-type products. Depending on the time of year the animal then goes to grass or on to the growing or ďŹ nishing shed.â&#x20AC;? A number of changes have been made to sheds in recent times, including raising the roof of one shed that had poor ventilation and some pneumonia problems. The finishing shed has 20 pens that each hold 20 animals. Animals move up one pen each week as ďŹ nished cattle leave the farm. So if a bull enters pen 20 at 400kg, it has 20 weeks or 140 days to hit the target 720kg. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s an all-in, all-out

or inappropriate use of antibiotics increases the development and spread of resistance. Having healthy cattle stems from a variety of management tools including keeping animals stress-free, vaccination policy, nutrition policy and ventilation in sheds. Good animal husbandry will reduce antibiotic use. Leonard

policy and even if animals donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t hit target weights they still leave the farm. This avoids mixing animals and more stress. Animals never mix once they enter the ďŹ nishing shed. Bulls are fed fresh feed twice daily and are fed a homegrown mix of barley, wholecrop, brewers grain, fodder beet and maize. Yeast is also included to avoid digestive upsets. Silage v weight gain The only silage that is made on the farm is paddocks that have become too strong for grazing. Mark believes if he can stock two bulls per acre in spring and they can gain 1.2kg/day liveweight, the land is making more to graze with animals than cut silage oďŹ&#x20AC;. Wholecrop barley makes up the bulk of the diet.

said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;If you do need to use an antibiotic, do it in conjunction with your vet and always make sure you are treating the right animal with the right drug with the right dose for the right duration. Isolating sick animals is also extremely important in preventing the spread of disease.â&#x20AC;?

Ă&#x201A; Gutworm eggs, lungworm larvae, OLYHU pXNH HJJV UXPHQ pXNH HJJV cryptosporidium parvum and coccidian oocysts may be seen in faecal samples. Ă&#x201A; Spring-born suckled calves generally do not require dosing for gutZRUPV XQWLO ODWH LQ WKHLU oUVW JUD]LQJ season. Ă&#x201A; Weaned calves are vulnerable to gutworms from turnout. Ă&#x201A; Lungworm is unpredictable and can cause problems before lungworm larvae are seen in faecal samples, so all cattle at grass should be monitored for coughing from turnout.

Ă Beef healthcheck Farmers slaughtering cattle in abattoirs have access to beef healthcheck reports via the ICBF ZHEVLWH 7KHVH GHWDLO pXNH DQG OLYHU abscesses in cattle and highlight pneumonia lesions on slaughtered animals. Rebecca Carroll, AHI beef healthcheck manager, said Sligo, Leitrim and Donegal have the highHVW OHYHO RI OLYHU pXNH GDPDJH WKLV year, and farmers in the west need to be vigilant.

FARMERS JOURNAL Saturday 1 July 2017

30 LIVESTOCK

Dairylink Ireland

Lifting stocking rate and improving milk protein Higher milk sales and better quality milk are improving milk output, writes Conail Keown

period last year, with milk volume up 70,000 litres in the ďŹ rst six months of 2017. Total solids for the same period are up 20% on 2016 coming from the increased volume and higher milk protein, which is up 0.2% on the 2016 ďŹ gure for the ďŹ rst six months. The plan for the herd is to continue focusing on improving milk solids and fertility, with better breeding and sire selection. The cow type on the farm is moving towards a Jersey crossbred-type cow from the existing black and white Friesian cow on the farm. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s early days â&#x20AC;&#x201C; by 2018 the herd will only be 25% jersey cross. The rationale for this approach is to increase milk solids relatively fast with hybrid vigour from cross breeding. Also Charles is a one-man operation, with additional

Charles Clarke Bailieborough, Co Cavan

Dairylink farmer Charles Clarke setting up a strip wire on his dairy farm at Bailieborough, Co. Cavan. ZLOO EH RYHU LQ ZHHNV LQ 7KLV ZLOO SODFH DGGLWLRQDO SUHVVXUH RQ FDOYLQJ DQG FDOI UHDULQJ IDFLOLWLHV 7KH SODQ LV WR KLUH DGGLWLRQDO ODERXU RYHU WKLV EXV\ SHULRG QH[W \HDU Farm output is up with a good start to the grazing season helping this year. Ideal weather conditions on this farm LQ $SULO DQG 0D\ KDYH KHOSHG , KHOG FRZV RQ NJ RI FRQFHQWUDWH DOO WKURXJK breeding, and grass quality has been good all through. At this stage, there has been no change in farm spending with costs remaining similar to 2016. A small DPRXQW RI ODQG LPSURYHPHQW ZRUN ZDV completed early this year and I plan to purchase a quad. Other than this, costs should remain unchanged from 2016, SURYLGLQJ PH ZLWK D FKDQFH WR EXLOG D FDVK UHVHUYH IRU IXWXUH GHYHORSPHQWV

Kevin McGrade, Dromore, Co Tyrone

3.35

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2017

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3.6 325 380 3.35 2016

2017

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2016

2017

Dairylink farmer Charles Clarke on his dairy farm at Bailieborough, Co Cavan.

Nigel Corbett and family, Banbridge, Co Down

Robin Clements, Trillick, Co Tyrone

Bill Brown, Millisle, Co Down

Weekly grass and milk production statistics from participating farms Week ending 26/6/2017 Average farm cover (kgDM/ha) Growth rate (kgDM ha/day) Stocking rate LU/ha Days at grass this week % of herd milking Average concentrate fed (kg/cow/day) Calving system

David Brady, Tierlahood, Stradone, Co Cavan

Charles Clarke, Bailieborough, Co Cavan

IRISH

Supported by

solids for 2017, potentially an additional ÂŁ26,400 in milk sales. Maximising growth on this farm is key. Yes, weather conditions play a major role in grass growth but soil fertility must be correct, or at least attempting to correct it in order to capitalise on the grass growth. Soil analysis for the farm revealed signiďŹ cant shortfalls for key nutrients on the farm back in 2015, with only 14% of the grazing block optimal for grass growth based on soil pH, phosphorus, and potash. Based on 2017 soil analysis, soil fertility has improved with 70% of the grazing block now optimal for grass growth with this filtering through to increase average grass growth on the farm. Last year, this platform had an average growth of 13.2t DM/ha.

Stocking rate (cows/ha)

20,315

We started breeding on 4 May this year, with the heifers starting two days later on 6 May. We submitted the 110 cows LQ WKH o UVW VL[ ZHHNV RI EUHHGLQJ DQG o YH ZHUH QRW VHUYHG DQG ZLOO EH FXOOHG $ERXW PLONLQJ FRZV KDYH EHHQ VHHQ LQ KHDW VLQFH VR WKLV JLYHV XV D QRQ return rate of about 73%. ,Q WRWDO KHLIHUV KDYH JRQH IRU $, VHUYLFH DQG , DP XVLQJ D WHDVHU EXOO ZLWK SDLQW EDOO WR KHOS ZLWK KHDW GHWHF tion along with tail patches. A jersey AI sire OKT was used on Friesian heifers, and SEW has been used on crossbred heifers. The 45 heifers are more than I need IRU QH[W \HDU DV UHSODFHPHQWV +RZ HYHU ZLWK WKH JHQHWLF JDLQ LQ WHUPV RI PLON VROLGV DQG IHUWLOLW\ , SODQ WR EULQJ WKHP DOO LQ WR WKH KHUG 6WRFNLQJ UDWH canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t increase much more on the farm, VR , ZLOO KDYH WR VHOO FRZV DQG , ZLOO EDVH WKLV RQ ORZHU JHQHWLFV LQ UHODWLRQ WR VRO ids and fertility. Currently, my herd EBI LV d ZKLFK LV EHORZ QDWLRQDO DYHUDJH and way too low for where I want it. Sires used this year include PSQ, FR2079, FR2385, FR4206, Fr2339, )5 RQ WKH PLONLQJ KHUG %DVHG RQ WKH IHUWLOLW\ SHUIRUPDQFH VR IDU FDOYLQJ

help hired in only for peak periods. He needs a low-maintenance and easily managed cow for the system. The Jersey cross cow will bring more milk solids per hectare, is lighter and easier to manage at the shoulders of the grazing season when ground conditions are wet and diďŹ&#x192;cult to manage on this farm. Stocking rate on the platform has increased from 3.35 cows/ha last year to 3.59 cows/ha. Based on projected milk solids, this will take total solids per ha to 1,452kg/ha for the farm. Higher protein this year is also feeding in to this calculation, with the herd currently producing 1.85kg solids/cow/day. So a combination of higher protein coupled with the higher stocking rate on the platform is projected to deliver 240kg/ha more

24,967

harles is milking 115 cows on the farm with a grazing block of 32ha. The farm has moved from a split 70/30 spring/autumn-calving herd four years ago to a 100% spring-calving herd. Calving started this year on 5 February with all cows and heifers calved in 13 weeks on the farm. Managing the spring workload and labour availability with minimal investment are two of the key drivers for Charles. Low-maintenance cows, compact calving and good fertility performance are all key aspects for any production system, and particularly so for Charles who is developing a fertile herd to capitalise on the good grazing block on the farm. Milk sales for 2017 are up on the same

FARMERS JOURNAL farmersjournal.ie

C Clarke R Clements

K McGrade N Corbett

B Brown

D Brady 662

553

652

622

783

552

3.59

3.26

2.79

4.6

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3.8

100

Spring

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4 4 70% 70% Autumn Autumn 23 25.4

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Milk Yield (l/cow/day)

25.2

16.7

Fat %

3.74

4.33

4.81

4.16

3.90

3.33

Protein %

3.29

3.51

3.8

3.45

3.32

3.73

Milk Solids (kg/cow/day)

1.82

1.37

1.48

1.80

1.89

1.82

FARMERS JOURNAL Saturday 1 July 2017

LIVESTOCK 31

Classy continentals on Shannonside Philip Keville’s penchant for breeding shines through in the quality of his stock, writes Ciarán Lenehan

Philip Keville, Co Leitrim

Fixed costs £/hr labour &DVKp RZ

ne thing becoming very evident as we get to know the 27 new BETTER farmers and their stock is that we have some of the country’s foremost cattle breeders on board. Last week, our Tuesday digital BETTER farm offering from Sean Hayes’ farm in Co Clare in the midwest of Ireland showcased some superb quality animals. However, the Tulla man has competition in Leitrim. Philip Keville keeps a herd of 16 suckler cows on 16ha at Aughamore, just outside Carrick-on-Shannon. He farms alongside his father Joe and the two share a passion for good stock and breeding – Philip is a Simmental fan and Joe a longserving and well-decorated member of the Irish Aberdeen Angus Association. All breeding is by AI. The farm produces weanlings for sale in the back end through local marts. In recent years, what was an autumn calving spread has unravelled slightly and Philip now has calves dropping from September through to March. “That’s something we’re addressing straightaway – the calving has gotten away on us a bit,” he told me. “The plan is to move to 25 cows and calve from December to February. I’ve used a PRID-based synchronisation plan to tighten things up. I have bulled more heifers too this year and I’ll have 23 to calve in 2018, all going well.” Philip will continues to sell his heifers as weanlings in future. There is big demand for the type of animal he is producing, particularly the Simmentals, and he regularly hits £890 with his heifers. He is keen to run his males through a bull beef system, potentially ﬁnishing under 16 months of age. His well-bred stock and early calving will suit such a system. By weaning time, a lot of these bulls’ lifetime weight will have been achieved on the cow if past performance

Kilbride Farm Escalop bull from a Kilbride Farm Newry cow.

Keltic Handsome heifer from a Milbrook Dartangan cow.

More on farmers journal.ie/ podcast

Fixed costs: <£312/ha <£490/ha >£490/ha

£/hr worked: DV SURS RI QHW SURo W

Pedigree Drumlone Anchor heifer out of a Curaheen Wakeman cow.

IRISH

farmersjournal.ie

A TEAGASC/IRISH FARMERS JOURNAL INITIATIVE

(consecutive months without sales– inc. VKHHS

<5 <7 >7

We’re getting better-quality grass, earlier silage and getting cows out to grass sooner in the spring

Paco cow and her March-born Castleview Gazelle calf.

is anything to go by. Philip regularly weans bulls well into the 400kg range. A calving date like this is not for the faint-hearted. It requires good housing facilities for the inevitable period that newborns will be indoors and an early farm from a grazing point of view. While Philip indeed has excellent calving facilities, his land was traditionally diﬃcult in the shoulders of the year and during wet spells when it came to carrying stock. That is, until some recent drainage work signiﬁcantly improved his grazing fortunes. “The ground around here is heavy and getting rid of water was a big problem.

Our cows would be big too, which isn’t a good mix. My local contractor shored the land at £5/m. It’s been very successful – the ground has dried up immensely. I’m getting a much better return from my fertiliser. He did 60% of the farm last year and I’ll ﬁnish the rest of it this year. We’re getting better-quality grass, earlier silage and getting cows out to grass sooner in the spring. When I get the sun here my ground is dried up in three days. Given Philip’s plan to push numbers from the same farm area, this investment in drainage will be crucial to allow him get more from his grazing ground and keep feed costs down.

Sat

Sun

Mon

Tues

VIDEO ONLINE

FARMERS JOURNAL

&DVKp RZ

>£11/hr <£11/ <£4/hr

Sun

ZDWFK WKH YLGHR RQ farmersjournal.tv

Split spring and autumn Suckler to weanling 16ha £459/ha Mostly heavy

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Philip Keville’s 10-day synchronisation protocol Podcast

Calving pattern Farm system Farm size 2016 gross margin Land type

PRID in + 1ml Ovarelin.

In association with

6am 5ml Enzaprost.

Remove PRID.

8pm 1ml Ovarelin.

Midday AI.

Adviser comment John Greaney Philip has done a nice bit of work since joining the programme and his local B&T adviser Tom Coll deserves credit. There’s no doubt Philip has brilliant stock but tidying up his calving spread is a must as he is also working off farm full-time. The synchronisation programme he’s using at the minute is working a treat as he is reluctant to cull any cows.

Philip used a PRID synchronisation protocol on 18 cows to help tighten his calving spread.“I have 18 in total done with it. Twelve have scanned in calf and I have yet to scan the others but I am FRQo GHQW WKH\ DUH LQ FDOI , DP YHU\ happy with it and it wasn’t too expensive at £18 (not including serve).”

FARMERS JOURNAL Saturday 1 July 2017

32 LIVESTOCK

Grass+

Dairy

Growth rates steady after rain AIDAN BRENNAN DAIRY SPECIALIST

Ă In short

abrennan@farmersjournal.ie

verage growth rates are holding steady at around 76kg/ha/day on our Grass + farms, but there is a fair variation from farm to farm. Some farms have dipped below demand with growth rates in the mid 50s. Growth rates normally decrease at this time of year anyway, after the grass plant heads out. Allied to this, a lot of farmers would have cut surplus paddocks and topped in the fine weather last week. This reduces growth rate also,

Ă&#x201A; Average growth rate is around 76kg/ha/day. Ă&#x201A; Mild and humid weather should boost growth rates. Ă&#x201A; Keep cows on 36 hour grazings and target a post grazing residual of 4cm.

but for many farmers this is no harm as generating unnecessary surplus grass costs money. Widespread heavy rain and mild humid temperatures earlier this week should help to boost growth again. Maintain grass quality by keeping the

focus on residuals. The target post-grazing height for the next few months should be 4cm. This means that areas between dungpads are very well cleaned out â&#x20AC;&#x201C; down to the ďŹ&#x201A;oor â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and that areas around dungpads are well clipped. Three grazings per paddock is optimal. This means that the herd is well fed for two grazings and works hard on the last grazing, but then compensates again at the next grazing. Farmers who consistently graze tight on 12- or even 24-hour breaks are aďŹ&#x20AC;ecting production. To avoid aďŹ&#x20AC;ecting production, allocations have to be top notch, with no margin of error â&#x20AC;&#x201C; not easy to

achieve without rigorous measurement. Most farms have some paddocks that will need to be cut in order to correct quality. Take a note of these paddocks when doing the farm walk and aim to take them out as bales at some point over the next few weeks. Avoid the temptation to pre-mow these stemmy paddocks as quality down the cowâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mouth will drop. Fertiliser wise, most farmers are continuing to spread between 20 and 30 units/acre of nitrogen after grazing. Those that are trying to build up soil fertility are going with a second application of two bags per acre of 18:6:12 or equivalent around now.

Growth rates around the country (kg DM/ha/day) Beef farms Dairy farms

50 60 49

33 Teagasc Curtins Farm

Shane Leane

Teagasc Ballyhaise

Donal Patton

John Russell

Pat Kennedy

Stocking rate (cows/ha) 3.92 Growth rate (kg/day) 57 Average farm cover (kg/cow) 167 Yield (l/cow/day) 19 Fat % 4.37 Protein % 3.54 Milk solids (kg/cow) 1.55 Supplement fed (kg/cow/day) 0.2

Stocking rate (cows/ha) 3.69 Growth rate (kg/day) 76 Average farm cover (kg/cow) 151 Yield (l/cow/day) 20.4 Fat % 4.25 Protein % 3.58 Milk solids (kg/cow) 1.65 Supplement fed (kg/cow/day) 1

Stocking rate (cows/ha) 3.9 Growth rate (kg/day) 80 Average farm cover (kg/cow) 158 Yield (l/cow/day) 25.5 Fat % 3.97 Protein % 3.47 Milk solids (kg/cow) 1.95 Supplement fed (kg/cow/day) 3

Stocking rate (cows/ha) 3.18 Growth rate (kg/day) 85 Average farm cover (kg/cow) 155 Yield (l/cow/day) 22.6 Fat % 4.08 Protein % 3.49 Milk solids (kg/cow) 1.77 Supplement fed (kg/cow/day) 1

Growth rate dropped this week. The farm was beginning to burn up a bit over the weekend after all the heat last week but heavy rain earlier this week will help to prevent that from happening. We have about 23% of the farm closed for silage and this will be cut over the next few weeks. We intend to take out a few paddocks for reseeding in the autumn. We are spreading 20 units/acre of nitrogen after grazing. We are now on week nine of breeding and early scanning data shows that about 60% of the herd is in-calf DIWHU WKH o UVW IRXU ZHHNV but this is subject to change.

Growth rate had dropped a bit last week but we got plenty of rain over the last few days so it should keep steady now for another while. We skipped two more paddocks this week. There are more that I would like to skip over but canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t for the moPHQW EHFDXVH ZH ZRXOG EH too tight. I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to set average farm cover below 150kg/cow at the moment. We are spreading between 23 and 25 units/acre of nitrogen after grazing. /DVW ZHHN ZH VSUHDG XUHD WKLV ZHHN ZH DUH RQ CAN. SCC is 84k and TBC is 9k.

After doing the grass walk RQ 0RQGD\ ZH KDG D JURZWK rate of 80kg and a demand of 57kg and 180kg/cow of an average farm cover so we took out one paddock WKDW KDG D FRYHU RI NJ Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been taking out paddocks for silage nearly every week and we have 155 bales made so far this year. Grass quality is good and cows are milking well. We are on 36-hour grazings and clean-out is reasonably good. We put in a few extra spur roads two weeks ago to improve paddock access. The weather in this part of Donegal has been good so far so we canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t complain.

We were very tight for grass last week as we were getting dry. Average farm cover fell to 110kg/cow so we fed 3kg of meal for a few days but the rain earlier this week has turned the farm inside out. Cows are grazing covers of NJ DQG TXDOLW\ LV JRRG 6RPH RI WKH o HOGV ZHUH topped to clean them up and we are back skipping over paddocks for bales again. We are spreading 25 units per acre of Selenigrass after grazing. The bull went out on 15 June and the plan is to do 11 weeks of breeding in total. 6R IDU LW VHHPV WR EH JRLQJ well.

Co Donegal

Co Tipperary

Phone: 01224 426001 (Aberdeen) or 0141 301 1044 (Glasgow) GRAZING GUIDE 2 This guide aims to help farmers ensure that they are exploiting the full potential of grazed grass on their farm, irrespective of production system or land type. Our expert team cover topics such as the role of clover, farm infrastructure, reseeding and soil nutrients in improving grass growth and utilisation.

NOW ÂŁ12.99

78 91

57 64

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55 63 84

FARMERS JOURNAL Saturday 1 July 2017

LIVESTOCK 33

Beef

Grass+

Dealing with strong grass covers CIARĂ N LENEHAN

u r m easu r in g farms grew 65kg DM/ha daily in the past week, which is back around 10% on last week. T h a n k f u l l y, a f t e r t o d ay (Thursday) there looks to be a few days of settled weather in store â&#x20AC;&#x201C; things were becoming diďŹ&#x192;cult for some. In the BETTER beef programme, only the higheststocked farms, or those actively taking out surpluses, are on track with regard to grassland management â&#x20AC;&#x201C; there

Cathal Breen

Nigel Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Kane

Dwayne Stanley Co Tipperary

Tullamore Farm Ltd.

System suckler to steer beef Soil type heavy clay Avg farm cover (kg DM/ha) 1,167 Grass growth (kg DM/ha/day) 51

System suckler to store Soil type free-draining loam Avg farm cover (kg DM/ha) 646 Grass growth (kg DM/ha/day) 33

System suckler to steer/calf to beef Soil type variable Avg farm cover (kg DM/ha) 929 Grass growth (kg DM/ha/day) 109

System suckler/calf to beef Soil type variable Avg farm cover (kg DM/ha) 709 Grass growth (kg DM/ha/day) 108

Growth has been back slightly compared to last week but still there are good covers of grass present on farm. First cut silage is done and last week I got the opportunity to make hay during the good spell of weather. Stock are thriving very well since turnout. Last week, I weighed the steers and a group of dairy-bred calves which I reared and I am very pleased with their performance to date. The dairy-bred calves were given a worm dose last week as I noticed a few of them starting to show signs. I hope to treat the remaining homebred calves and yearlings next week. The Limousin and Angus stock bulls have been out now since the middle of April. The Limousin ran with the main group of cows and the Angus was with replacement heifers and the remaining cows and there hasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t been much activity in recent weeks. At this stage, the majority of cows are hopefully in-calf. Both bulls will be taken away in the next few weeks in order to keep calving compact.

We got torrential rain on Monday night and ground is beginning to get a bit sticky. Growth has been steady the last 10 days but should kick on again now given the warm humid weather weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re getting of late. Calves are thriving well and I pulled the stock bulls on Tuesday of this week. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve a reasonably tight calving spread at the minute but with the work off-farm it can never be tight enough. Ideally Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d like to calve everything in eight weeks which is achievable and a target Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d like to hit throughout my time in the BETTER farm challenge. Last yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s spring-born bulls are doing well indoors and are putting on a nice bit of p HVK , UHFHQWO\ FKDQJHG from a nut to a high-energy maize ration and they seem to be a lot more content. They are averaging 2.2kg of daily liveweight gain at the moment. Depending on their p HVK , KRSH WR NLOO WKHP EH tween 700-750kg before the grass cattle come on stream in the autumn.

We have begun grazing some land we reseeded in late spring with calves. Performance has been excellent on this ground since the new seeds went in. We will have to increase the number of stock on this block to keep control of grass. I would rather not take out some of LW DV EDOHV LQ WKH o UVW JUD] ing to allow the reseed to tiller. I have 250 unplanned surplus bales taken out so far since I began focusing more on grassland management. I imagine I will have 250-350 bales more again by the time the summer is out. I had planned to bale up the second-cut silage but now I think I may cut it a week earlier for the pit to cut costs and keep quality in the silage. There is some room still in the pit so I imagine 70% will be ensiled this way. I have dosed all my 50 dairy-bred calves with a worm dose. I used an injectable product rather than a pour-on. I have kept feeding 1kg of ration daily to calves at grass. I feel it is cheaper to feed it now than later in their life and will get a greater return at this stage.

clenehan@farmersjournal.ie

21 76

56 70

63 822

102

Ă&#x201A; Growth 65kg DM/ha/ day. Ă&#x201A; Aim for 12-15 days of grass ahead of stock. Ă&#x201A; Grass utilisation increases by 92% in paddock versus set stocking.

versus a set-stocked system. Heavy, stemmy covers will be a bug bear for many at the moment. Ultimately, the advice is the same as always â&#x20AC;&#x201C; skip and make bales that will tick a box for dry cows or as bulky forage in a high-energy ďŹ nishing diet later on. If they absolutely need to be grazed, it

should be with big groups of suckler cows. Breeding will be winding down on many farms in the near future. When the bulls are pulled, mix cows and calves into big groups and let them work through these heavy covers. If possible, eat them in shortduration sections and consider running a disc mower or topper across the field around half a day before theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re due a move. This isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t ideal but will keep the sward fresh next time round. Calves should have the chance to creep to better quality grass while the cows are in these covers.

60 59

118

Ă In short

should be around 12-15 daysâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; worth of grass on farms this week, which equates to 650700kg DM/ha based on a stocking rate of 2.5LU/ha. The BETTER participants who started oďŹ&#x20AC; at low stocking rates and traditionally set stocked cattle have quickly realised how much grass they can actually produce in a paddock system and while many at low stocking rates are currently working tirelessly to keep the quality in their swards, they now have peace of mind to drive on stock numbers at the soonest available opportunity. Grass utilisation increases by 92%, from 4.3 to 8.2t DM/ha/year, in a paddock

BEEF SPECIALIST

49 108

Co Wexford

123

134 45

124

108

63 92

888

135 68 51

10-year average grass growth kg DM/ha/day

100

2017

80 2016

60 40

10-year average

20 0

IRISH

In association with

FARMERS JOURNAL

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Co Galway

farmersjournal.ie

A TEAGASC/IRISH FARMERS JOURNAL INITIATIVE

Ger Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Dwyer

After a drop last week, growth has improved and the farm recorded 108kg/ DM/ha of growth over the past week. Current demand continues to run at 62kg/ DM/ha. However, this is set to drop next week as more reseeded paddocks start to come back into the rotation. There is 19ha out for reseeding at the moment. Average farm cover per LU is 168kg/DM/ha. The farm is currently stocked at 4.22 LU/ha and there are 11 days grazing ahead of stock which is where we want to be. There have been a number of paddocks taken out for bales in the past three to four weeks and there will be another two paddocks to come out in the next weather window. Three paddocks were also topped that had become stemmy and cows werenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t cleaning out properly. Cows are currently going into covers of 1,5001,600kg/DM/ha and paddocks are getting 20 units of CAN after each grazing. )RUW\ VHYHQ DFUHV RI o UVW FXW silage was taken on 17 June.

FARMERS JOURNAL Saturday 1 July 2017

34 LIVESTOCK

Beef

5HpHFWLRQV RQ WKH EHHI LQGXVWU\ Farmers attending last weekâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Irish Grassland Association beef conference heard presentations from the Irish Farmers Journal, Teagasc and Bord Bia. We take a look at some of the key messages from the event

Eï¬&#x192;ciency pays Â£405/cow â&#x20AC;&#x201C; CiarÃ¡n Lenehan 0DNLQJ HIoFLHQF\ FKDQJHV ZLWKLQ WKH IDUP JDWH FDQ GHOLYHU WKH HTXLYDOHQW RI D d NJ LQFUHDVH LQ EHHI SULFH RQ D W\SLFDO FRZ VXFNOHU WR EHHI KHUG k&RQWUROOLQJ ZKDW LV ZLWKLQ \RXU FRQWUROy ZDV ,ULVK )DUPHUV -RXUQDO OLYHVWRFN VSHFLDOLVW &LDUÂ³Q /HQHKDQ V NH\ PHVVDJH DQG ZKLOH KH PDLQWDLQHG WKDW OREE\LQJ IRU KLJKHU EHHI SULFHV ZDV DOVR LPSRUWDQW IDUPHUV KDG OLWWOH FRQWURO RQ ZRUOG EHHI PDUNHWV DW WKH HQG RI WKH GD\ /HQHKDQ RXWOLQHG KRZ FDOYLQJ KRPH EUHG UHSODFHPHQWV DW PRQWKV Y PRQWKV FRXOG GHOLYHU d WR D W\SLFDO VXFNOHU FRZ KHUG 5HGXFLQJ D VXFNOHU KHUG V FDOYLQJ LQWHUYDO IURP GD\V WR WKH WDUJHW GD\V UHSUHVHQWV D d FRZ LQFRPH SRWHQWLDO 7KDW LV d GD\ IRU HYHU\ GD\ D FRZ VOLSV RYHU GD\V 5HGXFLQJ FDOI PRUWDOLW\ IURP WR FRXOG GHOLYHU D SRWHQWLDO d FRZ $FKLHYLQJ WDUJHW ZHLJKW JDLQV LQ D EHHI KHUG FDQ KDYH D KXJH LPSDFW RQ SURoWDELO LW\ ,QFUHDVLQJ OLYHZHLJKW JDLQ DQG LQ WXUQ ZHDQLQJ ZHLJKWV ZLOO KDYH D KXJH LPSDFW RQ SURoWDELOLW\ ,Q D VSULQJ FDOYLQJ V\VWHP VHOOLQJ ZHDQOLQJV DQ H[WUD NJ GD\ LQ ZHLJKW JDLQ FRXOG GHOLYHU DQ H[WUD d FRZ RU d LQ D W\SLFDO FRZ KHUG

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Terminal index delivers Â£141/hd on Kildare farms â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Christy Watson

Huge potential for grass on beef farms â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Mike Egan

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IRISH FARMERS JOURNAL Saturday 1 July 2017

LIVESTOCK 35

Sheep

Steps to growing and utilising more grass Temporary Cost

Long life Creosote posts and hi-tensile sheep/ barbed wire

Picture

Option

Cost

£347 to £369/100m

Plastic posts with timber posts at either end, three to four strands electric polywire

£89 to £134/100m

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£200 to £214/100m

Electric sheep netting – VHYHQ VWUDQGV HOHFWULoHG polywire

£169/100m

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£240/100m

tentially increase the amount of grass grown on their farms by making small changes to their grazing infrastructure. Ideally, this involves subdividing larger fields into smaller paddocks. The aim should be to graze paddocks in five to six days. Taking the example, on the day, of a 100-ewe flock that has a stocking rate of 10 ewes/ha, it would mean having five grazing divisions that are 2ha to 3ha in size. This would assume an average grass cover of 7cm to 8cm (1,200kg DM/ ha) and that the ewes had a daily demand of 400kg DM/day. A very interesting display showing a number of fencing options, useful for making these divisions, was on show at the open day. This detailed the options

for both temporary and permanent sheep fencing. Table 1 shows these different options. Permanent fencing Damian Costello from Teagasc said most farmers will opt to erect permanent sheep fencing on the perimeter of the farm to ensure sheep cannot stray from the holding. The permanent fencing is a long-term approach and is ideal for boundaries. Grant aid available through the Targeted Agricultural Modernisation Scheme (TAMS) II is also an option for farmers to help reduce the cost of erecting such fencing. Temporary fencing can then be used to divide larger ﬁelds into smaller

paddocks. The temporary fencing is ideal in these situations because it can be easily moved if needs be to alter the size of the paddocks. A well-designed paddock system will allow for greater control of grass and to ensure sheep are allocated to fresh high-energy swards. This, in turn, can increase performance as well as allowing for a higher stocking rate.

Philip Creighton, Teagasc Athenry, at the Teagasc Sheep Open Day, Athenry, Co Galway. ? 'DYLG 5XIpHV

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Grazing infrastructure Research carried out by Teagasc has shown that it takes almost one tonne of grass DM to sustain a ewe and her progeny for a year. This means that a farm’s stocking capacity is limited to the number of tonnes of grass grown per hectare. One proven method of increasing this ﬁgure is to install a rotational grazing system. Creighton says every farmer can po-

Permanent Option

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hen it comes to feed, grass is by far the cheapest option available in Ireland and it must be central to efficient and profitable sheep farming. This was highlighted at the Teagasc Sheep Open Day which was held in the Teagasc sheep research centre in Athenry, Co Galway. At the event last week, research officer Philip Creighton from Teagasc Athenry said the gap between the top third of farms and the bottom third in terms of gross margin is £1,183/ha versus £239/ha. While fixed costs were nearly identical, the real difference came in the number of lambs sold per hectare. The top third averaged 16 lambs/ha, while the bottom third was half that at six lambs/ha. Creighton said the two key drivers of profitability are the number of lambs reared per ewe joined and the stocking rate. However, the resulting output increase from improving both these areas will not translate into a higher gross margin necessarily, unless it is supported by maximising the use of grazed grass, he said. “This means reducing the reliance on concentrate feed, the single biggest variable cost on sheep farms, and increasing the percentage of lambs finished off a grass-only diet,” explained Creighton. Grazing infrastructure was highlighted as a key area to achieve this.

Table 1: Permanent and temporary sheep fencing options

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Grazing infrastructure was highlighted as key to proﬁtability at Teagasc Athenry’s sheep open day, write Barry Cassidy and Peter Varley

8 IN CE 197

FARMERS JOURNAL Saturday 1 July 2017

36 LIVESTOCK

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15,000

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CiarĂĄn Lenehan spent time on two US feedlots with contrasting production methods

Getting hormonal about US beef

hat separates the two feedlots proďŹ led here? Geography â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 300 miles of driving, a stoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s throw in US terms. Animal type â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Angus dominates both operations. Diet â&#x20AC;&#x201C; both are heavily cornbased, but weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re getting warmer. If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re a US feedlot heifer or steer, chances are youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re getting a helping

hand. You and 95% of your contemporaries are treated with and fed hormones and antibiotic growth promoters, prohibited here in the EU. The norm, for now Their use is accepted as the norm in America â&#x20AC;&#x201C; like an Irish farmer feeding rolled barley. Research stateside has provided suďŹ&#x192;cient evidence that these

substances pose minimal threats to food safety and animal welfare. However, antibiotic resistance, the EUâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s reason for banning many of these substances, is a whole diďŹ&#x20AC;erent story and one that will perhaps come to light in future years. Indeed, a growing cohort of the population (about 10%) now chooses grassraised, non-hormone-treated cattle when buying their beef â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a movement Ireland hopes to grab by the coat tails in the coming years.

Bejot Farms and Feedyard Thomas Bejot slaughters 15,000 cattle annually from his feedyard in Ainsworth, Nebraska. The operation is very much a conventional American feedlot â&#x20AC;&#x201C; using the full arsenal of hormones and growth promoters to produce beef for sale on US shelves. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We buy in weaned calves from local

sale barns, mostly Angus heifers. At any one time we own 40-60% of the cattle; the rest we ďŹ nish on contract,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We charge contract guys based on the price of corn and the amount of it their animals eat. It protects us from losing money on poor-quality animals that wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t convert the feed well.â&#x20AC;? Cattle typically enter Bejot feedyard at 780-825lb (360kg) and come slaughterďŹ t at 1,450-1,500lb (670kg). Feeding pens are outdoor, dirt-based and contain between 50 and 170 head. Two feed trucks operate full-time and cattle are fed twice daily. There are seven diets in all, of varying energy and protein concentrations. As cattle grow, so too does the cereal proportion of their diet. Indeed, the roughage proportion in ďŹ nal ďŹ nishing diets is as low as 10%. This is one area where antibiotics and growth promoters come into play.

FARMERS JOURNAL Saturday 1 July 2017

LIVESTOCK 37

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â&#x20AC;&#x153;Yeah, we use CTC â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the full DQ DQWLELRWLF IHG WR D SHQ IRU o YH GD\V LQ WKH HYHQW RI heifcompleD SQHXPRQLD RU IRRW URW RXWEUHDN ,W FDQQRW EH er ment of antiIHG IRU ORQJHU WKDQ WKLV ,WV XVH DV D JURZWK horbiotics and SURPRWHU IHHGORWV KDV EHHQ EDQQHG mones and growth promoters LQ WKH (8 VLQFH the heifers get here. The antibiotics more steer horhelp avoid problems like mones. Their function stomach upsets and liver abscesses on high-corn diets, prevent pneu- is to encourage lean muscle growth and monia, coccidiosis and foot rot out- help grading (TA), but at the same time breaks and, of course, give us a growth the packers (factories) donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want excesboost. We can also use in-feed chemicals sively â&#x20AC;&#x153;bullyâ&#x20AC;? (masculine) animals â&#x20AC;&#x201C; thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s where the heifer hormones (estradiol) to suppress oestrus in our heifers. â&#x20AC;&#x153;All of our animals get implants too. come in. These implants are probably Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s kind of a way of altering the animalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s worth $70-$100 (ÂŁ55-ÂŁ80) a head to gender I suppose. The steers get more us.

Wulf Cattle Depot Feedyard

perfectly marbled beef cuts at slaughter,â&#x20AC;? Lucas said.

Lucas Sutherland takes control of Wulf Cattle Company operations in western South Dakota. The 15,500 capacity feedyard in McLaughlin, South Dakota, falls into his remit. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our model is diďŹ&#x20AC;erent to what youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll see elsewhere. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re the biggest supplier to Zandbergen Meats, whoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re based up near you guys [in the Netherlands]. That obviously means that we have to produce beef thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hormone and growth promoter-free. They look to America for scale and consistency of supply. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We outsource our calf production to dedicated ranchers who use sires that we provide, many of which are hybrid Limousin x Angus bulls. We pick good guys and know that the predetermined dam/sire mix will produce a calf thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll perform well in the feedyard and produce

42,000 acres To ensure a year-round supply, the lighter calves that Wulf buy go to a 42,000-acre stocker ranch about 40 miles from McLaughlin to graze and frame-up. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We want to deliver ďŹ t animals all year round and we use the stocker ranch and our starter diets to control growth rates and keep the ďŹ&#x201A;ow constant. As a whole, our animal performance isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t at the level of your typical US feedyard, but the marketplace weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re going to oďŹ&#x20AC;ers us a premium for what we do. Having said that, the good cattle that come in here will grow 800lbs (364kg) in 180 days up to slaughter. The fact that we have some Limousin genetics in the mix means that our cattle actually grade very well for yield.

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IRISH FARMERS JOURNAL Saturday 1 July 2017

38 FEATURE

During the winter, temperatures drop as low as -20°C near the Black Sea.

Touring the Lorcan Allen speaks to Mike Lee, an agronomist and agricultural consultant who regularly tours the Black Sea region to assess the health of crops

Black Sea I

n early November last year, agronomist and agricultural consultant Mike Lee touched down in the Russian city of Voronezh and took to the roads for an eight-day tour to assess the winter crops in the Black Sea region. After travelling close to 900km in Russia, Lee crossed the border into Ukraine just west of the town of Sudzha. From there, he would travel another 700km that would take him all the way to the Ukrainian capital of Kiev. Originally from Liverpool, Lee has been coming to the Black Sea countries since the 1990s. Today, he regularly makes these expeditions through rural Ukraine and Russia at key stages of the grain growing season to assess crops and their yield potential. “There’s a complete lack of appreciation for what’s happening in the Black Sea region and the scale out there,” says Lee. “There’s a revolution taking place there. If you look back 10 years ago, Russia wasn’t exporting any wheat. Today, it’s the number one wheat exporter in the world and it’s growing. And I think other wheat producers should be aware of that and so should farmers.”

Emerging from Soviet times Before its break-up in the 1990s, agriculture in the Soviet Union was collectivised, with farm units anywhere between 5,000ha to 10,000ha in size. According to Lee, the yield and output per hectare of these farms was actually similar to the US but they used about ﬁve times more energy to achieve that level of production. Tractors were using a huge amount of diesel, while fertiliser was just shovelled on without a plan. What remains today is these 5,000ha to 10,000ha holdings that vary from derelict farms to working commercial organisations. However, from a policy point of view, agriculture in the Black Sea is still very much a command-led system. “Kiev or Moscow will say you must do this and it will ﬁlter down into the provinces or oblasts. When I was farming in Ukraine, you might be told that you must grow corn regardless of what anybody else was saying. We had to grow corn because the government could then export it for cash dollars because the country was broke,” says Lee. However, for differing reasons, the agriculture policy in both Russia and Ukraine has become more proactive in

supporting agriculture. This means more and more hectares are being planted in crops in both countries and will continue to rise. Output and yield per hectare is also rising, says Lee. The big five crops in the Black Sea are winter wheat and winter barley, and then it’s the spring crops of maize, sunflowers and soya. Sugar beet is also popular in Russia. Potato production is also doing quite well, although Lee says there is a huge opportunity to improve yields. Proactive policy Last year, wheat yields in Ukraine and Russia were 1.7t/acre and 1.2t/acre respectively. But this was more to do with favourable rainfall at key times of the growing season rather than any major improvements in farming. Lee says there is still a lot of simple things that could be done to improve production in these countries. “A lot of the seed used by farmers has poor genetic potential so that could be improved quite easily by bringing in non-Russian or Ukrainian wheat varieties which they currently don’t use,” says Lee. Fertiliser application is also a big problem as many spreaders are not maintained. “There’s bits of metal welded on to keep them going,” he says. “The spinning discs on a spreader are specifically engineered to accurately distribute fertiliser and give an even spread pattern. And when you multiply that up with the amount of farmers that are not applying their fertiliser accurately, the loss in production is huge.” Lee says that if every farmer installed

new spinning discs on their fertiliser spreaders this season, the collective gain in yield and output from the improved fertiliser application would be enormous. Likewise, many farmers are using sprayers where nozzles haven’t been changed or repaired in years. Lee says none of the agriculture ministries in the Black Sea region are interested in incentivising these improvements. “They want to buy lots of big green tractors and yellow combines and focus on expensive irrigation because that’s how they see the way forward. And to some extent that is important but to me there’s so many little things that can be done. If the ministry was serious about it and found $0.5m to replace all the sprayer nozzles in the country you would get a bigger return on that money than you would if you spent $20m buying a handful of tractors and combines.”

A relic from the collective farms in Soviet times.

PEDIGREE

LIVESTOCK

Limousin triumphs at Highland Show

Interbreed and Limousin champion Foxhillfarm Mammamia \ MacGregor Photography

The RBS supreme beef champion at the Highland Show was awarded to the Limousin champion Foxhillfarm Mammamia. Shane Murphy reports

ver 7,000 livestock were on show at this year’s Royal Highland Show. Large numbers were seen around the beef cattle rings across the four-day event. The overall interbreed judging took place on the

P44: 25th IHFA national open day set for Co Wicklow

Saturday with each breed’s respective champion again making their way into the main ring in an attempt to claim one of the most prestigious awards in the UK. Coming out on top after a tense 30 minutes of judging was the Limousin champion Foxhillfarm Mammamia from

P40: A cracking trade at Dunlouise Angus sale

the Alford family. World record This heifer was sired by the 38,000gns Foxhillfarm Irish Lad and out of worldrecord Limousin price female Glenrock Illusion, which sold for 125,000gns.

Continued on p42

P41: Matchetts claim ﬁrst overall all-Ireland title

40 PEDIGREE

FARMERS JOURNAL Saturday 1 July 2017

Dunlouise Delight

D A cracking day’s trade was witnessed at the ﬁrst international Dunlouise native Angus sale this week, writes Shane Murphy

unlouise Angus has built a reputation worldwide through the use of solely native bloodlines dating back to the mid-1900s. While slow to get established identifying the native lines, the Soutar family has, over the past 20 years, reaped the rewards for this particular niche market. This week, on the home farm, the herd held its first international sale of native Dunlouise Angus which was met with outstanding trade. In total, 43 cattle sold, with a further 13 lots of embryos selling for just shy of £322,000. Topping the sale at 39,600gns was a lot of six embryos from red native Dunlouise Red Nessie M494 sired by Dunlouise Red Native F207. This worked out, per embryo, at 6,600gns, believed to be a record price for the UK if not Europe. These embryos made their way to Woodstone Angus in Texas owned by the Woods family. This wasn’t the family’s only purchase, they also secured the only other lot of red embryos available for 1,100gns each. These three embryos were from Dunlouise Red Nell K383 and were again sired by Dunlouise Red Native F207. The final lot Woodstone Angus purchased, again at 1,100gns, was six from Eversfield Pumpkin F378 by Genex Ai sire Dunlouise Cup Bearer H278. Due to the fact that live animals could only move throughout the EU whereas the embryos could go worldwide, many of the embryo lots were acquired by international buyers. Next best of the embryos after the sale topper was for two from Dunlouise Pippa P544 by the internationally recognised Dunlouise Jipsey Earl. These two commanded a price of 3,700gns each, selling to Australia-based John Hendry of Onyx Park Australia. Live trade Topping the live cattle trade was one of the last entries into the ring Dunlouise Newman S615 who sold for 16,000gns. This 14-month-old young bull is sired by Irish bull Jubilant 2nd of Bohey, a herd name which is still highly regarded in the Irish breeding scene. Newman’s dam is from the Nell line in the form of Parsee of Doonholm daughter Dunlouise Nina N506. Successful

Joint top-priced cow and calf pair at 7,000gns Dunlouise Rose P546 and Rebel T646. \ MacGregor Photography

Top-priced animal at 16,000gns was Dulouise Newman S615. \ MacGregor Photography

buyer was Harrison O’Connor of the Saddle Butte Ranch in Montana, which means Newman will be staying in the UK to have semen drawn for export to the US. Mr O’Connor also invested heavily in some of the female lines on the farm, securing a further two lots. His ﬁrst purchase of the day at 6,000gns was Dunlouise Jipsey Nectar N532. This nearly four-year-old cow was sired by Dunlouise Nevis L441 and from the renowned Jipsey line on the farm. She sold with her January 2017 Piledrive of Haymount bull calf at foot. The final purchase by the Montana man was 7,000gns for Dunlouise Rose P546 and her March-born bull calf Dunlouise Rebel T646. This three-year-old sees Emperor of Newark, Dunlouise Jipsey Earl and Wedderlie Evitor in her lineage. Matching Rose at the 7,000gns mark was Dunlouise Jipsey Princess P550, who

was purchased by Mr K W W Brown of the Craigowmill herd in Kinross. Sired by Dunlouise Patriot M456, she is out of Emperor of Newark daughter Dunlouise Jipsey Halle H296 and sold with her November-born heifer calf at foot. Mr Brown also purchased the joint top-priced in-calf heifer Dunlouise Kora R577 at 6,000gns and maiden heifer Dunlouise Eliza S617 at 4,200gns. All the red native animals were purchased by Scottish breeders. Purchasing two for his herd was David Ismail of Fordel Angus. He secured two full sisters at 4,000gns and 6,200gns respectively. Sire of these two were Dunlouise Red Eddard M496 while the dam was Dunlouise Red Native F207 daughter Dunlouise Red Country Babe M521. The ﬁnal red heifer of the sale was secured by the Massie family of Blelack at 4,200gns. This heifer, Dunlouise Red

Nellie R594, is out of the same cow as the embryos which topped the sale and is sired by Dunlouise Emmisary N522. Bulls in the sale were particularly strong, with four selling to average 9,300gns. Along with the aforementioned 16,000gns Newman, Dunlouise Curve Bender S611 sold for 9,000gns, Generic of Cavan son Dunlouise Einstein S625 sold for 7,200gns and Dunlouise Earlston was secured at a price tag of 5,000gns by Cogent Breeding. Thirty-seven females averaged at 4,850gns, while the 56 embryos on oﬀer averaged at 1,605gns each. Speaking after the sale, Geordie Soutar said: “I think we did quite well. The bulls sold very, very well, the embryos obviously did too. One gratifying thing was there were more UK buyers. Because the majority of our business would be overseas, I’m very happy to see more of them stay here.”

Top-priced red Angus at 6,200gns Dunlouise Red Clova Berry R597.

Joint top-priced cow and calf pair at 7,000gns Dunlouise Jipsey Princess P550 and Jipsey Snowdrop S637.

\ MacGregor Photography

PEDIGREE 41

FARMERS JOURNAL Saturday 1 July 2017

Matchetts claim ﬁrst overall all-Ireland title The Irish leg of the World Angus Forum took place over the weekend, with the AllIreland championships at Newry show one of the main attractions.

t was a day to remember for the Matchett family of Portadown in Newry last Saturday when they claimed their first overall Aberdeen Angus championship. Having previously claimed the reserve overall championship twice, the family broke their run of always the bridesmaid never the bride when Cheeklaw Emlyn P480 was tapped forward as overall champion. The three-year-old Emyln is no stranger to success, having just last month claimed the reserve supreme championships at the RUAS Balmoral Show. His sire Cardona Proud Punch has sired a number of success stories for the Cheeklaw herd, which is set to disperse this year, none more recent than siring the overall champion at last February’s Stirling bull sales. The family – Gail, Nigel, Sarah and Sam – didn’t stop there. They also picked up a first place with homebred Birches Lady Heather M026. This five-year-old cow by Carrigroe Fred was last year’s reserve supreme champion and later went on to join forces with Emlyn to claim best pair. Topping off the dream day was when both Emlyn and Lady Heather claimed top spots in the male and female interbreed championships of the show. Second prize winner to the overall champion Drumhill Lord Harry followed Emlyn all the way to the end, securing the reserve senior championship before finally being awarded the reserve supreme title by judge Desmond Mackie. This bull was purchased last February for 8,500gns at the Stirling bull sales by Pat and Finbarr Cahill as a new stock bull for their Shankhill Herd in Co Cavan. Originally bred by Northern Irish breeders Johnathon and Lisa Doyle, Lord Harry is sired by Nightingale Proud Jake and out of Blelack Lady Heather J169 who sold as a maiden heifer for 15,000gns before later being secured by the Doyle outfit. Lord Harry’s ET full brother Drumhill Lord Hatfield stood a close third in the senior class of bulls which proved to be one of the strongest. Lord Hatfield was exhibited by Kevin McOscar, Cookstown, having been purchased at Stirling in October 2016 for 11,000gns, where he also stood supreme champion. Juniors On to the junior section and Munster breeders the DeCogans and Gouldings were duly rewarded for their long journey to the Newry showgrounds. Claiming the overall junior champion with the winner of the September bull

Overall all-Ireland champion Cheeklaw Emlyn P480.

Full results: Reserve overall champion Drumhill Lord Harry.

Senior bull - born before 1 September 2015 Â Cheeklaw Emlyn P480 sired by Cardona Proud Punch from the Matchett family, Portadown, Co Armagh. Bull born between 1 September 2015 and 31 August 2016 Â Dartrey Elliot S467 sired by Dartrey Very Scotch from Bryan Johnston and Hilda Milla, Scarva, Co Down. Bull born between 1 September 2016 and 31 December 2016 Â Mogeely Memo S467 sired by Wall Royal Leo from Albert and

Jennifer DeCogan, Castlemartyr, Co Cork. Bull born between 1 January 2017 and 31 March 2017 Â Drumbeera JR T 227 sired by Oakchurch Field Marshall from Thomas Beirne, Mohill, Co Leitrim. Cow with calf at foot born before September 2014 Â Birches Lady Heather M026 sired by Carrigroe Fred from S&S Matchett, Portadown, Co Armagh. Angus cow with calf or heifer born after 1 September 2014 Â Liss Myrlo R532 sired by Mogeely Lord Harrow from John McEnroe, Oldcastle, Co Meath.

Heifer born between 1 January 2015 and 31 August 2015 Â Drummer Blackbird 853 sired by Blelack Evermore from Alan and Naomi Morrison, Maguiresbridge, Co Fermanagh. Heifer born between 1 September 2015 and 28 February 2016 Â Home Farm Ebony Stunner sired by Rosemead Karona from Fintan Keown, Bellecks, Co Fermanagh. Heifer born between 1 March 2016 and 31 August 2016 Â Knockoneill Eston Anne S002 sired by Blelack Duke from James Mallon, Swatragh, Co Derry.

Junior champion Mogeely Memo S467.

LIVERYMAN Reserve junior champion Goulding Missie S810.

class was Cork duo Albert and Jennifer DeCogan with Mogeely Memo S467. This bull had already been shown this year, claiming the junior championship at Bandon, but due to new rules remained out of action for the last 30 days previous to entering the northern-based show. This bull is out of AI sire Wall Royal Leo and out of Mogeely Miylo, who won a number of top prizes as a heifer last year and more recently this year with Memo at foot. Reserve championship honours in the junior section were awarded to Matthew and Rita Goulding, Ballyduﬀ, Co Kerry, with Goulding Missie S810. This heifer comes from one of the best show lines in the Goulding herd, having claimed senior and junior titles at a number of major events previously. Missie’s dam Missie M535 is a former Irish Angus supreme champion, while her grandam Missie K415 is a former reserve Aberdeen Angus champion. Sire behind this one was imported stock bull Abberton Eminem, who also bred the junior champion for the family at last year’s championships. Subsequent to the show, Missie S810 was secured by Kevin McOscar for his Island Farm herd.

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42 PEDIGREE

FARMERS JOURNAL Saturday 1 July 2017

Ä Continued from page 48 Mammamia was sold just last month at Carlisle for 42,000gns, so is now owned in partnership with Messrs Evans of the Penrhos herd from Wales who purchased the three top-priced heifers that day. This marks the pinnacle of her showing career, having also secured reserve interbreed at the Stars of the Future calf show last year. She now heads for Yorkshire before finishing her show career for the year at the Royal Welsh Show. This marks the first interbreed win for the Alford family who have secured three of the last four years’ Limousin championships. The family also claimed the reserve Limousin championship with Foxhillfarm Looks the Part. This Guards Boomer-sired heifer is a full sister to the aforementioned Foxhillfarm Irish Lad. Reserve supreme honours were awarded to the Simmental champion from David Craig with the 23-month-old Kennox Tara’s Gem. She is sired by Sowenna Aristocrat and out of Annick Helen’s Tara, an animal that was placed second herself three years in a row at this show. Her daughter, however, did not follow the same trend, having already secured interbreed championships at Newston and Stewardstown shows this summer before claiming the second top spot of all breeds at this year’s Highland Show. Reserve Simmental championship honours went to the day’s male champion Blackford Galaxy. Galaxy was bred and exhibited by the MacPherson family and is sired by Curlieu Knight, a former stock bull on the farm 18 years ago. This one was specially bred to be the next stock bull in the Blackford farm. Charolais Irish-bred Kilbline 1 Instigator Et claimed the top honour in the Charolais ring. This three-year-old bull was bred by the Sugrue family from Bennettsbridge, Kilkenny, but was shown by new owners the Irvine family who run the famous Inverlochy herd. Sired by Oscar and out of a Doonally new dam, the three-year-old is no stranger to success, having won the male championship at Tullamore Show in 2014 and senior championship at the National Charolais Show 2014 before being sold for €7,200 at the Charolais premier in 2015. However, up until today, Instigator’s top accolade was overall male champion at the Highland Show last year. Judge Charlie MacLean, Eastleigh, selected Firhills Lady as his reserve champion. Exhibited by Mr D H Muirhead, this two-year-old Maerdy Greanadier-sired heifer also claimed the overall female champion. While not shown as a calf, her first outing this year also proved successful as she was awarded the overall Charolais and reserve interbreed title at the Angus Show. Herefords Given the task of judging the Herefords was Alistair Smith, Newark. In total, close to 50 Herefords passed through the ring, with Tom and Di Harrison coming out on top. Their stylish two-year-old Coley 1 Pippa 356 had turned a number of onlookers’ heads when she was awarded the overall female champion. This heifer was already shown once this year, where she claimed supreme championship at the Northumberland Show. Sired by Days Calibre G74 and out of Frenchstone P 1 Boo, Pippa was originally bred by Heather Whittaker who followed the Harrisons all the way to the end claiming reserve female and reserve overall champion with her own heifer Coley 1 Clara 286. Four-year-old Clara

The reserve interbreed and Simmental champion. \ MacGregor Photography

Shorthorn champion Millerston Jester. \ MacGregor Photography

286 is sired by Blakelaw 1 Calzaghe and out of Barbern 1 Claret 2nd.

Mammamia was sold just last month at Carlisle for 42,000gns

Blondes Back on form in the Blonde d’Aquitaine ring was Balmoral champion Shanvalley Jagger from the Savage brothers, Northern Ireland. Having been awarded the male championship by judge Andrew Bailey, Jagger was later tapped forward as the supreme Blonde champion. Jagger is sired by the herd’s stock bull Seaview Barney, a bull who has secured 11 supreme championships to date, along with breeding 33 champions. This bull was purchased a few weeks ago for a new ﬁve-ﬁgure record Blonde price by the Irish partnership of Des Donohoe and Martin Lyons. Shorthorn champion Top honours in the Shorthorn ring were awarded to Tracy Severn for her stock

Blonde champion Shanvalley Jagger. \ MacGregor Photography

bull Millerston Jester. This two-year-old bull was purchased from Jack Ramsey and has since clocked up a number of top prizes, including reserve junior and reserve male at this show last year. Sired by Meonhill Charlie Chaplin, he is out of Millstown Gretta Freya. The reserve champion sash went to Northern Irish breeder James Porter of the well-known Uppermill herd for Uppermill Blythesome Kim. Both of Kim’s parents were awarded second prize at the highland in 2012 – her sire Dunsyre Demetri and her dam Uppermill Blythesome Jemma as a two-year-old. Angus Last through the show rings on Thursday evening was the Angus breed, which also saw the largest number of animals. The society held oﬀ judging the breed to cater for international delegates as part of the world Angus forum current-

ly taking place across the UK and Ireland, which only comes around every 40 years. With 144 animals present at the event two judges took centre stage – Harry Emslie looking after the females and Michael Alford taking care of the bulls. Claiming the overall champion was the female and junior champion Carlhurlie Darcie S134. This heifer was exhibited by Mr and Mrs A Cormack but was originally bred by the late A R Grieve. She was purchased at the dispersal of the Carlhurlie herd last December for 3,800gns. The yearling Darcie was sired by Skaill Dido and out of Carlhurlie Dardanius. Reserve overall title in the Angus section was secured by the male champion Balmachie Rodger from Messers John Lascelles. This two-year-old bull was sired by homebred bull Balmachie Ben Vorlich who also sired the sale topper at Stirling last February. The dam is Balmachie Rachel K097 who goes back to Ranui breed-

PEDIGREE 43

FARMERS JOURNAL Saturday 1 July 2017

Dairy

Newbirks Jazz. \ MacGregor Photography

Angus champion Carlhurlie Darcie S134. \ MacGregor Photography

Royal Highland Show champions 2017. \ MacGregor Photography

Dairy breeds took centre stage at the show on the Friday with all eyes focused on the main prize in the evening â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the dairy interbreed title. It was to be the day of the HolVWHLQ EUHHG ZLWK 5REHUW DQG (ODLQH %XWWHUoHOG VHFXULQJ the supreme title with Newbirks Jazz. This third calver calved in April and is currently giving 63kg after racking up a 13,400kg lactation last year. Sired by Comestar /DXDQJXDUG WKLV PD[LPXP VFRUHG (; FODVVLoHG FRZ was bought as a heifer in milk and has since been awarded champion at the Great Yorkshire Show last year, as well as second in Europe at the European Champions Show. Close on Jazzâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s heels was the Ayrshire champion, and subsequently reserve interbreed champion Changue 0DUWKD IURP 0U 0XQJR %U\VRQ 7KLV oIWK FDOYHG &KDQJXH Stadium daughter is projected to give 11,000 litres this ODFWDWLRQ &ODVVLoHG (; DIWHU WZR HYDOXDWLRQV 0DUWKD has previously secured championships at the Dairy Expo Carlisle, Agriscot and Ayr.

Sheep

Commercial champion Golden Girl. \ MacGregor Photography

Blue champion Solway View Illusion. \ MacGregor Photography

The sheep interbreed champion. \ MacGregor Photography

The Charollais breed came out on top in the sheep interbreed category. Willie and Carole Ingramâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Logie Durno pRFN VHFXUHG WKH FKDPSLRQVKLS ZLWK D WZR FURS HZH E\ Riverdale Noble from a Southam ewe bought for 1,800gns. In reserve was the traditional Bluefaced Leicester champion from R A McClymont and Son. This two-year-old shearing ram is jointly owned by Philiphaugh Estates and was bought at Kelso last year for ÂŁ3,200. This was the 5HG &RWWDJH 7XS VLUHG UDP V oUVW RXWLQJ

Salers champion Drumlegagh Kyra \ MacGregor Photography

ing from New Zealand. Belgian Blue The overall Belgian Blue championship was awarded to the three-year-old ďŹ rst calver Solway View Illusion from Kevin Watret. This family is steeped in highland success with the grandam of Illusion also claiming the overall championship at the show back in 2009 and 2010, while her great-great-grandmother won it in 2008. This Solway View Dynamite-sired cow was shown beside her naturally born February calf. Reserve championship was awarded to Charlotte Alford with Rhymill Kylie. This two-year-old heifer was purchased privately last autumn, and has secured a number of championships at local shows already this year. She is sired is by Gitan Du Pâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Tit Mayeur and out of Lakeview Dancer.

Hereford champion Coley 1 Pippa 356\ MacGregor Photography

Galloway Repeating last yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s performance to claim the overall Galloway championship for the second year running was Messers J Finlayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Blackcraig Sid. This six-year-old bull is sired by homebred stock bull Blackcraig Nimrod and out of Finmac Libby. Belted Galloway honours went to Mochrum Lilac 6th from Mochrum Estates. This four-year-old was junior champion two years ago and her daughter repeated that feat, picking up the same accolade. Lilac is sired by Lullenden Randall and out of Mochrum Lila. Salers John Elliot and his family from Northern Ireland were again out in force in the Salers ring oďŹ&#x20AC; the back of a highly successful Balmoral Show where they claimed both champion and reserve. They secured the overall breed champi-

onship with Drumlegagh Kyra, a threeyear-old Franfran daughter from homebred Drumlegagh Elise. This heifer is well used to the show ring, having secured the junior champion at both the Balmoral Show and the Highland Show in 2016. Commercial Charolais-sired Golden Girl secured the overall championship in the commercial ring for owner Jennifer Hyslop. This 18-month-old heifer by a Charolais sire is out of a Limousin cross cow and had already secured championships at Dalry, Stewarton, Newmilns and Straiton this year. Reserve honours went to Northern Ireland breeders Dermot and Gareth Small for their yearling heifer Taboo. This Swarland Eddie-sired heifer won her class at Balmoral, along with the best exhibitor-bred animal last month.

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44 PEDIGREE

FARMERS JOURNAL Saturday 1 July 2017

25th IHFA national open day

he Irish Holstein Friesian Association is all geared up for its 25th anniversary of its national open day on Thursday 6 July. The event this year takes place on the farm of Victor Jackson, who runs the Crossnacole herd in Kiltegan, Co Wicklow. This is the second time the national open day has visited the Wicklow-based Friesian herd, the first time being the very first open day held by the IHFA. With his herd now at 140 cows, Victor is the third generation on the farm with dairy as the main enterprise. The farm has a liquid contract to Glanbia for 2,250 litres per day. Since its formation, the herd has invested heavily in top cow families from around the world. It has selected top animals to maximise grass use, leading to efficient yields while also delivering in terms of functionality and quality. Performance Victor says cow type and functionality are critical for overall performance and, with this in mind, 90% of the herd is now classified either VG or EX. The national open day is a free event for all and will also see a celebratory sale of youngstock featuring 15 descendants from the Precious family. The farm is less than two miles from Kiltegan, Co Wicklow, and will be signposted on the day.

At the launch of the IHFA National Holstein Friesian Open Day in Kiltegan, Co Wicklow, were Katie Alexander, niece of host farmer Victor Jackson, Crossnacole Holsteins; William Connolly of Connolly’s Redmills, sponsor; and Charles Gallagher IHFA CE. \ John Caffrey

ÁIHFA national open day, Crossnacole herd, Kiltegan, Co Wicklow, Thurs 6 July 12pm: Inter club, Open, YMA under 12 and Macra na Feirme stock judging. 2pm: 2IoFLDO RSHQLQJ E\ 0LQLVWHU of State for Food, Forestry and

Horticulture Andrew Doyle TD. 2.30pm: Presentation of Crossnacle Holsteins. 4pm: Presentations; Interclub stock judging sponsored by

Connolly’s Red Mills; National Herds Competition sponsored by Greenvale Animal Feeds. 4.30pm: Celebration sale.

A trade display of products and services by companies servicing the dairy industry and the AgriAware Family Farm will be on display throughout the day.

Beef farmers must adapt to meet future markets Grainne Horan talks through the main points of the Consumption to Conception conference held as part of the World Angus Forum.

ore than 300 delegates from across the world gathered in the Assembly Rooms in Edinburgh last weekend to attend the Consumption to Conception conference as part of the World Angus Forum 2017. Issues such as changing consumer needs and market speciﬁcation took centre stage. Global food security Professor Julie Fitzpatrick, director of the Moredun Institute, highlighted the importance of livestock in global food security. It is estimated that by 2020, the global population will rise to 9bn, which will see 30% more water required, 30% more energy and 50% more food. Julie pointed out that at the moment over one-

third of the global food production is lost through waste. If we reduced the loss of food through waste, we would only need to increase food production by around 20%. She also highlighted the need for sustainable intensiﬁcation – more food, fewer inputs and less waste. Changing consumer needs The second speaker was Tom Slay, agricultural manager at Marks & Spencer. He outlined the importance of understanding changing consumer needs. He said that with the growth of online avenues, everything is instant, and the producer must be agile to meet these needs. He said global meat consumption has increased by 1.4% in 2017, but beef is still growing slower than poultry in the UK, with an increase of 6% in Ireland this year. Customers are trading down to the cheaper cuts of meat due to convenience and ease of cooking. Tom said Marks & Spencer is looking for carcase balance in the meat it buys, as smaller cuts of meat are fulﬁlling the customer’s needs. As Tom put it, consistent carcases fall straight into the pack to the shelves,

and there is no waste and excess trimming needed. Tom also highlighted the positive assurance for producers of Aberdeen Angus Beef, with 79% of consumers recognising Aberdeen Angus as shorthand for quality. One sample for life Dr Johan De Meulemeester of Allﬂex led with the idea of one sample for life. He said consumers are losing trust in food from animal origin, so traceability for consumers is key. A study was carried out in France in 2015 asking consumers what was traceability, and two-thirds of those in the study wanted to know the origin of the animal. If a DNA sample is taken from the animal at birth, throughout the production chain at any point that meat can be DNA-matched and provide verification giving consumers an added guarantee, according to Johan. He also gave food for thought on the growing popularity of farmers’ markets, pointing out that they fulﬁl a key consumers criteria, the idea of the produce coming straight from the farm to the customer.

Monitoring animals The second half of the day began with Professor Robert Smith from the University of Edinburgh. He outlined the importance of monitoring animals to improve farm management in regard to fertility, health and feed for breed improvement and to assess/validate welfare claims such as lameness. Focus on consumer Rob Drysdale from West Point Farm Vets is a past Nuﬃeld scholar who runs an integrated beef system of mainly Hereford genetics. He too outlined the importance of concentrating on the customer and ensuring the consistency of the product. The importance of consistency was a clear message from Rob, who pointed out that in factories today chickens have a 2-3% tolerance, while meat stands at 30% tolerance due to the different carcase weights and sizes. Feed conversion Professor Richard Dewhurst of Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) spoke about feed conversion eﬃciency in beef cattle. The cost of feed conver-

sion efficiency stands at between £500 and £1,000 per animal, making it one of the largest variable costs. Richard said it is believed that the genes in the rumen are influenced by the animal’s genes. There are compounds produced in the rumen that affect tissue metabolism which at 37% stands as the largest component of feed efficiency. Richard said waste is a key problem, with 13.6% of beef carcases too fat in 2010. This serves as a double whammy – feeding animals too long produces excess fat that then has to be trimmed. Getting it right at farm level Gavin Hill, senior beef specialist at SRUC, reiterated the need to get it right at farm level in order to provide consistent products to the processor. DNA was again highlighted as the unique selling point of Angus. It is given a premium in the marketplace. Market specifications are also changing, with deadweight limits of 400kg/420kg, and Angus can fit into these parameters very easily. Gavin outlined the importance of adapting on the farm to have the right system for the environment and to suit the market.

MACHINERY 1 July 2017

Pit master First drive of the JCB 419S

SEEDING & SPRAYING ON 9,000 ACRES IN CANADA

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UNDER THE HOOD The ﬁrst drive of the JCB 419s

n this week’s machinery section I got the chance to put JCB’s latest offering, the 419s, through its paces on a silage pit in Laois and found it to be a worthy replacement for the popular 418s. This machine was the first one to go into use on this island since its launch at SIMA back in February. In the second part of Peter Thomas Keaveney’s Canadian series, he looks at the seeding and spraying equipment and operations on the Alistair 9000-acre operation. Mechanical stone picking is also used on the farm, which Chambers would have made a lot of our lives easier over the years if it was a viable solution here. The sheer size of the gear makes for serious output that is unheard of in this country. On the motoring page I report on my test drive of the Mercedes E Class All-Terrain on and off road. I found that the big comfy motorway eater has some other skills. In vintage, Simon Henley looks at David Brown’s first attempt at getting into the Turbo-charged tractor market. achambers@farmersjournal.ie

The New 240, the Hattat 240s is now available in Ireland.

Little red hits the market The Hattat 240s has been introduced to the Irish market by Billy O’Dwyer Farm Machinery. The 240 is produced under licence from Massey Ferguson by Hattat in Turkey. For this reason, it could easily be mistaken for the original 240 which was a firm favourite on Irish farms. The 240s comes with a 48hp engine and power steering. It weighs in at exactly 2t. A cab and pick-up hitch are options which I believe most, if not all Irish

buyers will go for. Billy O’Dwyer Farm Machinery is based near Thurles in Co Tipperary. Billy’s marketing slogan for the new 240s is: “The dream of red continues.” Billy held an open day earlier this month and said there was great interest in the little red. Hattat also produces a larger T4000 series tractor which produces 102 HP from a Perkins four-cylinder engine, with 24 forward and 24 reverse synchro shut-

tle. It has a lift capacity of 4.5t and weighs 3.88t with no weights on board. Interestingly, the Hattat company has been producing Valtra A series tractors in Turkey since 2007 under an agreement with Valtra which stemmed from a previous agreement where Hattat sold Valtra products in Turkey. With the New A series on the horizon, this agreement should push on the technical ability of this Turkish operation.

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FTMTA NEWS

FTMTA AGM The 2017 annual general meeting of the Farm Tractor & Machinery Trade Association (FTMTA) will take place at noon on Thursday 7 September at the FTMTA oﬃces near Naas. Full details, including the agenda and associated material, will be issued by email only to FTMTA member ﬁrms in due course.

JH Fitzpatrick McHale demonstration day FTMTA member ﬁrm JH Fitzpatrick Ltd. of Monasterevin, Co Kildare, will hold a McHale demonstration day on Friday 30 June. The event will take place one mile from Monasterevin on the old Limerick Road from 11am to 4pm. There will be demonstrations of mowing, baling, wrapping and stacking, with a full range of McHale machinery demonstrating on the day.

SlurryKat equipment is now available from BMS in Co Laois.

SlurryKat appoints new dealer in the south Bailey Machinery Sales (BMS) has been appointed SlurryKat dealer for the Republic of Ireland, supplying all types of slurry-handling equipment such as umbilical systems, slurry tankers, agitators, nurse tanks and pumps. It also oﬀers a full trailer range including silage and grain trailers, dump trailers, low loaders and bale trailers, as well as shear grabs and road sweepers. Speaking about the new appointment, SlurryKat CEO Garth Cairns said: “We are delighted and encouraged to team up with such an enthusiastic and energetic company such as BMS. We feel working

with Darren and his team will give SlurryKat true representation and service for the southern half of the country.” BMS is located in Rathdowney, Co Laois, and is ideally situated only three miles from junction three on the M8 allowing for nationwide sales and service coverage. BMS’s managing director Darren Bailey said: “I have full confidence in the SlurryKat equipment and I am excited to introduce quality and eﬃcient machinery to customers, both new and old, in the south.”

– ALISTAIR CHAMBERS

FTMTA farm machinery trade auction Be a part of a stronger farm machinery industry – join the Farm Tractor and Machinery Trade Association – contact FTMTA at 045 409309 or membership @ftmta.ie for details.

The FTMTA Farm Machinery Trade Auction announced last week has received a lot of interest. The auction, to be held in conjunction with well-known auctioneering firm Paul Cooke Auctions, will take place at Punchestown Event Centre on Saturday 30 September. It must be reiterated that this auction will facilitate the sales of lots coming from FTMTA member ﬁrms only and lots from other sources will not be considered.

Viewing will be open at Punchestown, the long-time home of the biennial FTMTA Farm Machinery Show, on the two days prior to the auction, Thursday and Friday 28 and 29 September. Full details, including photographs, of most lots will be available online at www.paulcookeauctions.com in advance of the auction. Bidding will be possible onsite, online or through a pre-bid service. FTMTA members have received information about the auction in recent days and further information is available from the FTMTA office on 045 409309 or at info@ftmta.ie.

Agricultural mechanisation degree closing date With the completion of the Leaving Certiﬁcate examinations, school leavers interested in pursuing a career as service technicians in the farm machinery industry should not lose sight of the looming closing date for receipt of applications for admission to the Bachelor of Science (Agricultural Mechanisation) course in IT Tralee on 1 July. The application form and further information are available from the Courses section of the IT Tralee website. The course is a direct entry programme and, to apply for a place on the course, prospective students, in addition to meeting the required educational standard, must have been accepted by a sponsoring farm machinery business who will provide the required work placements. Proof of acceptance by a sponsoring farm machinery business is an essential part of the application process.

Introducing the Farmers Journal Scotland team Bringing you unrivalled farming news and technical content every week.

John Sleigh Editor

jsleigh@farmersjournal.co.uk

Sarah Anderson

News Correspondent sanderson@farmersjournal.co.uk

Phelim O’Neill

Lorrie Kyle

Markets Specialist

News Correspondent

poneill@farmersjournal.co.uk

lkyle@farmersjournal.co.uk

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FARMERS JOURNAL Saturday 1 July 2017

Pushing grass with Having been launched at Sima earlier this year, the ﬁrst of these machines are starting to make their way to this island. Alistair Chambers got to drive one of the ﬁrst arrivals

The new JCB 419S looks the part on a pit of silage.

The 419 was a huge upgrade from the previous loader which is to be expected as it is one step above in the range

his is the first JCB 419S to get into the hands of an Irish contractor. Having arrived in Laois about a month ago, the specification makes for impressive reading. The 419S Agri has replaced the 418S Agri in the JCB range. It comes with a 6.7-litre Cummins six-cylinder engine. Max power is up 5% on the older model to 183hp and the engine meets latest emissions rules using only an AdBlue injecting SCR system and DOC – no particulate filter is needed. The ZF six-speed powershift provides torque converter lock-up in all gears for silage pit climbing, and a top road speed of up to 48km/h make this machine very useful for Irish contractors who tend with our small field and job size to spend a lot of time on the road. An all-new front and rear chassis design, longer wheelbase

and bigger axles enable larger tyres to be fitted, and the 419S Agri can run on tyres sizes up to 750/65 R26s. The new axles are available with limited slip differentials front and rear, and a new auto locking differential can be installed on machines likely to operate in challenging conditions. The front end can be equipped with standard and high-lift loader arms, load-over heights range from 3.48m to 3.71m and the newcomer has a full-turn tipping load of almost 6.9t. The cab is 15% bigger than the previous design, and new controls provide in-cab adjustment of auxiliary oil flow, the speed at which the optional boom suspension engages, and timing intervals for the auto-reversing engine fan option to suit different conditions. An integrated remote camera display is also available.

Both the new joystick and multi-lever hydraulic control feature a thumb-operated shuttle switch and provide proportional control of all loader functions. But what do all these facts and ﬁgures mean when you put it on to a heap of grass? On the pit Climbing up into the 419 is a welcoming experience: the new cab feels every bit of the 15% bigger that JCB says it is. This added to the extra glass stretching right down to floor level either side of the instrument panel and pedals make for a major improvement in visibility. Getting going is a simple as a ﬂick of a switch on the A pillar and on the joystick to release the hand brake and engage drive. Also on the joystick is a switch for the third service. Which in this case

is used for the folding action of the 12ft rake. Once under way and up the pit, the JCB climbs very well with lots of power, this is greatly helped by the torque converter lockup engaging above 1500rpm and the loader feels as if it would drive through a wall. While driving around on the pit doing a spot of rolling, the 419 was very nimble and changes of direction using the new ZF transmission were seamless once I had gotten used to it. Then the next trailer arrived in the yard and tipped its load of grass. This test occurred just at the end of the recent warm spell and the grass was well wilted and low-moisture. The trailers being used were 18ft Kanes. Once lined up at the load and sent at it, the new JCB pushed a full forkful at its ease and lifted the full scoop

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JCB’s latest oﬀering The new pillar-mounted buttons control all the essentials including the torque converter lock up.

Climbing with the torque converter lockup

The joystick carries out all the functions required to work on a silage pit.

Visibility from the new cab is very impressive.

The rear styling will be familiar to most JCB users.

The 419S handled a 12ft rake with ease.

and climbed the pit easily once the torque lockup engaged. The hydraulic system showed no sign of stress lifting the load and the shaking out of the grass across the pit was easily done due to the speed at which the hydraulics reacted to my hand movements on the joystick. Tidying of the pit using a raking action either in forward or reverse was easy to control with the pace and smoothness of the hydraulics. The full load was delivered up the pit and spread in two trips. This was possible with the type of grass that was present but in a wetter time more trips may be required. The 6.7l engine never came under any strain and made a very reassuring throaty roar when asked to climb or push. This loader is owned by Thompson and Son Agri from Co Laois. The 419 came as a replacement for a 2012 416S with 5500 hours of hard labour. Driver

Michael Delaney he said the 419 was a huge upgrade from the previous loader, which is to be expected as it is one step above in the range. Verdict The latest oﬀering from JCB to the loading shovel market does everything it is meant to do and more. Some of the new features really make it stand out from the older range and with the rest of the 41 range due to get the same upgrades in the near future, one of Ireland’s favourite ranges of pit climbers will stack up very well against its competition. Though the 419S is now one of the smaller machines being used on pits across the country, I believe that it punches well above its weight and that its comparatively small size allows it to be a useful tool in any business all year round.

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Precision technology pays dividend In part two of Peter Thomas Keaveney’s series from Canada, he looks at the seeding and spraying operations

ustin tries to hit the ground running and he emphasises that an early sowing date is key. He aims to begin seeding in mid-April each year. Dustin runs a 74ft Seedmaster drill (7412) with two John Deere 1910 carts, one of which is pulled ahead of the drill and the other pulled behind the drill. These carts have three compartments in each and they contain both seed and fertiliser. Each of the three compartments can be monitored from screens inside the tractor. The operator can monitor how much product is in each compartment and the technology on this drill will notify the operator on the monitor if any of the towers are blocked. These are 430 bushel carts (almost 12t each when full) and are priced at $350,000 each. This is Dustin’s first year pulling two carts alongside his drill. This method is very unusual. It has a combined length of over 150ft, which is very long, especially for turning at headlands and transportation on roadways. However, the carts surprisingly follow the tractor extremely well. Dustin is one of the first people to try this double-cart system and he remarked that he is very happy with the new venture. Compaction is a prominent issue in Canada, so dual wheels are placed on as much of the machinery and tractors as possible. This outfit is pulled by a 9570RX fourtrack John Deere tractor. Dustin noted that he has compared both the 9570R John Deere tractors on wheels (eight 800/70/R38 tyres) and tracks and the four-track (RX model) is far superior when it comes to traction and flotation on poorer soils and wetter land. However, the RX model comes with a price tag of almost $80,000 more than the wheeled tractor. In recent years, tractors on tracks have begun to lead the way in tractor sales across Canada. Dustin informed us that he feels all bigger tractors will go towards tracks in the coming years. This 9570RX weighs a massive 26,761kg. When full of seed and fertiliser, the drill has the capacity to sow over 45 acres per hour, depending on the seed being sown. The dual-shoot seed boot system, which Seedmaster offers, delivers two air streams, allowing the placement of seed and starter fertiliser in the seed row. This system has 12in spacing between each seed row. The drill applies fertiliser 1.5in away and 0.75in deeper than the seed. Canola is sown at a depth of 0.75in, durum is sown at a depth of 1.25 in and chickpeas, lentils and field peas are sown at a depth of 1.5in below the surface. The drill is double-shifted and it is working 24 hours

per day to warrant maximum productivity. The model is a TXB wide M-fold and it has a working width of 74ft, a transport width of 24ft and a transport height of 18ft. This drill has recently completed its third season. When new, the machine cost almost $500,000. Dustin is a big believer of John Deere’s Greenstar and Autotrac guidance systems while pulling the majority of implements, especially the drill. The Autotrac guidance system is linked to the 10in touchscreen command centre inside the cab. The accuracy of this system is incredible. University research shows that automated guidance pays for itself within two years, with an average of a 10% reduction in inputs – a huge cost-saving over 9,000 acres. All tractors on the farm are kitted out with the best LED lighting package available. This boosts visibility by a whopping 40% at night compared with standard lighting packages. Following the drill are three articulated Kenworth trucks, which are constantly drawing nitrogen, phosphorous and seed to keep the drill going. After seeding A new John Deere 6130R and a Degleman stone picker work ahead of the roller to ensure all rocks are picked. This stone picker is run off the tractor’s hydraulics and works very well. This particular model has a working width of 5ft and a transport width of 9ft 4in. It has a capacity of two cubic yards and requires 70hp to 150hp to drive it. The stone picker was purchased new this year at a cost of $22,000. The roller is a 51ft Degleman and it is pulled by a new 6215R John Deere. There is no water in the roller, for two reasons. Firstly, to avoid unwanted compaction and, secondly, it is just a matter of covering over the seed and fertiliser, which is sown relatively shallow at a depth of 2in to 3in. The roller is operated off the John Deere green star guidance and auto-steer system, which provides for simple and straightforward driver operation. This particular roller has completed a number of seasons on Dustin’s farm. When it was purchased new, it cost almost $40,000. Spraying Dustin runs a John Deere 4940 self-propelled sprayer, the largest sprayer Deere offers. This machine has a stainless steel tank with a storage capacity of 4,542 litres (1,200 gallons). The sprayer is now in its third season and it cost over $600,000 when it was new. Since then, Dustin has put up over 1,000 hours on its clock. The sprayer has a boom working width of 120ft (36.5m). This machine is powered by John Deere’s own 9-litre PowerTech PSX engine. This

The sprayer has a boom working width of 120ft (36.5m).

Dustin runs a 74ft Seedmaster drill (7412) with two John Deere 1910 Carts one which is pulled ahead of the drill and the other is pulled behind the drill.

is a six-cylinder engine which has a maximum output of 340hp. The 4940 has a variable-speed hydrostatic ground drive and operates full-time with four-wheel-drive. The hydrostatic handle allows for speed change in the ﬁeld or on the road simply by pressing the plus or minus button. Field speeds are changed in increments of 1.6km/h (1mph), while, in transport mode, the transmission adjusts in 8km/h (5mph) increments. This machine has a maximum road speed of 56km/h (35mph). Dustin sprays at a speed 14mph to 20mph, depending on wind and dust. Once you pass 20mph, a safety feature on the John Deere Autotrac will knock

oﬀ the auto-steer system. Dustin can cover up to 245 acres per hour while spraying at a rate of ﬁve gallons per acre. This sprayer has racked up a total acre count of over 100,100 acres on its monitor. A Kenworth truck with a 6,500-gallon water tanker constantly follows the sprayer when it is working to ensure as little downtime as possible. The sprayer weighs 16,225kg (35,770lb) and it is on 710/70/R36 tyres. Dustin uses these big tyres for spraying land in the spring before seeding takes place, which allows the sprayer to travel almost anywhere. Dustin explained to us that he will be buying a new sprayer for the 2018

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The John Deere 4940 self-propelled sprayer, the largest sprayer John Deere offers.

The drill has a combined length of 150ft.

season and he intends to order it on 800/70/R38 tyres for increased ﬂotation and less compaction. Once seed emergence takes place, narrower crop tyres are put on to the sprayer. Dustin’s sprayer is kitted out with John Deere’s Section Control Pro and BoomTrac Pro. These are both additional extras. Sectional control is integrated into the sprayer’s guidance system and it has the ability to automatically turn on and oﬀ each nozzle on the boom. This ensures that no area will be sprayed twice. Dustin is a huge fan of this system: “Sectional control provides the driver with assurance that he did not over-spray any crops.”

Picking stones Canadian-style.

BoomTrac Pro is John Deere’s auto boom height-sensing system. Its objective is to increase application accuracy and eﬃciency by keeping a more consistent boom height above the crop. This in turn reduces the probability of any drift occurring. Drift has always been a problem because, often, neighbouring ﬁelds have no physical boundary. If the boom is set too high while applying herbicide, there is a good chance the spray will follow any wind currents and cause harm to neighbouring crops. BoomTrac Pro will also protect the boom from coming into contact with the ground.

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FARM SAFETY Summer help on dairy farm Dairy farms use a lot of family labour but summer work in the ﬁelds of a dairy farm brings many hidden dangers, writes Jack Kennedy While most of the cows in Scotland calve in 12 to 14 weeks, one of the main advantages of European dairy farming is the fact that most dairy farms use a lot of family labour. Compared with some of the other major global dairy producing countries such as New Zealand and Amer-

ica, Irish dairy farms are relatively small in scale. In New Zealand, for example, the average size of dairy herds is well over 400 cows per farm. Essentially this means most farm workers are employed (non-family members). On many Irish and European farms,

this is not the case, and much of the work is completed by non-paid workers or family members and workers. While this oﬀers an advantage in terms of reduced outlay for wages etc, it can bring disadvantages in terms of health and safety. Young family members are often

doing so much during the summer that they are rushing from one job to the next in order to be in time for GAA training, music lessons or simply rushing inside to go on the computer. As the farm owner and director of the business, don’t allow rushing or running between

jobs as a large number of accidents happen when a time pressure comes on. The job might be better oﬀ uncompleted rather than a rushed job where someone gets injured in the process.

Heavy equipment

Round bales of hay & straw

The good spell of weather up to now has seen D ORW RI WKH o UVW FXW VLODJH FRPSOHWHG DQG HYHQ some hay baled. Rushing to beat the weather often means safety comes under pressure. Moving round bales is a dangerous job not just for the person driving the tractor and loader but for WKRVH LQ WKH o HOG DQG PD\EH DURXQG WKH WUDFWRU and trailer. Make sure all children realise that the weight of the big bales could crush them if they

On dairy farms a very early start for milking can often leave an operator very tired in the afternoon, especially after food in the middle of the day and more importantly on very warm muggy days. Spreading slurry can be a particularly slow and monotonous job and there can be a strong danger of falling asleep at the wheel. Take a break – get down out of the tractor on long draws, get something to drink, and, if you have to, turn off the tractor and lie down for a break.

fell in the wrong place. Try and keep them away from where you are loading but in your line of sight. Don’t let children climb up on round bales. Always be mindful of loading round bales where WKHUH DUH RYHUKHDG ZLUHV (YHQ LQ ELJ o HOGV EH careful of overhead wires and place the trailer for loading in a space where there are no wires overhead. Again, when unloading back in the yard pick a spot where there is no chance you can catch the wires with a bale on the loader.

Moving stock :KHQ PRYLQJ \RXQJ VWRFN IURP o HOG WR o HOG EH FDUHIXO RI VWRFN WKDW KDYH EHHQ out of sheds and untouched for a number of weeks. In large groups they can often run wild as they have had little or no human contact since they left sheds. Try and coax them in with meal or nuts and make them follow you rather than trying to force them.

Calving time

Stock bulls

As the AI season is more or less over for most dairy farms, stock bulls have been released on many. Mixing young and old bulls can lead to the bulls jostling for superiority. Be conscious of this and don’t get in the way. Maybe leave the bulls in the paddock rather than bring them in for milking. Be conscious of family members that might not be as familiar or as wary of bulls. Vasectomised bulls can be equally as aggressive and dangerous as stock bulls. Some farmers will paint the stock bulls from head to toe with a very illuminous colour (yellow along the head and back) to make it easy to pick out the bull and alert DQ\RQH LQ WKH o HOG RI LWV ORFDWLRQ YHU\ TXLFNO\

Be conscious of family members that might not be as familiar or as wary of bulls

While most of the cows in Ireland calve in 10 to 12 weeks in the spring some calve in June, July, August and September. These are either late spring calvers or cows destined to produce milk over the winter. One of the most dangerous times to be around cows is at or shortly after calving when they are very protective of the newborn. At this time of the year what can make it more dangerous is that often the cow is out in the paddock when calving so there is no gate to protect the person when he/she goes to help calve the cow or check on the newborn. Always have someone with you or drive in with a tractor or jeep to give you some protection. If and when you can, check a cow calving outside in the paddock.

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ROAD TEST Mercedes E-Class New Mercedes All-Terrain a class act Alistair Chambers drives the 4x4 Mercedes E-Class and ﬁnds it to be capable all-rounder

he E All-Terrain is MercedesBenz’s attempt at an off-roadish version of its very popular and successful new E-Class, which has grabbed a major chunk of the German saloon market this year but you may wonder why would you want a slightly higher four-wheel-drive version of the already very accomplished E-Class estate. I had the pleasure of spending a week trying to answer this question. From the moment I collected the Merc, it exuded an air of quality, from the beautifully machined metal switch gear which functioned with a real feel of solidity to the way the door closed with a solid thud. However, it took a while to figure out how to get the E-Class moving – there is absolutely nothing resembling a gear stick. Movement is started using an extra stalk off the steering column, not dissimilar to a shuttle many of us are used to on a tractor, but much more refined. Once on the move, the E-Class acts exactly how you would expect a Mercedes to act on the road. On the motorway run towards home it went about its business and wafted me along with all the comfort and poise you would expect from an executive estate in this class. The fact that this car claims to have some off-road capability doesn’t seem to affect its motorway manners. Once off the motorway and on to more twisty stuff, the Merc is good but not brilliant. The steering is direct but lacks a little in feel for it to inspire confidence at pace cross-country. Body roll is less of an issue than you might expect from the slightly raised position of the All-Terrain. With the 4-matic system, grip is never going to be an issue. From a practical point of view, the estate is cavernous inside and there is plenty of room for family, pets and lots more. The boot is big enough for at least three Labradors or two good-sized calves, whichever you prefer. The test car came with cream leather interior which I personally don’t like the look of but during the recent warm spell id did remove a massive amount of heat

The All-Terrain showed decent off-road ability.

VITAL

SPECS

Mercedes Benz E220d 4Matic All-Terrain. Engine size: 1950cc. Power: 194 BHP. 0-100km/h 8 seconds. Top speed: 231km/h. Fuel consumption (claimed): 5.3 l/100km Co2. 137g/km Road Tax: £130. Price as tested: £38,320.

From the front, the E-Class strikes an impressive pose.

from the cabin when I first got in. If Mercedes insists on calling this the All-Terrain, I had to bring it off-road to see if it was in any way capable of dragging its sizeable frame across anything rougher than a gravel driveway. In order to give it a decent test I brought it to Millbrook off-road centre and tried it on some of the more gentle terrain that they have available. Much to my surprise, the Mercedes had sufficient clearance once the air suspension was raised from its standard 120mm

The Mercedes has surprisingly good ground clearance.

height to 150mm to straddle a high middle lane. The 150mm ride height in conjunction with the 20in wheels make it an imposing vehicle. Once the E-Class was pointed up a hill and asked to climb it, it went about it fuss-free and got up all but the steepest hill where there weren’t any clearance issues. The Mercedes is by no means a Land Cruiser beater, but it still will get a lot further oﬀ the beaten track than a standard rear-wheel drive E-Class estate.

Verdict The All-Terrain is an interesting crossover from the luxury to the oﬀ-road, with its plastic wheel arches and increased ride height the only noticeable difference between it and the class leading standard E-Class. On the road the difference is negligible but on the rough stuff the All-terrain is very accomplished. The engine is perfectly powerful enough to make it an enjoyable drive. The E-Class is a class act and a very good and practical addition to the range.

Charity jeep and van run in Laois

The mini SUV market is growing fast There are approximately 1.1m mini SUVs sold in Europe each year and it is expected that number will rise to 2m by 2020 – about 1 in every 10 cars sold. At least one of the main manufacturers seem to be releasing new model into this segment on a nearly weekly basis at the minute Skoda has just released the Karoq, a replacement for the Yeti. It will ﬁt directly into the

market below its current Kodiak oﬀering. Five engine variants are available from 85 kW (115 bhp) to 140 kW (190 BHP), of which four are new. A number of Simply Clever features are also included in the brand’s new compact SUV, including a rear-seat VarioFlex system and a virtual pedal for the hands-free opening of the boot. It is also possible to comfortably transport especially

long items in the interior of the compact SUV by folding back the front passenger seat. Meanwhile, the Kia Stonic, based on the new Rio hatch, will have 2WD and 4WD versions, lots of personalisation and up-to-the-minute infotainment and safety systems. The Stonic is described as the “most customisable Kia ever”. A Targa-style roof means you can have a two-tone paint ﬁnish. There are 20 two-tone

The Kia Stonic will be available in Ireland from October.

colour combinations. Engines will include a turbo 1-litre T-GDI petrol (120PS), a 1.25-litre turbo and a 1.4-litre naturally aspirated petrol, as

well as a 1.6l diesel. The Stonic is due to be shown ﬁrst in September and is expected on these shores in October.

Camross will be the venue for a world record attempt called the Red Run on Saturday 1 July. The local community are attempting to break the world record for the most light commercial vehicles in a convoy. The event will start at 5pm in Camross Village. The event is set to raise much-needed funds for the county’s Red Cross Ambulance Fund.

54 MACHINERY

FARMERS JOURNAL Saturday 1 July 2017

VINTAGE David Brown 1410 and 1412 Simon Henley looks back at how David Brown, then Britain’s third-largest tractor manufacturer, responded to the introduction of turbocharging technology in the mid-1970s

he David Brown 1410 and 1412 models made their debuts in December 1974. These were the most powerful tractors produced by the Yorkshire-based manufacturer at the time and featured a new 91hp turbocharged version of David Brown’s 3.6-litre four-cylinder engine. The 1410 was equipped as standard with David Brown’s four-range threespeed synchromesh manual gearbox. The 1412 used David Brown’s pioneering Hydra-Shift transmission, which had initially been introduced on the naturally-aspirated 72hp DB 1212 in 1971. The Hydra-Shift transmission was a 12F/4R unit which combined hydraulically operated clutch packs and band brakes to drive two sets of epicyclic gears. This system provided four clutchless power-shift ratios in three forward ranges and one reverse. Greater power In addition to offering greater power, the new models featured a larger-diameter clutch fitted with a heavy-duty lining. The back axle was strengthened and equipped with larger final drive units. Stopping power was provided by selfbalancing oil-immersed disc brakes and hydraulic lift capacity of the tractors was increased from 1,000kg to 1,200kg. In December 1975, David Brown introduced a new Q-cab, which would become standard equipment on all models by mid-1976. The following year, it introduced the Sekura Deluxe cab as an option on the 1210/1212 and 1410/1412 models, which was built at the Danish cab company’s factory at Barnsley in Yorkshire. Like the 1210 model, the 1410 was available with four-wheel drive. Introduced

David Brown 1410 Sekura cab interior.

in 1976, the four-wheel drive 1410 was equipped with a German-built Kramer unit, which replaced the Selene axle previously used by David Brown since 1970. The Kramer axle used a staggered driveline, which directed power from the axle half-shafts down to reduction hubs located inside the front wheels. While this configuration undoubtedly offered higher ground clearance, the extra height significantly raised the front of the tractor. To counteract this, the final drive hubs on the rear axle were rotated to raise the rear of the tractor. The result of this, was that four-wheel drive versions of the 1210/1410 stood almost 8in taller than their two-wheel drive equivalents. Design changes To accommodate this height increase, David Brown had to incorporate a whole host of design changes. These included cab panel extensions, longer cab steps, longer link arms, longer drop arms and extended pick-up hitch side-plates. On four-wheel drive models equipped with the Sekura cab, a large spacer plate was installed between the side windows and tractors fenders. The additional height of the cab made the tractors appear extremely tall, although visibility from the driver’s seat was reportedly exceptional. The 1410/1412 models were produced from December 1974 until January 1979, when mainline production ended. The tractors were then produced in limited numbers, primarily for export, until January 1980. In March 1979, the Kramer axle was replaced by a MK III Carraro axle which didn’t require any modifications to be made to the tractor. Only a handful of 1410 models with Carraro axles are believed to still exist. The Hydra-Shift-equipped 1212 and 1412 models were never offered with a driven front axle. This was fundamentally due to the inability of the HydraShift gearbox casting to withstand the strain of operating a four-wheel drive system. In fact, four-wheel drive wouldn’t appear on a Hydra-Shift tractor until the introduction of the DB-Case 94-Series in 1983.

DB 1412 models were never offered with a driven front axle due to the inability of the Hydra-Shift gearbox casting to withstand the strain of operating a four-wheel drive system.

In 1974, David Brown which was owned by Tenneco-Case, adopted the poppy red and white livery scheme of the USbuilt Case models. It also included the word Case alongside the name David Brown.

David Brown 1410/1412 tractors used two different sizes of turbocharger. Later models used a smaller diameter turbo, which spooled up faster, reduced turbo-lag and kept the engine cooler.

FARMERS JOURNAL Saturday 1 July 2017

FEATURE 55

Inside Japan’s farming bubble Dwindling farmer numbers have pushed farmgate prices to all-time highs in Japan. Could a free-trade agreement with Europe prove beneﬁcial for both sides? Thomas Hubert reports from Tokyo and Hokkaido

ouring Japan’s agricultural heartland on the northern island of Hokkaido is to a European farmer what shopping on New York’s Fifth Avenue or in Dubai’s giant malls must feel to a fashion enthusiast: livestock are kept in highly robotised sheds and machinery is stateof-the-art. At a knowledge transfer meeting, local tech entrepreneur Takashi Seshimo said he had just started Space Agri, a company that sells satellite images for precision farming. “Some farmers have the money,” he told the Irish Farmers Journal. Farmgate prices would bring a tear to your eye: milk is above 80c/l at 4.1% fat and 3.25% protein; beef factories pay between £8/kg carcase weight for Holstein cattle and £20/kg for the prized Wagyu breed, with so-called F1 crosses between the two fetching £13/kg. Friesian bull calves sell for around £890/head and F1s for £1,780. Milling wheat is worth £369/t while pig prices top £4/kg carcase weight. The farms visited by the Irish Farmers Journal commonly supported six people on 60ha to 80ha of land, with high-input systems combining homegrown and imported livestock feed. High prices result from strong government protection. Until 2013, Japan had the second-highest level of farm support in the world after Norway, according to the OECD. This has dropped in recent years but Japan still ranks fifth in the global subsidy league at 49% of farm revenues, compared with 19% in the EU. In addition to capital grants covering one-third of many on-farm investments, the prices above benefit from various government schemes, which operate instead of the European area-based payments. Only tillage farmers receive a BPS-type support for selected crops, eg £1,424/ha each year for wheat. The milk price includes a 17c/l manufacturing subsidy to meet the increasing cheese and butter demand. Beef and pig farmers have margin insurance: if the price drops below the cost of production, it covers 80% of the loss. Farmers contribute onequarter of the scheme’s costs, with the government footing the rest of the bill. There is also a subsidised livestock health insurance scheme covering vet fees. Yet high prices also result from structural imbalances in Japan’s farming sector. “The industry wants more agricultural prod-

Rice paddies: most Japanese farmers are semi-retired and grow rice manually on small rice paddies.

Milking at Kato farm in Obihiro, Hokkaido, northern Japan. The farm also has two robot milkers in its new shed.

ucts, but ageing farmers can’t meet this demand,” said Yasuyuki Kobayashi, international relations manager at Japan Agricultural (JA) Corporation. This group of co-ops with more than 10m members manages swaths of the rural economy, from milk collections to food processing, supermarkets, banks and hospitals. Its headquarters occupies a skyscraper in central Tokyo, between those of the Japanese equivalent of IBEC and the ﬁnancial information firm Nikkei – of stock market index fame. Yashuhiro Oono chairs the company operating Oono farm.

“In Hokkaido, the situation is better. But elsewhere, farmers are mostly old people. They don’t want to produce more – they have enough,” Kobayashi added. This is evident in the centre of the country, where rice paddies scale down the hills past sleepy towns and villages. Although the government supports heavy irrigation works and market re-orientation for those farmers as traditional rice consumption declines, it is still unclear what future lies ahead for these farms. Most fields are under 1ac in size, with no tractor access and a history of flooding for rice farming that makes them unsuitable for other enterprises. While Hokkaido’s progressive farms are comparable to those in Ireland, they are the exception. Small rice paddies account for half of Japan’s farms, and explain the country’s stark overall statistics: its 2.8m farmers operate on an average of 2.3ha each, and their average age is 67. Ministry of agriculture officials told the Irish Farmers Journal they had a massive challenge converting land to new uses and attracting young people to work it. “It’s not only financial support for support, they also need social services,” said JA’s Kobayashi. “In some areas, it takes two hours to get to hospital by ambulance.” In the central mountains visited by the Irish Farmers Journal, there was evidence of heavy public works on dams and roads, but analysts said the past decades’ sluggishness in the Japanese economy was

VIDEO ONLINE

Take video tours of Japanese farms: ifj.ie/japan

Public works are the most evident sign of government investment in rural Japan.

still deeply felt in rural areas. The beef sector is a telling example of how Japan’s agriculture has been combining falling production and rising prices. “Over the past six to seven years, cattle numbers have gone down by 10%,” said Yasuhiro Oono, who ﬁnishes 4,000 cattle in Memuro. First, Agura, a major feedlot operator, went bankrupt. “They used to feed 200,000 cattle nationwide,” said Yasuhiro. A foot-andmouth outbreak in a major Wagyu beef producing area and restrictions associated with the Fukushima nuclear accident put further pressure on the country’s output. Since 2010, beef prices have climbed by more than 30%. Large feedlots such as Yasuhiro’s are uncommon in Japan, but less and less so. Under-production and changing demand are beginning to have an impact on farm structures. “While rice production has decreased in the past 20 years, livestock and vegetable have grown,” said JA’s Kobayashi, adding that more and more livestock farms operated as companies. “More food processors move into production themselves or create joint ventures with farmers’ organisations,” he added. Until government policy attracts more productive farmers to the countryside, however, Japan’s farmgate prices are likely to remain high – and so will its reliance on food imports, which currently account for 60% of the country’s calorie intake.

FARMERS JOURNAL Saturday 1 July 2017

56 ARABLE

Arable Soil health focus at Cereals 2017 While the Cereals event encompasses a broad range of interests, in this article Stephen Robb reports on the increasing focus on soil health

armers, technical experts, agronomists and industry leaders descended on Boothby Graffoe in Lincolnshire in mid-June to attend Cereals 2017. The 64ha site comprised technical and trade stands, machinery demonstrations, conferences, crop plots and the Syngenta Sprays & Sprayers arena. This year was the 40th anniversary of Cereals and nearly 500 exhibitors showcased the latest innovations in arable technology, soil husbandry, crop agronomy, farm management software and crop varieties. Those who travel to Cereals will know that this is a big show and we intend to bring a number of reports over the next few weeks. This week, we begin with the increasing focus on soil health and plant root systems. Addressing and improving soil health has received increased focus in the UK following the effects of decades of poor management on arable soils. Improving soil health played a big role in this year’s event once again. Activities ranged from an informative soil pit to novel methods of assessing soil health. The soil pit The soil pit almost doubled in size this year (20m long and 1.2m deep) due to the ever-increasing interest in the subject. The objective was to give a worm’s-eye view of common problems relating to soil structure and to show the differing root structures of cereal and cover crops. The pit also aimed to show the important role that earthworms play in incorporating organic matter and improving soil structure. Dr Lydia Smith, head of the innovation farm in NIAB, explained why understanding crop rooting structure and soil management are so important for root growth. In the pit, I could see that the thin fi-

Plough has a place The crops surrounding the soil pit were established using minimum arable. Minimum disturbance of the soil in a managed programme can contribute signiﬁcantly to improving soil structure, but ploughing also has a role. Results from the sustainability trial in arable rotations (Star) project, which was initiated in autumn 2005, showed that ploughing has an important role in preventing the build-up of grassweeds and minimising pathogen carryover. Dr Smith emphasised the need to plough

The soil pit at Cereals was much longer this year and run by NIAB.

brous roots under winter oat and winter wheat plants penetrated through zone A (topsoil) and zone B (subsoil). However, penetration stopped when they reached the parent material, which was a chalky bedrock at 60cm depth. Dr Smith emphasised that these roots could not have penetrated to this depth if there was compaction present. The roots under spring oats and spring wheat were much shallower by comparison, but these had still penetrated

to a depth of 40cm. One of the very clear messages from the pit was the role cover crops play in combatting compaction and assisting in the repair of soil structure. Many UK arable soils have suﬀered the eﬀects of decades of mechanical inversion, which created pans and contributed to the depletion of organic matter.

occasionally, if circumstances dictate, even where min-till is being practiced to help improve soil structure.

bial activity within that soil and can be used to help show areas where soil health needs to be improved. The results indicated that in fields where low soil disturbance was practiced and cover crops grown, the buried underpants had signiﬁcantly decayed. This indicated a high soil microbial activity. The pants had remained virtually intact in the ﬁelds which practiced conventional plough-based arable. While microbes are not the sole indicator of soil health, they do play a vital role in the overall soil ecosystem.

The underpants test The sight of semi-decayed, soil-stained underwear hanging from a clothes line certainly made for an eye-catching display. Participants in AHDB’s monitor farm programme have been burying cotton underpants across their farms to provide a measure of the health of their soils. When the underpants are dug up, their condition reveals the level of soil micro-

Cover crops Dr Smith maintains that the inclusion

of cover crops in cropping systems can play an important role in improving soil structure. The deep rooting structures of legumes, such as vetch, assists in incorporating organic matter deep into the soil horizons, open up soil pans and provide a food source for soil microbes. Where compaction is a signiﬁcant issue, UK farmers continue to include arable radish in their mixes. Its thick taproot could be seen penetrating zones A and B in the pit.

Do your own underpants test Â Bury a pair of white 100% cotton briefs, boxers or other clothing item in the top six inches of soil. Â Leave the waistband over-ground to mark the location. Â Repeat this process at several locations to test the eﬀects of diﬀerent soil types, rotations and management practices. Â After eight weeks, extract the underwear and wash them in a bucket of water. Â The condition of the underwear indicates the level of soil microbial activity and pinpoints areas which need to be improved.

FARMERS JOURNAL Saturday 1 July 2017

ARABLE 57

Andy Doyle (01) 4199531 adoyle@farmersjournal.ie @FJtillage

To till or not to till

Importance of earthworms Dr Smith stressed the importance of a vibrant earthworm population in all soil zones. The burrows and middens created by the worms could clearly be seen in the walls of the pit. Worms help incorporate organic matter throughout the soil layers. The food supplied by cover crops encourages earthworm populations to develop and grow within the soil proﬁle.

It is widely accepted that conventional plough-based systems can have a detrimental effect on earthworm populations. Switching to non-inversion establishment systems such as min-till or direct drilling, while not always practical due to soil type and climate, can improve soil structure, increase earthworm populations and ultimately improve soil health. But do these strategies actually help? A research project on a clay loam soil in Bedfordshire is being conducted by Rothamsted Research to answer this question. The research, headed up by Dr Jackie Stroud, is examining the best approach for zero arable conversions on degraded soils through residue management techniques, undersowing legumes and restocking deep earthworm populations. (DUWKZRUPV FDQ EH FODVVLoHG LQWR three broad classes based on where they live: Â Litter dwellers reside entirely in the surface litter and require a constant supply of organic matter to survive. These worms are the most sensitive to cultivation techniques. Â Shallow soil dwellers live close to the surface and these help gestate soil and organic matter. In the process, these worms aerate the soil, help to recreate soil structure and help water percolation. Â Deep dwellers reside deep in the soil, but they tunnel to the surface and drag plant debris into their burrows. These worms create biopores, which assist in aerating soils. The EXUURZV DUH RIWHQ LGHQWLoDEOH E\ WKH presence of middens on the surface. We will watch this research with interest. Increasing earthworm populations should help to reduce establishment costs while improving the state RI RXU DUDEOH oHOGV The picture on the right is an X-ray taken of the container on the left which contains soil and one deep soil-dwelling earthworm. The yellow tracks in the right are a series of burrows created by the earthworm.

Assess your own earthworm populations A quick count of the number of earthworm middens on the surface can be used to assess earthworm populaWLRQV LQ \RXU oHOG 0LGGHQV DUH WKH piles (10cm) of surface litter (straw, grass, leaves) that have been dragged back to the burrow entrance at night by deep-burrowing earthworms. Count the number of such middens in 1m2. These should typically range from 0 (locally extinct) to 30, depending on soil management practices. Another simple assessment is to count the number of earthworms in a spade-full of soil. As a rough guide, 13 to 14 earthworms per spade-full indicates a healthy population.

2016 Irish updates alter 2017 area changes ANDY DOYLE ARABLE EDITOR adoyle@farmersjournal.ie

Final area ﬁgures for 2016 indicate some slight area change alterations compared with what I stated last week in the Irish Farmers Journal. Some were slightly bigger or smaller than indicated a week ago due to updates to the 2016 data. Oats was the only crop which actually became positive for area change. All others just showed altered levels of change. The more up-to-date level of change is shown in Table 1 for the main ﬁeld crops. The fall in barley areas, both winter and spring, were greater than originally estimated and winter wheat area also fell by more than the initial calculation. The fall in spring oats was much lower than estimated, while winter oat area is actually up by 901ha. This leaves the total area of oats up on 2016 by over 700ha. The triticale numbers are broadly similar and I dropped in rye in Table 1 for completeness. On balance, the cereal area change is

15,022ha compared with the estimated 16,022ha stated last week. Most other crops were broadly similar to the initial estimates, but fodder beet was back rather than up slightly and the overall protein crop increase was fractionally lower. And the reduction in potato area was more than double my initial estimate.

Crop area changes relative to 2017 have changed due to UHYLVHG oJXUHV for 2016. The overall fall in area

Table 1: 2017 crops areas and change from 2016 based on revised 2016 crop areas. S Barley W barley Barley S Wheat W wheat Wheat S oats W oats Oats S Triticale W Triticale Triticale Rye Total cereals S oilseed rape W oilseed rape Total oilseed rape F beet S beet Total beet W beans S beans Lupins Peas Total protein Seed potatoes Early potatoes Maincrop potatoes Total potatoes Maize Total crops

2017 area (ha) 111,155.02 63,310.25 174,465.3 6,405.13 58,575.34 64,980.47 9,702.53 14,039.81 23,742.34 348.91 220.36 569.27 150.80 263,908.1

Change from 2016 (ha) -2,557.8 -10,757.2 -13,315.0 -1,065.6 -1,307.6 -2,373.2 -173.6 901.2 727.6 -138.3 -18.3 -156.6 95.5 -15,021.6

1,917.29 7,872.88 9,790.17 8,804.98 586.18 9,391.16 909.79 11,444.43 11.96 661.57 13,027.75 221.26 576.40 7,768.62 8,566.28 11,246.12 315,929.62

-87.9 107.4 19.5 -34.3 2.0 -32.2 417.9 510.5 -3.6 -297.2 627.6 -0.1 -165.8 -210.6 -376.5 427.0 -14,356.3

FARMERS JOURNAL Saturday 1 July 2017

58 BUILDINGS

Farm buildings

Labour-saving investments for a busy dairy farm

The Gowing family are always looking for more eﬃcient ways of managing their 350-cow dairy farm, writes Peter Varley

n open day organised by Easyfix was held on Michael and Catherine Gowing’s dairy farm in Scorduff, Brosna, Birr, Co Offaly. Originally from Co Laois, Michael bought the then 290ac farm in 2006. Interestingly, Michael and his wife Catherine are both former Macra na Feirme presidents. Since the initial purchase, they have grown the farm further by buying and leasing more adjoining land and increasing the herd size by 50%. Today, there are 350 cows being milked and the farm is particularly busy in the springtime because 90% calve in the first six weeks. With growing numbers, the Gowings and their staff have taken steps to make work more efficient and streamlined. In this article, we feature some of the infrastructural and equipment changes they have made to achieve greater levels of efficiency and safety on the demanding farm. Rubber mats in the parlour (picture one) The installation Michael is most proud of was the fitting of rubber mats on the floor of the parlour where cows walk. “Over time, any grip that was in the concrete floor had worn away and it could become very slippy in wet weather,” explained Michael. He said the chance of a cow slipping and hurting herself was getting too high for their liking, so something had to be done. He got rubber mats fitted with a grip finish and is very pleased with the results. “I am not a man to recommend something

until I have tried it, but after just one milking I called my father and told him to fit the mats,” said Michael. He said cows flow into and out of the parlour much quicker now and are confident in their stance and less fidgety with the mats. Michael also put down special mats in the pit, which he says was a welcome addition in the 28-unit parlour. The rubber cow mats cost approximately £2,376, excluding VAT. Slurry pump and rain gun (pictures two and three) The Gowings have a large 340,000-gallon round slurry store on the farm, which holds the majority of slurry produced. Michael said this slurry store was extremely difficult to agitate in the past because a hard crust used to develop on the top. “There was a propeller agitator fitted at the bottom of the tank but it was taking far too long to agitate the slurry and it couldn’t really get rid of the crust,” he explained. Michael said the propeller could be left turned on for a number of hours with little or no effect. He decided to buy a reconditioned high-pressure umbilical slurry pump, which cost approximately £3,168 in 2015. The slurry pump can be connected to a rain gun which is fitted to the top of the outdoor slurry lagoon. “It only takes half an hour to agitate the slurry and break up any crust; it’s great,” said Michael. The slurry pump can also be used to move slurry from the nearby underground tank to the store and is faster doing this

job than the agitator. “Sometimes we use it as a booster when our contractor comes spreading slurry with the umbilical system too,” he explained. Michael Gowing (right) with long-term staff member Lucksz Krawczyk. Alan Raleigh is also an integral member of the full-time staff on the farm.

Herringbone/batch crush (picture four) Four years ago, the family decided to install a herringbone crush. They already had a good-quality cattle race on the farm but Michael said it was not suitable for every job. “It was taking too long to scan cows, test cows or give vaccinations,” he explained. The herringbone

crush was designed to ﬁt 28 cows (one row of the parlour). In this type of crush, cows stand side by side and are in the correct position for insemination, vaccinations and TB testing. “The first time I used it, I thought it was the biggest waste of money ever, but we soon realised that it would just take time for both us and the cows to get used to it,” explained Michael. Since then, it has made bigger cow-handling jobs much more eﬃcient. He said that the herringbone crush is more suitable for in-calf cows and they can now scan 350 cows in three hours. They also use this crush for

FARMERS JOURNAL Saturday 1 July 2017

BUILDINGS 59

artiďŹ cially inseminating cows at the start of the breeding season, when there are a lot of cows to be inseminated on a daily basis. However, when there are less than 10 cows to be done, they revert back to the cattle race. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We ďŹ nd it easier to artiďŹ cially inseminate a small number of cows in the old race,â&#x20AC;? explained Michael. 5DLQZDWHU KDUYHVWLQJ SLFWXUH oYH

The water supply on the farm was not reliable so they decided to build a 20,000-gallon rainwater harvesting tank as a reserve. This tank was poured when they were building the new cubicle shed. There are three wells on the farm and they are all fed into this tank. There is also a county council connection, which feeds into this tank and is only used as a last resort. A series of ball cocks are ďŹ tted in the tank to control the supply of water from the diďŹ&#x20AC;erent sources. â&#x20AC;&#x153;In the winter, 75% of the water on the farm is harvested from the roof of the nine-bay cubicle shed,â&#x20AC;? said Michael. He added that this reduces the amount of times the pumps in the well have to come on annually. However, Michael admits that when

demand for water is at its peak, supply is usually at its lowest because rainfall is low but the tank gives peace of mind that a reserve is available. Water is used ďŹ rst from the rain water supply followed by the well supply and this is followed by the county council supply. He said the county council water was only required once when a pump from the main well broke down. In the event of a power outage and all pumps stop working Michael can switch the mains system to supply the water troughs directly. %XOO SHQV SLFWXUH VL[

This year, the Gowings upgraded their bull-handling facilities. They were using an old slatted shed that was on the farm for housing bulls but it needed upgrading. Six or seven bulls are wintered on the farm every year and they can become boisterous during that period. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Safety for man and beast was the reason we went to such expense with this shed,â&#x20AC;? said Michael. They changed all the gates and barriers and replaced these with heavy gauge steel gates. The heights of the barriers and gates were increased and all the concrete single slats were replaced with gang slats and rubber mats were installed in some pens. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It might

seem a little excessive but I would rather it that way,â&#x20AC;? he explained. Calf shed (pictures seven DQG HLJKW

The calf shed is an interesting design. It was once used as a slatted shed for yearlings but as cow numbers increased the shed had to be converted to accommodate calves. Sliding doors were added to the front, so that calves would not be subjected to draughts. Michael said that the shed is still airy because there is a gap between the eaves and the back wall to allow air enter the building and warm air will ďŹ&#x201A;ow out the front of the shed over the doors. The sliding doors also shelter the people feeding the calves at the front of the building from the elements. Inside, each pen is 12ft x 15ft and is slatted. A round bale of straw is rolled out on top of the slats as bedding for the calves. With the slats, bedding keeps drier for longer and it can be easily cleaned out using a tractor loader at the front. The calves are usually housed in this shed in groups of 30 from 10 days old. When they get stronger, they are put out into small, sheltered paddocks beside the yard.

Milk tank

Feeding calves is a big job on the farm in spring. To make it PRUH HIoFLHQW WKH *RZLQJV ERXJKW DQ ROG O WDQN ZLWK DQ D[OH $ VPDOO GDLU\ IDUPHU RZQHG WKLV WDQN RULJLQDOO\ DQG XVHG LW WR WUDQVSRUW PLON GRZQ D ODQH IRU FROOHFWLRQ 7KH\ oWWHG D XVHG GLHVHO SXPS KRVH DQG QR]]OH WR WKLV WDQN GHVSLWH EHLQJ WROG WKH SXPS ZRXOG VHL]H XS DIWHU D IHZ PRQWKV XVH k3HRSOH VDLG ZLWKRXW WKH OXEULFDWLRQ RI WKH GLHVHO LW ZRXOG VWRS ZRUNLQJ EXW DIWHU WZR \HDUV LW LV VWLOO JRLQJ VWURQJ y H[SODLQHG 0LFKDHO +H VDLG LW RQO\ FRVW ÂŁ98 at the time to buy the secondhand pump compared ZLWK d LI KH ZDV WR EX\ D SURSHU PLON SXPS k7KH WDQN PDNHV IHHGLQJ VR PXFK TXLFNHU DQG LW LV LQVXODWHG ZKLFK NHHSV WKH PLON ZDUP DQG WKLV KHOSV WR WUDLQ \RXQJ FDOYHV WR VXFN y VDLG 0LFKDHO

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Dairy farmers earned 46p/hr in 2016

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JOHN SLEIGH

SCOTLAND EDITOR

jsleigh@farmersjournal.uk

ue to a shocking milk price in 2016, dairy farmers earned just 46p/hour, according to new data. Figures published by the Scottish Government in the economic report on Scottish agriculture 2017 this week highlighted that across Scotland the average farmer earned ÂŁ4.50/hour, less than two-thirds of the minimum wage. Dairy farmers were at the bottom of the table, earning just over 6% of the national minimum wage. Some non-aligned producers saw milk prices crash to below 15p/litre. Next are less-favoured area (LFA) sheep farmers, who earned ÂŁ3.15/hour: less than half the minimum wage of ÂŁ7.17. Ayrshire dairy farmer Alan Kerr said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Last year was the toughest in my lifetime. It will take a good number of years to recoup the losses we incurred. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We need to see more processors signing up to the dairy code of practice to prevent disasters like 2016 happening again. It is also concerning what happens after Brexit. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The single farm payment is a lifeline to the business in diďŹ&#x192;cult years. The support amounts to 1.5p per litre and without it we would struggle to survive,â&#x20AC;? Kerr stressed.

02 MF 4345 3,000hrs

Drumderry, Bunclody, Wexford. T: 0121 661 4471 E: sales@carlowtanks.com M: Noel 075 0109 7149 Heather Gray is 18 years old and farms along with her father David in Drumnessie, Banton, Kilsyth, primarily hill ground, have 1,900 Glasgow. They farm around 2,000 ewes and 50 cows. A keen member acres of SSS young farmers club, she pictured here in class 132 of Friday will show two mule lambs, and at next weekâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Highland Show. the gimmer

Gove in out of the cold to lead farming News >> 3

13 MF5455 125HP, c/w loader

Water Troughs, Feed Barriers & Slurry Channels

FARMERS JOURNAL

Ă&#x201E; Continued on page 2

MASSEY FERGUSON SPECIALIST

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Farming is evolving and we have to evolve with it if we are going to make a continued success of the farm

Feature >> 8

Wool from 700 sheep worth less than a TV

02 MF 4355 c/w Q55 loader 01 MF 4270 c/w loader 99 MF 6245 64 International B414 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Restored

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Farmers Journal

News >> 5

E Contact Michael Healion Arden, Tullamore, Co. Offaly +353 87-9259758 +353 57-9321733 mhealiontractors@gmail.com

IN SHOPS EVERY FRIDAY

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2012 Case JX95 c/w loader 2556 hrs, Classic, 4 cyl turbo, Powershuttle, Sigma 4 iron self levelling, soft ride loader.

CA3

ÂŁ26,000

2013 New Holland T6.165 c/w loader 6244 hrs, Electorshift, 6 cyl turbo, 90% tyres, manual spools, cab suspension, Quicke Q55 loader. Piped for 3rd service

NH8

ÂŁ33,000

2007 John Deere 3720 E Hydro 4296 hrs, Hydrostatic, 1 DSPV, Rear PTO, front scraper

JD10

ÂŁ10,750

2006 Valtra T180 6400 Hrs, front and cab suspension, 40K

ÂŁ26,000

2004 Case MXU115 2653 hrs, Dual Power, 6 cyl turbo, 40K, Powershuttle,

CA10

ÂŁ17,500

2014 New Holland T7-270

NH1

ÂŁ58,500

2415 hrs, Auto Command, 4 DSPV, 50K, Air Brakes, front and cab suspension, MINT, Powershuttle, Sidewinder, Pass seat, wheel weights

2012 JCB 531-70 Agri Super 6552 hrs, Auto, JCB Tool Carrier head, hydraulic locking head

FH6

ÂŁ28,500

TRACTORS WITH LOADERS 2011 CLAAS ARION 640 Hexashift c/w loader 6588 hrs, Automatic, 6 cyl turbo, 4 DSPV, front linkage, front and cab suspension, Claas FL 120 self levelling loader, manual spool valves ÂŁ33,000 CL2 2009 DEUTZ ARGOTRON 430 c/w loader 6150 hrs, Manual, 4 cyl, Power shuttle, pass seat, 3 DSPV, Quicke Q40 loader ÂŁ21,750 DZ1 2012 JOHN DEERE 6430 Standard c/w loader 3769 hrs, Powerquad+, 4 cyl turbo, manual spools, pass seat, JD 633 self levelling loader ÂŁ32,500 JD2 1994 JOHN DEERE 6400 c/w loader Powerquad, 4 cyl turbo, Quicke 580 loader ÂŁ12,750 JD11 2007 MASSEY FERGUSON 6470 6569 hrs, Dyna 6 Tier 3, 6 cyl turbo, Powershuttle, 3 DSPV, manual spool valves, pass seat, air con, multidock, MF955 self levelling loader. Piped for 3rd ÂŁ25,000 MF5 service 2004 MASSEY FERGUSON 5455 c/w loader 6114 hrs, Speedshift, 2 DSPV, Powershuttle, manual spools, Hi-Vis roof, MF 945 self levelling loader ÂŁ19,250 MF6 2000 MASSEY FERGUSON 6290 c/w loader Manual, 6 cyl turbo, Manual Spools, 3 DSPV, MF955 self leveling loader ÂŁ17,500 MF14 2009 MASSEY FERGUSON 5460 c/w loader 7630 hrs, Dyna 4, 4 cyl, 2 DSPV, Manual Spools, pass seat, MF 95 Loader, manual locking head ÂŁ24,000 MF16 2006 NEW HOLLAND TS115A Plus c/w loader 8763 Hrs, Electroshift, 6 cyl turbo, Joystick, 4 spools, NH12 FL Multidock, soft ÂŁ21,500 NH2 ride loader 2WD TRACTORS 1970 DAVID BROWN 1200 2WD 1600 (recorded) hours, 12 speed, complete with original top link and stabilisers. C/w tax book, PUH, completely original, stay dry cab, spool valve, stored in barn for 15 years ÂŁ4,500 DB1 1991 FORD 5610 AP CAB 2WD 5629 hrs, Manual, 1DSPV, Ä SSV KVIEVW 2S 6YWX %4 GEF very good condition ÂŁ7,500 FD1 4WD TRACTORS 2007 CASE 115 Maxxum 6931 hrs, Electroshift, 6 cyl turbo, front and cab suspension, Powershuttle, multi-controller, 50K and air brakes ÂŁ20,000 CA7 2009 CLAAS ARION 640 Hexashift 8519 hrs, Automatic, 6 cyl turbo, 3 DSPV, front and cab suspension, hexashift, pass seat, air con, manual spools, powershuttle, front linkage, 50k and Airbrakes ÂŁ23,500 CL1 2010 DEUTZ M620 4803 Hrs, Manual, 6 cyl turbo, 4DSPV, 50K and Airbrakes, Low hours ÂŁ24,000 DZ2 2001 FIAT 110-90 3144 hrs, Manual, 6 cyl turbo, 40K, MINT original tractor, original tyres, super comfort cab ÂŁ21,500 FT1 1983 FIAT 1580 Manual, 2 DSPV, Fully refurbished, Super comfort cab ÂŁ8,500 FT2 2005 JOHN DEERE 6920 8800 hrs, Powerquad+, Ait Con, Pass seat, TLS, 2DSPV Due in JD1 1999 MASSEY FERGUSON 6280 8424 hrs, Dynashift, 6 cyl turbo, 2 DSPV, manual spools, pass seat, excellent original conÂŁ14,500 MF4 dition 2008 MASSEY FERGUSON 6480 6427 hrs, Dyna 6, 6 cyl turbo, cab suspension, 3 DSPV, pass seat ÂŁ23,500 MF7 1995 MASSEY FERGUSON 6150 6698 hrs, Dynashift, 6 cyl turbo, Pass seat, 2 DSPV, mint original condition ÂŁ11,000 MF9 2008 MASSEY FERGUSON 6480 7142 Hrs, Dyna 6, 6 cyl tubo, 3 DSPV, Frotn linkage, manual spools, Powershuttle, MF screen ÂŁ24,500 MF12

2001 MASSEY FERGUSON 4260 4182 hrs, 18 Speedshift, 2 DSPV, original tyres, passenger seat ÂŁ14,000 MF17 2008 NEW HOLLAND T6080 5454 hrs, Power Command, 6 cyl turbo, front and cab suspension, manuall spools, 40K, Powershuttle ÂŁ29,750 NH9 2006 NEW HOLLAND TS115A 4611 hrs, Dual Power, 6 cyl turbo, 7% tyres, 3 DSPV, Manual spools Powershuttle ÂŁ21,000 NH11 2011 NEW HOLLAND T6090 8493 hrs, Power Command, 805 rear tyres, 4 DSPV, 50k and Airbrakes, front and cab suspension, manual spools, front linkage Due in NH13 2010 NEW HOLLAND T7050 7203 hrs, AutoCommand, 95% tyres, 6 cyl turbo, 50K and Airbrakes, front and cab suspensions,Sidewinder, Front linkage and PTO ÂŁ35,000 NH15 2009 NEW HOLLAND T6080 LVW 6ERKI 'SQQERH cyl turbo, 4DSPV, Powershuttle, Front linkage, manual spools, cab suspension ÂŁ23,500 NH16 2010 NEW HOLLAND T6040 Elite 4571 hrs, Electroshift, 2DSPV, Delta cab, Cab suspension. Powershuttle ÂŁ27,500 NH18 2003 NEW HOLLAND TS115 7575 hrs, SLE, 6 cyl , 80% tyres, 2DSPV, Powershuttle, Pass seat, ÂŁ16,500 NH19 2010 NEW HOLLAND T7030 7500 hrs, Power Command, 6 cyl turbo, 4DSPV, Front and Cab suspension, Powershuttle ÂŁ28,000 NH39 ATV 2013 JOHN DEERE Gator XUV 855D 1785 hrs ÂŁ8,250 ATV2 2011 JOHN DEERE Gator 2423 hrs, full cab, road legal, heater kit, one owner, tidy ÂŁ5,850 ATV1 2009 JOHN DEERE Gator 2038 hrs, Full cab, road legal, heater kit, tipping body, one owner ÂŁ4,850 ATV3 HANDLERS 2008 SCHAFFER 930T 5665 Hrs, Hydrostatic, telescopic, pivot steer ÂŁ21,500 FH1 2008 MANITOU 628-120 LSU Automatic, Aydraulic locking head, Matbro head, piped for 3rd service, Powershift, very clean machine ÂŁ19,500 FH2 2013 MANITOU 629 Excel 4121 Hrs, Powershuttle, 80% tyres, 4 cylk turbo, ÂŁ31,000 FH4 2011 NEW HOLLAND L213 Skidsteer 1241 hrs, 2.3 ton operating weight, 49 HP ÂŁ12,000 FH5 1994 MATBRO TR200 Turbo 7276 hrs, Manual, Matbro hydraulic locking head, powershuttle, rear PUH ÂŁ10,000 FH7 2012 MERLO P32.6 Plus 3549 hrs, Automatic, 4 cyl turbo, hydraulic locking head, Matbro head, piped for 3rd service ÂŁ24,500 FH8 2013 JCB TM320S Agri 5449 hrs, Auto, 4 cyl turbo, Poweshift, Smoothride, Matbro Hydraulic Locking head ÂŁ41,000 FH9 2008 MANITOU 627 Automatic, 4 cyl turbo, Air Con, Hydraulic locking head, Manitou LIEH 6IEV 49, ÂŁ17,500 FH12 2006 NEW HOLLAND LM415A Pin & Cone head, 4 new tyres, 2900 Hrs, 110HP ÂŁ17,500 FH13 2010 MANITOU 627 Turbo 5600hrs, 4 cyl turbo, 24â&#x20AC;? wheels, 4 speed manual, extra boom lights, Manitou head, multi controller ÂŁ21,500 FH27 2013 CAT TH414C 4267 hrs, jack legs, sway ÂŁ30,000 FH10 DIGGERS 2013 JCB JS145 6000 hrs, 60% tracks, c/w one bucker ÂŁ33,000 P13 1997 JCB JS130 8839 hrs, 10% tracks, C?W 1 bucket, hydraulic quick hitch ÂŁ9,900 P13

2011 JCB 8085ZTS rubber tracks, offset boom, quick hitch, piped, blade, 3 good buckets ÂŁ21,500 P9 2012 HITATCHI ZX29U-3 Blade, hammer piped, rubber tracks, offset jib, quick hitch, air con. 2.9 tonne. ÂŁ16,000 P3 SILAGE EQUIPMENT KVERNLAND 4 FURROW Plough auto reset, new metal, c/w 4 discs, 4 furrow reversible ÂŁ5,000 M1 2009 JOHN DEERE 530 Mower Conditioner excellent condition mower, used on own farm for ÂŁ9,000 M2 past few years 2012 KUHN FB2135 Powertrak Baler 18,800 bale count ÂŁ11,500 M3 2010 KUHN FC 303 YGL Mower c/w conditioner ÂŁ9,750 M4 2010 KUHN GA 7501 rower very tidy ÂŁ7,500 M7 2000 JOHN DEERE 946 4mt mower conditioner swivel head c/w transport kit ÂŁ5,000 M11 2010 RICHARD WESTON silage trailer Choice of 2. Airbrakes, sprung draw bar, Floatation tyres, grain door included. ÂŁ9,500 T1 2012 CLAAS VOLTO 770 Grass tedder 6 star, 6 wheeled grass tedder, great condition ÂŁ6,500 tedder 1 2011 CLAAS VOLTO 770 Grass Tedder 6 star, 6 wheeled grass tedder, great condition ÂŁ6,250 Tedder 2 2010 KUHN GF 8501 MH Tedder 8 star, mint, done 50 acres per year. ÂŁ5,750 tedderr3 MACHINERY/OTHER 2012 MAN TGX26 440 740000 kms, Automatic, 6 x2 drive, Mid Lift, sliding 5th wheel, 6mths PSV ÂŁ12,500 LO3 2007 LOMA KOMPOS 50H woodchipper very little use. Loma1 2008 TEREX 6 tonne dumper D1 2007 DOOLEY 18 tonne dump trailer ÂŁ7,000 2010 TEREX 10 tonne straight dumper 3600 hrs, road legal ÂŁ9,950 2006 TEREX 6 ton swivel skip dumper 660 hrs, road legal ÂŁ7,000 2007 TEREX 9 ton straight dumper 900hrs, road legal ÂŁ8,750 HORSE TRAILER ALL lights in good working order. Owned and used by us for past 5 years ÂŁ2,500 HT1 2005 WACKER NEWSON 6( (SYFPI HVYQ ZMFVEX ing roller, 2.7 ton, 370hrs, tidy ÂŁ6,200 2014 NC SLURRY tanker as new condition, sprung drawbar, c/w suction pipe,95% tyres, excellent condition. ÂŁ8,350 tank1 R H M Tub feeder 14 cu mt, Front conveyor (feeds either side) ÂŁ4,750 A16 N D E tub feeder c/w weight cells 12 cu mt, Front conveyor (feeds either side), can be seen working, Tidy ÂŁ4,000 A19 SELECTION OF NEW Holland rims all sizes from 24â&#x20AC;? to 42â&#x20AC;? 28â&#x20AC;&#x2122; FLAT BODY suitable for hay XVEMPIV KSSH Ä SSV ÂŁ600 SELECTION OF PALLET forks, various brackets phone for details FRONT LINKAGE AND PTO for T155 ÂŁ1,500 VEHICLES 2013 ISUZU DMAX Yukon 57685 miles, Manual, BLUE, 2.5 diesel, cloth, cruise control, 6 speed, canopy can be removed, ÂŁ13,800 C1 2014 FORD RANGER Wildrak AUTO 33,000 miles, AUTO, 36%2+) VIZ GEQIVE WEX REZ leather, bluetooth, climate control ÂŁ16,000 C10 2006 MINI COOPER MOT to 2SZ 6)( ZIV] GPIER ERH XMH] ÂŁ3,000 C11

2011 TOYOTA HILUX HL2 2.5 D4D 88000 miles, Manual, WHITE, full electrics, MOT to nov 2017, ÂŁ8,500 C12 2015 MITSUBISHI L200 Warrior 49000 miles, Manual, 7-0:)6 GVYMWI GSRXVSP GPSXL interior, clean original pick-up. ÂŁ12,000 C13 2014 ISUZU D-MAX Blade 35000 miles, Manual, BLACK, 1 owner, 3.5kg towing, heated seats, sat nav, reversing camera, ÂŁ15,500 C14 2015 TOYOTA HILUX Invincible 3.0 D4D 19000 miles, ManYEP 3RI S[RIV 6)( GERST] can be removed, service history, ÂŁ18,000 C15 MINT 2012 LANDROVER DEFENDER 110 102,000 m iles, BF Goodrich tyres, front winch, full year MOT, 6 speed manual, ÂŁ12,500 C16 WHITE 2014 FORD RANGER Limited 3.2 60487 miles, Manual, ISLAND BLUE, 200BHP, 3.5 ton towing, sat nav, leather heated seats, MOT to sept 2018 ÂŁ15,200 C17 2009 LANDROVER DISCOVERY 2.7 Auto 133000 miles, %YXS 7-0:)6 1*7; 138 XS 08/17, 2.7lt ÂŁ8,500 C18 2013 LANDROVER DEFENDER 110 TD 73,000 miles, 6 speed manual, ront winch, towbar, BF Goodrich mud terrian tyres, full ÂŁ12,500 C19 year MOT 2013 TOYOTA HILUX 3.0 Invincible AUTO 76000 miles, Automatic, Black, Cruise control, rev camera, bluetooth ÂŁ13,000 C2 2010 SUZUKI GRAND Vitara DDIS 50,000 miles, Manual, +6)= +SSH 7IVZMGI ,MWXSV] Cloth interior, MOT to Jan 2018 ÂŁ6,900 C21 2015 FORD RANGER Wildtrak 3.2 41,000 miles, 6 speed manual. BLACK, Bluetooth, leather, MFSW, cruise control, sat nav, bluetooth ÂŁ18,000 C23 2014 FORD RANGER Limited AUTO **NO VAT** 68000 miles, Manual, Leather, BLACK, MFSW, reversing camera, sat nav, bluetooth ÂŁ15,000 C24 2013 TOYOTA HILUX Invincible 3.0 D4D 54320 miles, Manual, DEEP TITANIUM, FSH, reversing camera, BFG Tyres ÂŁ14,000 C25 2001 TOYOTA LANDCRUISER Amazon Auto **NO VAT** 86535 miles, Auto, Green, Good main dealer service history ÂŁ8,500 C26 2006 VOLKSWAGEN SHARAN SE TDI 132,000 miles, 7 seater, full year MOT, cloth interior, 2.0 Tdi ÂŁ2,500 C27 2012 TOYOTA HILUX Invincible 68793 miles, Manual, BLACK, 1 owner, cloth interior, MOT to 09/17, reversing camera, bluetooth, tow-bar, MFSW ÂŁ12,800 C28 2011 TOYOTA HILUX HL2 95000 miles, Manual, Aluminium tipping body ÂŁ10,000 C29 2016 NISSAN NAVARA 2.5 NP300 Acenta Dci 5478 miles, Manual, WHITE, 2.5 lt, cruise control, MFSW, 6 speed ÂŁ17,500 C3 2015 FORD RANGER Wildtrak 3.2 (AUTO) 62000 miles, AUTOMATIC, BLACK, MFSW, reversing camera, leather, sat nav, heated seats, crusie control, Due In C30 2013 VOLKSWAGEN AMAROK Highline (AUTO) 60000 miles, AUTOMATIC, WHITE, one owner, canopy can be removed, 3.5 ton towing, front and rear sensors, sat nav, reversing camera ÂŁ15,500 C31 2014 TOYOTA HILUX Invincible 50000 miles, MANUAL, +6)= PIEXLIV VIZIVWMRK GEQ era, MFSW, recently serviced, bluetooth, sat nav, reversing camera ÂŁ16,000 C32

2013 Mitsubishi L200 Barbarian 49760 miles, Manual, BLACK, 2.5 TD, leather, mountain top roll lid, reversing camera, MOT to 12/17, sat nav.

C20

ÂŁ12,500

2012 Volkswagen Amarok Highline 4Motion 86298 miles. Manual, heated seats, GREY, parking sensors, sat nav, bluetooth, leather 6 speed

C22

ÂŁ11,800

2014 Toyota Hilux Invincible 3.0 D4D 37000 miles, Manual, BLACK, reversing camera, genuine low miles, never towed, cruise control, MINT, roll top cover

C35

ÂŁ17,000

2015 Ford Ranger XLT 2.2 TDCi 6000 miles, 6 speed Manual, Ally back, Air Con, BLUE

ÂŁ15,500

2014 Toyota Hilux Invincible (AUTO) 35000 miles, WHITE, AUTOMATIC, bluetooth, reversing camera, MINT, FSH, climate control, leather,

C47

ÂŁ16,000

2015 Ford Ranger Wildtrak 3.2 31708 miles, Manual, BLACK, 3.2, 6 speed, leather, reversing camera, park pilot, Keko lid, cruise control

ÂŁ18,250

2012 Isuzu D-Max Utah **NO VAT** 77000 miles, AUTO, Bluetooth, leather, MFSW, Bluetooth, WHITE

C52

ÂŁ13,500

FARMERS JOURNAL Saturday 1 July 2017

62 COUNTRY LIVING

Country Living Trim thyme and other herbs Thyme and other herbs, such as sage, flower at this time of year and a lot of the plantâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s growth goes into flowers and seed-heads. While flowering is pretty and the flowers can be left in place on plants that are grown as much for their ornamental value as for their kitchen use, it is a good idea to clip over the plants before, during or after flowering. Just clip off the flowers and a bit of the stem below using a hedge-clippers. It is a very quick little job to do and the plants respond with a flush of new growth of nice fresh herbs later in the season. Give a good soak of water if the weather is dry.

The tall border bellflowers are large and dramatic â&#x20AC;&#x201C; but do not forget about their cousins of smaller stature, writes Gerry Daly gerrydaly@theirishgarden.ie

KH ELJ ERUGHU EHOOp RZHUV can reach, in some cases, to well over 1m tall, but the carpeting kinds do well to WRS FP +RZHYHU EHLQJ small and spreading, they take RQ D GLIIHUHQW UROH o OOLQJ VSDFH DW ground level. These are used on URFN JDUGHQV EXW DOVR o QG RWKHU places to grow, notably on walls in some cases, and can look great in gaps in paving. These are small species adapted by evolution to survive in challenging mountain conditions. 7KH ZDOO EHOOp RZHU KDV EHHQ PDJQLo FHQW WKLV \HDU ZLWK D JUHDW show of small purple-blue bells â&#x20AC;&#x201C; so much so that it has covered LWVHOI ZLWK p RZHUV REVFXULQJ WKH foliage. It makes a close mat of small, rounded, dark-green leaves from which a covering of blue EHOO VKDSHG p RZHUV DULVHV LQ HDUO\ summer. It is widely grown, especially in old town gardens. This plant, Campanula muralis, comes from mountainous areas of Croatia. But it is at home where it is not too warm or too dry in summer. It is called ZDOO EHOOp RZHU EHFDXVH LW LV RIWHQ seen growing on old stone walls, actually rooted into the wall, with TXHVWLQJ VWHPV o QGLQJ WKHLU ZD\ in the walls to emerge further along. Sometimes it grows at ground level, sometimes at the top of the wall, but very often it pops out from cracks and joints across the height of the wall. Although it can ORRN OLNH WKH EHOOp RZHU KDV EHHQ cracking the plaster, this is not the case. It exploits existing weakness in the structure of a wall, such as loose mortar, bricks or plaster. %HOOp RZHU ORRNV HVSHFLDOO\ ZHOO in old brick walls too, the purple-

Carpeting

bellflowers This plant, Campanula muralis, comes from mountainous areas of Croatia. But it is at home where it is not too warm or too dry in summer

blue colour contrasting with the UHG EULFNV 7KH ZDOO EHOOp RZHU can be grown in a rock garden and looks well tumbling over low retaining walls, but it is a bit too vigorous for a small rock garden, tending to overpower small rock-garden plants, which are less robust and vigorous. Even more vigorous is Campanula poscharskyana, which is widely grown in gardens, presumably passed around, but sold in garden centres too. It is a good plant for the base of a wall or a

EHG ZKHUH LW FDQ o OO WKH JURXQG OD\HU ,W SURGXFHV ORQJ p RZHULQJ shoots that trail over rocks, low walls and the soil surface. These shoots carry masses of RSHQ EHOO p RZHUV DQG RIWHQ WKH\ get into a tangle of early summer FRORXU $V WKH p RZHUV IDGH WKH tangled top-growth can be cut away and a new, more tame, set of OHDYHV DQG VRPH ODWH p RZHUV DUH produced. While the spreading habits of WKH EHOOp RZHUV PHQWLRQHG DUH D bit exuberant, some other small

EHOOp RZHUV DUH EHWWHU EHKDYHG A real gem is Campanula carpatica, native of the Carpathian Mountains. This forms a broad clump of foliage with masses of upward-facing broad, open bell p RZHUV WR DURXQG FP ,W RIWHQ covers its surface with blue-purple p RZHUV 7KHUH DUH VHOHFWLRQV VXFK as â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Jewelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, which is dark blue and compact. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Bressingham Whiteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; has ODUJH ZKLWH p RZHUV DQG C7XUELQDWD KDV SDOH ODYHQGHU EOXH p RZHUV This plant looks great when grown in a gravel area, making a ORZ PRXQG RI p RZHUV RU SUHWW\ JUHHQ IROLDJH ZKHQ QRW LQ p RZHU Smaller again is the little bellp RZHU NQRZQ DV CIDLU\ WKLPEOHV Campanula cochlearifolia. It is a low, creeping form with spreading rhizomes that send up shoots ZLWK WLQ\ EHOO p RZHUV 7KHVH DUH usually light blue, by contrast with the darker purple-blue colour of the others mentioned. Some are so pale that they have an attractive silvery appearance. This is a rock-garden species, less vigorous and neater in its habits. There DUH RWKHU DOSLQH EHOOp RZHUV EXW they are more of special interest, while the ones mentioned are for general use. CL

FARMERS JOURNAL Saturday 1 July 2017

COUNTRY LIVING 63

Noisy bulls and busy birds Between the bulls and the birds all getting too excited in the heat, Katherine Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Leary has been kept awake most of this week, but that has its bonuses

kkoleary@gmail.com

am awake early these mornings. The bulls have but a week of breeding left and the cows that are not in-calf will be sold. The policy is clear. The focus continues to be on that 10-week calving pattern and getting as many cows as possible calved in WKH o UVW VL[ ZHHNV 7R DFKLHYH LW there can be no complacency. So, the two vasectomised bulls were taken out after six weeks of breeding and they are not happy. They proved a great addition to the breeding process. Anything that gets another few cows incalf is worthwhile. They are now housed on silage and meal and will be sold soon. They have been replaced by their fully-functioning cohorts, who are making considerable noise. Bulls being bulls, they are looking for action and there may EH VRPH XQQHFHVVDU\ VFXIo QJ RI the tail paint as a result, making LW GLIo FXOW WR DVVHVV LI D FRZ LV repeating or not. Time will tell. We notice the bulls have gotten really noisy; hence my wakefulness early in the morning. The bulls in the shed join in and they get a right old chanting chorus going. As our farm is on the side of the hill, the roars echo across the valley. The bulls hear the echoes and are spurred on by their own noise. They seem to be particularly aggressive this year. Colm has us all warned to be ultra-careful. He attended a discussion group meeting last week and there had been a chat about how cross the heat was making bulls in general. It seems to be a phenomenon on farms this year. Diarmuid is cautioned to stay well away from them. Be warned and be careful. As I lay in bed listening to the bulls, I started to focus on other noises. The birds were up and

about their business. I realised that there were three nests at various heights in the ivy on the wall next to our bedroom. I couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t see the nests, but I could hear the chicks calling out to the adults. The blue tits are there every year. A pair of robins were also tending a nest as were a pair of black birds. All these birds can have relatively short lifespans of a few years, but sometimes they can get LQWR GRXEOH o JXUHV Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a lovely feeling having birds nesting under our noses. They were only about six feet away from me. We like to think they are our trusty friends from last year, when

in actual fact they could be a new pair. The other day, I came across a song thrush with four chicks in her nest in the pyracantha by the front door, and I can hear loads of others chicks chattering at feeding time around the garden. The swallows are also back in the garage.

DRIZZLE FALLS I love to turn off the alarm before it actually rings. As I got up, a soft drizzle was falling. Having just cut the silage, it was perfect timing. You would imagine that it should fall silently, but no, there was considerable noise. It was the noise of the soil opening up to absorb the welcome moisture. It was a

The bulls have gotten really noisy; hence my wakefulness early in the morning. The bulls in the shed join in and they get a right old chanting chorus going. As our farm is on the side of the hill, the roars echo across the valley

pulsing, humming sound. Plants were responding too. All leaves were stretched to the limit, pointing skyward to capture the water. The bigger leaves of hostas are perfectly formed to capture water and then hold it at the bases, like a collection of glasses toasting the arrival of the mist. The newly-planted large GDLVLHV ZHUH o QDOO\ EULQJLQJ WKHLU drooping leaves up below my bedroom window. They are called Leucanthemum, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;White Mountainâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, the ones with the sturdy stems. I pay particular attention to WKDW p RZHU EHG VR WKDW LW ZLOO cheer me up each morning. The large yellow and white daisies seemed to be smiling up at me. For the last week, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been watering them in the evening to encourage them to reach their roots into the soil. Their response to my efforts was minimal. Yet when I looked out this morning, they seemed to be screaming â&#x20AC;&#x153;this is what weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been waiting forâ&#x20AC;?. The yellow was brighter, the white petals white and pristine and the OHDYHV XS IRU WKH o UVW WLPH VLQFH planting. It wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t the best time of year to be planting, but Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d been waiting to come across this particular variety for a while. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a challenge to provide continual blossoms in D p RZHUEHG WKURXJKRXW WKH \HDU but I manage it in this bed. Coming downstairs, I checked the back of the house. Nature continues to interest me. But we must observe to enjoy it. A sparrow was up at the tip of a cone-shaped conifer. Its wings were spread to collect the moisture as it washed itself furiously. The perfect shower. Then a black bird started the same procedure atop another tree. We built this house in 1995 and I remember reading that one should put in a few pencil, cone-shaped evergreen trees to punctuate the JDUGHQ DQG GHo QH WKH ODQGVFDSH I put in three Lawson Cypress called â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Chamaecyparis Lawsoniana Columnarisâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; at the time. Now they are 15 feet tall and do give the structure that was described back then. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the beauty of gardening, every year it changes and often time as a result of decisions made years earlier. The moisture was certainly gently falling this morning and yet it doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t really count, because nothing registered in the rain gauge. Still, I know it had an impact on the grass and garden. Mrs Sparrow and Mrs Blackbird had enough water for a shower after all. CL

FARMERS JOURNAL Saturday 1 July 2017

64 COUNTRY LIVING

Pat and Miriam Mulcahy bought Ballinwillin House in 1985.

f thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s one thing thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s for sure, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s that Pat Mulcahy has never been afraid to take a risk. Or make that, many risks. After all, the garda-turned-farmer â&#x20AC;&#x201C; who started with just 16 acres and a few cattle at Ballinwillin House in Mitchelstown in the mid-1980s â&#x20AC;&#x201C; is today one of Irelandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leading venison and wild boar producers, supplying the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best hotels and restaurants, not to mention diversifying into hospitality, viticulture and even music festivals along the way. (And we have not even mentioned the stint farming in Hungary yet. More anon.) â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a lot of madness in the ZKROH WKLQJ y UHpHFWV 3DW EHIRUH DGGing â&#x20AC;&#x201C; without missing a beat â&#x20AC;&#x201C; â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d do it again.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Would he?â&#x20AC;? smiles his wife Miriam wryly, as she takes a seat at the kitchen table. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I suppose Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d have to join him!â&#x20AC;?

FROM GARDA TO FARMER Raised on a 14-acre mixed farm in West Limerick, Pat had always wanted to be a garda like his uncle, who was the local sergeant, and so went to Templemore at 18, before being stationed in Dublin, where he was involved in pursuing highSURoOH FULPLQDOV LQFOXGLQJ k7KH Generalâ&#x20AC;?. Looking for a way to unwind from the intensity of the job, however, he used the time in between shifts to do a course in horticulture and ended up working as a greenkeeper by day, and on the beat by night. ,W ZDV LQ 'XEOLQ WKDW KH oUVW PHW Miriam, then a civil servant, with the couple relocating to Mitchelstown after Pat was transferred. He continued to work as a greenkeeper in his spare time, but after 12 years with the GardĂ, decided to get out and make a go of his horticulture business: which was KRZ KH oUVW FDPH DFURVV %DOOLQZLOOLQ House, originally built in the 1700s for Sir Arthur Young, the world-famous agriculturist and land agent for the Earl of Kingston. â&#x20AC;&#x153;At the very most, I was the gardener,â&#x20AC;? explains Pat of his introduction to the property, which they bought in 1985 using the proceeds from the sale of the family home that they had just built, along with support from â&#x20AC;&#x153;a wonderful bank manager in West Limerickâ&#x20AC;?. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I saw the potential in it,â&#x20AC;? says Pat, â&#x20AC;&#x153;so we bought the 16 acres here and then a few years later more came up and more came up and we farm 162 acres now all together.â&#x20AC;?

Golden Vale

venison

From buying Ballinwillin House in 1985 to becoming one of Irelandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leading venison and wild boar producers, Pat and Miriam Mulcahy have never shied away from risk, writes Maria Moynihan mmoynihan@farmersjournal.ie

VENISON IN THE GOLDEN VALE Situated smack bang in the heart of the Golden Vale, Pat might have been expected to go into dairying; but he had other plans. $IWHU WU\LQJ FDWWOH WKH oUVW \HDU with limited success, he read a report about how there was a shortage of venison on the continent after the Chernobyl disaster. His research brought him to Hungary, where there was a farm partowned by the state forestry company, the meat marketing board and a New

FARMERS JOURNAL Saturday 1 July 2017

Zealand company called Fletcher Challenge, who were looking to sell their stake in the business. With the backing of his ever-supportive bank manager (â&#x20AC;&#x153;Jesus Christ, what are you doing now?â&#x20AC;? Pat recalls of his reaction), the deal was done. â&#x20AC;&#x153;There were 1,012 acres there on the farm, and within 10 years we had extended to double that, we irrigated it, we reseeded it: we turned a kind of wilderness farm into a productive farm,â&#x20AC;? he explains of the project, which he was involved in for 13 years before selling his shares to an American company. Patâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s vision, however, had always been to bring deer to Ballinwillin, handpicking the best of the stock to start his own herd, before later introducing wild boar to the farm. Needless to say, it caused quite a stir in the late 1980s and early 1990s. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Busloads (of farmers) would come here to see us â&#x20AC;&#x201C; not to see so much the animals, but to see me, to see what kind of an animal I was,â&#x20AC;? admits Pat. â&#x20AC;&#x153;And they all would say: â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re mad, it will never work in Ireland.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;? Specialising in Hungarian red deer, the Mulcahys could have 350 breeding hinds and 250 wild boar at Ballinwillin at any one time, with the herd rising to 700 or 800 during calving in May and June. The deer are slow reared for 15 months and usually processed in the autumn, with a butchery on site to prepare the various cuts of venison for the market. While the Mulcahys got their oUVW kELJ EUHDNy IURP 6DLQVEXU\ V LQ

COUNTRY LIVING 65

There were 1,012 acres ... and within 10 years we had extended to double that, we irrigated it, we reseeded it: we turned a wilderness farm into a productive farm

The Mulcahys have 350 breeding hinds and 250 wild boar, as well as running a B&B.

the UK, followed by other multiples at home, when supermarket prices started to drop, they decided to target high-end hotels and restaurants at home. 7RGD\ WKH\ VXSSO\ +D\oHOG 0DQRU and The Maryborough in Cork, The Mustard Seed in Limerick, The Marker, The Merrion and Mulligans in Dublin among many more, but staying at the top means going beyond the call of duty. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I would have a personal relationship with all the chefs; I would work hard on that and I would meet them GHoQLWHO\ RQFH D PRQWK y VD\V 3DW RI the commitment involved, explaining that he and Miriam also like to bring front-of-house staff to the farm too.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Because they understand it and they buy into it and then when somebody says: â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;What do you recommend?â&#x20AC;&#x2122;, (they can say) â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Well Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been there and Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve seen the set-up.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;? The Mulcahys also sell directly to the public on their online farm shop, with the product range including everything from wild boar and venison salamis, sausages and burgers to shoulder and haunch roasts, steaks and casserole and stew mixes.

HOSPITALITY AT BALLINWILLIN But thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not the only business at Ballinwillin. In the mid-1990s, Miriam started doing BnB on a small scale, but the couple have since renovated six rooms in the courtyard, which are popular for both tourists as well as corporate guests. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Here in town you have Dairygold, you have Ornua, all the butter is made here, you have the big Aldi warehouse, so we get a lot from there and then we have another company which is Core Computers, theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve really expanded,â&#x20AC;? says Miriam of their most regular customers. They also host long-table dinners and special events like IXODFKW oD nights, which they complement with wine tastings, having invested in a vineyard and apart-hotel on Lake Balaton in Hungary after they sold their share in the deer farm. Meanwhile, Ballinwillin plays host to the Indie-pendence Music Festival HYHU\ VXPPHU KDYLQJ oUVW GLSSHG D toe into the business themselves in 1992 with the Deer Festival.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;We had Boyzone here and we paid WKHP d WKH oUVW WLPH WKH\ FDPH here,â&#x20AC;? recalls Pat, who explains that it takes about six weeks to get the land ready for the festival and about the same time to restore things afterwards. â&#x20AC;&#x153;So you lose the farm then for that period of time â&#x20AC;&#x201C; itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s about three months â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and then, depending on the weather and the ground conditions, your job is to get it back.â&#x20AC;? With so much going on at Ballinwillin, there are about 13 staff in total between full- and part-time workers, while Pat and Miriamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s children Sheena, John and Carol also help in their spare time. Yet the couple are still very much driving the business forward; for instance working with the Visit Ballyhoura tourism group to really put the region on the map and initiatives like the Old Butter Roads Food Trail. k:H G EH XS DW IRXU RU oYH R FORFN y says Pat of their work ethic. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve seen very brilliant people failing in business and the only thing that kept us going really was persistence and stubbornness â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and probably madness.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Well, I think the fact that we KDG VR PDQ\ LURQV LQ WKH oUH y DGGV Miriam. â&#x20AC;&#x153;When one thing was on its knees, there was something else bringing in a bob.â&#x20AC;? And as for whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s next? â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d nearly be afraid to give you an idea now,â&#x20AC;? laughs Miriam, turning to Pat. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Because heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s gone like a shot!â&#x20AC;? CL www.ballinwillinhouse.com

FARMERS JOURNAL Saturday 1 July 2017

66 COUNTRY LIVING

With four layers, this almond and lemon curd cake is a real showstopper.

Teatime delight

These cakes are so delectable, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll want to cut the recipes out and keep them, writes Neven Maguire

his is a week for spoiling yourself. With four layers, this almond and lemon-curd cake is a real showstopper. It has a great range of tastes â&#x20AC;&#x201C; from the raspberries, the honey and the lemonâ&#x20AC;&#x201C; and it looks fabulous. We use so many lemons this time of the year with jugs of water to sip in the good weather. I always keep some Limoncello handy, as I love to drizzle a little over vanilla ice cream. The ground almonds help to keep this cake nice and moist â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and it does keep well. This red velvet cake is rich and moist. It is just plain wonderful â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and I am regularly asked for the recipe. I suspect a lot of you will cut this one out. Make sure you get some good-quality dark chocolate. And arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t we so lucky with the quality of our dairy produce? The chocolate and cream drizzled over this cake really completes it fabulously. One slice will not be enough !

ALMOND AND LEMON CURD CAKE WITH RASPBERRY SAUCE Serves 10 to 12 350g (12oz) butter, softened, plus extra for greasing 350g (12oz) caster sugar 6 large eggs 250g (9oz) self-raising flour 150g (5oz) ground almonds Finely grated rind of three lemons )RU WKH o OOLQJ DQG WRSSLQJ 250g (9oz) raspberries 1 tsp runny honey Juice of Â˝ lemon 300g (10oz) butter, softened 500g (1lb 2 oz) icing sugar Splash of milk 1-2 tbsp Limoncello (Italian lemon liqueur), optional 200g (7oz) good-quality lemon curd

1 Preheat the oven to 180Â°C, (350Â°F/ gas mark 4). Grease and line 2 x 20cm loose-bottomed cake tins with parchment paper. Using a hand-held electric mixer, cream together the butter and the sugar in a large bowl. 2 Beat in the eggs, one at a time, and WKHQ IROG LQ WKH p RXU JURXQG DOPRQGV and lemon rind. Divide between the prepared tins and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until well risen and golden and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tins. 3 Meanwhile, reserve 100g (4oz) of the raspberries and mix the remainder in a bowl with the honey and lemon juice. Leave at room temperature for 30 minutes, mashing occasionally, then push through a sieve to make a sauce. 4 To make the buttercream, using a hand-held electric mixer, beat the butter in a bowl until pale then sift in

FARMERS JOURNAL Saturday 1 July 2017

COUNTRY LIVING 67

BVD? Sorry, thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a new one on me

RED VELVET TREE TRUNK CAKE Serves 12 to 20 For the sponge: 200g (7oz) butter, softened, plus extra for greasing 350g (12oz) soft light-brown sugar seeds of Â˝ a vanilla pod and Â˝ tsp vanilla extract Â˝ tsp red food colouring 6 medium eggs 275g (10oz) self-raising flour 1 tsp baking powder 4 tbsp cocoa powder 200g (7oz) crĂ¨me fraĂŽche For the frosting: 125g (4Â˝oz) plain chocolate, melted 175g (6oz) butter, softened 375g (13oz) icing sugar, sifted 2 tbsp cream For the chocolate ganache drizzle: 150ml (Âź pint) cream 150g (5oz) plain chocolate, chopped, plus extra for grating over the cake Photography: Ramona Farrelly | Styling: Sharon Hearne-Smith

half of the icing sugar and beat for one minute, then sift in the rest. Add the milk and beat for three minutes, until pale and creamy. 5 To assemble the cake, start by cutting each sponge in half so that you end up with four rounds. Place one on a plate or cake stand and add a few dips of Limoncello, if using, before spreading over a thin layer of the buttercream, followed by another thin layer of lemon curd. Repeat until youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve got four sponges stacked on top of each other. 6 Spread the rest of the buttercream in a thin layer all over the top and sides of the cake, smoothing it nicely with a palette knife. Dilute the rest of the lemon curd with a little water and then gently spoon over the cake, letting it drizzle down the sides. 7 Decorate with the reserved raspberries and serve the raspberry sauce in a little jug on the side.

1 Preheat the oven to 180Â°C, (350Â°F/ gas mark 4). Grease and line 3 x 20cm (8in) cake tins with parchment paper. In a freestanding mixer, cream the EXWWHU DQG VXJDU XQWLO OLJKW DQG p XII\ Then beat the vanilla and food colouring with two of the eggs. Add another two eggs and beat again, then beat in the last two eggs. 2 6LHYH WRJHWKHU WKH p RXU EDNLQJ SRZ der and cocoa powder. Using a large metal spoon, fold the dry ingredients into the creamed mixture in alternate batches with the crĂ¨me fraĂŽche. Divide among the prepared tins and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until well-risen and a skewer inserted into the middle of each cake comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tins. 3 Mix together all of the chocolate frosting ingredients in a freestanding electric mixer with a paddle attachPHQW IRU o YH PLQXWHV XQWLO OLJKW DQG spreadable. Place one of the cakes on a plate or cake stand with a blob of frosting underneath and then spread the top with a little more frosting. Cover with another cake and more frosting. Top with the remaining cake, p LSSLQJ LW RYHU VR WKDW WKH p DW VLGH of the cake is now at the top. Lightly press all the cake layers together, then use a palette knife to spread the remaining frosting over the top and sides of the cake, swirling it so it looks rough like tree bark. 4 Heat the cream in a pan, but donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t boil it. Take off the heat and add the chocolate, leaving it to melt for a few minutes. Then stir the chocolate gently and let it cool down a little. Pour the chocolate ganache drizzle all over the cake so that it drizzles in a nice smooth layer all over the top and then comes nicely down the sides of the cake. Grate over the chocolate to serve. CL

that, of course, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d make the short trip out from Dublin to Kildare that following evening after work to see him. We stood in the kitchen that Thursday, as we do most weeks, chatting while putting together some dinner. As I chopped the chicken and sliced the peppers, he explained to me what was involved in retesting the calves. I couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t help but think he was in surprisingly good form, all things considered. Then he asked how my day had been. I almost felt bad, telling him it was grand. The fact that my lunch had been a disappointment due to the sandwich place having forgotten to put the avocado in my wrap didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t seem worth mentioning. Later that night, he thanked me for listening. I realised then that when he shared these things with me, he wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t ORRNLQJ IRU PH WR o [ LW +H GLGQ W H[ pect me to have the words that would make it all better. He just wanted to talk it out with someone who would listen. That much, I could do.

City slicker Maura McElhone talks about farm life, BVD and learning that all it takes is a listening ear

he text was short, and to the point: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Calves got BVD.â&#x20AC;? I like to think Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve learned a not-inconsiderable amount in the 18 months that he and I have been together. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve added the likes of â&#x20AC;&#x153;beastinsâ&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;scourâ&#x20AC;? to my vocabulary. I know to call them â&#x20AC;&#x153;cattleâ&#x20AC;?, as opposed to â&#x20AC;&#x153;cowsâ&#x20AC;?. I can even correctly idenWLI\ WKH RGG EUHHG LQ D o HOG 1RW WRR shabby for a townie from Co Derry. But BVD was a new one on me. I suspected that the news wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t good, DQG D TXLFN *RRJOH VHDUFK FRQo UPHG my suspicions. I knew heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d call, and when he did I wanted to be able to talk to him about it â&#x20AC;&#x201C; to ask the right questions and maybe offer some reassurance. Which is how, on a Wednesday evening in a leafy Dublin neighbourhood, I found myself settling into an hourâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s research on the topic of bovine viral diarrhoea. Five calves in total had tested positive, he told me later, and while there were follow-up tests scheduled for three weeksâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; time, he was fairly sure WKDW DOO o YH ZRXOG EH 3, VWDWXV ZKLFK would ultimately lead to them having to be destroyed. , WULHG WR o QG D VLOYHU OLQLQJ DQG offered up the ÂŁ120 payment he would receive for each of the calves disposed RI ZLWKLQ o YH ZHHNV RI WKH o UVW SRVL tive test. However, and not surprisingly, it offered little consolation to a farmer whoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d been banking on selling each of those calves for four times that amount further down the line.

BITTER PILL TO SWALLOW A BVD diagnosis is a bitter pill for any farmer to swallow. That it should happen to a young farmer who, with less than six months of full-time farming EHKLQG KLP ZDV VWLOO o QGLQJ KLV IHHW only made it worse. I told him that he was being tested. I told him that it was rotten luck and QR UHp HFWLRQ RQ KLV DELOLWLHV DV D farmer. I told him that I was sorry heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d been dealt that blow. And I told him

LEARNING A WAY OF LIFE

The fact that my lunch had been a letdown due to the sandwich place having forgotten to put the avocado in my wrap didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t seem worth mentioning

Before meeting him, I was mostly oblivious to farming life. In the time Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve known him, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve come to appreciate not only the rewards farming RIIHUV EXW WKH VDFULo FHV LW UHTXLUHV of those who live it. Long working hours, often spent in relative isolation, are par for the course. So, too, are o QDQFLDO SUHVVXUHV DQG WKH DVVRFLDWHG stress. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a lot for anyone to contend with, and something thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been on my mind more than ever in the last month as weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve had a spotlight on menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s health. )RU P\ SDUW , RIWHQ o QG P\VHOI wishing I could do more to help. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not easy, watching someone you care about deal with the oftentimes difo FXOW DQG XQIDLU UHDOLWLHV RI ZKDW LV D way of life rather than simply a job. And yet, as I think back on that conversation we had in the kitchen and the gratitude he expressed, it strikes me that perhaps the simple act of listening, of allowing a problem to be shared, shouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be underestimated. ,W ZRQ W VROYH o QDQFLDO VWUXJJOHV or stop animals from getting sick. It wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t prevent family quarrels, stave off a harsh winter, or protect him or any farmer from the challenges that will inevitably come their way. But it will go some way to alleviating the pressure and reducing the stress that can otherwise become too much for one person to handle. And in an industry thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s particularly vulnerable to mental health issues, I realise now that every conversation counts. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s good to talk. CL

FARMERS JOURNAL Saturday 1 July 2017

68 COUNTRY LIVING

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;What wedding gift should you give for finger food?â&#x20AC;&#x2122;

ear Miriam, we have received an invitation to the wedding of a friendâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s daughter. They are actually just having immediate family for the marriage itself and a small dinner, with a party for friends, neighbours, etc, the following night in a local pub. Usually, I like to give money (around ÂŁ150) as a wedding present, as I feel young people have all they need with regards household items, and it helps offset the cost of the big day. But Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m not sure what WR GR LQ WKLV FDVH DV LW ZLOO MXVW EH o QJHU food, so maybe ÂŁ150 is excessive if you are being honest about it. What would you recommend? Claire.

Dear Claire, Thank you for your letter. I suppose, for me, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not really what a wedding costs, but my relationship with the person. For example, if a very good friend decided to have a BBQ in their back garden to celebrate their wedding, I would give them the same present as D IULHQG ZKR ZHQW WKH o YH VWDU KRWHO URXWH In this case, however, it is a friendâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s daughter, so Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m assuming you are not particularly close, though it is still lovely to be asked. So what about a thoughtful token, like a voucher for their favourite restaurant, or something for their home that is practical but still a treat, like a picnic basket or a Foxford throw or a pretty tea set?

A READER WRITES: YOUR IN-LAWS ARE A LUCKY DIP

GET IN TOUCH Do you have a problem you would like to share with someone who may be able to help? If so, you can write to Miriam, Country Living, Irish Farmers Journal, Irish Farm Centre, Bluebell, Dublin 12, or send an email to miriam@ farmersjournal.ie

AGRIWORD 903 ACROSS 1 Bide oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s time and have the Taiwan seed redistributed (4,3,3) 6 Slang for the proceeds of a theft (4) 10 Regretting that I am stuck in part of the ladder (5) 11 Bright, exploding star (9) 12 Creature that may make oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hat grow (7) 15 & 30D Common garden bird (5,5) 17 Fever (4) 18 Leave undone (4) 19 The doctor is given one foot to move aimlessly (5) 21 Kangaroo-like animal (7) 23 Wash out some resin (5) 24 & 16D As eaten after seventy-two holes of golf? (4,6,4) 25 Weaving machine (4) 26 See 1 down 28 Introduction to a book (7) 33 â&#x20AC;&#x153;Meditates strangelyâ&#x20AC;?, one guessed (9) 34 Put a ring in your hooter with a deadly knot! (5) 35 Is she to be found in the pond? (4) 36 Will he ship toys around? Is that just a theoretical proposition? (10)

BY FINĂ&#x2030;AGAS

Some clues are cryptic, some more straightforward and some have an agricultural theme

DOWN 1 & 26A The hick wrote about the virtue of labour (4,5) 2 Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s said to be the sincerest form of ďŹ&#x201A;attery (9) 3 Emotional turmoil caused by unusual gnats (5) 4 Dance style featuring in Saturday Night Fever, etc (5) 5 A worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fair in the former post ofďŹ ce (4) 7 The entire Western cavity (5) 8 Granary - or a shop selling wood patterns? (5,5) 9 Play with a sad ending (7) 13 Ornamental sunken ditch (2-2) 14 Note, plasma mixture can be a source of illumination (3,4) 16 See 24 across 20 Historic German decoration that could make a golf club annoyed (4,5) 21 Gladly received (7) 22 Sink your teeth in (4) 27 Inn (5) 29 Cowboy competition (5) 30 See 15 across 31 Town in Kildare, found among neat hydrangeas (4) 32 Casks (4)

>> Answers AGRIWORD 902

Dear Miriam, I read with great sympathy a recent letter from a reader who had moved from her seemingly easy urban life to living on a farm with her new husband and his family (her in-laws). She wrote movingly about the isolation and pain she experienced in trying to adjust and never feeling fully accepted. I was reminded of my scenario and of my own in-laws, supposed city suburbanites, and their inability to accept/integrate an educated, accomplished woman originally from rural Ireland; in some ways, a rather extreme reverse of what your reader outlined. In my particular case, I was living in the US and recognised, albeit in a very different setting, the desperate isolation, loneliness and sadness your reader described. I was prompted to write to you and ask that you remind all young brides (and grooms, for that matter) that in-laws are a lucky dip. We marry our spouse for him or for her, and the associated family may turn out to be, in some instances, an unwelcome addition. Perhaps we might all be well advised to consider this as part of our marital agreement. It seems to me something which remains too often unaddressed entirely or politely ignored. If there is one piece of advice I would give to any prospective young bride/groom, it is to consider not only oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s spouse very

ACROSS 1 Macadamia nut 7 Rum 9 Swap 10 Garlic 11 Stun 14 Sheep 15 Nurse 16 Tsar 18 First Lady 21 Brawl 22 Angel 23 Scrap 24 Toys 25 Ebola 26 Stood 33 Pratie 34 Lear 36 Sew 37 Number plates DOWN 1 Mow 2 Copy 3 Doge 4 Marsh 5 Alike 6 Trot 8 Mineral water 9 Scent bottles 12 Dreary 13 Meals 14 So far, so good 19 Rapid 20 Taxes 27 Throb 28 Outer 30 Dawn 31 Fell 32 Blot 35 Ass

carefully, but include the associated family as part of that most important life-changing decision too. Thanks always for your very interesting segments â&#x20AC;&#x201C; I really enjoy reading them. Very best, Regular Reader

We marry our spouse for him or for her, and the associated family may turn out to be, in some instances, an unwelcome addition

A READER WRITES: LET THE APRON STRINGS GO Dear Miriam, in reply to the recent letter stating that the â&#x20AC;&#x153;persecution of women on farms is so commonâ&#x20AC;?, I agree. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s also common if one marries into a business. As a granny, I can only say the husbands of these women are cowards and spineless. Stand up for your wife, I would say, and forget about your mammy and daddy. Men need to step up to the plate. So through your page, educate men and all mothers and fathers out there to let the apron strings go as your son gets married. Accept his choice of wife. Keep your mouth shut and mind your own business. Help out if asked, but donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t interfere. Feck the begrudgers and pride. To all young farmersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; wives, keep working and keep your distance from the in-laws or theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll become out-laws. Do your own thing and if your husband doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t support you, maybe you would be better without him. If his mammy and daddy take priority, he should stay living with them. Anne. NB, Live on the farm with him before marriage. It may be an eye-opener. CL

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FARMERS JOURNAL Saturday 1 July 2017

NEWS 69

NFU Scotland news

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Farmers should have known about payment extension

armers and crofters should have been the ďŹ rst to know when the news broke at the Highland Show that the Scottish Government had requested an extension to its farm payment deadline from 30 June to 15 October for a second successive year. NFU Scotland president Andrew McCornick said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve asked for Scottish Government to have a clear and open

dialogue with the industry on payments. Farmers and crofters should have been the ďŹ rst to know that once again there is to be a delay in payments. This does little to restore trust or build conďŹ dence. Apologies â&#x20AC;&#x153;We have had many apologies about the system. We donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to hear sorry again; we want action that will give categorical assurances on a timetable for

Policy document

NFUS activities

The union has rolled out its discussion document Change â&#x20AC;&#x201C; A New Agricultural Policy for Scotland Post-Brexit. The document will be the stimulus for discussion with members at 30 agricultural shows this summer; a focus for the Tory Party Conference and the Unionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s autumn conference in October. A copy is available at www.nfus.org.uk/ XVHUoOHV LPDJHV 3ROLF\ %UH[LW %UH[it%20Doc%20-%20pages.pdf

when all 2015 and 2016 payments will be now made and guarantees that payments in the future will arrive in a timely manner. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Failure to deliver farm support puts the whole of Scotlandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rural economy in jeopardy. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Those farmers and crofters who attended the Highland Show were keen to do business, but are holding back on making business decisions and invest-

Fruit and veg growth

Former NFU Scotland president Allan Bowie is to lead a new industry group which plans to accelerate the growth of Scotlandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fruit and veg sector. The value of the fruit and veg VHFWRU KDV JURZQ VLJQLoFDQWO\ RYHU the last 10 years, with fruit production increasing 86% to ÂŁ114m and vegetables up 50% to ÂŁ122m.

Failure to deliver farm support puts Scotlandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rural economy in jeopardy

Employment opportunities

Education, skills and employment opportunities within the Scottish agricultural industry was the focus of a specialist seminar held by NFU Scotland at the Royal Highland Show. It complemented awareness-raising where the Union and partner agencies spoke to those interested in getting involved in agriculture and informing them of the opportunities in the food and farming sectors.

ment because of outstanding payments. They deserve transparency and clarity. â&#x20AC;&#x153;If the extension saves the Scottish taxpayer up to ÂŁ60m in ďŹ nes, that is good news, but it takes the thousands of Scottish farmers and crofters who are still waiting on part or all of their payments no further forward and with no clear timetable provided. Some of those payments have been outstanding for 18 months. That is wholly unacceptable.â&#x20AC;?

Stay safe this summer

With Scottish schools breaking up for the holidays, NFU Scotland is warning of the dangers of letting children play on farm during the summer. The warning comes ahead of Farm Safety Week, from 24 to 28 July. Accidents on farm are more devastating when children are involved, and the plea for this summer is for farmers and crofters to take measures to make their farms and crofts safer for children.

FARMERS JOURNAL Saturday Saturday Saturday Saturday 24 10 17 31June July 2017

70 BUSINESS OF FARMING

Scottish weather DETAILED WEATHER FORECAST: 30 June – 2 July

Weather data courtesy of www.yr.no

NORTHEAST

NORTHWEST Fri

Sat

Sun

Fri

Sat

Sun

9°C

11°C

9°C

12°C

13°C

14°C

2 m/s NW

2 m/s SW

6 m/s SW

5 m/s N

1 m/s NW

7 m/s W

30 25 20 15 10 5 0

FRI

SAT

SUN

30 25 20 15 10 5 0

FRI

SAT

SUN

EAST

WEST Fri

Sat

Sun

Fri

Sat

Sun

14°C

15°C

13°C

14°C

16°C

14°C

3 m/s N

3 m/s W

9 m/s W

4 m/s NE

2 m/s SW

8 m/s SW

30 25 20 15 10 5 0

FRI

SAT

SUN

SOUTHWEST

30 25 20 15 10 5 0

FRI

SAT

SUN

SOUTHEAST

Fri

Sat

Sun

Fri

Sat

Sun

14°C

15°C

13°C

16°C

14°C

6 m/s NE

3 m/s W

9 m/s W

5 m/s NE

3 m/s W

8 m/s W

30 25 20 15 10 5 0

FRI

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30 25 20 15 10 5 0

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FARMERS JOURNAL Saturday 124 10July 17 June June 2017 2017 2017

BUSINESS OF FARMING 71 Irish pig market: 26/06/2017

Market digest | Stories from around the world

Prices reported to IFA

EU imports of New Zealand lamb are back LQ WKH o UVW IRXU PRQWKV RI 7KH decline in imports means there is a major shortage of New Zealand lamb in Europe right now, which has helped boost lamb prices across the continent. From March to June, lamb prices have increased 20% to â&#x201A;Ź5.43/kg.

Australian beef exports to South Korea increased to a record 180,000t in 2016, making South Korea Australiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s third-largest export market. However, due to declining beef production in Australia as a result of a smaller herd, there are fears US beef exporters could be about to steal market share.

2211

Argentinian beef exports hit 18,000t for the month of May, which was a 40% increase compared with the same month last year. This brings Argentinaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s beef H[SRUWV IRU WKH o UVW o YH months of 2017 to 76,800t, which is 18% ahead of last year.

Compiled by Lorcan Allen

Egypt, the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest wheat importer, imported a further 175,000t of Romanian wheat last week for prices as high as $195/t. This brings total imports by Egypt for its 2017/18 wheat-buying season above 1m tonnes.

Grain trends Grain prices: Futures wheat price (MATIF) for December 2017 (â&#x201A;Ź/t), SPOT native wheat 2016 and 2017, SPOT barley 2017 and SPOT corn ex-port (â&#x201A;Ź/t)

ANDY DOYLE

240 220 200 Corn ex-port SPOT native wheat MATIF Dec 2017

180 160 140 120 100

2015 2017

M J

Maize prices have weakened in response to rain plus a rain forecast without too much heat during the critical corn silking stage. This is putting pressure on all feed grains

i NJ

1.660

Ireland N. Ireland N/A

N/A 1.819

Britain Belgium

1.614

France

1.600 1.648

N D

575 550 525 500 475 450 425 400 375 350 325 300 275

(â&#x201A;Ź/tonne) Est forward price for Jul/Sep: â&#x201A;Ź328/tonne

2016 2017 J

F M A

M J

2015 A

N D

370 350 330 310 290 270 250 230 210 190 170

(â&#x201A;Ź/tonne) Est forward price for Jul/Sep: â&#x201A;Ź225/tonne

2015

F M A

M J

2016 A

1.635

Denmark

including wheat. Winter barley harvesting is now under way in many European countries. Rape prices have also weakened in recent weeks. The falling price for soya beans, which are expected to be in big supply, is an important factor. Native prices are generally back this week, with spot wheat in the â&#x201A;Ź180+/t bracket, but barley is back towards â&#x201A;Ź162 to â&#x201A;Ź165/t as harvest is now under way. November wheat is at â&#x201A;Ź172 to â&#x201A;Ź175/t, back from a peak of â&#x201A;Ź181/t last week. New-crop barley to the trade is back around â&#x201A;Ź162 to â&#x201A;Ź164/t. Looking into next year, May prices are around â&#x201A;Ź178/t for wheat and â&#x201A;Ź167/t for barley.

2017

1.856

Germany

Rape meal

Soya bean meal

2016

F M A

quality wheat exports which looks set to be scarce. Yield prospects from the French crop appear to be considerably less optimistic following the prolonged dryness.

(â&#x201A;Ź/tonne) Est forward price for Jul/Sep: â&#x201A;Ź175/tonne

SPOT native wheat 2016

SPOT native barley

SunpRwer meal

310 290 270 250 230 210 190 170 150 130 110

European pig prices: Week ending 24/06/2017

Netherlands

Prices back from recent quality-driven spike Grain prices have generally dipped back since last week to below the levels of previous weeks. That said, they have moved in both directions since then in response to varying weather events in different parts of the world. This generally involved rain in the dry regions and a July forecast of cooler growth conditions for US maize and soya beans. The recent market drive was, and is, for quality milling wheat. Early indications from the French wheat crop suggest good quality but itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s early days yet. Good French wheat quality reduces the pressure on US

Comment: The Irish pig price remains stable at â&#x201A;Ź1.70/kg. Spot loads have been paid in excess of this price and there are many suppliers who have done deals to supply pigs to their processor at higher prices. North of the border, processors are more anxious than in previous weeks, with increased quotes offered to some suppliers, with prices rangLQJ IURP Ă¸ NJ WR Ă¸ NJ 2Io FLDO SULFHV UHSRUWHG WR WKH Department of Agriculture show that prices are 12.5% above WKH VDPH ZHHN ODVW \HDU 2Io FLDO SULFHV LQ (XURSH UHPDLQ stable also at â&#x201A;Ź1.75c/kg. Pig farmers are still expecting the Irish price to rise to at least this level and, more importantly, remain in a positive situation for the foreseeable future. A sustained period of positive margins is required on all pig IDUPV LQ RUGHU WR o OO WKH o QDQFLDO KROHV WKDW ZHUH OHIW LQ and 2016.

N D

Pig Slaughterings Week ending 24/06/2017 21/06/2016

Pigs 62455 60094

Sows 1713 1874

Total Cumulative 64168 1,562,954 61968 1,578,450

Potatoes: 27/06/2017 Ex-farm potato prices reported to the IFA Low Rooster Box â&#x201A;Ź320 Rooster 10kg â&#x201A;Ź3.50 Kerrâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Pinks 10kg â&#x201A;Ź3.20 New Season Queens 10kg â&#x201A;Ź10

High â&#x201A;Ź360 â&#x201A;Ź4.00 â&#x201A;Ź3.60 â&#x201A;Ź12

Average â&#x201A;Ź340 â&#x201A;Ź3.75 â&#x201A;Ź3.30 â&#x201A;Ź11

Comment: Demand has picked up over the past few days due to the return of more normal weather conditions. Homeguard is now virtually cleared, with Premier in southern areas DOVR o QLVKLQJ WKLV ZHHN 0RUH 3UHPLHU KDV EHHQ GXJ LQ WKH east and is moving easily at over â&#x201A;Ź600 per tonne box. As predicted, there has been a shortage of available Queen WKLV ZHHN DV JURZHUV ZDLW IRU WKH 0DUFK SODQWLQJV WR UHDFK maturity. A recent IFA survey shows a reduction of 15% in HDUO\ SODQWLQJV WKLV \HDU DQG WKLV UHp HFWV WKH o QGLQJV RI WKH '$)0 SURYLVLRQDO HVWLPDWHV RQ FURS DUHD 7KHUH LV QRZ approximately 20% of the early crop area harvested, which LV VLJQLo FDQWO\ PRUH WKDQ WKH ZKLFK ZDV FOHDUHG DW WKLV VWDJH ODVW \HDU 0RYHPHQW RI ROG VHDVRQ FURS KDV UHVXPHG this week following the very warm spell and, with much of the industry needing this crop for another eight weeks at least, there will be no issue moving the remaining stock.

FARMERS JOURNAL Scotland

17 June 2017 Vol 1 No 3 | ÂŁ3.10

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s show time! With livestock numbers up and a packed itinerary, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve got the Highland Show covered Focus >> 9

Dairy farmers earned 46 p/hr in 2016

SUBSCRIBE D TODAY!

JOHN SLEIGH

SCOTLAND EDITOR

jsleigh@farmersjournal.uk

HELPING YOU GET THE MOST OUT OF YOUR FARM Subscribe at www.farmersjournal.co.uk/subs or call us: Aberdeen Ĺ° Glasgow 014-13011044

Next are less-favoured area farmers, who earned ÂŁ3.15/hou(LFA) sheep r: less than half the minimum wage of ÂŁ7.17. Ayrshire dairy farmer Alan Kerr said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Last year was the toughest in It will take a good number my lifetime. of years to recoup the losses we incurred . â&#x20AC;&#x153;We need to see more processo rs signing up to the dairy code of practice to prevent disasters like 2016 happening again. It is also concerni ng what happens after Brexit. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The single farm payment is a lifeline to the business in diďŹ&#x192;cult years. The support amounts to 1.5p per litre and without it we would struggle to survive,â&#x20AC;? Kerr stressed.

Ă&#x201E; Continued on page 2

Heather Gray is 18 years old and farms along with primarily hill ground, her father David in Drumnes have 1,900 ewes and sie, Banton, Kilsyth, 50 cows. A keen member pictured here in class Glasgow. They farm around of SSS young farmers 132 of Friday at next 2,000 acres club, she will show two weekâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Highland Show. mule lambs a d th

FARMERS JOURNAL Saturday Saturday Saturday Saturday 10 17 31June July 2017 Saturday 28 24 January

72 BUSINESS OF FARMING

Irish management notes

Beef

Adam Woods awoods@farmersjournal.ie

ÊBULL MANAGEMENT: With bulls still working in mid-spring calving herds, it’s important to be vigilant for repeats that could signal a change in the bull’s fertility status. There will always be a number of problem cows that don’t hold to first service in any herd but a high number of repeats needs investigation. If in doubt, get the bull fertility tested. Watch out for signs of lameness or hurts in bulls and treat early if there are any signs. A lame bull will be sub-fertile and won’t put all cows in calf. Ask yourself, have you a plan in place if one bull gets hurt. Rotating bulls with different groups of cows can overcome a problem with one bull and there could also be merit in having a backup bull in large herds. Safety is obviously number one and always take extreme caution moving bulls or herding where bulls are present, especially later in the season as heat activity decreases. Ê BULLS UNDER 16 MONTHS: There are still a number of spring 2016-born bulls being fed on farms for under-16-month bull beef. These animals need to be monitored closely for fat cover and weight. Some large finishers have been able to negotiate upper weight limits but others have been held to 420kg weight limits with these bulls. Prices are good for finished cattle at the moment, especially for these young bulls being killed on the grid. As these bulls come to the end of their finishing phase, performance may drop off and it’s important to move them when they are ready to kill. A young bull eating 14kg of concentrates (€240/t) and 2kg of straw (€100/t) will cost €3.56/day to feed excluding fixed costs. If performance drops to 1.5kg/day liveweight gain and they put on 0.9kg carcase/day, they are leaving €0.30/day at a beef price of €4.29 excluding fixed costs. Don’t be tempted to push to heavier weights or wait for a price rise. Move them when they are fit. Ê FAECAL SAMPLING: If you are unsure of the worm burden on grazing livestock, you can take a faecal sample and get it analysed for worms by your vet or local lab. Gutworm eggs, lungworm larvae, liver fluke eggs, rumen fluke eggs, cryptospiridium parvum and coccidian oocysts may be seen in faecal samples. Current wet conditions after dry weather could increase worm activity. Lungworm is unpredictable and can cause problems before larvae are picked up in faecal samples so be vigilant for signs of coughing. See page 31 for more details on faecal sampling. Ê SPRAYING: Fields that were cut for silage three to four weeks ago are now at an ideal stage for spraying for docks. Leaving them to spray until a seed head is produced will not get an effective kill. Spraying may check grass a little so take care if grass is in short supply. Spraying in the morning or late evening and avoiding very sunny conditions will help herbicide uptake. Make sure you have your sprayer course completed and the sprayer has been tested fit for use.

Sheep

Darren Carty dcarty@farmersjournal.ie

ÊWEANING MANAGEMENT: A high percentage of mid-season lambing ﬂocks are in the process of weaning. Those in the Sheep Welfare Scheme who normally sell cull ewes immediately after weaning may need to consider ewe numbers on the farm before selling sheep. Ewe numbers must remain in line with the average from the 2014 and 2015 Sheep Census returns. Dry hoggets born in 2016 can be added into the calculation of the number of ewes present. If inspected and ewe numbers are below census levels, payment will be reduced. There are two options for those for whom selling will reduce numbers below the reference number: hold oﬀ selling cull ewes or purchase replacements earlier. Alternatively, you can

Dairy

Arable

abrennan@farmersjournal.ie

adoyle@farmersjournal.ie

ÊCASHFLOW: At this stage in the year, with nearly half of the milk cheques received and a fair idea of what milk production and price will be for the rest of 2017, it’s important to do a cashflow budget. Some farms carried over a deficit from last year, when prices were lower. This means that the surplus in the current account is a bit slower to emerge this year than in others. Work out how much money was spent and what is owed from the first six months of trading in 2017. Do a budget for the rest of the year, based on historical performance adjusted for cow numbers. Most of the costs have now been incurred, but significant costs remain, including labour, feed, contractor and bank repayments. A lot of farmers will find that income will be well up on last year. What to do with this surplus cash? Probably the best use of cash is to build up a buffer to withstand the next price downturn. This could be in the form of hard cash or in stocks, eg silage or extra youngstock. While the extra youngstock is a cost to carry, they are an asset that can be sold to generate cash. Some farmers like keeping equity in the form of livestock because they find it hard to hold on to actual cash. However, extra animals are extra work. Money in the bank or silage in the pit doesn’t require daily minding. Building contractors are reportedly very busy with lots of farm buildings lined up. Capital expenditure should be targeted at areas that give a return, in time savings or in extra productivity. Don’t pour concrete for the sake of it, invest elsewhere: genetics, reseeding, soil fertility, grazing infrastructure, etc.

ÊWEATHER: Weather remains relatively kind to crops but the harvest for winter barley looms nearer. Growth and grain fill appears to be good and the majority of crops appear to show good potential. An occasional drop of rain coupled with plenty of bright sunny weather with bursts of heat provide good grain fill conditions. Winter barley fields where patches were dying off are now less noticeable as crops begin to turn. It would seem that mid-July will see a general start to the harvest but some early areas may be going before that. Crows continue to attack winter barley but only in places. Early crops may now be past the most vulnerable stage but later ones could still be targeted. The risk of damage will be greater where patches are lodged. Do what you can to keep crows out. Kites can work very well in lodged patches as long as there is some wind movement.

Aidan Brennan

ÊAUTUMN CALVING: Autumn-calving cows are coming close to the end of their lactation. It is eight weeks until 1 September so the dry period is looming for many of these cows. Body condition score is important. I was in Scotland last week and the top-performing all-year-round-calving highinput farms are looking to minimise BCS change. The difference in BCS between the cows calved 40 days and those due to calve was minimal. Their target is to have BCS between 2.75 and 3.25, with minimal changes throughout the year. Cows that lose more than 0.5 of a BCS unit are the problem cows. Research from Moorepark backs up this theory. Avoid letting dry cows get too fat on lush grass. Stemmy grass or a bare paddock with access to hay or low DMD silage is sufﬁcient. This also helps in preventing metabolic disorders post-calving. ÊGRASSLAND FARMER OF THE YEAR: The closing date for applications to the 2017 Grassland Farmer of the Year competition is next Wednesday 5 July. Application forms will be available at the Moorepark Open Day next Tuesday. The competition is part of the Grass 10 campaign and is open to all beef, sheep and dairy farmers. There is a €30,000 prize fund and to participate, farmers should be measuring grass and doing a proﬁt monitor.

contact the Department stating that your ewe numbers have reduced and you can be paid on the lower number for 2017. This will not affect the reference number in subsequent years. Early lambing flocks should be focused on having ewes in optimum condition for breeding. Easter 2018 is 1 April, meaning farmers looking to lamb in early January will need to be breeding in late July/early August. Ramadan starts on 15 May. On many farms, good grass supplies have meant some ewes are in strong condition and they may need to be offered poorer quality pasture to prevent gaining excessive condition. Grazing stemmy grass left behind by lambs is ideal. On the other hand, thin ewes will need preferential treatment to reach a body condition score of 3.5 for lowland ewes at breeding. It takes eight to 10 weeks on top-quality grass for ewes to gain one condition score so if any are falling well behind target, you may have to look at sourcing replacements. ÊDRAFTING: Drafting out fleshed lambs should be top priority. With factory carcase weight limits at 21kg, there is little point allowing lambs to become overweight. The same can be said for lambs that are not ready. When prices were high earlier in the month, factory agents were reporting more lambs killing out with fat scores of 1 and 2 and carcases were

Andy Doyle

ÊWEEDS IN PATCHES: The location of patches of weeds should be mapped or noted now so that action can be taken in the future. You need to know where exactly they are and what weeds are present. Obvious problems include patches of wild oats, sterile brome, bits of meadow brome, blackgrass, poppy, cleavers, etc. Once you have a map you should tackle these patches with shallow cultivation as quickly as possible post-harvest. Every seed that grows in the autumn is one less weed for future years. And it is easy enough to get hundreds of them to grow per square metre in most autumns. With so much concern about herbicide resistance, the more that can be grown out in the stubbles, the better. By cultivating frequently, you reduce the weed seed bank but this will not necessarily make resistance go away. The risk of developing resistance is a numbers game, so the fewer weeds you have, the lower the risk will be. It remains good practice to rogue any plants that are still present, especially if numbers are low. Long-term control is about preventing seed return to the soil. ÊFINAL SPRAYS: Final fungicides on spring wheat should be applied at early flowering. This should be a triazole mix but watch for the presence of mildew and yellow rust. A contact fungicide might also be considered as it can control a number of troublesome diseases on this crop should the weather turn wet for the remainder of the season. ÊOILSEED RAPE: Check crops for desiccation stage. Some early crops may be at the point of spraying off while others may be up to two weeks away. High temperatures would speed up maturation but allow three weeks for the crop to die back. It would seem Roundup Powermax is more consistent on rape. Use plenty of water (200l/ha or more) to get glyphosate down into the canopy but avoid big droplets. Spring rape is generally in flower and looking well. Keep an eye out for high pollen beetle numbers as they can reduce flowers and pods. If an insecticide is necessary, spray very early or very late to avoid periods of bee activity.

lighter than usual. To avoid marketing unfit lambs, handle them regularly to assess flesh and fat cover. Handle animals at the tail, head, rib, loin and shoulder. If you have to apply strong pressure to feel the bone, this indicates they are properly covered for fat. It may take a few draftings to be fully up to speed with optimum selection but it is well worth the effort. Remember, the kill-out can drop 1% to 3% after weaning so take this into account. A typical kill-out off grass post-weaning is 44% to 45% for well-fleshed lambs, meaning 45kg liveweight will deliver a carcase around 20kg. Farmers feeding meals or finishing lambs on crops such as tyfon can expect to draft lambs at lower liveweights of 42kg to 43kg because kill-out can be as high as 47% to 50%, depending on levels fed and the age of lambs. ÊDATES FOR THE DIARY: On Monday 3 July the National Sheep Association Northern Ireland will hold a large sheep event at Ballymena Mart. It will have technical sheep seminars and trade stands, an open fleece competition, the sale of working sheepdogs and pups and the Next Generation Shepherd of the Year competition. On Sunday 2 July the annual sheep shearing competition will take place at the Craic in the Brack, Aughabrack football pitch, Co Tyrone.

FARMERS JOURNAL Saturday 124 28 3 10 17 July June June June January 2017 2017 2017 2017 2017

BUSINESS OF FARMING 73

Northern Ireland Report

Prime cattle tighten as trade holds steady KIERAN MAILEY

the shed are limited and with good grazing conditions, farmers are in no rush to oﬄoad cattle at present. Cattle quotes range from 362p to 366p/kg for U-3 grade animals. Farmers report that plants are working from an opening quote of 366p/kg and most cattle are moving at 368p to 370p/kg. Larger ﬁnishers and regular sellers are securing 2p to 4p/ kg more on steers and heifers.

NORTHERN DEPUTY EDITOR kmailey@farmersjournal.ie

It is mostly a case of as you were in the cattle trade, with little changes to prices on offer. Processors have been working hard to gain more control over the trade, but most agents concede that prime cattle numbers are just too tight at present. Finished cattle coming from

NI beef base quotes: Week ending 01/07/2017 (p/kg inc VAT) 0 E U R O P

+=+ = + = + = + = -

22= 2+ 3+=- 44= 4+ 366 368 370 372 370 366 362 364 366 368 370 368 364 360 362 364 366 368 366 362 358 360 362 364 366 364 360 356 358 360 362 364 362 358 354 356 358 360 362 360 356 352 354 356 358 360 358 354 350 348 350 352 354 352 348 344 342 344 346 348 346 342 338 336 338 340 342 340 336 332 330 332 334 336 334 330 326 324 326 328 330 328 324 320 318 320 322 324 322 318 314

2IoFLDO 3ULFHV 1, Week ending 24/06/2017 (p/kg ex VAT) Category

Steers

Heifers

Young bulls Cows

U2 U3 U4 R2 R3 R4 O2 O3 O4 P2 P3

369.3 371.6 364.1

372 372.8 366.9 363.3 368.4 366.7 349.4 357.4 358.4

363.1 365.7

368.3 369.4 357.3 360.2

360.8 362.8

301.3 301.9 280.6 284.6 287 249.2 268.2

339 342.5

Note: EU deadweight price reporting – the prices in this table are around 3p/kg below the prices actually paid by NI factories, all of which trim carcases to the UK spec, removing brisket and bed fat before weighing. The reported factory prices have been adjusted downwards by 1% to allow for the greater EU reference weight of the carcase.

2IoFLDO 3ULFHV %ULWDLQ Week ending 24/06/2017 (p/kg ex VAT) England/Wales Steers Heifers 373.7 372.4 377.1 371.9 373.3 379.2 357.8 364.1 367.6 323.8 328.8 333.8

379.1 378.8 375.4 371.9 372.9 371.3 356.4 364.6 365.9 320.4 333.8 345.1

Steers U3 U4L U4H R3 R4L R4H O+3 O+4L O+4H O-3 O-4L O-4H

Scotland Heifers

385.7 384.3 380.9 387.4 388.2 391.6 376.7 381.1 373.3 337.7 345 343.3

391.7 390.9 384.8 384.1 387 387.6 375.3 377.4 377.8 345.3 336.9 319.6

The supply of clean heifers is reported to be extremely tight, giving producers with a good supply of in-spec animals a very strong bargaining position on price. Where agents have been reluctant to pay higher prices on cattle, they have been offering deals on transport and out-of-spec animals. Plainer cattle and dairy-cross animals are moving at prices of 350p to 360p/kg, with Frie-

sian types moving at the lower end of this price range. Young bulls are becoming more valuable as the supply of steers and heifers tighten. Prices on bulls range from 365p to 370p/kg, but ﬁnishers with larger numbers have been pushing for more. Slaughter cattle imported from Ireland dropped to 195, the lowest ﬁgure for the year and down by 160 head on the previous week.

Slaughter cattle imported from Ireland dropped to 195, the lowest ﬁgure for the year and down by 160 head on the previous week

MartWatch: Prices in p/kg week ending 27/06/2017 HEIFERS

400-500kg Top1/3 189 –

400-500kg

Avg Bot1/3 164 145 – –

500-600kg Top1/3 210 -12

Avg Bot1/3 – – – –

500-600kg

Avg Bot1/3 184 156 -8 -1

600kg plus Top1/3 204 -19

Top1/3 – – Top1/3 – – Top1/3 – –

WEANLING HEIFERS

200-300kg

Avg Bot1/3 210 170 -25 -9

Top1/3

244 -13

219 -1

Avg Bot1/3

205 -12

170 -18

Top1/3

192 14

220 -14

Avg Bot1/3

194 -23

167 -28

400kg +

Top1/3

231 14

243 1

Avg Bot1/3

400kg +

Avg Bot1/3 – – – –

Top1/3

300-400kg

Avg Bot1/3 – – – –

600kg plus

Avg Bot1/3 175 144 -22 -24

WEANLING BULLS Top1/3 251 -28

Avg Bot1/3

206 5

Top1/3

183 –

193 -10

Avg Bot1/3

180 -7

166 -3

The Marts: The tables are based on data from: Ballymena, Clogher, Dungannon, Kilrea, Markethill, Omagh, Rathfriland and Enniskillen marts. Slaughterings of sheep and cattle in Northern Ireland Week ending Cumulative 24/06/17 25/06/16 2017 Prime cattle * 5,654 5,738 161,243 Cows 1,743 1,963 44,432 Sheep & Lambs 9,038 8,399 162,679 Ewes and rams 459 252 11,876 (prime cattle includes steers, heifers and young bulls) Imports and exports of cattle for direct slaughter Week ending Cumulative 24/06/17 25/06/16 2017 From GB 168 101 3456 To GB 0 0 720 From ROI 105 137 6,073 To ROI 24 203 3,661 Imports and exports of sheep for direct slaughter Week ending Cumulative 24/06/17 25/06/16 2017 From GB 0 0 637 To GB 0 0 0 From ROI 0 0 0 To ROI 6,705 5,174 165,486 Figures are subject to change

Cows Quotes for cows are 275p to 280p/kg on O+3 animals, with R grade cows on 290p/kg. There are more cows coming on to the market, mainly from dairy herds, but they are not aﬀecting price as of yet.

Mart comment

Mart prices for various weight categories and difference in p/kg on last week

STEERS

Last week, the average price paid on steers and heifers was 362.05p/kg, with U3 steers on 373.8p/kg and U3 heifers on 375p/kg.

2016 157,392 42,078 146,846 11,863

Difference 2% 5% 10% -3%

2016 1,866 3,045 7,399 7,412

Difference 86% -76% -18% -50%

2016 875 257 0 171,696

Difference -27% -100% -5%

Cattle trade holds strong at Markethill There was a good entry of cattle at Markethill this week, with 420 cattle brought forward for sale. Prices remain exceptionally strong for all classes of stock. The heifer trade peaked at £1,500 for a 700kg animal, with other noted prices of £1,390 for a 574kg animal. The main trade for heifers saw prices of £2 to £2.25/kg for forward animals, while midweight animals sold from £2.10 to £2.44/kg. Bullocks sold to a top price of £1,350 for a 560kg animal, with the main trade paying £2 to £2.40/kg for forward lots. Mid-weight bullocks sold from £2.10/kg to £2.52/kg. Friesian bullocks sold from £1.54 to £1.94/kg. Weanlings sold from £2.10 to £2.67/kg, with heifers driving the trade. Prices for cows and calves reached a peak of £1,850 for a Limousin heifer with her bull calf at foot. Other outﬁts sold from £1,340 to £1,560.

North price trends at a glance Source DARD Finished sheep: Deadweight price (p/kg)

Steers: Deadweight prices (p/kg) 390 380 370 360 350 340 330 320 310 300 290 280 270

500 450

2017

160 2017

140

400 350

130

2016

120

2015 300

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

250

2017

150

2016

2015 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Dropped calves: (£/hd)

Finished pigs: Deadweight price (p/kg)

110 100

2015 2016 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

260 250 240 230 220 210 200 190 180 170 160 150 140 130 120

2017

2016

2015

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

FARMERS JOURNAL Saturday Saturday Saturday 171June July 2017 Saturday 28 24 January

74 BUSINESS OF FARMING

Irish beef trends

Factory bullocks: Under 30 months

Factories ﬁnd it hard to pull prices

R Grade factory bullocks (cent/kg) DW incl VAT 480 460 440 420 400 380 360 340 320 300

PHELIM O’NEILL

2015 2017 2016

Factory cows

O Grade factory cows (cent/kg DW) incl VAT 410 390 370 350 330 310 290 270 250 230

2015

2017

2016

Factory heifers: Under 30 months R Grade factory heifers (cent/kg) DW incl VAT 500 480 460 440 420 400 380 360 340 320 300

2015 2017 2016

Export factory disposals CUMULATIVE

20/06/2016

19/06/2017

20/06/2016

4563 657 12455 7643 8619 24 33961

4636 502 10297 8177 7879 27 31518

105234 13139 280152 176135 222312 6032 803004

112958 14472 264106 156779 214867 3124 766306

Source: Department of Agriculture

Lambs and hoggets: Week ending 27/06/2017 c/kg

700 650 2015 Hoggets

2017 Lambs

600 2016 Hoggets

550 500

2016 Lambs

2017 Hoggets

2015 Lambs

450 400

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

2+ 3 44= 4+ 5

Bonus structure for quality assurance payment

U+

U-

R+

R-

O+

O-

P+

24 24 24 24 18 0

18 18 18 18 12 -6

12 12 12 12 6 -12

6 6 6 6 0 -18

BASE BASE BASE BASE -6 -24

-18 -12 -12 -12 -18 -36

-24 -18 -18 -24 -24 -42

-30 -24 -24 -30 -30 -48

-36 -30 -30 -36 -36 -54

R= and R- carcases grading fat class 2+,3 and 4- will be paid the base SULFH 7KH o JXUHV LQ WKH VXUURXQGLQJ FHOOV UHSUHVHQW WKH YDULRXV SUHPLXPV penalties paid across the range of conformation grades and fat scores. For example an R+3 carcase will be paid 6c/kg above the base price.

PETER VARLEY

2015

Livestock tool Latest mart and factory prices at \RXU À QJHUWLSV www.farmers journal.ie or our news app

Northern Ireland and Britain Prices steadied in the North last week, with reported steer prices back 1p/kg to £3.68/kg (€4.17/kg) excluding VAT, whereas heifers were steady at £3.68/kg (€4.17/kg) excluding VAT. Prime cattle quotes for next week are £3.62/kg (€4.31/kg) to £3.66/kg (€4.36/kg), but more, up to 10p (11c), is available, particularly for heifers. Cows are being quoted at £2.90/kg (€3.45/kg) and there are numbers available. In Britain, steer numbers fell by over 10% last week and prices moves up 5p/kg (6c/kg) to £3.75/kg (€4.25/kg) for R3 steers. Heifers remained steady on £3.75/kg (€4.25/kg) for R3 grades, just 1p/kg up on the previous week, even though numbers killed were down.

U+

U-

R+

R-

O+

O-

P+

2+ 3 44= 4+ 5 Steers and heifers grading within the shaded area will be paid an extra 12c/ kg if they are quality-assured and under 30 months old at slaughter. Qualityassured cattle must be on the farms for at least 70 days before slaughter. Animals over 30 months and not quality-assured will be deducted 12c/kg.

Farmers resisting price drop

2016 2017

grading cows, €3.50/kg on O grading cows and R grading cows at €3.50/kg. Where there are a number of really good cows on oﬀer, these prices can be pushed by 5c/kg, even 10c/ kg in isolated examples, and €3.70/kg is achievable for top U grading cows where they exist. On the other hand, where individual cows are dropped off without negotiation at non-cow-killing plants, prices as low as €3.25/kg are being paid for P grades, €3.35/kg for O grades and even R grades can get as low as €3.45/kg. The rule with cows is to make sure they are sold in factories

IFA livestock chair Angus Woods said the lower quotes offered by meat factories this week are not reflective of the strong market sentiment that exists in the UK and EU beef markets and farmers should strongly resist the lower unjustified quotes on offer.

Irish sheep trends

Weekly sheep slaughterings (head) 80,000 70,000 60,000 50,000 40,000 30,000 20,000 10,000 0

Cattle born on this date will be over 30 months old this week

Quality-based pricing grid for steers and heifers

19/06/2017 YOUNG BULL BULL STEER COW HEIFER CALF TOTAL

31/12/14

With the kill back below 34,000 last week and a good demand for beef, factories are having to work hard to get supplies to fill orders. The demand for cattle isn’t being reflected in prices paid to farmers, with €4.05/kg on steers and €4.15/kg on heifers the going rate for the vast majority of deals. We are still getting reports of 5c/kg more on both steers and heifers, but these are the exception and involve good numbers of perfect in-spec cattle. Similarly, there are factories that will try to buy at €4.00/kg and €4.10/kg on heifers, but they are having little success. The cow trade continues strong, particularly in the factories with a focus on cows, whereas the factories that aren’t really active in this market are paying considerably less for cows that land with them. Where cows are being actively bought, prices are at €3.40/kg on P

that are active in that trade, as a there is a big variance across the country. Young bulls bought on the grid are following the pattern of steers, with €4.05/kg the going rate, though some factories are trying to buy at €4.00/kg, but without much success. Where there are older bulls, these are usually for speciﬁc contracts and prices at €4.00/kg on Rs and €4.10/ kg on Us don’t reﬂect an open market value. A l t h o u g h p r i c e s h av e slipped, the overall beef market throughout Britain and Europe remains strong. The other point being made by agents is that they are looking at cattle on grass that aren’t ready and won’t be for a few weeks yet. The sterling to euro exchange rate has been variable, going as far as 88.7p to the euro on Wednesday, having been below 88p earlier in the week. However, the prime beef kill in Britain was well down last week by over 10% on steers and almost 7% on heifers. Tighter numbers of cattle there should help Irish beef sell, especially as prices have been moving up as well.

Nov

Dec

Despite sheep factories’ best efforts, the big pull on prices was not as successful as they would have hoped. Factories pulled back quotes by 30c/kg last week, which many believe was an attempt to squeeze out more numbers. However, an improved trade in the UK earlier in the week had boosted demand in the factories. This has led to increased demand for factory-fit lambs and is apparent in the marts where competition was very strong. Factory agents are commenting that it is difficult to gauge supplies, with a lot of lambs drafted at lighter weights, but they said supplies are expected to rise substantially from

now on. Most farmers are securing prices in excess of €5.50/kg excluding bonuses. When bonuses are taken into account, prices of €5.60/kg to €5.65/kg are common. Producer groups are working on a base of €5.40/ kg to €5.45/kg and are securing bonuses of 20c to 30c/kg on top of this, up to a weight limit of 21kg. Some groups are also getting deals on haulage, which is the equivalent of another 10c/kg added to the price. Base quotes remain reasonably steady, with most on a base of €5.40/kg. Kildare Chilling reduced its quote by 10c/ kg to a base of €5.40/kg excluding bonuses. This is followed by Kepak Athleague and Irish Country Meats, with

their quotes of €5.40/kg and €5.30/kg excluding bonuses respectively. Interestingly, sheep quotes are currently well ahead of the same period last year, with a difference of 50c to 60c/kg. The big diﬀerential is helping to boost sheep producers’ conﬁdence in the sector. IFA national sheep committee chair John Lynskey said the strong market demand and variable number of lambs available for slaughter throughout the country is stabilising prices between €5.50 and €5.70/kg. Cull ewes Cull ewe prices are strengthening and supplies are tightening in the marts. Quotes are ranging from €2.60/kg to

€2.70/kg. However, higher prices of €2.80/kg to €2.90/kg were paid to carcase weights of 43kg to 45kg. NI In the North, quotes have taken a big drop of 20p/kg to a base of £4.40/kg (€5.25/kg). Prices of £4.50/kg (€5.36/kg) are generally being secured by producer groups, but some are digging in their heels, waiting for a price of £4.55/kg (€5.42/kg). Many producers feel the price drop is unjustified given the strong prices paid across the water. Farmers in Scotland are securing £4.90/kg to £5.00/kg (€5.84/ kg to €5.96/kg). Some northern groups are contemplating moving lambs across the water unless quotes improve.

FARMERS JOURNAL Saturday 124 28 17 July June June January 2017 2017 2017 2017

BUSINESS OF FARMING 75

On the Irish market Ringside comment

In the spotlight

Mary Browne

Quality cattle holding ďŹ rm NATHAN TUFFY WESTERN LIVESTOCK SPECIALIST ntuffy@farmersjournal.ie

We are now in the seasonal low when it comes to cattle numbers in the marts. In the next few weeks, special autumn-born weanling sales will commence, which normally attract strong feeder and exporter activity. The past week has seen another solid trade across the country. The supply of cattle in several areas has seen a slight improvement in the quality of stock on oďŹ&#x20AC;er. Having said that, where

plain and poor-quality dairycross cattle are on oďŹ&#x20AC;er, particularly light stores, prices are variable and, in some cases, these have been a slightly more diďŹ&#x192;cult sell than previous weeks. Forward and heavy stores have seen prices ease slightly in line with a slightly lower beef quotes, but good-quality continental-bred stores continue to hold their own and prices are strong and steady. Exporters continue to pick up weanling bulls and heifers for the Turkish market, with strong demand for weanling heifers experienced again in recent weeks.

This group of four ram lambs, weighing 44kg on average, sold for â&#x201A;Ź109.50 (â&#x201A;Ź2.49/kg) each at Carnew Mart.

The marts

At a glance: Average price paid week ending 27/06/2017 Weight â&#x201A;Ź/head â&#x201A;Ź over kg Weekly diff Yearly diff

Accurate mart pprices, es only ly in the Irish Farme mers Journal m nal a

550 1166 616 6 7

S S

Weight â&#x201A;Ź/head â&#x201A;Ź over kg Weekly diff Yearly diff

450 1012.5 563 1 -6

S T

Weight â&#x201A;Ź/head â&#x201A;Ź over kg Weekly diff Yearly diff

350 826 476 11 -6

S T

Steers

Heifers

Weanlings

R+ grade heavy steers are making â&#x201A;Ź2.15/kg to â&#x201A;Ź2.25/kg in many areas, with U grades making up to â&#x201A;Ź2.45/kg. Prices paid for WRS TXDOLW\ FDWWOH KDYH KHOG o UP but average-quality and lesserquality types have seen prices ease slightly. With numbers at marts small, store cattle prices have held o UP 7KH DYHUDJH NJ VWRUH VROG for â&#x201A;Ź1,166, while lighter types from 400kg to 500kg sold from â&#x201A;Ź900 to â&#x201A;Ź1,100/head. Mart managers have said that the quality on offer has not been as mixed as last week.

7KH KHLIHU WUDGH KDV EHHQ TXLWH steady also, with plenty of buyers still active for the lower numbers on offer. Forward heifers over 550kg sold mainly from â&#x201A;Ź1,200 to â&#x201A;Ź1,270, with plainer types making from â&#x201A;Ź1.85/kg to â&#x201A;Ź2.00/kg. Lighter stores from 400kg to 500kg are a o UP WUDGH RQFH DJDLQ ZLWK SULFHV averaging at â&#x201A;Ź2.25/kg or â&#x201A;Ź1,015 for the average 450kg heifer. U grades in the same weight range are making up to â&#x201A;Ź1,200.

7KH ZHDQOLQJ WUDGH KDV FRQWLQXHG WR EH TXLWH VWURQJ 7KH DYHUDJH 350kg bull is selling for just â&#x201A;Ź15 to â&#x201A;Ź20/head less than the same time last year. Continental bulls are making from â&#x201A;Ź2.30/kg to â&#x201A;Ź2.50/ kg, with the top third making up to â&#x201A;Ź2.80/kg in some areas. Exporters are still active for light bulls under 300kg and that is helping demand, especially for average- to SODLQHU TXDOLW\ W\SHV 7KH KHLIHU trade remains strong also, with export demand boosting some sales, particularly in the south and southwest.

YearlyComparison Steers

260

240

250

230

240

220

230

210

2017

2015 2016

220

200

210

190

200

Average price for 300-400kg weanling heifer (c/kg)

Average price for 300-400kg weanling bull (c/kg)

Average price for 400-500kg heifer (c/kg)

250

Weanling Heifers

Weanling Bulls

Heifers

Average price for 500-600kg steer (c/kg)

270

260

250

2015

240 2015

230 220

2017

210 2016

230

2017 2016

200

220 210 200

180

190

170

180

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

2015

240

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

2017 2016

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

FARMERS JOURNAL Saturday Saturday Saturday 10 17 31June July 2017 Saturday 28 January

76 BUSINESS OF FARMING

Camera at the mart Ayr Mart, Tuesday 27 June

This Ayrshire cross calf aged 1m2d sold for £530

This Shorthorn calf aged 11m3d sold for £320

This British Blue aged 2m27d sold for £390

This Montbeliarde calf aged 2m15d sold for £240

This Aberdeen Angus cross calf aged 15d sold for £235

This Aberdeen Angus cross calf aged 22d sold for £245

This Simmental cross calf aged 1m6d sold for £385

This Limousin calf aged 27d sold for £295

This British Blue calf aged 1m1d sold for £180

This British Blue calf aged 1m29d sold for £200

This Limousin calf aged 2m28d sold for £240

This Aberdeen Angus bull aged 12m28d sold for £690

Store cattle: week ending 27 June 2017 (£/hd) and change on last week Continental steers

Ayr Tu Caithness Mo Castle Douglas Mo Dingwall We Dumfries Mo Forfar Sa Huntly Th Kirkwall We Lanark Th Lockerbie Fr Newton Stewart Fr Newtown St Boswells Th Stirling (caledonian) Mo Stirling (ua) We\Mo Thainstone Fr

810.71 1056.2 1018.79

215.18 115.64

Continental 10to 14-months

802.09 1016.11 277.29 950.47 130.32

Continental heifers 717.86 981.67 221.55 840.47 -0.29

Continental 10- to 14-month heifers 729.12 802.25 42.54

Native steers 940 956.79 147.79 992.43 221.43

Native 10- to 14-month steers 848.57 920 25 821.67 150.42

Native 10- to Native heifers 14-month heifers 924.12 810 703.57 -168.93 597.5 -114.17 838 58 650 12.27

Store cattle numbers 0 0 0 135 103 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 198 0

Store cattle price 813.37 946.8 195.72 939.37 154.83 -

FARMERS JOURNAL Saturday 117 28 3 10 July June June January 2017 2017 20172017

BUSINESS OF FARMING 77

Mart report – Carnew

Mart report – Tuam

This pen of 12 lambs, weighing 37kg on average, sold for €84.50 each (€2.28/kg).

This pen of six lambs, weighing 38kg on average, sold for €93.50 each (€2.46/kg).

This pen of 23 lambs, weighing 40kg on average, sold for €95 each (€2.38/kg).

This pen of eight lambs, weighing 47.5kg on average, sold for €111 each (€2.34/kg).

This pen of hogget lambs, weighing 46kg on average, sold for €113.50 each (€2.47/kg).

These six cast ewes, weighing 58kg on average, sold for €68 each (€1.17/kg).

This pen of seven lambs, weighing 49.5kg on average, sold for €119 (€2.40/kg).

This pen of 12 lambs, weighing 51kg on average, sold for €122 (€2.39/kg).

These four ram lambs, weighing 44kg on average, sold for €112 each (€2.55/kg).

These cast ewes, weighing 77kg on average, sold for €112 each (€1.45/kg).

This pen of six lambs, weighing 44.6kg on average, sold for €110 each (€2.47/kg).

This pen of 12 lambs, weighing 44.5kg on average, sold for €112 each (€2.52/kg).

Strong lamb trade continues

Prices easing back as supply increases Last Thursday’s sheep sale at Carnew Mart saw a good entry of well over 1,350 lambs and sheep on oﬀer. In the past few weeks, the number of lambs coming to the fore has increased, with factory agents continuing to actively source all good-quality ﬂeshed types, while butchers are snapping up heavy lambs. With lamb quotes back, so too were mart prices, which saw a dip of about €5 to €10/ head on the highs of last week.

Light lambs from 30kg to 35kg sold mainly from €72 to €80/head. Heavier types from 35kg to 40kg sold mainly from €80 to €96/head. There was a good entry of lambs from 40kg to 45kg, which were met with strong demand once again. Prices ranged mainly from €100 to €108/head, while heavier types sold mainly from €119 to €125/head. Good-quality heavy lambs over 50kg sold for up to €132/head for a pair of top-quality 51kg lambs.

Last Tuesday night’s sheep sale at Tuam Mart saw an increased entry on oﬀer, which was met with another strong trade. Mart manager Marian Devane said that there were approximately 560 head on oﬀer, which was up both on last week and the same week last year. While numbers were up, she added that the supply of fleshed lambs is a little slower than expected and as a result the trade was quite strong once again. Efforts by the factories last week to pull

prices has not had a major affect on the live trade, with prices back by just €3 to €4/head, which is better than expected. Factory agents continue to be active for all types of fleshed lambs. Butchers were active for heavy, fleshed types, while factory agents continue to be very active for all other fleshed lambs and even some light fleshed lambs. Those from 45kg to 50kg sold mainly from €112 to €118, with lighter types from 40kg to 45kg making from €100 to €106/head.

Store sheep: week ending 27 June 2017 (£/hd) and change on last week Numbers

Ayr Caithness Castle Douglas Dingwall Dumfries We Forfar Huntly Kirkwall Mo Lanark Lockerbie Newton Stewart Newtown St Boswells Mo Stirling (caledonian) Tu\Mo Stirling (ua) We Thainstone Fr

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 15

Store sheep average price - - - - - - - - - - - - 79 - 64.97 20.07

Continental & Suffolk - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 94.5 61.22

Halfbred & Mule - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Cheviot - - - - - - - - - - - - 83 - 62.86 12.71

83 62.86

Blackface 18.8

FARMERS JOURNAL Saturday Saturday 101June July 2017 Saturday 28 January

78 BUSINESS OF FARMING

Deadweight cattle Average Scottish deadweight price for steers

World cattle prices

R4L (ÂŁ/kg)

Week ending 24/06/2017

400

p/kg

2017 327

350

R3 Steer

R3 Young Bull

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Ger Italy Nld

Southern England Midland and Wales Northern England 3

375.0

374.2

374.3

366.3

371.5

374.7

385.7

384.3

371.4

371.9

373.9

371.4

368.4

375.4

387.4

388.2

O+

356.3

361.2

361.6

357.1

355.1

368.0

376.7

381.1

-O

324.1

330.3

319.8

325.2

327.3

330.4

337.7

345.0

Heifers

-U

377.3

378.0

381.1

381.3

375.9

378.0

391.7

390.9

371.0

371.1

373.7

374.0

369.0

372.9

384.1

387.0

O+

361.2

359.5

355.6

362.4

349.2

371.4

375.3

377.4

-O

330.0

333.0

309.9

329.5

320.3

338.6

345.3

336.9

Young bulls

Scotland Steers 381.3 +2.5S

Heifers Young bulls 383.8 +2.1S

366.4 -1.9T

Steers

Northern Ireland (R grade) Steers

Heifers

Young bulls

Cows

362.2 +0.2S

361.8 +0.6S

354.5 +1.2S

271.5 +3.7S

Heifers Young bulls

361.7 +3.6S

366 +1S

339.6 +4.9S

Cows 257.9 +4.1S

Central and Wales

-U

363.6

371.0

367.9

363.3

363.4

359.9

378.7

379.3

Steers

362.7

354.4

360.9

356.5

352.9

347.7

373.3

373.5

O+

343.4

329.4

337.5

327.2

328.5

329.7

352.5

364.0

358.5 +3.7S

-O

325.6

297.3

293.3

303.3

312.0

317.4

Cows

275.5 -3.4T

Northern England

Scotland

Southern England Midland and Wales Northern England

Cows

Scotland

Southern England Midland and Wales Northern England

Pol AUS US

Scotland

-U

Southern England Midland and Wales Northern England

320

Averages (p/kg)

UK deadweight reporting: Week end 27/05/2017 (p/kg) Steers

Dec

290

Scot Irl

R3 Steer

300 Jan

363 301

R3 Steer

325

353

Av. Steers

336

Steer

374

Steer

375

360

R3 Young Bull

388

2016

R3 Young Bull

375

Heifers Young bulls 363.4 +3S

354 +4.8S

Cows 250.5 +2.7S

Southern England

Scotland

301.0

304.0

304.2

303.9

298.4

298.3

305.0

301.8

O+

293.8

287.7

295.3

294.5

287.2

287.0

293.6

292.8

-O

280.8

277.6

277.5

278.8

272.4

275.7

279.4

283.5

P+

264.6

240.2

243.3

254.2

257.5

258.3

249.8

261.3

Steers

Heifers Young bulls

Cows

356.2 +2.4S

358.4 +3.2S

252 +3.1S

352.7 +4S

Prime cattle: week ending 27 June 2017 (p/kg) and change on last week Heifers

Steers Market Ayr Mo\Tu Caithness Castle Douglas Tu Dingwall We\Tu Dumfries We\Tu Forfar We Huntly We\Th Kirkwall Mo Lanark Mo Lockerbie Newton Stewart We Newtown St Boswells Mo Stirling (caledonian) Th\Tu Stirling (ua) Th Thainstone Th

Total cattle 9 0 0 23 5 29 0 19 16 0 0 61 0 2 48

370-550 kg 204 -

-10 8.88 124.5 -1 -

551-650 kg 180 237.57 18.14 232.75 6.25 216 -8 221 3.08 223.67 10.92

>650 kg 186.2 216 115.5 212.33 140 205.13

2 -88.5 -9.67 -2.95 3.97

330-500 kg 225 216 223 209 254 243 206.86

-9 -14 -11 -13 4 6.4 -11.64

501-590 kg 235.2 224.91 211.75 235.41 212.67 228.6 232.79 220.05

2.6 4.31 -10.25 6.68 -11.58 -5.52 6.96 -4.76

>590 kg 227.5 239 195 232.5 203 180.83 227.89 204.83

-12.5 20 33.5 3.9 0.5 -67.17 7.72 -11.92

Young bull numbers 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 4

All young bulls 215 182 158

15 38 -30.33

FARMERS JOURNAL Saturday 10 28 1 July June January 2017 20172017

BUSINESS OF FARMING 79

Liveweight sheep Average price for prime lamb

Average price for cull ewes

250

New-season lamb Old-season lamb

200

150

100

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jan

Feb

Mar

Numbers of prime lamb

Numbers of cull ewes

30000

8000

22500

May

Jun

6000

Old-season lamb

15000

4000 New-season lamb

7500 0

Apr

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

2000 0

Jun

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

World lamb prices: (p/kg) New Zealand 17.5 kg lamb (02 June)

374

Ireland lambs (28 May)

451

France butchers lamb (28 May)

559

US lambs LW (02 June)

323

UK price

487

Data provided by

British deadweight lamb price reporting (Old Season Lambs) Final SQQ: week ending 27 June, 2017 (12.0 - 21.5kg) 1 E U R O P

Num 2 22 236 107 7

p/kg 492.5 480.9 471.4 439.7 362.9

Num 665 2743 7415 1218 6

2 p/kg 502 497.7 487.4 470.1 353.3

Num 1630 8780 15380 1274 1

3L p/kg 499.3 497 488 476.1 380

Num 597 3658 5373 236

3H p/kg 482.7 484.3 479.2 469.6

Num 62 418 754 26

4L p/kg 457.4 458 460.8 467.9

Num 7 44 91 4

4H p/kg 427.1 435.2 435.5 445

Num 3 10

5 p/kg 406.3 405

Prime sheep: week ending 27 June 2017 (p/kg) and change on last week Ayr (Mon) Caithness Castle Douglas Dingwall Dumfries Forfar Huntly Kirkwall Lanark Lockerbie Newton Stewart Newtown St Boswells Stirling (caledonian) Stirling (ua) Thainstone

Hoggs 25.5-32kg

Hoggs 32.1-39kg

Hoggs 39.1-45kg

Hoggs 45.6-52kg

106.45 110 160.05 154.7

129.29 116.7 124.75 163.81 168.65 150.99

175 152.76 135.96 166.53 160.39 187.83 162.07

149 129.9 153.29 153.23 142.71 172.76 166.55 171.76

Average Average price price change 175 123.58 134.08 131.88 166.53 162.7 178.42 156.73

-3.05 -29.4 -23.47 -35.01 4.48 -12.56 -3.27 -9.16

Total old season lambs 2 0 0 0 7 6 120 29 47 0 0 76 0 299 59

Total ewes 539 0 34 79 280 58 539 40 193 0 77 149 230 1194 0

Total ewes average price 81.62 61.62 62.59 77.75 67.66 65.36 49.8 70.02 57.75 76.52 60.86 71.24 -

Total ewes average change 3.13 -8.8 -9.66 0.93 2.62 -1.75 -19.39 -4.62 -22.09 -5.82 -10.46 0.45 -

FARMERS JOURNAL Saturday 1 July 2017

80 BUSINESS OF FARMING

Market view

£1=€1.13 €1= | £0.89

Beef market remains robust over summer Brazil and

BEEF John Sleigh

R4L steers and heifers are still around £3.84/kg. Meanwhile, young bulls continue to have strong prices around £3.74/kg for R grade 4L. However, many ﬁnishers are starting to feel the price of feed rising, with feed barley costing £130/t. Draff and other distillery byproducts, which often fall in price over summer, appear to be rising too. AHDB reports that the prime kill in the UK sat at 32,600 last week, which is marginally up from the previous week’s number of 32,500. The cow trade remains strong, with R grade cows reported as just under £3/kg by Quality Meat Scotland. Meanwhile, dairy-sired cull cows were

going for an average of £1.11/kg liveweight at marts last week. Cow prices also rose for GB as a whole, albeit at a slightly more modest rate: 0.6p for those meeting –O4L speciﬁcation. The cow kill was moderately down on the week, to 8,900. Government ﬁgures show that in the month of May 76,300 tonnes of beef and veal was produced in the UK, 4% higher than May 2016. This brings the volume up by 1% so far in 2017. The store trade remains buoyant, with 876 cattle sold last week at Scottish marts. The total average price was £805 per head. Looking across the continent in

Many ﬁnishers are starting to feel the price of feed rising, with feed barley costing £130/t

2017, though, French cow beef production has been in decline, in contrast to increasing output in 2016 and 2015. Meanwhile there has been a sharp increase in Dutch cow slaughterings in 2017, a rise of over 40% to midMay, in order to reduce output of phosphates from the dairy industry. Yet the EU market seems to have absorbed the extra Dutch supply, helped by reduced cullings elsewhere, with the exception of Ireland. Cow beef production in Germany in the ﬁrst four months of 2017 was back 6% on ﬁgures for last year, which included a sharp decline of 18% in April.

Deadweight cattle in Scotland:

Store cattle in Scotland:

Week ending 24/06/17 (£/kg)

Week ending 27/06/17 (£/hd)

-2p

R4L steers

+2p

R4L heifers

+6p

R4L young bulls

+3p

0+4L cows

+£29 Continental 10 to 14 month steers average

+£76 Native 10 to 14 month steer average

+£7 Continental 10 to 14 month heifer average

-£26 Native 10 to 14 month heifer average

£384 £3.87 £3.74 £2.92 £922 £863 £766 £685 Sheep in Scotland: Week ending 27/06/17 (£/kg)

-5p Liveweight newseason lamb

+252 Total number new season live sales

-£2

-579

Live ewes per head

Total ewe live sales

£2.24 6,562 £71

R3 Steer UK & Ireland: Week ending 24/06/17 (£/kg)

+5p

S England

-1p

+4p

N England

-3p

ROI

3,412 £3.71 £3.68 £3.70 £3.55

Lamb market dips but still up year-on-year SHEEP John Sleigh

The lamb trade appears steady, as deadweight prices sit at around £4.80kg for R grade carcases up to 21kg. This is 70p up on last year, when they were around £4.10kg for similar stock. This is causing abattoirs to complain that they are getting little more for their product, as they struggle to swallow the price rise. Live lambs are going for an average of £2.20/kg to £2.30/kg for 39kg to 45.5kg. Altogether, there were

Reports suggest the volume of heavier lambs is down 15% year-on-year

6,310 lambs sold through the live ring last week. It looks like there is increased demand for heavier lambs, as farmers’ markets stock earlier due to higher prices. Scottish average prices for lambs over 45.5kg are £2.28, making a 50kg lamb worth £114. Reports suggest the volume of heavier lambs is down 15% year-onyear. This is a pattern across the EU, with prices rising for bigger carcases across the board Estimated slaughterings were up

on the week by 6%, as more producers are being drawn in by the strong prices. Ewe trade is still strong, with average prices around £73 a head. There were 3,916 ewes sold through the Scottish live ring last week. AHDB reports that UK production of sheepmeat was 22,800 tonnes in May, a 3% fall compared with April, but 8% above May last year. Year-to-date production is now 9% ahead of the same time in 2016, amounting to 114,300 tonnes.

JBS turmoil continues PATRICK DONOHOE

NEWS EDITOR pdonohoe@farmersjournal.ie

Brazil’s government and beef industry continues to reel from the meat scandal that has engulfed the sector since March. In the past seven days alone, the US agriculture secretary Sonny Perdue de-listed the importation of fresh beef from Brazil. The ban was put in place amid “recurring concerns” about the food safety of the product. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has said the ban, which takes eﬀect immediately, will remain in place until the Brazilian agriculture ministry takes corrective action to bring food safety standards for beef shipments up to a satisfactory standard for US authorities. Then this week, in a further twist to the Brazilian meat scandal, the country’s president Michel Temer has been charged with corruption. Temer denies the accusation that he accepted money from J&F Investimentos, the parent company of

Secret tapes that emerged earlier this year contain recordings of Temer discussing bribes with JBS chair Joesley Batista Brazilian meat processor JBS, controlled by the Batista brothers. J&F Investimentos accepted an offer from Brazil’s federal prosecution oﬃce of a multibillion euro ﬁne to be paid back over more than two decades for corruption charges. A supreme court judge has received the charges against President Temer, according to reports, and is to decide whether the case can be sent to the lower house of parliament. The lower house has the authority to vote on whether or not Temer should be tried. While reports state Temer is determined to prove his innocence, the case follows the release of damaging audio recordings of the president. Secret tapes that emerged earlier this year contain recordings of Temer discussing bribes with JBS chair Joesley Batista. In the recorded conversation from March this year, Temer is alleged to have endorsed the payment of bribes to a former lawmaker who is now jailed. The Brazilian beef farmer continues to feel the effect of the meat scandal, with prices collapsing from £2.55/kg in March to £2/kg this week.