Grassroots Farm Magazine Feb/Mar 2016

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FARM FEBRUARY / MARCH 2016

MAGAZINE

INSIDE • DAIRY: CALVES & FERTILITY • BEEF: WEIGHT PENALTIES • BEEF: PRICE COMPARISON • SHEEP AND TILLAGE • MACRA AND ELECTIONS

12 PAGES OF MACHINERY IFA ELECTION INTERVIEW

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CONTENTS

WELCOME

NEWS 04 News 05 IFA Election

PAGE 43: ICMSA’s John Comer at the farm of Paudie Ryan in Clonlara, County Clare, just outside Limerick.

DAIRY 09 News 14 Calves 17 Fertility BEEF 23 News 24 Price Comparison 25 Meat Industry SHEEP 26 News TILLAGE 27 News MACHINERY 28 News 30 Diverto 32 LAMMA 16 MACRA/YOUTH 40 Angus/Leadership 41 Donoughmore 42 Capers

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elcome to Grassroots Farm Magazine, especially our new nationwide readers. As spring washes in, literally, it is a challenging time in most farming situations. With floods, low milk prices, worries of meat processing monopolies and damaged crops, we are presented with new eras, new opportunities and for some of our new readers, a new publication.

In this issue, we look at a new era in IFA. The elections generate new hope of a return to the member focused lobby group it was set up to be.

We look at the new challenges that the dairy industry face. For many years what was the envy of all other sectors, is now facing a financially tough year. It will be seen by some as the opportunity to grow while for others, it could be the time to get more efficient.

We look at calving and fertility with advise and technology to add food for thought when looking for ways to save money, labour and time.

We look at the beef sector worries. The new enforced weight penalties. The common issue of Irish and UK price comparisons. The fear that possible meat processing deals could

ELECTION 43 ICMSA 44 Farm Issues have on the industry.

We look at two contrasting sectors at the moment, sheep and tillage. As the sheep sector booms we look at where greater efficiency can be made plus the tillage industry and how peers need to come together to help through a time of tight margins.

A new expanded machinery section focuses on whats new. Come back next month for further developments in this section.

The general election will more than likely result in a new government make up. We look at the issues that should be important with regard to farming and rural living that may get overlooked.

If you want us to cover any issue or story, please feel free to contact us through any means of contact shown on this page. We will be delighted to hear from you.

This publication comes to you free due to our advertisers. I want to take this time to encourage you to support them and mention love from Grassroots Farm.

Now please take time from your busy schedule to sit back and enjoy Grassroots Farm.

Until next time, Jason Webb, Editor

Distribution – 25,000

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NEWS

AGREED REOPENING OF EGYPTIAN LIVE EXPORTS VITAL

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FA National Livestock Chairman Henry Burns said Ireland needs a strong and vibrant live export trade for cattle this year more than ever. He said following a lot of work by lobbyists, the Department of Agriculture and exporters, the Egyptian veterinary delegation which visited Ireland recently, have agreed protocols which should clear the way for the resumption of the live cattle trade to this important market.

Henry Burns said with an additional 50,000 to 70,000 head of finished cattle forecast for the second half of 2016, a resumption of a strong international live export trade is essential. He pointed out that in 2014, Egypt imported $135m worth of live cattle with Australia, Uruguay and Brazil as main suppliers.

ORNUA PREDICT 24C/LITRE FOR 2016

In 1996, Ireland exported over 100,000 head of live cattle to Egypt. ICSA beef chairman Edmond Phelan has welcomed the announcement also. He said “ICSA has long been calling for more live export markets to be secured. Now that agreement has been reached between the Irish and Egyptian veterinary authorities, we finally have another market available to Irish cattle farmers” “Live exports are vital. As cattle numbers increase towards the latter half of the year, this will become even more evident. We have to have markets for the extra numbers. Live exports also help to keep the factories honest with a bit of competition for cattle. Farmers will of course reserve judgement until they see how well this market works in practice, but we are hopeful.”

BONUS FOR E/U GRADE LAMBS AT KEPAK ATHLEAGUE WELCOMED

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evin Lane recently announced that Ornua is forecasting a milk price in 2016 of 24c/litre. Lane, CEO of Ornua (formerly the Irish Dairy Board), was speaking on RTE radio when announced the bodies forecast.

He indicated that there was little coming from the global milk markets to provide hope for a higher milk price initially.

The reduction in imports from China and low oil prices were all key contributors to the poor average milk price, that looks like struggling to stay above the cost of production in 2016.

“China has significantly reduced its dairy imports, coupled with a massive reduction in oil pricing which is affecting the emerging markets’ ability to purchase dairy products. We are absolutely in the midst of a very challenging short term period,” Lane told RTE. While looking past 2016, Lane is optimistic. “It will move again and it will get back to the more normal cycle prices is our considered view. It’s difficult to say what the exact price will be. We feel that average price for the year will be somewhere around that 24c/litre.

It is very, very low,” He did bring some good news when he provided an update with regard to operations in Saudi Arabia as well as white cheese facility which further enhance Ornua’s presence in the Middle East.

04 GRASS ROOTS February / March 2016

CSA sheep chairman John Brooks has welcomed the special bonus available for E and U grade lambs sired by pedigree Beltex or Texel rams in Kepak, Athleague which will be worth 30-35c/kg up to 23kg. “The fact that markets in Europe have been secured by Kepak for these high quality lambs is an admission by the meat industry that carcass conformation matters. This is an important recognition of the role of top conformation lambs and the fact that higher weight limits are appropriate for U grade upwards,” said Mr Brooks.

“Farmers won’t be long stepping up to the plate with top quality lambs. For years sheep farmers have been told that weight and cover is all that counts. This move sees a shift in that thinking

and it’s right that industry rewards producers for top quality.”

“This bonus reflects what can be achieved on key EU markets and it highlights the need for further marketing efforts to achieve better prices for better carcasses across the EU. Sheep farmers who have bred better conformation lambs have got very little recognition to date in the prices generally paid by sheep processors. This move

by Kepak, Athleague is to be welcomed and we would like to see further progressive initiatives along these lines.”

The bonus will be available for lambs supplied through the QualEUtex producer group (Coordinator Donal Mee – 086 2254932, weekdays 6-8pm)

MINISTER FORWARDS ABP/SLANEY MEATS DEAL TO CCPC

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he Minister for Agriculture Simon Coveney has announced that he will write to the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) about the ABP investment in Slaney Meats.

IFA said, “Farmers want to know what the Minister’s view on the issue is. They also want the Minister to include in his submission to the CCPC the issue of price competition in the processing and rendering sectors”.

Sheep farmers are equally concerned over competition and dominance in lamb processing

with the ABP investment in Irish Country Meats (ICM). ICM currently has up to 40% of the lamb kill and lamb processing also needs more competition.

Henry Burns said farmers are demanding that the Minister for Agriculture Simon Coveney gets stuck in and tackles the lack of competition that has plagued the Irish beef sector for years.

He said, “Livestock farmers are very frustrated because they feel the Minister is clearly leaning towards the processors and not the farmer”.

Read more on pages 24 and 25.

NEWS

IFA Election

THE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE INTERVIEW

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he IFA election is in full flight with hustings up and down the country.

The members will vote in a new one member, one vote voting system at the beginning of April.

Needless to say, this is an important election for the lobby group. Recent payment revelations has put more of a focus back on the ordinary member. The President who will lead the IFA into what many hope will be a new era will be one of three men.

There are three provinces represented, with Laois man Henry Burns, Galwegian Joe Healy and Kerry native Flor McCarthy the nominated candidates.

Eoin McCarthy of Grassroots Farm Magazine spoke to the candidates amidst their busy hustings schedule.

HENRY BURNS IFA LIVESTOCK CHAIRMAN FROM CO LAOIS What will you implement to change and improve the organisation?

There are some decisions made already which I agree with and support, such as the president and general secretary having no role in setting their pay. We need to introduce a layer of independence alongside the elected members to make decisions on remuneration. Presidential and general secretary pay rates should be made known to members.

I’d reinstate the national executive body to help Henry Burns communication between national commodity chairmen and that would help to restore power to the committees which are made up of grassroots members.

We need more independent oversight in how we hire staff, more expert advice, better management of contracts, probation periods, review processes, etc.

A priority is total transparency in how we collect and spend our money. It’s essential that we carefully read and take on board the huge amount of submissions that came from members following the Con Lucey review.

I’ve been saying clearly that within twelve months, if I’m elected I’ll conduct a root and branch review of the levy and I’ll bring alternative funding proposals to the members in that time. I’ll also use that first year to get out to the membership and take their views and opinions.

members, to reconnect with the farmers, re-store Joe Healy credibility and the biggest thing of all is to ensure transparency across the board. Those things have to be done to get members back believing in the organisation again.

Then we have the whole area of farming incomes and commodity prices, there’s a lot of commodity prices under pressure at the moment I think specifically there of the dairy, you have beef, you have the grain, pigs, potatoes.

One of the few areas that is performing satisfactory at the moment are the sheep, but there is a whole pile of work to be done there on those other areas.

I think forward contracts in a good few of them would be a start. I think we need to come up with areas to handle income volatility. We just see now that the peaks are a lot shorter, but the peaks can be fairly high for example 2014 in the dairy you know it was a very good year and farmers had to pay a big tax bill so I think we need to come around areas to handle that sort of volatility whether it’s

Where do I see the IFA in the future?

For a start I’d like to see ‘our IFA’ not ‘the IFA.’ It pains me to hear good, long-standing members of the organisation refer to it in a way that shows they don’t feel ownership of it. Our motto is unity, strength, delivery and we don’t have strength or delivery without unity. And we don’t have unity without a sense of ownership.

We bring back that ownership by bringing transparency to how we do business, to how we collect and spend money, how we take decisions.

We bring it back by improving communication, by strengthening the branch structure and attendance at county executives so members can see the links between themselves and people who take decisions on their behalf at national council.

IFA is a membership organisation, not a business. We can learn from good business and governance in how we do business in the modern world but we are fundamentally a lobby group.

Our core activity is securing viable farm incomes. When we’re doing that really well, with a strong, supportive membership working together to achieve our aims, we’ll have the IFA I joined as a Macra delegate, and the IFA I’d like to see in the future.

JOE HEALY IFA FARM BUSINESS GALWAY REP FROM CO GALWAY What will you implement to change and improve the organisation?

Well I think there’s a huge job to put structures in place that allows to re-build the trust of the

GRASS ROOTS February / March 2016 05

NEWS the movement of income from a good year into a year of poor returns for tax purposes.

The beef grid needs to be totally reviewed, it’s dysfunctional at the moment and stacked in favour of the meat factories.

We’re currently selling at a base price of 3.90, which is 10 cent below the figure, that Teagasc use as their average cost of production €4.00 that’s just not sustainable. We see the single farm payment on many beef farms accounting of up to 150pc of the total farm income. We have seen a beef forum that has failed miserably to deliver anything substantial or worthwhile for Irish beef farmers. It’s really no more than a talking shop and I think that the IFA has left the Minister off very lightly by staying at the table.

One farmer said to me that his son who is doing actuary would get confused with the amount of prices there in the beef when you are selling beef at the moment.

Where do I see the IFA in the future?

I see the IFA as being at the centre and the core of Irish agriculture. Our strength is in our 80,000 plus members acting as one going forward in a very transparent manner that is delivering for Irish farmers.

I think when we do recover from the recent debacle, members will realise the full strength of the IFA that it was able to recover and be as strong as ever. There’s an absolute need for a strong representative body for Irish farmers, we have seen over the past two months farmers are walked on because there has not been a body there to represent them.

For that to happen, farmers need to be involved in the decision making process and many farming members feel that the power was too centrally controlled over the past few year.

We also need to being all strands along with us, every farming member that has paid membership is as important in the organisation as the next farmer regardless of the type of farming that they do.

FLOR MCCARTHY IFA RURAL DEVELOPMENT CHAIRMAN FROM CO KERRY What will you implement to change and improve the organisation?

The first thing I would do is section out the commercial side of the organisation on its own by that I mean the membership, IFA power and IFA telecom and put a person in managing that that’s the first thing I’ll do.

To go back to where IFA was 10 years ago.

The main body of the organisation would be solely working on product price, input price and looking after the interests of farmers lobbying at national and European level.

Flor McCarthy

Where do I see the IFA in the future?

I see the IFA returning to its rightful position as the most powerful lobby group in Europe.

It’s lobbying at European level that’s what the organisation is about and to get back to where we were we must re-strengthen the committees’ structures that’s where we fell down.

We lost contact with the ordinary members in the branches. I understand that better that anyone else because I’m the only candidate with the most experience in the field having being involved at the top level with 20 years and also for serving at county level so I understand the significance of having a strong committee structure both dairy, beef, sheep, pigs and poultry having a strong committee structure where the representatives going up from the county feel they have a say and the incoming president of the organisation will be a failure if he cannot achieve this.

It can be achieved by giving the national chairman an active role in lobbying more so than they have being given in the last 5 to 6 years, the chairman has not being involved enough in lobbying especially the weaker chairmen. They have to be encouraged to be involved to bring forward the views of the committee, like the green committee is a prime example. They need to be more involved at a national level to get the issues that are important to that committee out into the open and that is where I see I can come in.

I realise that there are fault lines because of my involvement long term involvement. I can also see where the organisation has shifted in the last 20 years, which I feel is one of my big strengths, the other two candidates have only been involved with 10 years I have been involved for 20 years and was there when the IFA was working as a strong powerful lobby group.

WHATS BEST FOR THE FUTURE OF IFA?

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here is no doubt that change is needed in IFA. The presidential candidates mention the word ‘change’ on the hustings and in their interviews. The question then is what changes are needed to restore lost trust and stop the shedding of members from the primary farming lobby group. Grassroots Farm Magazine’s Eoin McCarthy spoke to two respected commentators about their vision of how IFA needs to change and Alan Jagoe implement it.

ALAN JAGOE PRESIDENT OF CEJA, THE EUROPEAN COUNCIL OF YOUNG FARMERS With the recent controversy in the IFA and with the upcoming IFA election, how best can the newly elected IFA president rebuild trust among grassroots members?

To rebuild trust having transparency at all levels of the IFA is hugely important. At the same time I do believe to get the right person to be, for example general secretary, that they need to pay them accordingly. You pay peanuts you get monkeys. When I was in Macra for example there’s a triangle where it was members, who were at the bottom, national council and the

06 GRASS ROOTS February / March 2016

NEWS

president up in top. We turned that triangle upside down and put members at the top. The members are the very lifeblood of the organisation and members should always come first and the issues that affect the members.

It is not always easy to deal with all the issues and keep all farmers happy in an organisation as big as the IFA and with topics like CAP for example where you are taking from one farmer and giving to another farmer is always going to be divisive. Unfortunately a lot of these policies come from a Brussels perspective a lot of the time, but I believe in the IFA’s mantra - strength unity and delivery and we should always remember that.

Younger farmers who are finished their time in Macra, the IFA need to do something to get them more involved in the organisation. There are 10 or 15 years where young farmers who have done so much in Macra and there seem to be very little for them in the IFA. They are kind of excluded from it, nor are they encouraged into positions at branch, county or indeed at a national level, that needs to be addressed because if you encourage new people and younger people you will attract more people and that’s hugely important for a strong and vibrant IFA. How best can the IFA attract more young people from Macra during that transition period?

They need to make themselves relevant. I suppose the way the structures are at the moment it is not really encouraging for a young farmer to get involved in the organisation. I have gone around to a lot of country meetings over the last number of years to speak and you see very few young farmers there.

They need to seriously think what is the best way to go about it in terms of how to engage them, how to get them involved. At the same time it is a difficult time because at that time [aged] between 35 to 45 we will say you are probably rearing a family along with whatever you are going to do on your Lorna farm so I can see why some young farmers do not Sixsmith get involved. However not every young farmer is expanding so there is brilliant opportunities for them to engage with young farmers and also to get them involved in the organisation.

LORNA SIXSMITH AUTHOR AND COMMENTATOR @ IRISHFARMERETTE With the recent controversy in the IFA and with the upcoming IFA election, how best can the newly elected IFA president rebuild trust among grassroots members?

I believe farmers still feel betrayed by the previous IFA leaders so the new IFA president will have to work hard to rebuild trust and respect.

Attendance has been high at county meetings since November so members are certainly keen to have their say and keep the organisation alive. Many have invested years in being an IFA member and all deserve strong representation.

Being transparent in terms of finance, ensuring county chairs are informed of decisions as well as being listened to, being proactive rather than reactive, and not to be seen to favour one sector over another mean that it is not going to be an easy task. We have had enough rhetoric and arrogance, we now need to see action and results behind the words. I’m not interested in hearing about their aims only, I want to know about their planned methods to reach those goals. The IFA has been an old boys club for too long, it will be interesting to see if it becomes more equitable. The vast majority Ireland’s farms are family farms and the IFA president needs to ensure that all members of the family are recognised in their work to make their farm a successful and viable business.

I wish the new IFA president well, he certainly has a challenge ahead.

Understanding ‘One Member One Vote’ for IFA Presidential and Deputy Presidential Elections

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FA Executive Council decided to hold the elections for IFA President and Deputy President under the One Member One Vote system.

This means that each vote, irrespective of which of the 947 branches a member is attached to, has the same value.

The One Member One Vote system replaces the weighted system which had meant that whichever candidate won the most votes in a branch was awarded the branch vote in full. The number of votes they received depended on the voting turnout in the branch.

Voting will take place in the first two weeks of April. The National Count will be held in April. The officers will take office at the Annual General Meeting which follows the count.

GRASS ROOTS February / March 2016 07

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DAIRY

Advice on Combating Milk Price Volatility

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Dairy Seminar titled ‘Combating Volatility through Our Competitive Advantage’ was held in Boherbue in North Cork in January. The event was organised by the Teagasc Cork East advisory region. Dairy farmers were urged to apply lime to correct low soil Ph. Speaking at the seminar Dr David Wall, Teagasc Soil researcher, highlighted the importance of soil sampling and using this information. He said:” To achieve maximum grass growth, soil Ph should be over 6.3, even in high rainfall areas. Soil tests from dairy farms show that over 63% have a soil Ph less than 6.3 which is less than optimum for grass growth. Getting soil Ph right is the most important factor to maximise fertiliser usage and grass production.”

Diarmuid Donnellan, AIB Agri Adviser, showed that we are in a cyclical, volatile, world milk price market, with the average milk price over the last 5 years being 34.7 cent/litre and the 10 year average being 32 cent/litre. In his experience the farmers who are better able to manage this volatility have a simple farming system, strong financial self-awareness, are good

people managers/networkers and make timely decisions. He demonstrated the concept of Break Even Price. Add your farm costs, personal drawings, loan repayments and taxes and divide by total milk production. He said that this exercise should be completed on all farms immediately.

With low milk price, dairy farmers must be focused on grass production and utilisation.

That was the clear message from John Maher, Teagasc Dairy Specialist. He said: “Farmers this spring need an early grazing, slurry and fertilizer plan to grow adequate grass. Even if there is enough grass now for cows to be out full time, fertilizer should still be applied at normal rates to ensure adequate grass growth for the next rotation and into the early summer.”

Organisers of the event, Teagasc B&T Dairy advisers, Noreen O’Rahilly and James Fleming urged all farmers to focus on the take home messages from the seminar; Get soil fertility right, maximise grass growth and utilisation and increase your financial knowledge of your business.

ICOS Launches an Innovative New Proposal to Counter Dairy Income Volatility

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COS has launched a new agri-taxation proposal aimed at combating extreme income volatility in the dairy sector. The objective of our proposal is to address a weakness in the existing income averaging system, which provides a benefit to farmers when profits are rising but can be a cost when profits are falling. In addition, ICOS is seeking to re-ignite the debate surrounding income deferral tools used in Australia and Canada to help their farmers to deal with volatility. Moreover, the ICOS proposal seeks to address the stumbling block of EU state aid rules, which has prevented the Government from considering income deferral as a policy option. ICOS believes that the super levy deferral scheme adopted last year has established an important precedent, as the measure was adopted using the De-Minimis Regulation taking the interest relief as a State Aid. The proposed measure known as the ICOS “5-5-5” Income Stability Tool would allow farmers, who are participants in the 5 year income averaging scheme, to voluntarily defer up to 5% of their milk receipts in any given year. The money would be retained in their names in a recognised, interest bearing fund, which would be managed by their co-op, as a loanstock-type instrument. The money can be drawn down at any time, and subject to income tax at the time of draw down, but in any case, the funds must be drawn down within 5 years.

While this proposal on its own will not solve income volatility within the dairy sector, we believe it can play an important role in terms of helping farmers to manage the worst extremes. Speaking at the launch in Plunkett House on 09 February, the ICOS President, Mr. Martin Keane stated that “ICOS has developed a workable and straightforward agritaxation measure that will help farmers, especially during years of low milk prices. We have devised the “5-5-5” scheme in order to comply with EU state aid rules and we urge the incoming Government to address this matter in the programme for government and budget 2017.”

The ICOS Dairy Committee Chairman, Jerry Long added “The “5-5-5” scheme will allow a dairy farmer participating in income averaging during a good year to defer a modest amount of income into a recognised fund, in order to draw down this income during periods of low milk prices. The ICOS “5-5-5” scheme aims to improve the current income averaging system, which can have negative consequences for farmers when profits are falling.”

When examining the milk income of a typical 400,000l supplier, over a nine year period, with a milk price ranging from 25c/l to 40 c/l, the income after tax under the current income

L-R: Pictured at the launch of “5-5-5”, Jim Bergin, GII, Pat Sheahan, North Cork, TJ Flanagan, ICOS, Martin Keane, ICOS President, James Lynch, Dairygold and Jim Woulfe, Dairygold

averaging system ranges from €8,170 to €56,170. While, the volatility under the ICOS proposal ranges from €23,170 to €48,170.

At the launch, Martin Keane concluded by stating that “this is only one of a series of measures which needs to be introduced to counter dairy market volatility. Dairy processors are investing heavily in research and development in order to move the industry out of the most volatile commodity markets, focused on developing new routes to markets, committed to helping their suppliers to improve on-farm efficiency and are dedicated to the roll out of fixed price schemes. In addition, the co-operative movement supported the milk price in 2015 to the tune of €100 million. However, the ball is now with the incoming Government to play its part by introducing a practical and worthwhile agri-taxation scheme such as the ICOS “5-5-5” Income Stability Tool.”

GRASS ROOTS February / March 2016 09

DAIRY

Q&A

Seán O’Flynn of The Farm Store

Tell me about Dairy Hygiene at The Farm Store?

At The Farm Store over the past five to six years we have built a reputation for being the go to place when it comes to dairy hygiene solutions for the hard working dairy farmer. About 5 years ago we started to stock dairy hygiene products from a company called Agroserve based in the UK producing products for the dairy hygiene market since 1974. They have an extensive range of products from teat dips to parlour detergents and have a product to suit every situation on any dairy farm. Agroserve having such a superior range of products has allowed The Farm Store to supply the dairy farmer with an excellent backup in products and more importantly knowledge of the dairy farm, how it operates, and what will suit each farm on any particular month.

All members of staff at the Farm Store are from a dairy back round, and some of us are practising dairy farmers today, coupled with superior training from Agroserve.

What is important in the market today?

At The Farm Store today we have seen a lot of changes over the past five to six years. Cow numbers are growing at a serious rate on most farms, milk quality is being scrutinised more and more every year. We have to deal with new terminology to keep new markets happy like TCM the latest one we have to look at, and the usual ones SCC, TBC, and so on. Of course with more cow numbers comes greater disease risk and will result in more mastitis if we are not careful. To top it all off milk processors expect a high quality product to be delivered 365 days a year from every dairy farm across the country. We try to make that process a little easier for the dairy farmer by supplying a quality product that works all day every day.

How do you help meet a clients requirements?

At The Farm Store we like to apply evidence based science to sorting problems on farm and not just throwing different products at the problem and hoping it will eventually go away. We like to obtain milk analysis from the problem cows, await the results and then prescribe the correct product for that situation. This process is excellent in a number of ways as it allows us to be sure of what is going on at that time on the farm and also by applying the proper product to the situation we save the farmer money in the long run as little or no mastitis tubes are required and also the healthier the cows are, the more quality milk they will produce and more of it.

What other services do you provide?

Another service we offer to the dairy farmer is to tackle erratic Total Bacterial Counts (TBC) in the milking parlour and bulk tank systems. This has a huge bearing on the price of the milk, and this all hinges around milk quality TBC above a certain threshold at milk collection is going to lead to a fine in the monetary return to that farm at the end of every month. We can call on farm observe the daily routine at milking and washing. Investigate areas of the milking parlour where problems are usually to be found. Then a new or slightly altered washing routine is put in place possibly changing the products on farm also for more suitable ones. Follow up within 2 to 3 weeks to observe progress and to make sure the new washing regime is working.

What is your advice to dairy farmers at this time of year?

This time of the year can be a very challenging period, cows are calving, the weather is very variable, and time is very precious every day. A freshly calved cow has a lot to do for the first couple of weeks to keep herself in the best of health. Thus better quality teat dips will stand up to the challenge therefore keeping things as easy as possible on the cow, and in the milking parlour. This will permit the farmer to continue with the daily chores and peace of mind, which is also very important during this demanding season . So please use good quality dairy hygiene products from The Farm Store if for nothing else but for peace of mind.

SEAN O’FLYNN ..................... CORK SOUTH / WEST ...................... 087 127 2334 DAN MARTIN ......................... CORK CENTRAL / EAST .................. 086 173 3165 GEAROID MAHER ................. LIMERICK / SOUTH TIPP.................. 087 257 6827 DARRAGH PARLON .............. OFFALY / LAOIS / NORTH TIPP ..... 085 784 5008 GERALDINE MCCARTHY ..... KERRY / NORTH CORK .................... 086 158 3215

QUALITY PRODUCTS – BY THE BARREL AGROSERVE DAIRY HYGIENE PRODUCTS

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GALVANISED MILK CARTS

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GENTLEMAN AGRI PRODUCTS Glendahalan East, Ballyheigue, Co. Kerry

Tel: 087 697 0095 Tel: 087 954 5711 gentlemanagriproducts@hotmail.com

To view all our products in more detail see:

WWW.GENTLEMANAGRI.COM

AVALKSAN

Approved by Teagasc,Avalksan is a phosphate-free liquid caustic / chlorinated detergent steriliser. Ideal for use at all temperatures, it is specially formulated for use in milking parlours, pipelines, automatic bulk milk tanks and for manual cleaning of bulk tanks. Avalksan’s non-foaming properties makes it the number one choice for dairy farmers.

Available in 25Ltr and 200Ltr Drums.

PRODUCT FEATURES • Phosphate Free • Use at all temperatures • Non-foaming

ECK OUR PLEASE CH T WEBSITE A

M

O C .

S E I L P P U S M E H C E R CA

• Up to 100 washes per 25Ltr drum • Available from your local stockist

Phone: 029 50176 / 087 259 8537 Email: carechemsupplies@eircom.net

DAIRY

Dairy Farmers should consider solar water heating

H

eating water on the dairy farm is the next most expensive cost after milk cooling. With spring calving herds, copious amounts of hot water are required, not only for milking machine and bulk milk tank cleaning but also for mixing calf milk replacer.

From mid-February to mid November, a solar water heater can provide warm or hot water from 30° to 65°C from daylight radiation or sunlight for free.

This warm or hot water can be drawn directly from the solar heater through a tap in the dairy or connected directly to an existing electric water heater in the dairy.

So it makes good practical sense that water entering an electric boiler at 30° to 65°C will consume far less energy to heat to 75°C than cold water coming into the electric boiler at 7° to 10°C. Savings of up to 60% on hot water heating can be easily achieved by installing a solar water heater on a south facing roof or dairy wall, away from trees and shadows.

These carbon neutral water heaters are maintenance free and a pay back time of 2 to 3 years is attainable. For further details contact Joe Murphy on mobile 087 259 8537, email to carechemsupplies@eircom. net or check the website at www.carechemsupplies.com

DAIRY FARMERS…

Did you know you could save up to 60% on water heating costs by installing a solar water heater? Contact us for more details on our new CC Solar+ water heaters.

• Heat water to 60°C+ for FREE simply by using the power of the sun power of the sun • Stainless Steel water storage tank and frame • 50-60mm Polyurethane foam insulation on water tank tank • Heat preservation – 72 hours • 15 years lifespan on vacuum tubes • Hailstone resistance to 25mm on vacuum tubes • Maintenance free

Phone 029 50176 / 087 259 8537 Email: carechemsupplies@eircom.net PLEASE CHECK OUR WEBSITE AT

WWW.CARECHEMSUPPLIES.COM

12 GRASS ROOTS February / March 2016

CALVES

THE SIMPLE 1-2-3 OF CALF REARING

T

he Calf Care Open Days took place on four farms around Ireland at the end of January. A large number of farmers attended the events, which was organised by Teagasc, Animal Health Ireland (AHI) and Volac.

The take home message for farmers to help them, protect the health of their calves was as simple as 1,2,3.

1. Use colostrum from the 1st milking for the 1st feed 2. Give colostrum within 2 hours from the calf’s birth 3. Give at least 3 litres of colostrum “Colostrum is essential to protect the health of new born calves. The first feed should be given within two hours of birth and should be a minimum of 3 litres,” according to Muireann Conneely, Teagasc Moorepark.

Ingrid Lorenz from UCD had valuable advice for farmers attending on managing scouring calves.

1. Remove sick calves from the group 2. Rehydrate with up to 5 litres of electrolytes 3. Continue to feed milk One host farm family, Kevin and Mairead Heavin, Fearaghalee, Belmont, Co. Offaly, feed up to 6 litres of milk replacement per day until calves reach 100 kilos live weight. This ensures calves get off to a good start and this is reflected in the weights of his yearling heifers and culminates in replacement dairy heifers calving down at 550 kilograms.

Another message from the AHI concerned The second and subsequent milkings of a dairy cow. This milk contains less antibodies and should not be considered as colostrum but as transition milk.

Transition milk is milk that is not saleable from the first eight milkings. Colostrum should not be mixed with transition milk and fed to newborn calves.

WHY THE ONLY WAY IS ONCE-A-DAY

H

ow much time does calf rearing take and how much does it cost to rear a calf. Many researchers have been looking at the time factor and this can range from ½ -4hours/day for 50 calves depending on the system. Often farmers believe that the 1 hr figure is appropriate to their farm but as the job is usually split in two the actual figure is more like to be much higher. Feeding milk once- a-day allows farmers more time to look after their calves and well as making the day more flexible. It also helps increase dry feed consumption and growth rates before and after weaning. Then, there is the cost.

With no quota the true cost of rearing calves this year has risen, and as you can see from table 1, it can be as high as €130 for adlib feeding but even restricted feeding is €70/calf in lost milk sales. Adlib feeding takes less time to rear calves but costs more whilst twice a day (TAD) restricted feeding costs less but takes more time.

That why more a more farmers are changing to Once-a-day. In Table 2 we outline the cost of rearing calves using Shine Once-a-day with milk or water.

Weaning earlier can reduce the number of calves on milk by 10-20% saving more milk and time. Shine Once-a-day contains buttermilk and skim milk powder so the milk will form a firm curd in the calf’s stomach and takes over 14 hours to be digested.

14 GRASS ROOTS February / March 2016

For beef farmers Shine Onceaday is the cheapest and most effective way to rear bought in calves. This is because calves eat more dry feed and their rumen develops faster allowing weaning to occur a week or two earlier saving both labour and milk replacer used. Using Shine Onceady will save at least 4kg of calf milk replacer worth €8/calf Table 1 Cost of feeding whole milk to calves.

AGE

Feeding rate/day TAD

Feeding rate/day Adlib

Cost of TAD @25c/L

Cost of Adlib @25cent/L

0-4 day

Colostrum

Colostrum

395

5-60

2 ½ L TAD

2 ½ L TAD

€70

€130

Cost of Once-a-day mixed with cows milk@25c/L

Cost of Once-a-day mixed with water at €45/20kg bag.

€57

€54

Table 2 cost of using Once-a-day.

AGE

Feeding rate/day.

Once-a-day with cow’s milk

Feeding rate/day.

Once-a-day with Water

0-4 day

Colostrum + milk

Colostrum + milk

5-9

Milk twice a day

Milk twice a day

10-50

3½ L milk and 175g of Shine Once-a-day

2½ L water and 600g of Shine Once-a-day

Time saved

Up to 1 hr/day

Up to 1 hr/day

Anecdotally farmers also comment that the incidence of scour is less with Once-a-day feeding and calves are content providing they have adlib access to dry feed, straw and water.

CALVES

C

alf rearing lays the basis for the lifetime productivity of the animal. The first 6 month of life are critical, any productivity gains lost during this period are gone forever. It is all about having a ‘silent calf’. That is a calf that is born with ease, thrives well and is trouble free right up to 6 months old.

SOME KEY ELEMENTS: Housing Calves are born with very little fat reserves to keep them warm.

They are susceptible to chills and when they are cold they tend to use up energy to keep themselves warm, this is at the expense of growth rates. Ensure bedding is deep (200mm) to keep calves warm. Group calves by age.

Hygiene Have a disinfectant foot bath at the door of the calf shed with Osmodex general purpose disinfectant in it. Also regularly disinfect calving sheds and calf pens. Isolate sick calves and don’t re-introduce back into the general population.

Image by AF Photography

ESSENTIALS OF CALF REARING

By Michael O’Grady, Osmonds

After calving According to Animal Health Ireland calves should be fed at least 13-15% of the calf’s birth weight of colostrum. Give 3 litres of colostrum within first 6 hours of life. Where colostrum quality is in doubt give the calf a Colostrum Plus Paste (contains energy to get the calf up to suckle, immunoglobulins to boost immunity and trace elements and vitamins to help calf vitality and health).

Monitoring performance It is good practice to weigh calves at birth and again at weaning.

From a dairy replacement perspective, an average daily gain of 0.75kg/day from birth to 3 years is ideal.

Disease Teagasc data indicates 50% of calf mortality in first year, occurs within first 6 weeks. Prevent the spread of disease by boosting calf immunity, while decreasing contact with infections.

Disinfect navels immediately post birth.

Calf pneumonia Calf pneumonia causes lung damage, poor thrive and even death. Ensure there is good ventilation, with no draughts at ground level - as this causes chills.

Nutritional scours This results where milk doesn’t clot properly in the calf’s stomach.

Introduce diet alterations slowly, don’t over feed milk and add a milk acidifier like Ezeegest Plus. If the scour is bacterial or viral then use Osmonds Calf Scour Test Kit to identify source of scour. Based on the results start a control plan. Continue feeding milk and add in oral electrolytes like Vitaboost powder or Trilyte paste to replace lost body fluids and water.

Coccidiosis oocysts Coccidiosis oocysts when ingested by calves reproduce rapidly causing disruption to the intestinal lining - causing blood stained scours, reducing feed efficiency and reducing growth rates. Dose ‘at risk’ calves with a history of coccidiosis or showing clinical signs of coccidiosis with Osmonds Ridacox. Immuno-Calf is a new phenomenon in calf rearing. It is a feed supplement containing high levels of monoglycerides and essential oils, known for their anti-bacterial and anti-viral properties. They help the calf to combat pneumonia and diarrhea infections and improve thrive. Add it to milk from birth to weaning.

For further details contact your local Osmonds Rep or call O1 466 7988 or visit www.osmonds.ie

16 GRASS ROOTS February / March 2016

FERTILITY

Improve Health and Fertility Management on your Farm…

Careful observation of cattle is very time consuming and labour intensive. Cows need to be observed several times during the day and night to avoid missing heats and health events. As farms are getting larger there is typically less time to observe animals.

T

ake a herd of 150 cows. Say we spend 30 minutes (1,800 seconds) in a day consciously monitoring the health and fertility of the herd. That’s 12 seconds per cow on average. That’s 84 seconds a week, 4,368 seconds or 73 minutes a year with each cow. How can one observe everything about each individual animal?

Tail painting has been used by many farmers and can be used to indicate if a cow is in heat but it still requires observing at least twice a day with varied results. When one factors in the time it takes to apply and maintain the paint, the process becomes an inefficient use of time.

A vasectomised bull wearing a chin ball is another method for detecting cows on heat.

However, there is very variable accuracy and also a serious safety concern as research indicates that bulls are responsible for 59% of livestock related fatalities.

In recent years, farmers have begun to take a more scientific approach to allow them to identify cows in heat. Dairymaster has developed a health and fertility monitoring system that helps farmer’s monitor each individual cow 24x7.

The MooMonitor+ is a collar around the cow’s neck, which detects individual cow heats and health events with ease through advanced data analysis. It monitors cows on a daily basis and identifies specific types of behaviour such as feeding, rumination, resting time and different types of activity intensity. These features can aid in detecting heats, monitoring feeding and rumination patterns, monitoring cow welfare and managing the health status of the farm.

This system gathers information on each animal every 15 minutes, has a range in excess of 1km while maintaining a battery life of an amazing 10 years. The farmer can swipe the tag with a compatible phone - making it much easier to assign a collar to a cow or read the cow’s individual information. The added advantage of this is ease of use and less animal handling and stress for both the farmer and the cow.

The mobile app allows two way interaction with the system e.g. cow and insemination events can be entered immediately. When the system detects sick cows it will send an immediate notification direct to the farmer’s phone allowing them to intervene sooner. It is even possible to monitor several farms on the phone e.g. for veterinarians or AI technicians.

Cows come into milk a lot faster with better health and fertility management. This in turn makes dairy farming more profitable.

For more information visit www.moomonitor.dairymaster.com or call us on 1890 500 247.

GRASS ROOTS February / March 2016 17

FERTILITY

IMPROVE DMI POST-CALVING WITH MOLASSES

A

s spring calving commences on the majority of dairy farms around the country, so too does the preparation of both calving pens and calf facilities to enable the handling of calving cows and the rearing of this year’s new stock.

Having a structured work plan is important at this time as it will allow for better time management and an increase in work efficiency as supervision of both cows calving and freshly born calves coupled with a return to milking all leads to an increased workload around the farmyard.

The calving and early lactation period is very important in the dairy cow’s life cycle. Dry Matter Intake (DMI) in the four week period prior to calving can reduce by as much as 30% and, in some instances, does not fully recover for at least three weeks post-partum.

Coupled with this, post calving milk yield increases much more rapidly than the cows forage intake, giving rise to a period of under feeding which causes a Negative Energy Balance (NEB) within the animal.

A Negative Energy Balance arises when the energy intake of the cow is less than the energy expended by the animal for both milk production and her own body maintenance.

While this might not be a problem for cows of lower yielding genetics, there is a risk that cows bred for higher milk yielding ability will mobilise some of their own body fat reserves which, in turn, risks leading to a loss in Body Condition Score (BCS).

If this transpires, it can have undesirable consequences for both the cow and, ultimately, the profitability of the farm. An extended (NEB) in cows of higher yielding genetics can cause a reduction in cow fertility, repeat heat cycles and diminish milk production along with other metabolic disorders including ketosis.

Returning the cow into a positive energy state as soon as possible after calving is therefore key to

the prevention of prolonged negative health effects for the animal.

Diets supplying a crude protein level of between 16-18% and an energy level of 0.95 UFL per kg/ DM should allow for the return of the animal to a positive energy state.

The addition of a highly soluble sugar source to the Total Mixed Ration (TMR) in the form of molasses or molasses based blends in the post calving period will assist in negating this negative energy balance after calving.

The benefits of adding molasses to the dairy cow’s diet post calving goes far beyond just increasing the energy density of the diet. Providing molasses in diets will also aid in increasing the DMI of the animal, improving energy parturition while also promoting an efficient and healthy rumen.

Incorporating molasses to TMRs will also aid in the uniform distribution of post calver minerals throughout the feed, prevent sorting and improve the overall structure of the TMR. The seasonality of the Irish dairy sector means that cows will need to be returned to open pasture as soon as possible in order to maximise grass utilisation during peak milk production periods.

Spring grass can contain high amounts of rumen degradable protein (RDP) which produces ammonia. In order for rumen bacteria to capture this ammonia and convert it to microbial protein, they need a supply of rapidly fermentable carbohydrate (for example in the form of molasses).

The supplementation of a grass diet with an energy source both improves the capture of ruminal N, while also increasing the efficiency of microbial synthesis within the rumen. The better utilisation of fibre consumed during grazing can also be achieved by adding molasses to the ruminant diet.

Molasses liquid feeds can be fed in a range of different methods, including through an open trough, lick wheel feeder, in the TMR, or be poured on or mixed with dry feeds and forages.

For more information on the benefits of molasses contact Premier Molasses, Harbour Road, Foynes, Co. Limerick on 069-65311 or visit our website at www.premiermolasses.ie.

IRISH HOLSTEIN FRIESIAN ASSOCIATION Serving Dairy Farmers over 50 years !

F

ollowing its momentous Golden Jubilee milestone last year the Irish Holstein Friesian Association (IHFA) looks ahead to a positive 2016 with a varied programme of events showcasing the wide genetic variation and efficient performance of the Holstein Friesian.

The Association is responsible for the validity and upkeep of the herdbook of Holstein Friesian cattle and for giving direction to the development and promotion of the breed in Ireland through its many events and services.

The Association offers a Grade-Up service, whereby commercial cows can be graded up to full pedigree in three simple steps.

Linear Scoring is another important service, carried out by IHFA field staff in providing an independent, unbiased assessment of the conformation characteristics of dairy herds.

The information generated from these services help in making informed breeding and progressive herd management decisions.

IHFA Dates for Your Diary 2016 - A snapshot of events March 23rd IHFA Premier Bull Sale Nenagh Mart, Co. Tipperary April 28th Judges Conference Laurelelm Herd of Ricky Barrett & family, Co. Cork May 4th AGM May 7th Emerald Expo Virginia Showgrounds, Co. Cavan June 22nd Pure Friesian Open Day “Coolmohan” herd, Kilworth, Co. Cork July 6th IHFA National Open Day “Windfield” herd, Menlough, Ballinasloe, Co. Galway

18 GRASS ROOTS February / March 2016

IHFA makes a significant industry-good contribution for the betterment of the wider dairy farming sector through: • Genomics • Ancestry data supplied to the national cattle database for computing genetic evaluations.

• Classification/Linear Scoring data used for generating Bull proofs and also as predictor traits within the EBI. • An Irish type base is now in place to reflect the prevalent Holstein Friesian population.

The reservoir of IHFA DNA data accumulated over many years of parentage testing continues to enhance Genomic technology in cattle breeding through imputation.

Additionally, since 2013 all Males registered with IHFA receive genomic breeding values as well as parentage verification.

This benefits in increased reliability of the breeding values and also positively influences the dataset of the national dairy population.

Further information on IHFA and its many service offerings available by contacting IHFA on 023 88 33443. www.ihfa.ie Email: enquiries@ihfa.ie

FERTILITY

Eurogene/ Lic: Your Proven Partner

T

he Sire Directories are out. While most dairy farmers are busy in the middle of calving their cows again, it won’t be long before it’s that time of the year when sire selection becomes a priority.

Each dairy farmer will need to select a team of bulls that hopefully will deliver the sort of cow that suits their needs.

Eurogene Aiservices have a broad range of sires including the No. 1 bull available, Lucky Whistler (WLY) who is now also daughter proven.

In this current era of genomics and given the fast pace of genetic progress, it is actually remarkable that a daughter proven sire has once again moved to the top of the Active Bull list.

Even managing to stay ahead of the recent high ranking genomic sires.

Farmer Satisfaction seems to be very high with the daughters of Lucky Whistler and while they might not be the tallest, they are very correct having nice Udders with great Feet & Legs.

The daughter pictured on this page is pretty typical of what WLY is siring. They are quite strong medium sized cows, they also have outstanding Components and Fertility.

Eurogene also have two outstanding sons of WLY, namely Maestro (FR2053) & Gloss

(YKG) whose EBI’s come in just behind their sire at €363 & €359 respectively.

The LIC product range is also strong this year and in the main will be offering daughter proven genetics whose EBI’s will be well ahead of their contemporaries.

There are quite a few Mint Edition sons now proven in both New Zealand & Ireland.

These shall provide an outcross opportunity for many breeders looking to diversify away from the more popular bloodlines of recent years.

Eurogene/ LIC is proud of the fact that ¾’s of the top daughter proven sires in Ireland*, based on the latest ICBF December proof run, have been marketed by our company so the real winners are our customers.

These daughters are now starting to prove their real worth, hence it is no wonder that well over half of the Top 2,000 Cows in the country have the majority of their high preforming stock sired by a Eurogene/LIC bull.

BENEFITS OF CORRECT MANAGEMENT OF MAIDEN HEIFERS

W

e have now entered into peaking calving season with both cows and heifers calving to start off the years milk supply.

Looking at different management styles there are still farmers that don’t see the importance of have their heifers calved early in February.

Stephen Dowling of Dunmasc Genetics gives this advice.

The issue with your heifers calving is that they need more time for recovery postpartum and are slower to start cycling and return to standing heat when compared to the rest of your milking herd.

If we look at a typical Spring calving cow on a grass based system, she has returned to normal post calving at 30 day, the cows will show first signs of heat from 30 to 45 days and is ready for breeding from 60 days. In comparison your heifers calving down may need up to 90 days post calving for recovery.

What can we do to make sure next year’s heifers are back in heat sooner?

Looking at a farm system that inseminates their heifer from 24th of April which gives an expected calving date at the end of Jan onwards. This allows sufficient time for your freshly

20 GRASS ROOTS February / March 2016

calved heifers to recover from the shock to her system and also allows her time to settle into a new pattern.

Calving your heifers early in the season allows you the heifer’s recovery time and you the farmer sufficient time to treat and manage their needs.

If we look at a farm system that inseminates it heifers at the end May, which gives us a calving date at the end of February into the start of March and an expected return for breeding three months later at the end of May again.

This does not allow us enough time for problem solving or any issues in health or fertility.

These Heifers may make it back in time the following season insemination but are already on a slippery slope as your young animals within the milking herd should always have that priority. They are potential carrying the best of your herd’s genetics and are the future of your herd foundations.

H U R R IC A N E C AT T L E C A R E

Concrete Grooving Covering all of Munster

BEFORE

AFTER Outlined below is a step by step guide that will help in the process of heifer management.

BEFORE

AFTER

WWW.HURRICANECATTLECARE.IE 086 777 8038 / 086 029 0645

HURRICANECATTLECARE@GMAIL.COM

Step-by-Step Process for Maiden Heifers Step 1 Services from mid-April (2016) Step 2 Clean up repeats early May (2016) Step 3 Calving your median heifers end of January early February (2017) Step 4 Average recovery after calving 90 days Step 5 Per breed scan four weeks from AI Season Step 6 Re Scan any problem heifers (1stCalvers) prior to starting the AI season Step 7 First Calved heifers ready for breeding from mid-April onwards (2017) Understanding that not every part of the country enjoys early grass growth but adjust the dates to suit your farm system allowing your first calved heifers time for recovery will mean less costs in culls more milk supply and a more productive system.

How can I Speed up Inseminating my Heifers On some farms the temptation of speeding up severing your maiden heifers is done for two main reasons, firstly you can calve most of that group together and secondly its easy watch a group of heifers as it watching for one or two each day.

Outlined below are two options for synchronising your heifers.

Option 1 CIDR & Estrumate (Average cost €20 to €30 per head) Day 0 Insert CIDR Day10 Inject with 2mls of estrumate Day 11 Remove CIDR Day 13 In heat Option 2 Estrumate only (average cost €14 to €20 per head) Day 0 2mls of estrumate (all heifers) Day 3 on heat (about 50 to 60%) Day 10 2mls of estrumate (all heifers) Day13 on heat (all heifers) (ready for services) Both programmes work well but remember that to watch for physical signs of heat, this will help improve your pregnancy massively as fixed time AI can have mixed results depending on management and interaction with stock.

Other options Starting the breeding season a week ahead of the rest of the herd with your maiden heifers allows you the option to start with sexed semen.

This will also allow any heifers that return on their second heat into the breeding season are only showing two weeks into the normal breeding patterns. Effectively meaning you can increase your chance of more female pregnancies while not losing anytime with your heifers should they repeat.

If you are thinking of using sexed semen on your heifers I would recommend using it off natural services as mixing it with a synchronising programme could mean fewer pregnancies.

Most importantly, remember that your heifers need a management programme laid out as this will insure longevity within your herd. Your heifers are carrying the best of your herds genetics and are the base of what will make up your herd in the future.

BEEF

Increase in TB Valuation Maximum for Pedigree Bulls Welcomed

I

CSA TB committee chairman John Barron has welcomed news that the maximum valuation for a pedigree bull under the TB market valuation scheme has been increased from €3,500 to €5,000 following ICSA lobbying on the issue.

“ICSA argued that the previous maximum of €3,500 did not reflect the reality in the marketplace for suckler farmers in particular who wish to run the best possible bull with the most

desirable genetics with their herd. It is commonplace, albeit still a minority, for suckler farmers to pay €4-5,000 for a high calibre bull.”

“This is particularly important in the suckler sector where AI use is limited by a variety of factors, such as difficulties with heat detection, herds grazing away from the farmyard on different parcels and also the prevalence of part-time farming due to income issues.”

“This change will have a minimal impact on the Department’s TB budget because the incidence of TB among pedigree bulls is tiny but, for the unfortunate individual farmer who has a reactor pedigree bull, it will make a significant difference.”

“It will give a boost to the pedigree sector as well as it provides a measure of confidence and security around higher value bulls.

Given the increased focus on star ratings under the BDGP, we have to be seen to have valuations which reflect the reality in the marketplace.”

The issues around farmers not being permitted to buy in livestock where there is a TB outbreak continues to be a sore point.

There is some flexibility around feedlot status where a farmer can, where facilities are appropriate, seek a second herd number but the terms and conditions around this are not straightforward.

“For some farmers, the prohibition on buying in stock until one clear test is achieved is potentially devastating to their farming model. We will continue to negotiate with the Department for workable solutions on this contentious issue.”

CATTLE SALE Every Monday from 11:00AM Bullocks, Heifers, Weanlings, Sucklers & Cull Cows.

SHEEP SALE Every Tuesday Evening from 5:00PM

‘SHEEP SHOW & SALE’ Tuesday 16th February @ 5:00PM

OUR ‘ANNUAL SPRING SHOW & SALE’ Monday 7th March @ 11:00 Entries at Mart Office. Multiple classes to choose from.

4/5 STAR BREEDING HEIFER SALE Monday 14th March @ 1:00PM In conjunction with Teagasc.

CALL OFFICE FOR MORE INFORMATION TUAM CO-OPERATIVE LIVESTOCK MART VICAR STREET, TUAM, CO. GALWAY CONTACT: 093 – 24353

GRASS ROOTS February / March 2016 23

BEEF

UK & IRISH CATTLE PRICES COMPARED

O

n Sunday 7th February 2016, farmers from all over the country braved the elements as Storm Imogen battered the country to protest outside Slaney Meats in Bucody, Co. Wexford calling for measures to address concerns over the consolidation in the sector and to tackle the “unacceptable” price gap between Irish and British cattle.

Is it acceptable for three beef processors to account for more than 70% of the national cattle kill? While ABPs acquisition of the Allen Family 50pc share of Slaney Meats will see the Larry Goodman owned enterprise move from processing 22% of the cattle kill to 28%.

UK and Irish price differences have been a source of constant conflict between farmers’ representatives and meat processors. In November 2014, the IFA claimed that a price discrepancy of €350 per animal existed between British and Irish beef farmers, which caused the IFA to organise a 48-hour blockade of meat factories.

At the time representatives from Meat Industry Ireland claimed that the IFA’s €350 UK price difference figure was misleading. They claimed that it was based on one type of animal in one market (UK steer) and completely ignored the full basket of animals that Ireland produced and the range of cuts we sell across all our European markets.

It is widely reported that there has always been a price gap between what is paid in Britain and what is paid in Ireland for beef animals, usually of the order of €150. This is due largely to British consumers preferring locally-reared beef.

Recent figures from research conducted on behalf of Grassroots Fram Magazine examined prices recently quoted by UK meat processors and their Irish counterparts. The results were based on prices quoted for a –U3 Steer in the UK compared to prices quoted for Irish steers as well as a –U3 heifer in the UK compared to an average price quoted for heifers in Ireland. Please note this research did not compare or contrast prices quoted for young bulls or cull cows in either country.

E

-U

R

O+

P-

STEERS (3)

343.4

336.7

321.3

296.0

HEIFERS (3)

347.8

337.2

318.0

278.5

YOUNG BULLS (3)

333.2

324.1

302.9

285.4

R

O+

O-

P+

241.5

229.0

213.6

191.7

-U CULL COWS (3)

Taking these figurers into account and with a conversion rate of £1.00 Sterling to €1.29 Euro as of 10th February 2016, a –U3 Steer priced at 343.3 per/kg in the UK equates to 443.00 per/kg or €4.43 per/kg.

Steers With steers generally being quoted at €3.90kg in this country, this price difference equates to 53 cent per/kg per steer or €222 for a 420kg deadweight carcass – the weight meat processors have started to impose penalties of up to 20c/kg since last month.

Heifers

IRISH CATTLE PRICES – 8TH FEBRUARY 2016

GRID QUOTE RANGE

GENERAL PRICES PAID

TOPS REPORTED

STEERS

390-395

390

395

HEIFERS

400-405

400-405

410

E

UK CATTLE PRICES – DEADWEIGHT – 30TH JANUARY 2016 GREAT BRITIAN – prices p/kg

U

R

CULL COWS

390

395

YOUNG BULLS

390

380

O

P

370

Taking heifer prices to further highlight the price difference, for example a –U3 heifer was priced at 347.8 by UK meat processors, which equates to 448.41 Euro or €4.48 per/kg.

Irish meat processors were generally quoting prices for heifers from 400 to 405, while top prices were quoted at 410. On that bases, taking 405 as an average price this equates to a price difference of 43 cent per/kg or €180 for a 420kg deadweight carcass.

Farmer representatives like the IFA view this trend as dangerous with further warning signs going forward. At one stage in Ireland the ESB and Telecom Eireann were the sole providers of electricity and telecommunications; as the Minister of Agriculture is reluctant to intervene in ABP acquiring a 50pc share in Slaney Meats the meat processing industry is getting close to monopoly territory.

If ABP do acquire the 50pc share in Slaney, Mr Larry Goodman will control 28pc of the national cattle kill, 40 pc of the national sheep kill and 50 pc of the country’s rendering capacity.

The question is being asked by many farmers, what is the advantage of one individual controlling such a large share of the national beef and sheep kill both to farmers and consumers?

THE POLITICS OF AGRICULTURE & FOOD

F

armers throughout the country have seen a reduction in beef prices since the meat processors introduced weight penalties last month. Understandably, these penalties have caused much anger and frustration among beef farmers as the general election loom

ICSA (Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers’ Association) Beef Chairman Edmond Phelan has being affected by these weight penalties after sending cattle to be slaughtered two of his animals weighted over the 420kgs weight restriction.

One of his animals weighted 425kgs, 5kgs over the limit, and was subsequently penalised to the tune of €85 on this carcass. While his second animal, an Angus bullock, weighted 30 kgs over the weight restriction and was penalised on the following grounds 1/ 30kgs overweight, 2/ Loss of bonus for being an Angus and 3/ Loss of quality assurance as he was an R Grad. In total, his second animal lost about €240 for being overweight.

Irish meat processors have consistently claimed that sirloin steak, striploin steak or t bone steak sizes have to be within a certain size limit to make them attractive for British consumer to buy on the

24 GRASS ROOTS February / March 2016

supermarket shelve, which is directly linked to imposing weight penalties on carcasses over 420kgs.

When asked about the introduction of these weight penalties, Mr. Phelan totally dismissed them by claiming that there is “absolutely no need” for these penalties as the Irish meat processors have consistently informed us that only 15 pc of Irish beef ends up on the British supermarket shelve. 85 pc of Irish beef, therefore, goes into catering or elsewhere which does not have to conform the same standards required by British supermarkets.

CONTD.

BEEF THE POLITICS OF AGRICULTURE & FOOD CONTD. Mr. Phelan also claimed that these weight penalties will have a drastic impact on weanling producers as it is simply not feasible to finish quality continental cattle under 420 kgs.

“The problem is that a lot of continental cattle will not be finished under that [420kgs] if you have a really good quality animal, it probably need to be 440 450 kgs to be properly finished and if you are going to lose 100 Euro or 150 Euro per animal you cannot do it”.

EDMOND PHELAN Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers’ Association (ICSA) Beef Chairman Edmond Phelan expressed his disappointment with the Beef Forum and criticised the current Minister for Agriculture Simon Coveney, who he declares seems to be more biased towards the industry [meat processors] rather than the primary producer.

It has become apparent, that when representatives from the ICSA, who the first lobby group to approach the Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) regarding ABPs takeover of Allen Family share of Slaney Meats, ask difficult questions Minister Coveney usually responds by claiming that he cannot tell the meat processors what to pay beef farmers [for their produce].

The ICSA are not interested in what Minister Coveney cannot do rather they are more interested in what he can do and he what he will do to help beef farmers. Furthermore the ICSA hope that the next Minister of Agriculture will be more concerned with the primary producer rather than supporting the meat processors.

Mr. Phelan suggested that the next government separate agriculture and food from the portfolio of the next Minister for Agriculture as this would allow the Minister for Agriculture to represent farmers and another Minister to represent the meat industry, as “what is good for one is not necessarily good for the other [side]”.

Meat Industry Ireland Respond to the ReIntroduction of Weight Penalties

“

There are fewer and fewer outlets in our markets for heavy carcases and the individual steaks cuts from them” Cormac Healy of Meat Industry Ireland (MII)

I

n recent weeks, beef farmers have been penalised for carcass over 420kgs as meat processors ignore one of the key outcomes of the Beef Forum which clearly states: “Processors agree that there will be no dual base pricing for steers and heifers in individual processing plants, by breed, age or weight or Quality Assurance status’.

The year-long factory commitment to accommodate heavy cattle secured through the Beef Forum has now ended. Speaking at the IFA Livestock Rally outside Slaney Meats in Bunclody, Co Wexford on 7th February, IFA National Livestock Chairman Henry Burns claimed “Weight penalties imposed by the meat plants are extremely penal and unnecessary, and target our best farmers and best cattle”.

Cormac Healy of Meat Industry Ireland (MII) commented “there are fewer and fewer outlets in our markets for heavy carcases and the individual steaks cuts from them. The industry has consistently highlighted this trend for a good number of years now. Our aim should always be to maximise the number of animals that meet the overall desired market specification. This is in the best interest of the future of the beef sector and export performance and to ensure the best end product return from customers.”

Mr Healy also stated “the carcase weight moratorium that had been in place for fourteen months ended on 31st December 2015 and processors are adopting their own company specific approach on heavy carcases. It should be noted that the vast majority of cattle slaughtered are within the market acceptable weight range, a minority of cattle are affected by weight limits.”

“The industry has been highlighting the challenges associated with very heavy carcases for many years now, not just in the past 14 months. When farmers do have heavy cattle, they should maintain close contact with their processor.”

“These animals are a small minority of the national kill and securing best value for our beef in international markets is strongly dependent on producing

cattle that meet the specifications demanded by customers. From a farmers perspective it makes no sense that in-spec animals should be subsidising the minority of out-of-spec cattle.”

“Finally, there is an overall trend away from heavy carcases and their cuts.

Our aim must be to produce what the market requires. The Irish beef sector (farmers and processors) have made great inroads across the European beef market over the last decade. In overall terms, this has seen Irish cattle prices move from a general position of 90-95% of the EU average price to over 100%, and 104% today. This is achieved by supplying what the market demands, nothing more nothing less.” Mr Healy concluded.

GRASS ROOTS February / March 2016 25

SHEEP

Positive Outlook from the Teagasc National Sheep Conference

D

irector of Teagasc, Professor Gerry Boyle, had a very positive outlook for sheep farming in the year ahead at the Teagasc National Sheep Conference in early February.

Director of Teagasc, Professor Gerry Boyle, had a very positive outlook for sheep farming in the year ahead at the Teagasc National Sheep Conference in early February.

“There has been some improvement in lamb prices in recent years and a reduction in feed price, this would lead us to believe that 2016 will be a good year for the sheep industry,” he said in his conference opening address.

He outlined how the sheep industry has a key role to play in the Irish economy.

“Sheep production is a significant contributor to the agricultural and national economy with an output valued at €242m in 2015.”

He also noted the importance of quality stock that the Irish sheep farmers are producing leading to a 75 to 80% export trade.

Professor Boyle did warn against inefficiency in the lower end of the sector.

“The top 33% of flocks generated a gross margin in excess of €1000/ha,

while the bottom 33% had a gross margin of a little over €300/ha.”

These figures included a BPS payment of €216, showing a high dependency on the payment by the poorer preforming farms.

Another issue highlighted was stocking rate and lambs weaned per ewe ratio, where improvements could be made for farm efficiency and profitability.

“In 2014, only 30% of farms were stocked at above nine ewes per hectare.

The average farm had a stocking rate of seven ewes per hectare and weaned 1.25 lambs per ewe.”

He concluded that participation in discussion groups could improve all sheep farm performances through peer to peer learning.

I CAUTION ABOUT INCREASING SHEEP SUPPLY AT MOUNTBELLEW SHEEP SEMINAR 26 GRASS ROOTS February / March 2016

CSA sheep chairman John Brooks has insisted that any policy that focuses on increasing sheep numbers is bad news for sheep farmers.

“The decline in sheep numbers across Europe over the past 20 years has resulted in increased prices due to scarcity.” Mr Brooks was speaking at an ICSA Spring Sheep Seminar held in Mountbellew Agricultural College.

He said ICSA’s position is to oppose any scheme, such as an EU wide coupled ewe premium, which would serve only to increase numbers and decrease price. “A universal premium would disrupt the fine balance between supply and demand which has been working well for us in recent times.”

“We have to be cognisant of the fact that sheepmeat consumption has been in decline over those 20 years also. As such, any incentive for farmers to increase numbers would be counter productive. ICSA believes it would be far better to focus on a targeted sheep scheme within the rural development programme in Ireland.”

Mr Brooks praised the staff and students of Mountbellew College who pulled out all the stops to cater for the event which attracted up to 100 farmers from near and far.

Those in attendance were treated to staff presentations in both the ewe and suckler sheds where details were shared about the innovative ways in which they manage their herds and flocks.

“It’s a busy time here at Mountbellew with the lambing season in full swing. There are also 34 left to calve in the Limousin suckler herd so the staff here have indeed been extremely gracious with their time and advice”, he said.

Tim Keady, principal sheep research scientist with Teagasc kicked off the evening session. He outlined his research into profitable prime lamb production, giving great tips on ewe nutrition in late pregnancy, and breeding ewe lambs.

Agricultural Consultant Eoghan Finneran then gave an insightful talk on using mixed species pasture and how it can lead to increased production.

Concluding a trio of expert guest speakers was veterinary consultant John Gilmore who presented on parasite control and anthelmintic resistance in sheep. Lots of questions followed from enthusiastic attendees eager to benefit from the expertise at hand.

The main sponsor was Chanelle Veterinary and associate sponsors were Cormac Tags & Sheep Equipment, Animax, Paul & Vincent and Dolan Farm Supplies.

TILLAGE

Controlling Cost and Discussion Groups at Conference

D

r John Spink, head of crops research in Oak Park, had a strong message for tillage farmers at the Teagasc National Tillage Crops Conference. Over 500 delegates attended the event, held in Kilkenny.

When speaking about grain prices, Dr Spink highlighted “Growers have little control over grain prices in the short term. However, in the longer term the development of higher-value markets for Irish tillage products is an objective of the FoodWise 2025 development strategy for Irish agriculture.”

He then urged farmers to control the areas they do have power over. “Growers have direct influence on crop yields and the cost of production through the decisions they make”

Phelim McDonald, a Carlow-based Teagasc Tillage Advisor, spoke about the benefits of discussion groups for tillage farmers at the conference.

“In 2013, e-Profit Monitor results from Teagasc show that tillage farmers that were involved in discussion groups had better grain yields and margin per tonne than nongroup members.” he stated.

He pointed to the success of discussion groups in the dairy sector also, showing the performance achieved compared to non discussion group dairy farmers.

“This is important as it shows the potential benefits that tillage farmers could experience in terms of farm output and performance from joining a discussion group.”

“From the feedback I have received from members of various discussion groups over the years it seems that, while every farmer would be very pleased with increased margins and yields, and strives for these, there is great satisfaction gained from the many other and perhaps less expected benefits.”

“The transfer of knowledge to, and within, groups of tillage farmers is set to expand in the coming years, as both Teagasc and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine recognise the overwhelmingly positive impact it has on participants.”

Phelim mentioned that he was noticing “peer to peer learning is best”.

So why should tillage farmers join groups? The following reasons were given - To get new and updated information, t As a source of new ideas, Way of learning and problem solving, To acquire & adopt/adapt new skills, Addressing specific challenges, A social outlet and For payment, through schemes Methods that work well in a group were listed to include - Small projects, Efficiency improvement, On farm measurements, New or “Hot” topics, Demonstration, Visits outside the group, Physical & visual props, Division of group to tackle an issue, Benchmarking the group, Variation of topics, External speakers and finally, Follow ups where needed.

Crop Land-Use Reports Underestimate Emissions

N

ew research from scientists at Trinity College Dublin suggests that recent practice in annual reporting on agricultural land use in Ireland is at odds with its cropland history, which could lead to inaccuracies in greenhouse gas accounting. As a result, the research should have major implications for policy, with the new Paris Agreement fresh in our minds.

Ireland’s agriculture is dominated by grasslands, which are utilised by grazing animals for meat and milk production. This raises a number of environmental issues including phosphorus and nitrogen pollution, and large amounts of greenhouse gas emissions. Reporting on these issues requires precise knowledge of the area of grasslands and of other agricultural land use, mainly arable land.

Until now we have assumed that about 90% of the agricultural area is being used as pasture, with a relatively small area dedicated to arable land. We have also assumed that there are relatively small changes in land use over time.

However, recent research by the Trinity team, published in the journal Land Use Policy, shows that this view on Irish land-use needs to be re-evaluated.

Research Fellow in Botany at Trinity, and first author, Dr Jesko Zimmerman, said:

EU CEREAL PLANTING UP DESPITE POOR PRICE

N

ew Copa and Cogeca figures show good EU cereals plantings this year due to favourable weather conditions but grain prices remain low whilst the EU rapeseed harvest is expected to be down, partly as a result of the the neonicotinoid seed treatment ban.

Chairman of the Cereals Working Party Max Schulman said “Latest figures show good EU-28 cereals plantings this year with production up 1.4% to reach 309 million tonnes, compared to 304 mt last year, mainly due to favourable weather conditions in many countries. But grain prices remain low, leaving farmers with serious cash flow problems which is exacerbated by late Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) payments. This cash flow problem could deteriorate even further with oversupply on the market and farmers

“We conducted an in-depth analysis, using the geographic database developed to assist farmers and authorities with the single-farm payment scheme, and found that agricultural land use in Ireland is much more dynamic than annual reports suggest.”

While the area annually reported as cropland was on average 3,752 km2, this area has been shifting around the country. In the 12 years for which data was available (2000 to 2012) only about half of that area could be considered permanent cropland (1,252 km2). In contrast, the area that showed arable history in the timeframe was 7,373 km2.

Dr Zimmerman added: “Specifically, by looking at the 2008 to 2012 greenhouse gas commitment period set in the Kyoto protocol, we could show that relying on annual data and not including land-use history led to an underestimation of area reported as cropland by 45.7%, which in return impacts greenhouse gas accounting.”

Dr Zimmermann collaborated with Teaching Fellow, Dr Ainhoa González, Fellow Emeritus, Professor Mike Jones, and Professor of Botany, Jane Stout, from Trinity’s School of Natural Sciences, and with Phillip O’Brien of the EPA and Stuart Green of Teagasc, in this research.

having to release cereals on the market to buy inputs to improve the quality of the new crops. Grain prices are rockbottom and do not even cover production costs, leaving farmers with serious cash flow problems and potential increase of fallow land”.

Chairman of Copa and Cogeca oilseeds working party Arnaud ROUSSEAU meanwhile insisted ”This years’ EU28 oilseeds sowing area declined by -2.6% and is still uncertain due to a winter kill possibility. A sharp 14% drop in the area planted seen in the UK, mainly as a result of the neonicotinoid seed treatment ban. The sector is in serious danger and the ban must be removed as long as no credible alternatives exist”.

“But there is some good news in the EU protein crop sector with forecasts showing a potential high protein crop production partly due to the new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and greening requirements. This is good news for the EU livestock sector and feed industry. Protein crop production could be expanded further. It is an economic opportunity and we are looking to collaborate with other economic stakeholders to turn greening into green growth”, he concluded.

GRASS ROOTS February / March 2016 27

MACHINERY

Volvo L45H and L50H are fully loaded for all-around performance

T

BIG X 630 - FORAGE HARVESTER OF THE YEAR 2016

T

he new L45H and L50H compact wheel loaders from Volvo Construction Equipment are well-balanced machines, built for greater fuel efficiency and improved hydraulic flow for faster cycle times at reduced operating

cost.

The H-series wheel loaders are powerful assets in every application. Equipped with Volvo’s unique Torque Parallel (TP) linkage, these machines are built to deliver high breakout torque and excellent parallel movement throughout the entire lifting range.

With a new Volvo D4J Tier 4 Final engine — both the L45H and L50H boast a 15 percent improvement in fuel efficiency versus previous models. The L50H also has an impressive 20 percent improvement in hydraulic pump capacity, leading to 26 percent faster cycle times as compared to previous models.

The L45H and L50H feature Volvo’s intelligent load-sensing hydraulic system that drives power to the hydraulic functions according to demand for fast response, shorter cycle times and reduced fuel consumption.

These wheel loaders also feature a hydrostatic transmission that matches power to all operator requirements to provide excellent control in delicate work and full power for more demanding jobs.

Ground-level service points and grouped greasing points ensure easy and quick maintenance.

The L45 and L50H models are offered further support via the Volvo Lifetime Frame and Structure Warranty, which covers the frame, articulation joint and loader arm during the period of initial ownership or the full life of the machine — whichever is less. he BiG X 630 has been crowned “Machine of the Year 2016”. The Krone forage harvester not only impressed the editors of the German publisher Deutscher Landwirtschaftsverlag (DLV), it also received numerous votes from DLV readers and in an parallel poll that was held in parallel.

The 626 hp Big X 630 is the latest addition to Krone’s mid-range power bracket segment and ships with the new MaxFlow chopping drum and the standard VariQuick solution for conversing quickly from grass chute to corn conditioning application and vice versa.

The 630 mm wide, 660 mm diameter MaxFlow chopping drum was specially designed for the Big X 630’s engine output and is available with a choice of 20, 28 or 36 blades, making it ideal for use in all conditions.

Krone also offers a biogas drum with 40 blades in the form of a special drum for short LOCs (2.5-15mm), as well as corn conditioner rollers that can be fitted in various combinations.

Krone’s ever popular disc conditioner is now also available for this model series, so customers can choose the corn conditioner that best meets their needs - whether they are producing biogas maize or shredder silage.

Among the ultra-convenient features of the Machine of the Year 2016 are StreamControl throw width adjustment and PowerSplit, a smart electronic engine output management system that automatically adapts the output to current harvest conditions.

Overall, Krone now offers a choice of nine models in two series, making it one of the manufacturers with the biggest forage harvester portfolio in the market.

JCB’s 70th anniversary marked with colourful limited edition machine

P

roduction is underway of the first batch of colourful limited edition machines to mark JCB’s 70th anniversary. The initial wave of ‘Platinum Edition’ 3CX backhoe loaders has rolled off the production lines at JCB’s

28 GRASS ROOTS February / March 2016

World Headquarters at Rocester, Staffordshire in striking livery last seen more than 40 years ago on the JCB 3C III model.

A total of 70 of these distinctive limited edition machines will be manufactured – one for every year that JCB has been in business.

JCB Backhoe Loader Managing Director Yvette Henshall-Bell said: “There has been a huge amount of interest in these special backhoes. They look absolutely stunning and we are delighted that customers from all over the world are ordering them.”

The machines come complete with red buckets, full white cab and red wheels instead of the customary black and yellow finish – a livery last seen on the 3CIII model in 1979. The limited edition 3CX backhoes - which have a top speed of 40kph – are fitted with air-conditioned cabs, heated seat and a six-speed Autoshift transmission. And in a nod to the demands of the modern operator, the colourful machines will also be equipped with in-cab coffee makers.

The machines’ new owners also receive special commemorative packs which include a limited edition scale model of the anniversary machine in the same livery as its full-size brother, a scale model of the original 3C backhoe, retro overalls and polo shirt and retro tool bag.

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MACHINERY

TRACTOR, EXCAVATOR, LOADER & MOWER

D

esigned, engineered and tested for almost 5 years, the QS100 is completely unique. It was developed from the ground up and was not bound by any existing platform. The company responsible is a Dutch breakthrough firm, Diverto.

Is it the future? Like a mobile phone with different functions enabled by apps, the QS100 has similar principles.

One of the starting points to the project was that there must be synergy between the four main functions of the Diverto QS100: Excavator, Loader, Tractor and Mower. Every component installed is used in all of its four applications.

The other focus from the start was that it must be very competitive to standard single purpose platforms that it competes with in each function.

The company boosts that once the operator is at ease with the machine’s functionalities, they have a platform that can be geared to the operator wishes by selecting different kinds of program settings and priorities. Diverto keep on developing optional software packages to carry out ever more complex work and provide applications beyond the operators wildest dreams.

Another fascinating feature is the remote control unit that enables the operator to handle all machine movements with any kind of tool without the need to stay in the cabin.

It is powered by a John Deere Power Tech 4045 incorporating a 4-cylinder 4.5 litre T4i Turbo engine with four valves per cylinder and two balancing shafts for a visibility 115 hP/86 kw gross power with exceptional 481nm Torque.

It has a 40KM/H road speed and two cabin seats. Industry class wide doors on either side for superior entrance and exit.

The tractor aspect has a patent pending outside controls of the 3-Point hitch and PTO for easy and safe tool coupling.

The Excavator has an articulated 3-Piece excavator boom with 6 metre boom while the wheel loader function incorporates a parallel lift function with selection switch.

The production has started on the first 10 machines. A second series of 10 will follow in the second half of this year. From the popularity that the machine is receiving in reviews and promotions, it is clear that production will not come near demand for a long time yet. The machine will be showcased at the Bauma 2016 in Munich, Germany from the 11th to the 17th of April.

Diverto are looking to build their dealer network in the UK and Ireland.

30 GRASS ROOTS February / March 2016

Haysagri

2008 Same Silver 110 power shuttle with self levelling power loader.

2008 Same Explorer 100GS with Quicke Q35 loader.

2005 Major 1600 tanker on 550/22.5 wheels with two fills.

Aitchison GF2014 Grassfarmer drill (2013) little used (excellent).

2002 and 2008 Krone 1250 Roundpack balers ready for work.

Pottinger 700 20ft rake in very nice order.

Abbey 8ft trailed topper in working order €1150.00

2008 Krone 800 Swadro rake in excellent condition.

John Deere 1360 mower in good working order.

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International Comparison Test Thanks to the advantage of the in-spinning, BOGBALLE again proved to be the most accurate spreader throughout the test with the lowest CV (Coeficient of Variation). The advantage of in-spinning is more overlap between the discs, meaning the risk of deviations during full width spreading is lower.

“...Bogballe had a CV of 3.7% - the lowest of all machines in the test...”

(Farmer’s Weekly 15/4/2011) Choice of control units (manual, computer, tablet) • Integrated headland spreading as standard.

• Section control ready as standard.

• Optional weight cells for fully automatic calibration.

L1 10 – 18m 700 – 1,600L Ideal for grassland L2 12 – 24m 700 – 2,050L Wider grassland spreading / entry tillage M2 12 – 42m 1,250 – 3,000L The most accurate tillage spreader on the market

M3 12 – 42m 1,800 – 4,050L For larger capacity tillage M6 12 – 42m 4,000 – 5,550L Largest mounted spreader in the world!

MACHINERY

NEWS FROM LAMMA ‘16 McConnel launch new Flailhead

M

cConnel’s new TuffCut flailhead is setting new standards for strength and durability – featuring an innovative new lug design that’s 65% stronger and a larger diameter rotor that’s up to 75% stiffer.

Created to withstand the busy workloads of professional contractors, TuffCut is available in 1.2m and 1.6m working widths and is compatible with a wide selection of McConnel flails.

Key features of the new TuffCut rotor include: • Cast weld-on lugs that are 65% stronger than wrap-around alternatives, enhancing strength and reliability • A captive bolt-head protects the bolt and prevents it from rotating – enhancing the longevity and durability • Innovative design allows one-tool replacement of flails for quick and easy maintenance • Larger rotor diameter increases stiffness by up to 75% • Compatible with Back-to-back, Uni-boot, F10H, F10C, F14 and F16 Flails • New hydraulic front hood features a larger ingress for a better flow of material through the rotor – ideal for tackling mature hedges • Quick and easy adjustment of the cutting height • Hydraulic roller enables operators to raise or lower the roller and switch between hedge-cutting and verge-mowing • Equipped with the new heavy-duty F-16 T-flail as standard The new TuffCut flailhead is available on McConnel’s flagship 85-series Power Arms.

First Time for New Bobcat Telehandlers at LAMMA Bobcat showed the company’s new TL358+ AGRI and TL470HF AGRI telehandlers for the first time at LAMMA 2016.

The new Bobcat TL358+ AGRI 6 m and TL470HF AGRI 7 m telehandlers are premium versions for the agricultural market, with a number of additional features providing higher comfort and productivity to meet most agricultural requirements.

As well as a 40 km/h transmission and 24 inch tyres, the TL358+ AGRI and TL470HF AGRI telehandlers feature as standard: a Sears high comfort air suspension seat and premium cab finish (deluxe steering wheel, armrest); fan inverter; boom wiring harness and electric connectors; a lockable fuel cap; a trailer brake valve; a cyclonic air prefilter; a drawbar coupler tow hitch, front tow hitch and rear electric socket; a support for the vehicle registration plate; back-up alarm; work light on the boom; rear mirror; a loudspeaker and radio ready configuration; a roof window wiper; sun visor; a rotating beacon and European tractor homologation. All of these features are available as options on the standard TL358,

50 YEARS OF THE DEERE J

TL358+, TL470 and TL470HF models.

All of these new generation telehandlers are designed to handle demanding jobs in the farming market. The boom design, which features a fully integrated boom head, larger cross section and a longer boom overlap, ensures that the machines are well equipped to carry out the most demanding loading applications. A robust main frame and protected chassis ensure maximum strength and protection for a long and productive service life.

Capable of operating in very confined spaces and at great speed, the maximum lift capacity of the TL358+ AGRI model is 3.0 tonne and the maximum lift height is 5.88 m. The TL358+ AGRI telehandler is powered by the Deutz TCD 3.6 L4 Stage IIIB diesel engine providing 74.4 kW (100 HP) of power at 2300 RPM. The TL470HF AGRI model has a maximum lift capacity of 3.5 tonne, a maximum forward reach of 4002 mm and the lift capacity at full reach is 1500 kg.

The TL470HF AGRI model is powered by the Deutz TCD3.6 L4 Stage IIIB diesel engine delivering 89.5 kW at 2200 RPM.

ohn Deere Limited celebrates its 50th anniversary in the UK and Ireland in 2016.

The celebrations started with a special display at LAMMA 16.

The company started trading from Langar in January 1966, and the original premises are still in use today as John Deere’s visitor centre and national parts distribution centre.

One of the tractors sold by John Deere dealers 50 years ago, and on which the company started to build its reputation, was the 4020 Diesel.

This 91hp six-cylinder tractor was the first to appear on the UK market with a powershift transmission and became arguably the most popular tractor of its era.

The rest of the John Deere Limited product line in 1966 included the 710, 5010 and 5020 tractors, ploughs, cultivators, disc harrows and the 530 and 630 combines.

Langar’s own specially restored 4020, nicknamed BEV after its original registration plate, was chosen to parade alongside its modern day descendant, the new flagship 620hp four-track 9620RX, to highlight just one aspect of the tremendous advances that have been made in farming technology over the last 50 years.

The tractors stood side by side once again in the LAMMA display to help promote a very special event that will take place at Langar in September 2016.

John Deere customers and fans are being invited to get involved in the 50th anniversary celebrations by visiting a dedicated page on the company’s website, which is at www.JohnDeere.co.uk/50years.

32 GRASS ROOTS February / March 2016

2008 John Deere 7700 Forager Complete with 630b pick-up.

One owner from new.

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For more details.

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2013 John Deere T560 Combine Complete with 20ft head & trolley.

For more details.

CONTACT: Ken Goggin TFM Laois 086 246 1571 PriCe: €155,000 +VAT

2010 john deere 6534 With Tls front axle. One owner from new. Tractor is in mint condition.

For more details.

CONTACT: Pat Bergin TFM Laois 087 633 2000 PriCe: €40,000 +VAT

2007 John Deere 7530 Premium Front linkage and front PTO. For more details.

CONTACT: Pat Bergin TFM Laois 087 633 2000 PriCe: €49,000 +VAT

2012 John Deere 6430 standard with Tls. Very tidy tractor with wide tyres & low hours. Ideal farming tractor CONTACT: Donall Crampton TFM Thurles 087 906 2050 PriCe: €50,000 +VAT

2014 John Deere 6210r Autoquad 50k, one owner from new, in mint condition.

CONTACT: Ken Doyle TFM enniscorthy 087 254 7175 PriCe: €105,000 +VAT

2014 John Deere 6210r Autoquad 50k, full suspensions and oversized tyres.

CONTACT: Alan O’Shea TFM Comerfords Garage, Kilkenny 087 913 8886 PriCe: €95,000 + VAT

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MACHINERY

NEWS FROM LAMMA ‘16 Kverneland i-Plough Wins 2016 HORSCH EXPANDS THE EXPRESS KR RANGE LAMMA Show Innovation Award

T

he Kverneland isobus-equipped i-Plough won a LAMMA Show innovation award for the best new product or innovation in the mechanical crop equipment category.

Kverneland say the i-Plough represents the future of ploughing, and uses isobus to make life easier for operators to input plough settings and depth requirements from the cab.

“This is the smart way for every operator to achieve – and maintain – perfect furrows every time,” says Adam Burt, Kverneland product manager.

“And the introduction of i-Plough has finally taken the guesswork out of plough settings.”

There are four modes for the i-Plough – transport, work, park and mark. Changing between modes is done on the touchscreen IsoMatch Tellus terminal, which sees the plough automatically configure itself to suit the mode selected.

Such innovation will give less experienced operators more confidence to deliver better ploughing, which in turn will lead to improved agronomy.

“To be presented with such an award is recognition of how technology can deliver more efficiency, with any implement,” says Adam.

New Hybrid T4 for Claydon

H

ORSCH’s new 3m Express KR power harrow and drill combination, was shown at LAMMA. It is the first model in an already expanding range. Shown for the first time in the summer, Horsch has recently announced an expansion of the range at Agritechnica 2015 with 3.5m and 4m working width models now also available, and has added a new simple and safe calibration system. The 3m, mounted machine features the proven drill components of Horsch’s renowned Pronto model integrated with a powerful 10-disc Kredo rotary harrow. The machine is ideal for intensive seedbed preparation even in very difficult and stony soil conditions.

The Express KR features hydraulic rams to control working and sowing depth allowing it to be easily adjusted from the tractor cab. The drill is controlled by the Horsch terminal, which is ISOBUS compatible. The frame of the Express KR is designed in such a way that the working depth of the rotary harrow does not influence the sowing depth.

Built with Pronto’s drill technology, the Express KR uses the TurboDisc 2 seed coulters to precisely follow the soil surface for consistent seed depth. These where launched on all Pronto drills for 2015.

Four rubber dampers per coulter transfer a coulter pressure of up to 120 kg and guarantee a smooth coulter control even at high speeds. The TurboDisc seed coulters can be lifted completely on the hydraulic rams allowing the Kredo rotary harrow to work on its own or even uncoupled completely from the drill via four fixing points.

To carry out the calibration test, the operator can stand behind the machine and push the calibration bag with the integrated mechanism under the calibration flap. The mechanism opens and closes the flap without the operator putting their hands inside the machine.

The compact and stable design sees the 1500 litre seed hopper located close to the tractor enabling tractors from 150hp to handle the machine with ease. A number of packer options are available.

NEW GRAIN TRAILER FROM NC

N

C Engineering displayed the new 2050 range of grain and silage trailers at LAMMA 16.

They are designed to be lighter by using a 3mm Hardox floor and high tensile steel sides.

NC Agri claim that the chassis and body fabricated from high strength materials makes the trailer up to 15% lighter than conventional trailers, depending on model.

Extensive design work has resulted in a lower centre of gravity than other ‘half pipe’ designs as most conventional trailers.

Trailers all feature 105kph high speed axles, with large brakes fitted across most models.

Features include full LED road lights, including twin rear clusters and LED flasher plus hydraulic rear door complete with rubber seal and safety latch as standard Options are available of silage sides, weather sheet, Roll over cover, Grain chute, Air brakes, Load sensing, and ABS system among more.

Models are 12, 14 and 16 tonnes with 18 and 20 tonne versions to follow.

C

laydon Drills showed their new Hybrid T4 trailed drill at LAMMA. Delivering an average seasonal output of 1100ha behind a tractor of 200hp+, the Hybrid T4 is carried on the lower link arms and incorporates a 3500-litre hopper which can be used just for seed or provide a 60:40 split between seed and fertiliser.

Options include four cameras to enable the operator to monitor the drill from the tractor cab, six work lights, a range of seeding tines to suit different crops and conditions, blockage sensors and front and rear tool bars. Versatile, flexible, simple and with low operating costs, the Hybrid T4 incorporates 13 individually adjustable tungsten carbide leading tines which eliminate compaction, aerate the soil, optimise drainage and create tilth for the seeding zone.

The following seeding tines create additional tilth and place the seed at exactly the required depth, above the drainage channel. This highly effective system encourages very deep, complex rooting structures to develop, promoting the growth of strong, healthy crops and maximising yield potential.

36 GRASS ROOTS February / March 2016

01 JOHN DEERE CTS Only 1500hrs Drum, 25’ header and trolley. Has had straw modification fitted. Absolutely mint throughout, lovely machine.

12 CLAAS ARION 620C 1700hrs, 140Hp,Quadrishift, Cap suspension, 600/65R38 & 480/65R28 Firestone tyres.

Mint condition throughout. POA

01 MASSEY FERGUSON 4260 18 Speed Shift., 540/65R38 & 440/65R28, only 3400 hrs. Lovely tractor, mint condition throughout.

POA

04 MASSEY FERGUSON 5455 16 speed, 5000hrs.

Mint condition throughout. €28,000

MASSEY FERGUSON 1220 1700hrs Compact tractor c/w loader 4wd. Very tidy. €8,000

07 JOHN DEERE 6430 Premium 5700hrs, TLS, 460/85R38 & 420/85R24 tyres.

Mint condition throughout. POA

06 JOHN DEERE 5820 3800hrs, C/w Quicke Q30 loader.

Mint condition. €31,950

02 LANDINI 105 GHIBLI 4wd c/w Rossmore loader only 3300hrs, one owner from new.

Mint condition throughout. POA

INTERNATIONAL 956XL 4wd, 600/65R38 & 440/65R28 tyres. Outstanding condition.

POA

CASE INTERNATIONAL 1056XL Turbo, 4wd outstanding condition.

POA

07 MCHALE FUSION 45000 bales.

Fully checked through. Very tidy.

POA

91 KRONE 640GL TITAN New 00/50R17 Flotation wheels, hyd brakes lovely condition for age. Hard to find like this. POA

08 VICON RF2235 16,000 bales, o/s wheels. Fully checked through. Very Tidy. €16,950

JF FCT900 Precision chop harvester. Fully checked through, very tidy.

POA

09 JOHN DEERE 1365 10’ Trailed mower conditioner c/w grouper. Fully checked through, mint condition. €15,500

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KUHN HR3003D POWER HARROW C/W CRUMBLER €7200

2007 JF - STOLL FCT 900 TRAILED SILAGE HARVASTER €17000

2007 MASSEY FERGUSON 5455 DYNA 4 (4561 HRS)

2011 CASE IH PUMA 155 50K AIR BRAKES (2800 HRS) €74000

2008 CASE IH CS100 PRO C/W QUICKE Q40 P/L (6358 HRS) €39700

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MACRA / YOUTH

ANGUS COMP FOR CROKE PARK

Leitrim Pioneer one of the three leadership winners

T

he very successful Certified Irish Angus Beef Schools Competition has grown again this year.

The competition is aimed at transition year Agricultural Science students all over Ireland.

The aim of the competition is to encourage young second level students to become involved to a greater extent in their families’ farms and to gain an understanding as to how beef produced on those family farms is marketed in a manner that represents the care and attention that has gone into the production and processing of their animals, through to a satisfied end consumer.

It is supported by Irish Angus Producer Group, along with its processor partners, ABP Ireland and Kepak Group.

Such has been the success of the competition over the past few years, the next and final stage of the competition before the five finalists will be announced moves to the Events Centre in Croke Park on 16 March 2016.

Each of the five finalist teams will win five six-month old Angus Cross calves each. Students will then need to rear these calves through to slaughter to coincide with their Leaving Certificate Agricultural Science project.

A

t an event to recognise outstanding young leaders in Macra na Feirme, three winners were awarded National Leadership Awards. The announcement was made at a special reception in the Irish Farm Centre in Dublin at the beginning of February.

The winners are: • Colm Stenson, South Leitrim Macra • Eilis Ahern, Carrigaline Macra, Seandun, Cork • Marie Murphy, Freemount Macra, Avondhu, Cork The other finalists are: • Noel Duffy, Ferbane/ Banagher Macra, Offaly • Grainne O’Reilly, Ramor Macra, Cavan • Joan Marie Healy, Berrings Macra, Muskerry, Cork Macra na Feirme National President, Seán Finan, said, “Congratulations to this year’s National Leadership Award winners. This competition recognises the hard work and commitment of our young leaders who play a major role in our organisation and who often go on to hold positions in other national organisations. Dating back to 1982, previous winners of the competition include current Government ministers and business leaders.”

The National Leadership Awards recognise the leadership skills of Macra members within their clubs and the wider community. The competition raises the level and standard of leadership in Macra and provides an incentive for the development of club programmes.

This year’s six finalists were judged by a panel including Peter Byrne, CEO of FRS Network; Mary Cunningham, Director of the National Youth Council of Ireland (NYCI); and Neil Keane, President of the Agricultural Science Association (ASA).

The three winners were presented with specially commissioned commemorative trophies and will represent Macra on various international travel opportunities in 2016.

Grassroots Farm Magazine’s Eoin McCarthy spoke with one of the winners, Colm Stenson. Colm is the Leitrim representative on the National Council.

What does it mean to win the national leadership award?

It’s wonderful to win the leadership award. It’s a highly sought after award within Macra and it has led to winners going on to achieve an awful lot more in life afterwards. It is a thorough interview process and it’s a huge privileged to have won the leadership award along with the two girls from Cork.

Last year, Colaiste Mhuire, Buttevant, Co Cork won top prize. The team comprised of students John Roche, Madeleine O Connell, Sharon Griffin, Annie Cronin and Aoife Buckley. The Angus calves will be reared over the next 18 months on John Roche’s farm near the Colaiste.

One eye catching slogan seen by Grassroots Farm Magazine comes from another county Cork school. It reads ‘At Davis College we’ve got the moooves, now we need the Angus hooves!’. Graham Dawson from the Mallow school spoke about this years competition “Our job now is to promote the competition and to promote Angus as a beef breed.”

The presentation of the five Irish Angus calves will take place later in the year at the National Ploughing Championships.

40 GRASS ROOTS February / March 2016

Why do you think you were chosen for a National Leadership Award?

I was in the unique position where I had come from a county where, until I joined Macra, had no Macra involvement at the time at all. So myself and a few other fellows started a club from scratch and now we have a thriving county executive with five clubs in the county.

I suppose I was the only one of the finalists that had done that, thats one thing but the other finalists had other attributes. That was my main one and the drive and determination that I had shown to keep going from the start.

When did ye set up the first club in Leitrim?

We set up the first club in Leitrim in the end of 2009/beginning of 2010. In six years we have developed into five clubs.

How would you best describe Macra involvement in Leitrim at the moment?

It’s healthy, it’s growing all the time and hopefully we will get as much exposure as possible in any sort of advertising or media. We are always looking for members, but we are always gathering members as well from different aspect of the community. We welcome anyone to come along at any time.

MACRA / YOUTH

Donoughmore Macra on the Roller Coaster of Success

by Eoin McCarthy

“

When they called out our names it was kind of surreal we all sat there for a few seconds not sure if it was real or not but it is just a brilliant, brilliant feeling when hard work pays off” Meig Collins Former Chair of Donoughmore Macra

D

onoughmore Macra was crowned FBD National Capers winners on Saturday 6th February 2016 in the Mallow Youth Centre, Mallow, Co. Cork. Their success was all the more remarkable considering that they were awarded Club of the Year last October.

I spoke with former club Chair Meig Collins about Donoughmores recent success in the FBD National Capers Final and about being awarded Club of the Year.

In the summer of 2011, after completing her Leaving Certificate and with a little encouragement from her friend Meig Collins joined Donoughmore Macra and has been heavily involved ever since.

Donoughmore had a brilliant year in 2015 with the club being active across the six key areas of Macra - agriculture, sport, travel, public speaking, performing arts and community involvement, which in Meig’s opinion definitely helped for the club of the year title.

Community Involvement Although club members were always involved in their community, they decided to increase their participation by taking their involvement in their local community to the next level. The club provided interest free loans to the community to do up facilitates because club members felt that they were benefitting from such facilities in particular the astro-turf facility where they have their weekly Macra sports night.

Club members raised almost €1000 for both Marymount Hospice and for COPE by hosting a TV themed table quiz event.

Donoughmore Macra has also helped out with the parish clean up, donated to clothes collections for the local schools and helped steward at local events.

They helped raise money for the community at their Annual Know Your Neighbour day at the local carnival last summer and this past December, club members had a Know Your Neighbour coffee morning to raise funds for Penny Dinners.

Their next venture is to raise funds for Embrace (Farm Safety) by hosting a variety show in their local community hall on 13th March next.

Winning club of the year was a combination of being active in the community but also being active in Macra itself. In 2015, Donoughmore Macra won the National Stock Judging title after reaching eleven national finals. This level of participation sums up the ethos of Donoughmore Macra, whereby club members compete in any competition that they might not be particularly good at, but they will keep on trying and plug away while at that same time still have the craic.

Participating in Donoughmore Macra is best summed up as enjoyment while at the same time not putting pressure on any club member.

“No one has to be talented to do anything and little by little we get better at things …. capers is a perfect example of that. We have been in capers for 4 or 5 years and winning this year was a culmination of hard work over the last few months, but also hard work over the last few years. It is great to see the progress of people and of the club with an event like capers because you have people back in 2011 or 2012 who

Club photo at the ‘TV Fest’ table quiz.

Above: Donoughmore Macra members at the carnival.

Left: Some club members celebrating the Club of the Year win with Seán Finan, Macra President.

were just starting out and helping back stage and they were brought forward and they were on stage this year for the first time… capers it’s just hard work but it’s hard work that we enjoy doing.”

What was it like to win club of the year?

Donoughmore Macra was reformed 10 years ago and had not reached Club of the Year in that time. When they got through to the final, Meig remembers, “It was ecstasy because you know you are doing good in the community and we knew that we are enjoying being part of the club but when it is recognised at a national level. On the night of the final there was six fantastic clubs and you are sitting there watching everyone’s presentations and watching everything everyone else is doing the length and breadth of the country. There are clubs doing amazing things within

GRASS ROOTS February / March 2016 41

MACRA / YOUTH Below: The club travelled to Dingle during the summer and participated in various water activities members enjoy club bonding on their outings.

Presenting a cheque to Marymount from the proceeds of the TV Fest table quiz.

their communities and within their clubs to have won on a night like that it was absolutely amazing.”

“I can’t actually describe it. It has definitely being the highlight of Macra, capers too was certainly up there as well but Club of the Year, it is a fantastic experience” “I think a club like ours winning it … as I said we didn’t win very many titles or anything last year and I think that is encouraging because you do not have to win all these titles to be club of the year, club of the year is about something different. It is about your community and your club involvement and I think that is what made us feel the best about it because it was our community involvement and it was our new members and making our new members feel part of the club and things like that.”

“Capers is a phenomenal experience, we just could not believe our luck again. We were sitting there on the night, oh my god, these clubs are amazing when they called out our names. It was kind of surreal, we all sat there for a few seconds not sure if it was real or not but it is just a brilliant, brilliant feeling when hard work pays off.

Capers involves very long nights in cold halls but at the end of the day you are with your friends jumping around dancing and you are all laughing at each other because someone can’t do the moves but that is what it is all about and when we got up on stage that Saturday night we got up and had a ball. We really enjoyed ourselves, we came off back stage and said we done the best we can and that is what matters. So to win on top of that is a bonus but the last few month for capers has been enjoyable hanging out with our friends it is just something to do in the evenings and to bring home a national title is just a fantastic experience” “To be fair now we have had 10 years of winning very little … Stock Judging titles were our main All Ireland winning titles there for a while. Our luck is just in and every club goes through highs and lows we are doing very well at the moment and long may it continue. We have started this year absolutely fantastically obviously with club of the year and Capers so we are looking forward to the rest of the year and whatever that may bring”.

Macra’s FBD Capers Title Stays in Cork

T

he All-Ireland final of Macra’s variety entertainment contest, the FBD Capers competition, took place in the Mallow Youth Centre, Cork, on the 6th February.

Donoughmore Macra, Muskerry, Cork took home the top title on the night thereby keeping the title in Cork following Glanmire Macra’s win last year. Bree Macra, Co. Wexford came in second place while Enfield Macra, Co. Meath came in third place.

Speaking at the event, Seán Finan, Macra National President, said, “We had a fantastic night of entertainment in Mallow with more than 700 in the audience enjoying performances from the six finalists. Well done to everyone who took part and special thanks to FBD for their continued support.”

Other prizes given on the night included Best Act which went to Bree Macra, Co. Wexford; Best Female Performer was Heather Healy,Donoughmore Macra, Muskerry and Best Male Performer was Andrew O’Sullivan, Clonakilty Macra, Carbery, Cork. Best Producer was Sinead Fortune, Bree Macra, Co. Wexford.

Macra’s FBD Capers is a competition designed for clubs wishing to gain experience in producing and performing a light entertainment variety show, with performances ranging from singing and dancing to comedy and drama.

42 GRASS ROOTS February / March 2016

Pictured at the All-Ireland final of Macra’s FBD Capers competition are the winning team of Donoughmore Macra, Muskerry, Cork (Back row) James Healy, Eugene Lee, Shane Horgan, Sean Wallace & Daniel Buckley. (Front row) Emily O’ Donovan, Heather Healy, Sarah Louise Horgan, Rachel Kelleher, Elaine O’ Connell & Mary Collins with Macra National President, Seán Finan, and FBD’S Gerard Cott.

ELECTION ICMSA’s John Comer at the farm of Paudie Ryan in Clonlara, County Clare, just outside Limerick.

FARMER ISSUES FOR THE GENERAL ELECTION?

How about an €800 million fall in dairy farmer incomes since 2014 and catastrophic flooding to start…

I

CMSA is now estimating that dairy farmers’ incomes could fall by in excess of E800 million in the two years from 2014 and they are determined to make this a central focus of the farmer vote in the forthcoming General Election.

ICMSA’s Cathal MacCarthy reports.

The incoming Government of whatever hue and composition simply has to move past the role of interested spectator and start ensuring that a much more concerted effort is made at Commission level given the massive economic knock-on that milk price had in our wider rural economy.

We’re now assuming an average price of 26.0 cents per litre (solid included) for 2016 and arriving at an average income figure for our 18,000 dairy farmers of €9500 with labour costs not included. I leave it to yourself to imagine the uproar that would immediately occur if those kinds of projected figures were to be applied to any other sector of Irish society.

The Government and the EU Commission need to very quickly wake up to this reality and introduce measures that will stabilise the situation for the sector because dairy farmers across the EU are in exactly the same position.

Let people be in no doubt about this: many individual farmers will go to the wall in 2016 unless action is taken and it’s going to be particularly unfortunate to see many people that were encouraged to invest by the Government, milk processors and the banks on the back of milk quota abolition being ruined by a milk price that’s hopelessly below the cost of production and an official attitude that is just wholly and demonstrably inadequate to the scale of the challenge.

The sector is heading into a very dangerous period and the Government and the EU Commission have a clear responsibility to ensure that family farms are some way protected and not just left abandoned to the whims of processors, retail corporations and huge multinationals who set the global market and operate to their own agenda.

The attitude of the key policymakers seems to be one of keeping the head down and hoping the problem will magically go away. The reality facing us dairy farmers is very different: we will start 2016 producing milk well below the cost of production and, at this stage and unless necessary action is taken, we’re likely to be doing so for the rest of this year.

The measures adopted following the EU Farm Council that met on 7 September 2015 are now long exposed as being totally totally insufficient; the base milk price has continued to fall following the introduction of the new measures and no serious observer now thinks they’re going to be anywhere near enough to stabilise the situation. Right now, we need to see an urgent effort made, and at the highest level, to gain sufficient support for additional measures at EU level and those measures must begin with

raising the intervention price to a realistic level of at least 28 cents per litre and the re-opening of the Russian market fort EU dairy products.

The Russian market was closed to EU dairy producers as part of a political row but the costs incurred have fallen more or less exclusively on dairy farmers. The supply/demand situation needs to be rebalanced and the EU Commission needs to be much more proactive and fundamental about getting that process underway.

Irish dairy farmers will have lost €800 million in income in just two years unless milk price is stabilised and begins to climb. We can’t take that and neither can the rural economies that depend on our spend.

Make no mistake: this is going to be an General Election issue on rural doorsteps.

It seems fair to assume that the question of flooding and future flooding-measures will also be uppermost in the minds of large swathes of the electorate.

In this connection, I’m bound to note that the decision of the Government not to proceed with a statutory single waterways authority and to instead set up a co-ordination group to implement flood management infrastructure is very disappointing. It is a missed opportunity and a recipe for continued confusion on the question on ‘who can do what’ as regards actual day-to-day management of the state’s rivers and waterways.

For whatever reason the Government appears to have lost its nerve on the central question around the need for a single powerful agency assuming full responsibility and resorted to the much less decisive forum of a co-ordination group. In doing so, they have bottled the water test and nitpicking disagreements between state agencies will inevitably lead to long delays in implementation of flood prevention measures.

We know the Government can’t stop the rain but they could have stopped the reign of confusion over who has decisive authority on flood threats and they have chosen to stay with the present confusion.

While we welcomed the practical help offered through the various schemes and funds and particularly the decision to include farm family homes under the Humanitarian Aid scheme, it is essential that all fodder damaged by flooding is replaced and that the Hardship Recognition Scheme take into account the damage done to farm buildings and farm income losses suffered.

At the time of writing much of the detail around the Government response remains to be filled in.

ICMSA will be watching this closely. We do not doubt the Government’s sincere sympathy for those affected by the floods. What we doubted was some sense that they understood that it is simply not possible to imagine that - in the case of the River Shannon, for instance – that the 60-odd agencies that currently have input to decision-making can agree on an agenda and priorities without engaging in precisely the kind of bureaucratic squabbling that everyone knows has contributed to the problem.

In that context, it was incumbent upon the Government to see the bigger picture and bring finality and clarity to a confused situation through the setting up of a single statutory agency to which all other parties reported and to whom all other parties deferred.

In this, the most important respect, the Government has, unfortunately, failed.

GRASS ROOTS February / March 2016 43

ELECTION

FARM ELECTORAL ISSUES

A

s the election vehicles have been set in full motion, it seems rural Ireland and agriculture is a long ways down the agenda when leaders, candidates and commentators list out the main issues of Election 2016.

Grassroots Farm Magazine searched for evidence of candidates who are bringing something new to the agricultural debate.

Jason Fitzgerald of Renua Ireland has highlighted the beet industry. “The Government manifesto has left the Beet Industry out in the cold. Beet Ireland are promising that if an accelerated capital allowance is forthcoming, this would allow the Beet Industry to reopen with the creation of 5000 jobs.”

“The Beet Industry was disgracefully closed in 2006 by the Fianna Fail lead Government dispite the Industry in a healthy place. Renua recognises the potential of the Beet Industry and the benefits of supporting the Industry.”

Independent Cork South West candidate, Alan Coleman, highlighted that “Progressively since we joined the European Union, the power of the Dail on crucial matters affecting farmers has been whittled away. At the same time, power has shifted to Brussels with little input from TD’s or indeed oversight and accountability by the Minister. This has direct impact on farm incomes and the welfare of farm families and rural areas generally.”

He referred to the problem of growing lack of competition in beef and lamb processing in Ireland. He also stated, if elected he would seek to “get action on the matter of the huge power that the multiple food retailers have and the ever declining proportion of food prices which are passed back to farmers.”

Martin Kenny, candidate in Sligo/Leitrim for Sinn Féin, spoke of the CAP process and on farm inspections. “We have been calling for CAP simplification and particularly less burdensome site inspections involving longer periods of

notice, not just at penalising farmers at every turn.”

Like many candidates, he also highlighted the ABP and Slaney Meats deal.

“This deal cannot be allowed to go ahead. It’s a bad deal for farmers. It will give Larry Goodman a monopoly in the meat processing industry. The beef barons are currently able to manipulate the prices paid to farmers.”

Roscommon/ Galway independent, Denis Naughten, recently highlighted the beef importation issues at a beef meeting in Carrick On Shannon. “I pointed out that there is something fundamentally wrong where Ireland exports 9 out of 10 animals yet we import 75 tonnes of beef every day.”

He continued to illustrate the issue with exportation and importation of beef by mentioning “Two-thirds of this comes from the UK, yet Irish farmers can export live cattle to North Africa but not to Newcastle.”

East Galway based Independent Michael Fitzmaurice runs in the same constituency. He highlights “Rules on slurry spreading, environmental designation, Turf-cutting, One-off houses, Fencing and land improvements all have a disproportionate impact on the small farmer.”

“Sheep farmers need to be listened to as proposals at the moment will wipe out the Hill farmer. In spite of the fact that our farmers are not being properly rewarded for producing an excellent product our consumers are still paying ‘top-dollar’ for their meat.”

An interesting proposal from ICSA is the request for the devision of the farming and food ministries as this is now seen as contradictory with the same minister representing the processor as well as the primary producer.

To conclude, the voice of the young farmer needs to be heard. Macra released a pre-election manifesto which focuses on the potential of investing in youth and young farmers as drivers of the growth agenda and delivering a multiplier effect that benefits and sustains rural areas.

It highlights the key challenges faced by young farmers as including farm progression, land access, farm investment and viability, access to credit, training and farm safety.

Be sure to question your local candidates on these and other agricultural and rural related issues before committing your vote. Above all make sure to make your vote count and keep a strong farm vote so agricultural and rural issues remain top of the Irish political agenda.

ICMSA REPRESENTS FARM FAMILIES at local, national and European level with diligence, integrity and an emphasis on finding solutions to their problems that has been our trademark for over 60 years.

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JOIN US AND BECOME PART OF THE SOLUTION Or contact ICMSA Head Office: John Feely House, Dublin Road, Limerick at (Tel) 061 314 677, (Fax) 061 315 737 or info@icmsa.ie PLEASE ALSO LOOK AT OUR WEBSITE AT WWW.ICMSA.IE

44 GRASS ROOTS February / March 2016

AGRI BUSINESS

ONLINE TOOL FOR AGRIBUSINESSES AIMED AT REDUCING ACCIDENTS AND SAVING COSTS LAUNCHED

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he Minister for Business and Employment Ged Nash TD launched an addition to the Health and Safety Authority’s BeSMART.ie tool specifically for Agribusinesses at the end of January.

BeSMART.ie is a free online safety tool that allows small businesses to carry out risk assessments and create their own safety statements. This new version now meets the needs of a range of Agribusinesses including farm advisors, equestrian centres, horticulturalists and slurry contractors.

All employers, including small businesses and the self-employed, are legally obliged to have a written health and safety document known as a safety statement. BeSMART.ie was developed by the Health and Safety Authority to help small businesses develop their own safety statement and to contribute to

a culture of safety and health in their workplaces. With over 30,000 registered users, BeSMART.ie is growing constantly and is now available for the Agribusiness sector for the first time.

Speaking about the new BeSMART.ie Agribusiness tool, Minister Nash said, “I’m delighted to see the further development of this free online tool. Agribusinesses will benefit greatly from having access to a free and easy-to-use resource that will help keep them and their employees safer and healthier. It’s a great example of an innovative offering from the public sector that saves enterprises time and money.

The Agribusiness sector now has access to the benefits already enjoyed by thousands of other small businesses in the retail, hospitality, service, manufacturing and construction sectors.”

According to Martin O’Dea, Senior Inspector with the Health and Safety Authority, “Through our BeSMART.ie tool we are providing ways for Agribusinesses to reduce costs while encouraging them to take ownership and control of safety and health management in their business. Evidence suggests that the average cost of using a third party to develop a safety statement can be up to €1,500. BeSMART.ie can save an employer at least this amount directly and contribute to an improved culture of safety and health in their businesses.”

GROWTH IN AGRICULTURAL LAND PRICES CONTINUED AT A MODERATE RATE IN 2015

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gricultural land values rose by 1.1% in 2015, to stand at approximately €9,800 per acre.

This compares to growth of 3% recorded in 2014, according to the latest report by Sherry FitzGerald Group.

Following average price growth in farmland of 1.5% in the first nine months of 2015, prices dipped in the final quarter, falling by 0.4%, reflecting the ongoing volatility in the market.

An unsteady trend continues to take place each quarter and varies across the regions. The regions with the highest growth rates in 2015 were the South-East and the West at 4.3% and 4.0% respectively, followed by the South-West at 0.8%. Notably the South-East recorded strong price growth in all types of land in the year. A similar trend took place in the West and, albeit from a lower base, values in the West appear to be generally on the increase.

In contrast, the Mid-East experienced the largest fall at 1.6% during the twelve month period, while all other regions remained relatively stable. Notably, land values in the Mid-East stabilised in the second half of the year.

Dissecting the market, 2015 saw values for prime arable land and prime grassland grow steadily, while growth in marginal grassland was more moderate. However, all types of land experienced a dip in the final quarter. The average price per acre of prime arable land stood at approximately €11,700 at the end of December, while prime grassland values averaged €11,000 per acre. Marginal grassland values are notably lower, averaging €6,700 per acre.

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GRASS ROOTS February / March 2016 45

AGRI BUSINESS

EXPORTS TO BECOME BIG FOCUS FOR AGRITECH

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tephen Hennessy has moved onto a new challenge having recently been appointed Export Manager for Agritech. A former accountant, Stephen is known in the Agri sector from his time with Keenans, where he worked in numerous roles that include Group Operations Manager before moving onto Sales Director.

Originally from Paulstown Co Kilkenny, Stephen grew up on a dairy and beef farm where he experienced first-hand a good practical understanding of farming and farm systems.

He will now join the Agritech team to further develop export opportunities. A family owned business, Agritech, based in Nenagh Co Tipperary is well known for its range of high quality nutritional products that include the Welmin Mineral range and Vitalac Milk Replacers, while their Tipperary Grass range includes some of the country’s most widely used grass mixtures.

Most of the products from Agritech are manufactured at their recently modernised and expanded plant in Nenagh, which is also host to an impressive packaging, storage and distribution facility.

In recent years Agritech have expanded their distribution network and currently supply markets in the UK, Italy, Hungry, Czech Republic, Russia and Australia. Stephen’s role will be to work closely with the Agritech management team to further expand these markets and explore new opportunities.

NEW TEAGASC MANAGER FOR GALWAY/CLARE ADVISORY REGION

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he Teagasc Authority has approved the appointment of David Colbourne as the new Teagasc manager for the Galway/ Clare advisory region. The appointment comes after the retirement of Brendan Heneghan after a long and successful career in Teagasc.

David Colbourne has been working as a Teagasc Dairy Business and Technology adviser, based in Ballyhaise and Bailieboro in County Cavan for the last fifteen years.

Before that he was a lecturer in dairy science and farm management at Ballyhaise Agricultural College since joining Teagasc in 1996. In his early career he worked as a secondary school teacher of mathematics and science in schools in Dublin and Wexford.

David graduated from University College Dublin with an honours Degree in Agricultural Science.

He went on to complete a Masters in Agricultural Science and later a Higher Diploma in Education.

He also holds a Post-Graduate Diploma in Business Studies from Waterford Institute of Technology.

A native of Birr in County Offaly, David has been involved in organisations like Macra Na Feirme and IFA and has worked on the Teagasc joint dairy programme with Lakeland Dairies. He is a former winner of Gaisce-The President’s Award gold medal.

ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL APPOINTED TO TEAGASC COLLEGE OF AMENITY HORTICULTURE

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he Teagasc Authority has appointed Colm Dockrell as Assistant Principal at the Teagasc College of Amenity Horticulture, National Botanic Gardens, Dublin. He had joined Teagasc in 2009 from the Warrenstown Horticulture College, where he had taught for 30 years up until its closure in that year.

While in Warrenstown, he delivered a diverse range of horticulture courses and occupied the roles of Assistant Principal for 9 years and Acting Principal for 1 year. For 12 years, between 1998 and 2000, he worked as a part-time fruit adviser with Teagasc, supporting growers in the north Leinster

area. During this time he had a key role in the development of new systems for protected soft fruit production and the establishment of the producer group Leinster Fruit Growers where he served as director for six years.

He began his formal training in Horticulture in Warrenstown College, and then qualified with a Degree in Horticulture from UCD. He has a keen interest in turfgrass and in 2011 he completed a Masters in Agronomy at the University of Lincoln, Nebraska, USA, under the supervision of Professor Roch Gaussoin.

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CONTACT 086 3871172 OR AGMEDIA@LIVE.IE 46 GRASS ROOTS February / March 2016