New Research Demonstration Farm

Miller80

I heard in the last few weeks there is going to be a new research dairy farm in sligo.Supposed to be in doonally where the AI station was.

Anyone else hear this?

LostCovey

Miller80 wrote: »

I heard in the last few weeks there is going to be a new research dairy farm in sligo.Supposed to be in doonally where the AI station was.

Anyone else hear this?

Yes I heard this a while back, but have not heard any update on it, thought it might be just a rumour.

Lovely farm, hardly typical west of Ireland ground.

LostCovey

keep going

whats with all the research farms,another one in bandon. if greenfields morepark and the orther two arent enough never mind the ag collages,i dont know.dont get me wrong research is very important but there is different models for doing it and i personally would be a fan of farmer involvement.

whelan1

keep going wrote: »

whats with all the research farms,another one in bandon. if greenfields morepark and the orther two arent enough never mind the ag collages,i dont know.dont get me wrong research is very important but there is different models for doing it and i personally would be a fan of farmer involvement.

sounds like jobs for the boys tbh

Miller80

I agree whelan1 i think it is jobs for the boys. I used to think farmers were paranoid about "jobs for the boys" but recently with experience I am beginning to agree.

Lost covey, sligo is more north west than west and has some of the best land in the country, it is mainly beef on this land though.

PMU

Miller80 wrote: »

I heard in the last few weeks there is going to be a new research dairy farm in sligo.Supposed to be in doonally where the AI station was.

Anyone else hear this?

where did you hear this? I cannot find info on this anywhere

Micheal H

Miller80 wrote: »

sligo .... has some of the best land in the country..

That might be a slight exaggeration there, Miller. There's some areas of decent land alright, but there's a sizable percentage of wet/mountainy/boggy/rushy/marginal land too, unfortunately!

Miller80

no exageration, the land around skreen dromard is renowned. just wish our dairy farm was in that area. yea a good portion of land in sligo is poor alright but all along the coast is pretty good

Micheal H

Good land in that area alright, but no better than land you'd find in Meath, Kildare, Laois, Wexford, Kilkenny, Offaly, Carlow, etc.
If I could just figure out a way to turn hilly, rush-filled plots into expansive, free-draining plains I'd be laughing!
Where's your farm if you don't mind me asking?

johngalway

Micheal H wrote: »

If I could just figure out a way to turn hilly, rush-filled plots into expansive, free-draining plains I'd be laughing!

Rent it to Teagasc as a demonstration farm, sorted.

They have/had a "hill" sheep farm the Westport side of Leenane. Two miles long and you can cut silage on some of it. Sorry, but bar one "estate" type farm I know of I don't know another hill sheep farmer around here who can do that.

Like the old saying, how do you make a small fortune in farming, start with a big one :pac:

Micheal H

I've seen that sheep farm all right, driving down to Clifden last year. There's some contrast between its green fields and the brown and purple of the rushes and heather all around it; looks like it just dropped out of the sky!

John_F

listening to farm talk on c103 this morning and a teagasc fella on about kilkenny and that they have one in bandon (old ai station owned by 4 west cork co ops) and they are hoping for another one 'up the country'

John_F

and more demo farms http://www.thedairysite.com/news/34464/750000-investment-for-farm-development

johngalway

Micheal H wrote: »

I've seen that sheep farm all right, driving down to Clifden last year. There's some contrast between its green fields and the brown and purple of the rushes and heather all around it; looks like it just dropped out of the sky!

Apologies to the OP as this is rather off topic

The lease is out on it in September, so it'll be reverting back to the owner AFAIK. Was talking to one of the guys who work it today. Asked after a field they have, surrounded by five strand electric fence. Been up since 1992, fox got in there once, killed two lambs, but could remove neither lamb from the field.

Pat the lad

if they were serious about doing real reserach they would go off and buy a farm of marginal land, where you have to plan and resource for 5 to 6 month winters!!!
but that might show up the real difficulites in making a living from sucklers on poor/fair land.
but it is much easier to talk down to most farmers about 4 LU/ Ha, 1000 euro/Ha returns and turn out dates in early feb etc from their limestone land. no offence meant to farmers with good land, it just annoying that they don't seem to want to work with land that 70% or more of the suckler farmers out there have to live off.
sorry rant over:mad:

reilig

Pat the lad wrote: »

sorry rant over:mad:

No need to be sorry, you're right. These research farms are bought, established and set up in order to achieve results unachievable by the majority of farms in the country. The money is invested in them and they show results - and are therefore considered value for money. They never consider if they are going to be of benefit to any farmer. (That's normally not one of the justification indicators).

Imagne if they had marginal land, small cows, poor grass growth and 6 month winters - it wouldn't be presentable to their funders - even though new ideas, developments and gains would be useful to the majority of us!!!