Ear to the ground

mf240 · 07-11-2013 8:32pm #1

New series starting now.

hedgecutting eddie · 07-11-2013 9:00pm

Not knocking it but would love a show just about pure farming , sheep cows tillage etc and not about food

mikefoxo · 07-11-2013 9:01pm

^ I think we all would:rolleyes:

Mac Taylor · 07-11-2013 9:24pm

Anyone watch the program on SC4 on Monday nights around 8pm. Its a welsh program on farming (ch 134 on sky) with sub titles as my welsh is not great. Its actually a program for farmers.

Sam Kade · 07-11-2013 9:34pm

They are expensive chickens €11.49 1500g :eek: I kept a few broilers 3 years ago cost €6.50 and that was after buying them as chicks for €3 each and they weighed 2.5-3 kg.

oldsmokey · 08-11-2013 11:10am

Ear to the Ground is a feebler effort than BBC's Countryfile, aimed at ramblers, foodies, health and saaafffethhy wallahs, good-lifers and dreamers. Hopeless...but then the BBC's effort aint much better despite the truck-loads of cash fired at it.
Best 'farming' bit of TV in ages was called 'A year on the land'...4 or 5 parts to it, still doing the rounds on Sky.

Conmaicne Mara · 08-11-2013 11:12am

Sam Kade wrote: »

They are expensive chickens €11.49 1500g :eek: I kept a few broilers 3 years ago cost €6.50 and that was after buying them as chicks for €3 each and they weighed 2.5-3 kg.

I think I've seen €14 or €15 chickens in a supermarket once. More money than sense came to mind.

RobertKK · 08-11-2013 11:56am

Conmaicne Mara wrote: »

I think I've seen €14 or €15 chickens in a supermarket once. More money than sense came to mind.

High class chicks...

reilig · 08-11-2013 12:08pm

Butcher close to here sells chickens that he rears himself for about €10 each. The first thing you notice when you cook them is that the baking tray is not half full of water like with a €4.99 chicken.

He has huge demand for them and they taste delicious. People will pay €20 for a sunday beef roast but will turn up their nose for a €10 chicken - it's because we got it too cheap with no standards for too long. I hope beef or lamb never goes down that road!!

bbam · 08-11-2013 1:50pm

reilig wrote: »

Butcher close to here sells chickens that he rears himself for about €10 each. The first thing you notice when you cook them is that the baking tray is not half full of water like with a €4.99 chicken.

He has huge demand for them and they taste delicious. People will pay €20 for a sunday beef roast but will turn up their nose for a €10 chicken - it's because we got it too cheap with no standards for too long. I hope beef or lamb never goes down that road!!

Dead right.
Any product oversold at below cost cheapens the whole product in people's mind. You'd think that if nothing else people would prioritise the food that they or thee children eat. But no, joe public is happy to cram any kind of mass produced crap into their cake holes.

ETTG is ok as light hearted watching but that's all. And to be honest when I do get a chance to watch TV I like to fracture off and watch anything non work related.

reilig · 08-11-2013 2:04pm

bbam wrote: »

Dead right.
Any product oversold at below cost cheapens the whole product in people's mind. You'd think that if nothing else people would prioritise the food that they or thee children eat. But no, joe public is happy to cram any kind of mass produced crap into their cake holes.

The €4.99 chickens are not really being sold below cost. They cost a pittance to grow. It's what's in them that makes them so cheap. And as you say, people are willing to buy them and feed them to their family. If people really knew what was in them and how they were reared, would they be as quick to buy them?

When we were young we didn't have an awful lot. Deli style sliced ham was a luxury. The daily meat for bread was corned beef. Shops and supermakets sold 10 slices of corned beef for every slice of ham back then.
When I was 15 I got a summer job in a pig factory. My first job was sweeping up the loose and small trimmings on the boning hall floor and putting them into the special skip. I remember telling myself first day that this skip must go with the offal for incineration - after all there was bits of fat, stomach, meal, sh1t, grit off boots, etc mixed up in it. Then I went to the canteen at lunch time to eat my corned beef sandwiches. I got some stares. Then someone asked me if I had got my sandwich meat out of the skip that I had been putting the sweepings into.

Then it was explained to me that the corned beef that I grew up on wasn't actually made from beef but from the sweepings in the pig slaughter house. :eek:

I haven't ate a slice of corned beef since

Muckit · 08-11-2013 5:01pm

reilig wrote: »

I haven't ate a slice of corned beef since

Lovely with brown sauce though! Everyone grew up on it. Da oul lad told us it was what they gave the soldiers in the army..... sure we lapped it up!

Sam Kade · 08-11-2013 5:13pm

bbam wrote: »

Dead right.
Any product oversold at below cost cheapens the whole product in people's mind. You'd think that if nothing else people would prioritise the food that they or thee children eat. But no, joe public is happy to cram any kind of mass produced crap into their cake holes.

.

I wonder is that because lack of education or because they are on a very tight budget?

bbam · 08-11-2013 6:41pm

Sam Kade wrote: »

I wonder is that because lack of education or because they are on a very tight budget?

I get it hard to listen to the budget argument...
I see lots of examples of families making wrong choices... Smoking & drinking being put before food on the table...
An example that sickens me to this day..

I was in the local post office on dole day (posting not collecting)... young girl, maybe 8 or 9, in with the mam collecting their dole..

Young las picks up two sliced pans as the mother was buying 60 smokes, mother roars at her to put one back that they werent made of money... Passing through town later in the evening there was the mother and what passes for a father, drunk and knocking seven colours of sh1te out of each other !!

People use budget as an excuse and in many cases its poor budget choices that's the problem..

Marooned75 · 08-11-2013 6:43pm

If ya see what's in sausage rolls now that's a full Programme to itself.

td5man · 08-11-2013 6:48pm

Marooned75 wrote: »

If ya see what's in sausage rolls now that's a full Programme to itself.

I have a fair idea.

whelan1 · 08-11-2013 7:08pm

Marooned75 wrote: »

If ya see what's in sausage rolls now that's a full Programme to itself.

daughter loves black pudding, never told her whats in it

bbam · 08-11-2013 7:08pm

td5man wrote: »

I have a fair idea.

In fairness I'm sure we are all well aware of the poor quality ingredients in mass produced cheap as chips ground up/reconstituted foods... Really, did people go into tesco to buy 8 burgers for €1 and think it was minced steak :rolleyes: I've eaten dishes made from dog with better meat content than some of this rubbish !!

As a rule of thumb food is better when eaten after as little processing and transport as possible... common sense, which unfortunately aint so common.

mf240 · 08-11-2013 7:27pm

bbam wrote: »

I get it hard to listen to the budget argument...
I see lots of examples of families making wrong choices... Smoking & drinking being put before food on the table...
An example that sickens me to this day..

I was in the local post office on dole day (posting not collecting)... young girl, maybe 8 or 9, in with the mam collecting their dole..
Young las picks up two sliced pans as the mother was buying 60 smokes, mother roars at her to put one back that they werent made of money... Passing through town later in the evening there was the mother and what passes for a father, drunk and knocking seven colours of sh1te out of each other !!
People use budget as an excuse and in many cases its poor budget choices that's the problem..

Aghh hate those fcukers, if ya had a cow like that ya wouldnt breed her.

Sam Kade · 08-11-2013 8:47pm

bbam wrote: »

I get it hard to listen to the budget argument...
I see lots of examples of families making wrong choices... Smoking & drinking being put before food on the table...
An example that sickens me to this day..

I was in the local post office on dole day (posting not collecting)... young girl, maybe 8 or 9, in with the mam collecting their dole..
Young las picks up two sliced pans as the mother was buying 60 smokes, mother roars at her to put one back that they werent made of money... Passing through town later in the evening there was the mother and what passes for a father, drunk and knocking seven colours of sh1te out of each other !!
People use budget as an excuse and in many cases its poor budget choices that's the problem..

So you use the pajama brigade argument instead.

jimmyw · 08-11-2013 9:45pm

bbam wrote: »

I get it hard to listen to the budget argument...
I see lots of examples of families making wrong choices... Smoking & drinking being put before food on the table...
An example that sickens me to this day..

I was in the local post office on dole day (posting not collecting)... young girl, maybe 8 or 9, in with the mam collecting their dole..
Young las picks up two sliced pans as the mother was buying 60 smokes, mother roars at her to put one back that they werent made of money... Passing through town later in the evening there was the mother and what passes for a father, drunk and knocking seven colours of sh1te out of each other !!
People use budget as an excuse and in many cases its poor budget choices that's the problem..

A bit unfair, not everyone is drinking or smoking before they feed their children or themselves.We don't live in an ideal world.I am sure organic is better for ya, but other forces come into play.

denis086 · 08-11-2013 10:44pm

oldsmokey wrote: »

Ear to the Ground is a feebler effort than BBC's Countryfile, aimed at ramblers, foodies, health and saaafffethhy wallahs, good-lifers and dreamers. Hopeless...but then the BBC's effort aint much better despite the truck-loads of cash fired at it.
Best 'farming' bit of TV in ages was called 'A year on the land'...4 or 5 parts to it, still doing the rounds on Sky.

There's a channel horse and country on sky well up in the 200's, it used be on free view as well they have a series 'farming sunday' I think they are on program 4 of a 5 part series presently lasts 1/2 an hour but its interesting enough all based in the UK and sponsored by the farmers guardian not as polished but twice the program ETTG is content wise. H&C showed 'A year on the land' as well, the rolls royce of farming programs imo.

td5man · 09-11-2013 8:55am

denis086 wrote: »

There's a channel horse and country on sky well up in the 200's, it used be on free view as well they have a series 'farming sunday' I think they are on program 4 of a 5 part series presently lasts 1/2 an hour but its interesting enough all based in the UK and sponsored by the farmers guardian not as polished but twice the program ETTG is content wise. H&C showed 'A year on the land' as well, the rolls royce of farming programs imo.

Channel 280 afaik

bbam · 09-11-2013 10:16am

jimmyw wrote: »

A bit unfair, not everyone is drinking or smoking before they feed their children or themselves.We don't live in an ideal world.I am sure organic is better for ya, but other forces come into play.

I never said everyone and I wouldn't waste my money on organic produce either. There are plenty of Irish grown proper foods available at well affordable prices.

I agree that education is a factor too.

bob charles · 09-11-2013 10:27am

Marooned75 wrote: »

If ya see what's in sausage rolls now that's a full Programme to itself.

any educated guess would say there is an element of sausage in it, unfortunately I dont think I'm right.

I was told the reason sausages are called bangers in the UK as a sausage has to be something like 5 - 10% pork to call it a sausage

Zoo4m8 · 09-11-2013 6:25pm

td5man wrote: »

Channel 280 afaik

280 it is , found 'farming Sunday'at 1.30 today, (didn't seem to matter today is Saturday

) a 'road test' on a Fent tractor, very interesting, an interview with a sheep man and how he sorted lack of thrive in his lambs and a dairy man in Wales and how he sorted a pneumonia problem in his calves. Seems a fairly basic production but I would say for the farmer streets ahead of ETTG.

whelan1 · 09-11-2013 6:37pm

see the trailer for next weeks show, they will be with the biggest contractor in ireland, with some woman who rescues horses and talking about flax

brian_t · 09-11-2013 7:05pm

You can also buy the Ear to the Ground Annual for €6.85

- best bits of the last 19 years
- it also features interviews with the three presenters
- it will show how many of the fantastic rural entrepreneurs featured on the programme are getting on
-it goes behind the scenes with the crew and brings to life the work involved in creating this wonderful programme.

http://www.subscribe.ie/Ear-to-the-Ground-151

chickenfarmer · 09-11-2013 11:43pm

reilig wrote: »

The €4.99 chickens are not really being sold below cost. They cost a pittance to grow. It's what's in them that makes them so cheap. And as you say, people are willing to buy them and feed them to their family. If people really knew what was in them and how they were reared, would they be as quick to buy them?

Hi Rellig, I'm curious to know what you think is in the chickens that make them so cheap ?

reilig · 10-11-2013 8:55am

chickenfarmer wrote: »

Hi Rellig, I'm curious to know what you think is in the chickens that make them so cheap ?

My reasoning is that it's the way the chickens are fed that makes them so cheap. In compp\arison to the chickens that were shown on ETTG, cheaper chickens are fed indoors (never seeing daylight) on food which promotes fast growth and they are finished in a shorter time than those shown on ETTG.

The same comparison can be made with grass fed cattle and with cattle that are completely grain finished in sheds.

Green Hornet · 10-11-2013 9:02am

Horse & Country used to show the Irish series 'Vets on Call' as well. I liked that programme, pity they stopped making it.

popa smurf · 10-11-2013 10:55am

when is the repeat showing thought it was sunday morning don't see it there

fiat10090dt · 10-11-2013 1:36pm

the may bring back landmark

Sam Kade · 10-11-2013 1:39pm

fiat10090dt wrote: »

the may bring back landmark

And mart and market

faigs · 10-11-2013 7:54pm

hedgecutting eddie wrote: »

Not knocking it but would love a show just about pure farming , sheep cows tillage etc and not about food

Is farming not about food? Farmers are food producers aren't they? If the show was completely for farmers that would alienate most of the audience, it wouldn't get half a million viewers every week, wouldn't be re-commissioned for 21 series, and wouldn't exist today. I think it's to keep the audience in touch with rural affairs, most of the audience are based in Dublin like it or not...

ZETOR_IS_BETTER · 10-11-2013 8:19pm

faigs wrote: »

most of the audience are based in Dublin like it or not...

I must take a look at the population movement of the country in the last 24 hrs ...

td5man · 10-11-2013 8:20pm

Ffermio tv on youtube

Muckit · 10-11-2013 8:30pm

td5man wrote: »

Ffermio tv on youtube

Thanks for link, wish my welsh was better! Pity it's not subtitled

td5man · 10-11-2013 8:31pm

Muckit wrote: »

Thanks for link, wish my welsh was better! Pity it's not subtitled

Look again there should be an english version

td5man · 10-11-2013 9:36pm

td5man wrote: »

Look again there should be an english version

Go to their channel and theres English and welsh versions

Mac Taylor · 10-11-2013 11:37pm

Mac Taylor wrote: »

Anyone watch the program on SC4 on Monday nights around 8pm. Its a welsh program on farming (ch 134 on sky) with sub titles as my welsh is not great. Its actually a program for farmers.

I sky plus this and watch at my leasure

chickenfarmer · 11-11-2013 9:35am

reilig wrote: »

My reasoning is that it's the way the chickens are fed that makes them so cheap. In compp\arison to the chickens that were shown on ETTG, cheaper chickens are fed indoors (never seeing daylight) on food which promotes fast growth and they are finished in a shorter time than those shown on ETTG.

The same comparison can be made with grass fed cattle and with cattle that are completely grain finished in sheds.

I'm sorry but thats not how your post read. I am a free range grower same as those lads on ETTG and the feed that the free range birds is very similar to the commercial birds. Main difference been the protein and energy content. Free range ration would have a lower value and also a slightly higher grain content. (just for the record, Free range birds are fed inside also)

Anyways I'm not trying to start a row, just read that post as been an attack on commercial chicken farming in Ireland.

Sad reality is that people will still buy the cheaper chicken for that very reason beause its cheap. Sadder still is the vast qtys of imported chicken that is been sold here because of how cheap that is.

reilig · 11-11-2013 10:09am

chickenfarmer wrote: »

I'm sorry but thats not how your post read. I am a free range grower same as those lads on ETTG and the feed that the free range birds is very similar to the commercial birds. Main difference been the protein and energy content. Free range ration would have a lower value and also a slightly higher grain content. (just for the record, Free range birds are fed inside also)

Anyways I'm not trying to start a row, just read that post as been an attack on commercial chicken farming in Ireland.

Sad reality is that people will still buy the cheaper chicken for that very reason beause its cheap. Sadder still is the vast qtys of imported chicken that is been sold here because of how cheap that is.

Sorry, I definitely didn't mean it like that.

I was just making the point that free range growers deserve the extra price for chickens because of the facilities, extra time, extra food, extra welfare etc that go into each chicken.

The free range birds on ETTG were shown to be let out of the houses on a regular basis to pick through green pasture?

chickenfarmer · 11-11-2013 11:13am

Oh and they are let out. Every day from 4 weeks of age on. They do pick on the pasture, they love to dig and scratch. They go mad for worms. That is not enough however to put on body weight. Their main feed source is a cereal based crumb / pellet which is fed indoors. Those growers are getting 11.99 per bird. Mine will be in Aldi and Dunnes this evening and they will be about 5.99 / 6.99. When we started doing free range in 2008 the birds were going on the shelf @ 9.99 and feed was 100 euro/tonne cheaper. I can fully see what those guys are trying to do and fair play to them, I really hope that it works for them and they can grow their brand.