organic farming

Jjameson

I never attended a “beef plan” anything in my life nor wrote any such letter. But I agree with them on the matter because I “seen how it went”.

I am bemused your peers haven’t disabled your thumb on this. You are doing them no good.

wrangler

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119774884#Comment_119774884

My opinions are my own , you're a bit sad to think anything else is the case.

Processors would only be laughing at your accusations

Jjameson

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119774992#Comment_119774992

Of course they only laugh. Like they laugh when taxpayers fund farmers to supply them.

wrangler

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119775054#Comment_119775054

Ffs, farmers are well able to look after themselves........ didn't we all take taxpayers money and it's twenty years since the subsidy was on the animal

Jjameson

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119775255#Comment_119775255

of the top of my head in recent enough times 2 beam schemes, suckler scheme, ewe scheme, and a the drum is rolling for an early slaughter scheme… all won. Got over the line, fought for us unworthy farmers by our betters 😂

The cartel must laugh every time a farmer moans.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119772641#Comment_119772641

I put my hectares into the calculator and didn't realise I'd picked horticulture, almost done myself an injury.

endainoz

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119775316#Comment_119775316

Would be better than any pension 😂

blue5000

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119775316#Comment_119775316

Some difference alright, and most of the donkey work done by woofers.

Birdnuts

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119773957#Comment_119773957

Quiet a difference though in animals fattened on high input PRG swards compared to natural herbal swards, hence the taste etc. premium for mountain lamb versus lowland. Its the same for any meat I suppose cos I've been lucky enough to sample the likes of oak forest reared pork in France and beef off lavender fields in Croatia, the depth of flavour, texture etc. totally on another planet compared to conventional produce.

893bet

I clicked the submit button last night.

Siamsa Sessions

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119777006#Comment_119777006

Best of luck. Keep us informed on your progress.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119776997#Comment_119776997

That's proper marketing rather than the pile everyone in "begorrah pgi" style bullshit.

paddysdream

I will have to wash my mouth out but have given this ( organic scheme ) serious thought over the past week .

The big picture means I am looking at in the region of 16k per year in payment from it .

This year I bought no fertiliser. I had enough fodder made in 2021 to just about do me for the coming winter but between a field closed in October along with stuff that got too strong for grazing made a normal years amount in 2022. Sheep require a lot less than cattle admittedly.

All straw bedded here and 90% of the land is suitable for tillage plus ready supply of cattle slurry locally .

Doing the figures I reckon organic payment would mean a slight stocking rate reduction but selling at conventional price would be doable.

Not worried re getting organic premium price .

Biggest thing is increased paperwork compliance but thats a cost free exercise.

Having been in reps and glas I look at this as a much better 5 year option than acres scheme .Maybe that's the dept idea but who cares. As wrangler says " farm the schemes".

Have no hang ups re stuff like this.At the end of the day it's about how much you can make ,not what you produce.

Biggest issue I see is weed control in grass/ corn and e coli in lambs .

Almost all replacements are home bred whilst it's allowable I think to buy in any ram plus 10% of breeding stock conventional.

Water John

In fairness the paperwork is simple, just fill up the log book provided. The only weed that might be a PITA is ragwort.

Oats made €430/ton this year, just my yield was dissappointingly low. Premium on meat would be simply a bonus.

The fields won't look like the fairway for the golf masters but that's fine.

Pinsnbushings

Would anybody remember seeing a company on ear to the ground a couple of years ago, based in kerry I think that were making Christmas decorations from trees etc. Can't remember there name, but they were looking for farmers to grow and manage plants for them, wonder could it be done organically and would it qualify as horticulture. Haven't any land suitable for veg but plenty that will grow trees

paddysdream

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119779716#Comment_119779716

Sheep = no ragwort.Most of the fields here would have been sprayed probably every 2nd year (MCPA ,Thistlex etc ) so no big weed burden .

I am simply looking at this from a monetary perspective .Farm here has to buy the sliced pan and meet the other household bills so an expensive hobby ain't an option .

The tillage bit would allow production of meal at first cost plus higher payment per acre .Not sure as regards selling grain as organic bonus is not enough by a long margin .

One issue would be constant reseeding which could be tricky without roundup plus field size here would mean either dividing fields or growing more than I would require .

blue5000

No problem buying in a non organic ram anyway Paddy. With females you have to be able to show that you tried to get organic ones but couldn't, before buying non organic females. I don't think they can be in lamb either when you buy them. At least that's the way it is with cattle anyway.

Will the sheep control the ragwort? Sounds like you're halfway there already. Paperwork is a bitch for everyone, if you are able to do the application form by yourself then you will be able to do the rest of it too.

Jjameson

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119779910#Comment_119779910

I was talking to friend recently who is talking seriously about it.. the sort of chap who likes everything spic and span and wouldn’t leave the house without his hair combed.. if he goes for it i don’t think I can dismiss it.

endainoz

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119779914#Comment_119779914

The sheep will get rid of them alright, they happily eat ragwort at the rosette stage, would like to know if a donkey or a goat would do something similar? The sheep idea is great but the fencing needed would obviously be an issue.

endainoz

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119782275#Comment_119782275

Plenty talking about it around here too, the same crowd were laughing at me converting in 2018, we'll see how many of them actually take the plunge and apply.

Water John

Paraquat and Glyphosate are only with us since the 70s, reseeding went fine before that without them. Have used both, but wouldn't anymore, irrespective of organic or not.

Like the cigarette cos and cancer, they knew there was a link to Parkinsons.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/oct/20/syngenta-weedkiller-pesticide-parkinsons-disease-paraquat-documents

A cluster in Cork of four men and four sons who have all got Parkinsons is also being investigated.

We need to look at soil health as central to sustainable farming.

_Brian

We take in sucks (hex mainly), and sell them on at 550-600kg

I don’t see real option for us to go organic

Water John

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119783103#Comment_119783103

Is it stock supply is your concern?

wrangler

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119783087#Comment_119783087

A number of genetic factors have been shown to increase a person's risk of developing Parkinson's disease, although exactly how these make some people more susceptible to the condition is unclear. Parkinson's disease can run in families as a result of faulty genes being passed to a child by their parents.

Water John

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119783202#Comment_119783202

Which is followed by the line: But it's rare for the disease to be inherited this way.

893bet

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119783103#Comment_119783103

Change to buying organic weanlings or stores. They are there to be bought.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119783347#Comment_119783347

I think so too, a lot of more extensive farms will go organic, but won't buy the organic feed due to cost. Though feed cost may be Brians concern?

Limestone Cowboy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119782417#Comment_119782417

I wouldn't worry about what the neighbours are thinking. I know myself I'd miss the bit of freedom to be picking up a few at the mart and the rushes would be a major problem with no spraying. I'm renting 2 smallish bits year to year aswell that I'd rather not give up but couldn't commit to putting them plots in for 5 years either. One of them is belong to an uncle and the other is right next door to me. Its a fair ball of money to be leaving behind if I don't go for it though, I definitely think it would be more profitable with a few tweaks to current system and a reduction in stock but don't think I'd be any happier doing it.

wrangler

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119783245#Comment_119783245

million so farmers using paraquat and roundup, not enough getting parkinsons to be taken serious.

My own brother died from paraquat poisoning but it needed him to be careless as well, A car will kill you too if your careless with it.

There's no accounting for peoples stupidity

Water John

Limestone, would it be very awkward to only put your owned land into organic? Don't know the process but some larger farms have converted to organic over time, section by section.