Any chance you could answer 3 questions for me?

Help101

The new Junior Cert has these mad yokes called CBAs,or Classroom Based Assessments,where you have to do your own work. Basically for my Business CBA,I need to do a survey and thought I’d turn to my countrypeople. I would really appreciate if you could answer these questions.

1. Are you from a farming background?

2. Whether you answered yes or no to the previous question,how have you been affected by this years drought?

3. Do you think there is sufficient infrastructure in place to deal with weather/economic situations like these?

Thanks in advance!
-a disorganized teen

Track9

1 Yes .
2 Affected by this yrs drought ; Loss of Summer Grass for circa 8/10 wks.
Less silage due to poor summer growth conditions .
3 No the infrastructure is not in place for such weather variances .
Indeed as a Nation & as Farmers we are woefully unprepared .

whelan2

Yes
Wasn't badly affected
No
Good luck with it. Daughter here also doing a farming based project for her business cba

MickeyShtyles

1. Yes
2. Lost two broccoli crops, leeks and onions.
3. No. Irish farmers haven’t got the infrastructure in place for irrigation, yet.

Mooooo

1. Yes, dairy farming.
2. Partially, reduced summer growth but silage made later in year so quality lower but have enough.
3. Not a case of infrastructure I believe, more a case of lessons learned in having extra feed in stock, and going in earlier with it.. Either with concentrates or buying from tillage farms etc.

alps

1. Yes

2. Reduced Summer growth, resulting mainly in increased costs for purchase of summer and winter feed. No production hit however thankfully.

3. I don't believe there is a case as yet, based on one summer drought, for new infrastructure investment. Farmers will make adjustments to feed budgets both to restock and have a little extra buffer in hand.

However I do believe that water as a resource needs to be given greater attention. The water consumption and losses in the city areas is unsustainable. All rural dwellers pay for water, therefore respect it's value, and would not countenance such waste.

Instead of new infrastructure, city dwellers need to start paying towards their own water infrastructure upkeep.

It's quiet incredible that plans are afoot to transfer water from the Shannon, across lands of people who pay for their own water( and sewage) and deliver it to people who refuse to pay for it.

So in answer to you question, do we need new infrastructure , it's a No, however we do need a mindset change..

KatyMac

1. Yes
2. Not as much as other farmers. Have some heavy land that the dry summer made 100% trafficable rather than 70-80% of other years. Cattle did well enough on the other, dry fields and the silage crop was a little down, but I have enough (unless the winter goes on for ever!)
3. The situation in this country regarding water is ridiculous and infrastructure will eventually need to be put in place, but I don't think dragging water across the country to Dublin is the way to go. Dublin is a monster that will take and take and give nothing back.

charolais0153

Yes

Affected more indirectly than directly,shortage of grass during summer was bearable but the cost of straw and barley increasing by 50% is a problem

Infrastructure is ok in this country imo but relying on one crop (grass)is unsustainable

Bass Reeves

Yes

Virtually no grass growth from early June to mid August. Due to winter 2017/2018 along with a poor spring and bad summer cattle killing about 20-30kgs lighter than they should have been. Silage back by about 30-40% so have reduced stock numbers by buying in less cattle and have grown a crop of rape. Used about 50% more ration during the summer to finish cattle.

Every farm varies it is not just the vagries of the summer weather. This would have been an ideal summer for farms west of the shannon and on heavier land. However most of these farms were not able to take advantage of it as historical farming practices may not/did not allow it. Would be reluctant to invest in infrstructure to do with drought unless it is a continualy issue over a few summers. Farming is about managing weather related challanges as much as other resources. The Autumn has made up for some of the vagries in this years weather.

K.G.

yes
yes
you can never plan for everything but the key is think strategically so you deal with comes

Siamsa Sessions

Yes
Yes
No

_Brian

Help101 wrote: »

The new Junior Cert has these mad yokes called CBAs,or Classroom Based Assessments,where you have to do your own work. Basically for my Business CBA,I need to do a survey and thought I’d turn to my countrypeople. I would really appreciate if you could answer these questions.

1. Are you from a farming background?

2. Whether you answered yes or no to the previous question,how have you been affected by this years drought?

3. Do you think there is sufficient infrastructure in place to deal with weather/economic situations like these?

Thanks in advance!
-a disorganized teen

Yes

Not particularly directly affected as we farm on marginal land which does well in drought years. Collapse in mart prices did affect us like everyone else with profit from sales eliminated.

Irish farms need to improve facilities for water provision and own generators to be ready for more extremes in weather which we now see.

wiggy123

yes
yes
no

Nekarsulm

Yes.

Not particulary, heavy clay soil in Cavan.
Growth slowed, but as its majnly sheep I have, it suited OK.
Weather pattern this last few years have favoured an early silage cut, around 15nt May.
We got rain when others on the south coast didn't, so was a super year.

As Brian says, farmers need to gear up with generators and have improved water systems.

Council shouldput in place a system of payments to farmers/contractors to plough specific roads if snow occurs.

Similar plan needed with salting of secondry roads.

Dunedin

Help101 wrote: »

The new Junior Cert has these mad yokes called CBAs,or Classroom Based Assessments,where you have to do your own work. Basically for my Business CBA,I need to do a survey and thought I’d turn to my countrypeople. I would really appreciate if you could answer these questions.

1. Are you from a farming background?

2. Whether you answered yes or no to the previous question,how have you been affected by this years drought?

3. Do you think there is sufficient infrastructure in place to deal with weather/economic situations like these?

Thanks in advance!
-a disorganized teen

1. Yes
2. Grass growth was badly affected
3. No. We are not able to deal with any prolonged period of any extreme weather in this country

roosky

Yes

No negatively, in wet part of the country (Leitrim)

Yes

Birdnuts

1) Yes

2)No (we love droughts in North Mayo;))

3) No - government needs to wake up to the sustainable farming future