It's the perfect place to do the research that they were doing. The point of research is to find the optimum level that can be achieved. And in this case farm it was how an organic livestock farm can be achieved in harmony with nature whilst achieving optimum carbon sequestration.
If I had that farm the next route I'd be going is studying the microbiology in the soil for methanotrophic bacteria.
Your typical teagasc research farm does all it can to kill all life in soil, spraying, tilling, fertilising.
Here is a farm organic for years and years. With facilities to accommodate k's of tourists every year. With a soil that would be most conductive to look for and identify different species of methanotrophs. But this will all be most likely destroyed by the next buyer.
And then we're back to square one again and back to the enviros telling, all cattle are the devil's spawn and that the country needs to go under the plough for their own self worth and keep those merchants selling grain, ferts, sprays, harbingers of doom happy.
Who knows how many years or decades it takes for biota as above to become established and to count on ledger books for climate change. But we seem to be continually not wanting the biology to get a foothold and just have teagasc say in their soil on research farms it's "challenging".
It's an awful shame in my view this farm is for sale. It's a tragedy for the Irish livestock industry.
If they know it or not.
Hopefully it will go into the right hands where it will be cherished and valued.
Speaking of the right hands, did I read once that the Orange Order have a slush fund for keeping the lands near the Boyne in sympathetic ownership?
Oh Jesus. The orange order.
Don't know that. But it's an interesting one nonetheless.
Church of Ireland/England used to do the same in the past
What are the steel posts like for fencing for one strand and for dairy cows
Clipex? I have them here with cows no issues, find them brilliant for 1 strand of electric, very fast to put up.
Would they be OK on the hills where the wire can be pulling them out of 5he ground iykwim. They'd prob last forever too
Afaik it was an Interest free loan from a fund in order to fill out the bid and keep the land in Protestant ownership. Not sure whether it still exists or not
Surely there would be BIK tax due on such funding.
I'd be on hilly ground and haven't had problems, if there was a fierce dip maybe put them a bit closer. No issues so far far, first of them in about 7 years and perfect..the only thing is if your into aesthetics, they can be a bit of a shine off them from a distance
Would cows not see them and walk through the wire???. I might try replacing any broken ones for the craic
No hadn't that issue, but a couple of neighbors made remarks about my shiny stakes!!!
How much are standard Clipex posts?
Not sure of the tax implications now. Could it be seen as a charitable donation to expanding farmers in need?😂
What bulls ye all using now with banding etc? Those of ye in band 2 planning on staying in it?
9 euro I paid about 2 months ago...bag of 25 insulators 15 euro
That's not too far off what 4-5 inch timber stakes are making. I'm guessing Clipex are expecting a bounce in sales too now that creosote is banned. How long are they claiming the stakes last?
Yes I expect they will become popular, something in the back of my mind was saying a 25 year lifespan on the posts but I'm not sure on that..they will last longer than timber, I know that from experience as is..
Continuing as normal here. Will most likely be in the top band after a good year and switching back to band 2 after a bad year.
Was talking to a man the other day in band 1. They often milk the cows at 11pm because they'd be busy all day like. Just run bulls and if a cow didn't have any calf sure they'd milk her away anyway. The bull would get around to her eventually. Maybe this is the way forward.
I see Tom Kelly in louth is selling 100 cows in June over nitrites banding etc
Another local farm to him had 240 youngstock for sale last week...is this the start of major reduction sales?
At current milk prices with meal and fert prices. Isint it better to reduce than pay 500 an acre for extra land
Nail on head, have ground rented here the past 8 years 2km from farm that's taken for 2 cuts at 230 a acre with owner drawing sfp on it and grazing it after , was told yesterday, its been put on the market next year for rent and land owner is expecting 450 a acre plus entitlements back, it's moory wet ground that takes alot of minding.....
Will probably have to drop down 60 cows but it's a better option then going broke farming rented ground at extortionate prices
Looks like it there won't be room in the marts for them by the looks of it it's all very depressing
My adviser told me I would need to cut my cows numbers by nearly half or rent 80 acres I'm looking and hoping for the dairy retirement scheme
I'll be increasing by about 20 cows over the next few years unless I get sick of dealing with the cantankerous bitches.
There’s a few lads like that around here. Could be milking at any time between 5pm and midnight. Cut silage in July, if it’s raining when doing the silage “shur what about it, it’ll water down the slurry!” Maybe only half way through calving at this time of year.
While I can’t tell you if they’re making money or not they’re still going years later and they’re under no pressure whatsoever, some of the most relaxed dairy farmers I know!
Ya, happy out. And they would always have time to stop and talk.
Your advisor missed one solution …..contract rearing .milking 100 cows here on band 3 20 maidens and 20 calves to contract rearer ….I don’t know myself atm no stock in any of my outblocks …..there is a fee to pay every month tho which focuses the mind on what it really costs to rear replacements
would of got away without it this year but when a chance conversation took place with a guy I know will do a super job on them I couldn’t let it go
bingo. i think the herd reduction in cannonstown and monamore is more to do with feasibility than blaming the nitrates. I see Tom Kelly had a bit in the irish examiner about reducing the herd down, in all fairness he has 350 and it was more of advertisement for the sale than anything else.
