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Decline of the Farmers Journal

Kerry2021

Sad to say it but in my opinion the Farmers Journal newspaper has gone into a “death spiral”. Gigantic decline in the quality of what is written in the paper.

I think a more befitting name of the paper would be “the hipster hobby farmer journal” or all jokes aside “the weekly nature magazine”.

There isn’t much in it for serious farmers, there is nothing that I ever read in their paper now that I can actually put into practical use on my farm.

In my opinion Agriland is 100x superior. The Agriland app is clearly lightyears ahead of the farmers journal app, the Agriland app is so much more streamlined and easy to use. Agriland is obviously free to use as well. Hypothetically I think if Agriland were charging the same amount of money as the farmers journal are I would still rather subscribe to Agriland.

I find it myself that even the worthwhile articles in the farmers journal are just a rehashing of the same things that would have been free to read on the Agriland app for the previous week.

The Farmers Journal seem unwilling to tackle the serious issues facing farming. They’d be more interested writing about the price of goats in a mart in Galway. There’s so much talk about the environment nowadays, with all the supplements included there must be 100 pages in the farmers journal each week, look how wasteful that is dumping all that paper versus an online app like Agriland.

I couldn’t help but notice as well that the farmers journal lost a great journalist back a couple years ago, the guys who replaced him just don’t seem to be able to pick up the slack.

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Packrat

Ok. I commented above with my own opinion of the Journal which isn't high.

It now appears that there is previous bad blood/commercial issue between the OP and that publication which is a different thing completely.

I want no part of that nor of the other spat which has started over LGBT issues.

This thread wasn't opened in good faith.

Kerry2021

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120882488#Comment_120882488

Just want to clear up what this person has said is false. They never said anything negative about me ever. Had great time for their journalists up until lately but have honestly grown weary of the consistent poor coverage

Bass Reeves

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120882238#Comment_120882238

Boards is an anonymous discussion forum. There is no onus on anyone to give details of who they are. You yourself are posting anonymously

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120882229#Comment_120882229

Kerry share are a very complicate issue. Kerry Co-op was originally set up by a group of independent Co-op. Farmer shareholders had all I vested in the Co-op back in the 50&60's. Due to good decisions by historical boards the Co-op be ame a very valuable asset.

However many of the Fathers and Grandfather's who sacrificed to set it were squeezed out of milk by the implementation of milk quota's. Where I came from originally in Kerry it has gone from a few hundred milk suppliers to about 10.

Are these farmers who are not no longer A shareholders entitled to a return on there parents investment. You have also situations where Fathers gave the farm to one child and split the shares between the other children.

A large portio ln of those benefitting from any purchase back of the agri business and stainless steel will be farmers who got the majority of there shares as milk suppliers. As well many of these same suppliers have already benefitted back during the quota era by the fact that Kerry suppliers had access to excess quota all the time

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120882135#Comment_120882135

The rag has gone from giving details of print copies and online subscription sold to giving readership figures which I imagine are highly suspect

I have noticed over the last few years is the amount of copies left in shops on Tuesday and Wednesday. This is rural areas. In cities with the last ten years you can no longer buy a copy as it is not stocked.

On the Rag itself it like any Red Top it's peddling an agenda. That agenda is no longer relative to the vast majority of farmers. As the older generation stop buying unless it changes its policy it will have a very small readership

JustJoe7240

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120882652#Comment_120882652

Care to point out where I asked the OP to identify themselves?

Kerry2021

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120882652#Comment_120882652

Excellent points that you made. Something I all but begged of the IFJ to cover was the issue surrounding “participation exemption” which is a tax break and kerry co op.

in a nutshell kerry co op is selling its kerry group shares to fund its cash for shares scheme

currently the Co op owns 11% of kerry group but when that figure drops to 5% then the Co op will have to pay 33% CGT on all the kerry group shares it owns and the shareholders would still have to pay income tax. There’s absolutely no way around this. I’d pleaded with the IFJ to cover it and instead they kept saying ignoring me and kept printer letter after letter about locking in the shares at a 5.9 ratio which they knew themselves was genuinely just nonsense because our tax laws don’t allow it. I told them they were printing fake news with all the letters about the 5.9 and I told them they knew that what they were printing was incorrect

cute geoge

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120882721#Comment_120882721

Last year a relation who has small 6 figure sum worth of co op shares was inquiring about my taughts on selling her co op shares .She would not need the money badly but at the same time has 2 grown up kids with ill health who might need this money for heath expenses in the not too distant future.I told her the shares would hold their value and probably increase but I am not too sure was my advice worth Jack shlt.

What advice would you give her??

MIKEKC

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120881933#Comment_120881933

The cost of printing a few posters would hardly do much for the price of milk

farmertipp

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120882854#Comment_120882854

if you are running a tight ship you have to watch your costs . end of.

cap.in.hand.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120882721#Comment_120882721

To get the share cash conversion was a victory for all shareholders and you Dave can take credit for taking on a very russian type co-op board at the time .

Kerry2021

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120882841#Comment_120882841

My 100% best advice (for whatever it’s worth) is to leave the money in the shares. Inflation is running rampant and in my own honest opinion nobody has ever any business selling shares unless they’ve a plan for what they’ll do with the money. I know the share price has been disappointing with the last year but the company is still going well and it is a safe hassle free investment

Kerry2021

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120882861#Comment_120882861

I agree with you about the posters. When milk prices are low to the extent that it is a full blown crisis it is annoying to see the Co op wasting valuable resources (ie employees time) on making posters. Years ago kerry co op used send their guys off on holidays, I don’t think anyone cares about what they cost in the grand scheme of things but they were there to represent farmers, when milk prices would be poor it didn’t look great with our elected representatives going off on holidays

Kerry2021

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120882936#Comment_120882936

Haha thanks very much, all is well that ends well anyway and don’t hold any grudges over it all. It was only all business at the end of the day

greysides

Mod: This thread is about the IFJ, not Kerry Shares. Keep it on-topic, please.

Kerry2021

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120884371#Comment_120884371

There’s a couple journalists with the Kerry’s eye and Limerick leader newspapers that would run rings around the farmers journal in terms of ability to explain what is going on

[Deleted User]

I don't believe much in IFJ, it's agenda ridden, since seeing they used to have separate front pages depending on geographical location, one for the NW, another for the rest of the country. Also seen Peter Young deliberately, I use that word as he never corrected the figure despite being contacted, miscalculate CAP figures to stoke anger against some farmers. I think they have changed it since, but I was once fond of saying how could you believe anything in a paper that was out on a Thursday telling you it was Saturday on the front page.

wrangler

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120884748#Comment_120884748

Does it not sound sad when someone like kerry criticises a successful company and worse when the criticism turns into an incessent whinge that goes on and on. T he criticism is insignificant which makes it laughable, I've been reading similar on boards for years and yet IFJ increases readership

IFJ are successful, what more do they need, their readership is massive, they have to be doing it right or they wouldn't have the circulation.

In answer to your last line, I buy two local weeklies that come out on a different date to that on the front page.

Castlekeeper

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058305788/decline-of-the-farmers-journal

That description of the IFJ plus the Tullamore show offer has me almost tempted to sign up again, I haven't looked at it in a few years now. It's great to hear that it's moving with the times and looking at the broader rural sustainability picture. In fairness the Country Living section was always ahead of the main section which seemed stuck in the 90s. Maybe even the getting in touch sectioned has broadened its categories lately?

Kerry2021

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120884926#Comment_120884926

they stopped releasing the figures for how many papers they’re actually selling. Nobody knows how they’re calculating readership. If things were going well they’d still be saying that they’re selling x amount of actual papers

I feel they’ve a responsibility to do a better job than what they’re currently doing. It’s gutter journalism, I wouldn’t read their petty little paper if I was paid €50/week at this stage

totally out of touch with farmers up at 5 every morning. Boring newspaper for boring people

Kerry2021

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120884748#Comment_120884748

Absolutely typical of them to print the wrong thing time and time again to annoy people. That’s pretty much the exact same thing as I was saying about them

ftm2023

Watch out guys. We’re not allowed call out the farmers journal for their shoddy journalism or else wrangler will be telling us we’re all sad people..

The general consensus here is that clearly the IFJ is in a massive decline. Rolls Royce make the best cars in the world but if they started making rubbish cars they’d still do well for the next 5 years or so, it’s gonna be a long painful slow death for the IFJ newspaper.

[Deleted User]

WHat bugs me about the journal is the lack of an index. You have to go through every single page in case you might miss something. THat, as well as some piss poor articles with no depth or discussion.

Kerry2021

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120885306#Comment_120885306

I reckon if they were to take out all the photographs (there’s a lot as you go on in the paper) and all the advertisements, take out the “waffle” articles that you’d be able to condense their (with supplements) 100 page paper into about a 4 page leaflet. I hate to be criticising them because the journalists are actually extremely nice people. It’s a bit like if your favourite football team lose absolutely every single game 6-0, no matter how much of a nice guy you think the manager of the team is, eventually you’ll want a new one to come in with fresh ideas. Personally I’ve given up on the IFJ forever. Agriland is the future

wrangler

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120885288#Comment_120885288

This whinge is going on for years , yet they're still there,

Criticism by a few insignifignants isn't going to make a difference at this stage.

The Civil/public service is failing now in every sector as predicted by me so you have to grant my posts credibility,

Kerry2021

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120885357#Comment_120885357

Few insignificants? haha you’re a big shot on boards alright pal, you might make it to the big time someday and become a moderator on here. You’re looking for a reaction and you won’t be getting one.

I created the thread to voice my displeasure at the decline of a paper which used be something I looked forward to each week. You don’t agree with me as regards the IFJ but clearly most people do. End of story

ftm2023

Wrangler you’ve been on this website since December 2017, that’s over 2,000 days, you’ve averaged 5 posts a day everyday. I may be wrong but you come across as someone who has a nice bit of spare time. Don’t throw stones when you live in a glass house telling other people they’re “insignificants”. If you’re not prepared to debate out your points in a respectful manner then go to another thread

whelan2

If you don't like the journal don't buy it ,simple as.

MIKEKC

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120882861#Comment_120882861

If the cost of a few posters would make a difference the show is already over

K.G.

Right lads and ladies. DEBATE THE TOPIC NOT THE POSTER.maybe kerry 2021 ,you asked for opinions so maybe just listen to them for a while.

Kerry2021

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120885438#Comment_120885438

I picked up the Sunday times this morning, I asked the shop owner who was behind the counter how’s the sale of the farmers journal newspaper doing now (I was very curious after it being discussed here) and he said they’re selling only 1/3 of what they used sell. Obviously some people use the IFJ app but my own guess is as well that it’s generally people in their autumn years that buy the paper and not many young farmers buy it.

You’re dead right about not buying it if you don’t like it, that’s what I’ll be doing in future.

Castlekeeper

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