Grassland Farmer of the Year to host farm walk
Diarmuid Fitzgerald, the Young Farmer and Overall Grassland Farmer of the Year 2022, will host a walk on Thursday, September 14th.
Farming one block on the banks of the River Shannon in partnership with his father Seán, 160 cows are milked at a stocking rate of 2.5 cows/ha. Heifers are contract reared, making the system simple with just milking cows and young calves on the farm in the spring.
Over recent years, Diarmuid has focused his efforts on the establishment of white clover. Now 60% of the farm has good levels of this legume present. By focusing on the latest research and advice from Teagasc, Diarmuid’s fertiliser plans are tailored to account for the nitrogen fixed from the clover plant. This has allowed him to reduce the quantities of chemical nitrogen applied without affecting pasture production. Last year, the farm grew 13.5t DM/ha of grass from a chemical nitrogen input of 149kg/ha.
At the open day, the grazing infrastructure being utilised on the farm will be showcased, while the reseeding programme and how the farm incorporated clover will be discussed in detail.
The farm walk will take place on Thursday, September 14th at 11am at Brickhill, Cratloe, Co. Clare, V95 EP9F. Click here to book your ticket to this event.