Today's Farm - November/December 2021

The November/December edition of our bi-monthly magazine is now available online. There is a focus on business, production, environment and countryside issues. Organic farming is highlighted. Reducing the risk of TB, winter milk diets and lowering emissions are among the topics covered.

Today's Farm, the popular bi-monthly magazine has an excellent selection of articles covering a wide range of enterprises. Farmers from various parts of the country are profiled and all have interesting stories to tell.

View it here: Today's Farm - November/December 2021 (pdf)

The main enterprises of dairy, beef, sheep and crops are covered. Also in this edition are interesting articles on: 

• Monaghan Organic Farmers lead the way
  Tillage is making a comeback in the Drumlins of Monaghan. With only 312 organic tillage farmers in the whole country in 2020, you might not expect to come across fields of wheat, oats and barley in the traditional grassy hills of Patrick Kavanagh’s county. Mark Gillanders left behind his high-input bull beef system and has gone from strength to strength growing and milling organic wheat while organic suckler farmer Sean Greenan is a firm believer that you don’t learn anything until you do it. He also has established a successful cereal enterprise alongside his already successful pedigree Stabiliser herd. 
• 10 ways to avoid an accident
  Using the HSA Risk Assessment document to carry out a seasonal review of hazards on your farm is good advice. Teagasc Health & Safety Specialists highlight some of the key areas to consider includign machinery , livestock and electrics as well as taking that all improtant break. And they remind about availing of TAMS grant aid.
• Underappreciated: The balance sheet
  The balance sheet is like a photograph of the business’s financial status on a particular date. Put simply, the balance sheet shows what you own and what you owe at a point in time – usually the end of the accounts year. Just looking at a single end-of-year balance sheet can reveal some useful information and is a useful indicator of whether the farm’s financial foundations are solid. 
• Teagasc Kildalton reaches its half-century
  The words of Sir Horace Plunket are as relevant today as they were 120 years ago. A sound agricultural education is the bedrock on which our largest industry is built. Our farmers, who feed the nation and supply the demands of our export industries, more often than not, start the journey towards their future careers at an agricultural college. The doors of Kildalton Agricultural Teagasc Kildalton reaches its half-century Gerard Griffi n Kildalton. Tim Ashmore Kildalton. Claire Bambrick Kildalton. College opened 50 years ago in 1971, when the Department of Agriculture purchased Bessborough House, with its 360ac, for 250,000 Irish pounds. 
• Sustainable equine farming
  Under the Agri-Food 2030 strategy, all farms are expected to retain quality habitats. The retention of existing habitats is vital, as they typically deliver greater ecological benefi ts than with newly created habitats. Coolmore relies on their manure, which is all recycled on the farm and spread as compost. Their ultra-modern composting kills weed seeds and parasites and is of maximum benefit to the grasslands. The Hickey family run a progressive Sport Horse breeding business in Killarney and have actively improved levels of biodiversity on their farm and create habitats for a diverse range of wildlife species.
• Pots of glorious winter colour
  Choose plants for colour and texture and they’ll see you through until late spring. Consider purples and magenta teamed with lighter green foliage, which will last for weeks and weeks. Get the planters organised early as the colour choices get quite limited as we get the closer to December.