Well that was an unexpected few months. With a global pandemic, a version of martial law in parts of Western Europe for a while and a lift in Irish spirit sales, it was a bit like the early 1920s all over. If you were told at Christmas that farm organisation […]
Farming with Tommy Moyles
At least it’s only February. I’ve said this phrase countless times over the last few weeks to console myself when there appears to be no let-up in the wind and rain. I’d much rather it now than in April, that’s for sure. With little respite from the incessant rain and gales, […]
Despite damp farming weather conditions, grazing is moving back on the agenda and fences are getting a once-over; although you could say grazing never stopped this winter. A group of younger cows was left out to take pressure off the shed and, while the plan was to house them before […]
There has been plenty of walking the farm lately. First up was a bit of a tree planting operation. Since Christmas, around 600 different native trees have been planted around the farm. A hedge consisting of hawthorn and Rowan was put in as a shelterbelt, which will take some minding, […]
In Billy Joel’s 1989 hit ‘We didn’t start the fire’ he chronicles the 40 years between 1949 and 1989 simply by stitching a series of headlines from the period together. Listening to it, hearing the words sets off images of the story behind each headline and leads to a bit […]
One of the most frustrating things in farming is the uncontrollables, which can throw the best-laid plans out of kilter. Being flexible with your system is the best way to counter them. Animals, markets and weather would be among the most common in terms of unpredictability. Certainly the beef market […]