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Eoin Ó Muircheartaigh operates a very successful agri-contracting business. He also farms beef and sheep, and is now hoping to turn his hand to dairy farming. \ Valerie O'Sullivan
I farm: ”With my father Jack on around 180ac – it’s a mixture of owned and rented ground. We’re about 10 miles west of Dingle town and half of our land would be along the cliff. I took over the farm from my dad in 2014 and also run a contracting business.”
Calf-to-beef:”I buy around 150 or 160 calves every year and finish them to beef. I usually buy dairy calves and I’d more often than not take them to the factory or the odd time to the mart. They’re all housed now for the last three weeks or a month. We’re on the coast here so we put down a fairly hard winter, we’d be very exposed and there’d be very little shelter for cattle. I’m in the dairy beef scheme as well but it’s a lot of work for what it’s worth.”
Weanlings: ”I also buy a few suckler-bred Charolais or Limousin weanlings every year, mainly just to have them for the Dingle fatstock show and sale. It was on last Saturday and I had a Charolais heifer who won supreme champion. She made €3,220 and was 965kg.”
Silage contracting: “I’m a silage contractor myself so I do all my own silage. This summer was a terrible summer for silage – the first cut was a joy in April and May but once 21 June came, it was pure torture after that. Second cut isn’t great quality but most farmers around here should have enough for the winter. We always budget for a six-month winter down here.”
Reseeding: “I try and reseed a bit every year. I think it’s a great job. You can see the benefits in both grazing and silage. At least when you’re putting out fertiliser, you’re getting a response.”
Future in farming: ”It’s hard to read how farming is going to turn in the future. It’s gone more about cutting back and going organic, which wouldn’t really be my nature.”
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I farm: ”With my father Jack on around 180ac – it’s a mixture of owned and rented ground. We’re about 10 miles west of Dingle town and half of our land would be along the cliff. I took over the farm from my dad in 2014 and also run a contracting business.”
Calf-to-beef:”I buy around 150 or 160 calves every year and finish them to beef. I usually buy dairy calves and I’d more often than not take them to the factory or the odd time to the mart. They’re all housed now for the last three weeks or a month. We’re on the coast here so we put down a fairly hard winter, we’d be very exposed and there’d be very little shelter for cattle. I’m in the dairy beef scheme as well but it’s a lot of work for what it’s worth.”
Weanlings: ”I also buy a few suckler-bred Charolais or Limousin weanlings every year, mainly just to have them for the Dingle fatstock show and sale. It was on last Saturday and I had a Charolais heifer who won supreme champion. She made €3,220 and was 965kg.”
Silage contracting: “I’m a silage contractor myself so I do all my own silage. This summer was a terrible summer for silage – the first cut was a joy in April and May but once 21 June came, it was pure torture after that. Second cut isn’t great quality but most farmers around here should have enough for the winter. We always budget for a six-month winter down here.”
Reseeding: “I try and reseed a bit every year. I think it’s a great job. You can see the benefits in both grazing and silage. At least when you’re putting out fertiliser, you’re getting a response.”
Future in farming: ”It’s hard to read how farming is going to turn in the future. It’s gone more about cutting back and going organic, which wouldn’t really be my nature.”
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