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Farmer's markets
Farmer's markets
At a Farmers’ Market, farmers, growers or producers (usually from a defined local area) are present in person to sell their own produce direct to the public. Farmers’ Markets give local producers the opportunity to eliminate distributors and retailers’ margins, as well as generating very valuable direct feedback on the product. Consumers can make a more direct connection with the source of their food and learn more about what is in season and the best cooking methods. Farmers' markets are held weekly or monthly in many Irish towns and cities in Ireland - a listing of approved Farmers Markets is available from An Bord Bia (www.bordbia.ie).
Copyright Irish Farmer's Journal
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Bailed silage
Bailed silage
Preserving grass silage as bailes is very popular in Ireland. The grass is compacted into a bale and then wrapped in an airtight plastic wrapper. The system offers more flexibility at feeding time than conventional pit silage, as bales can be transported for feeding. Some of the world’s best equipment for making baled silage is manufactured in Ireland by companies such as McHale (Mayo) and Tanco (Carlow).
Copyright Irish Farmers Journal
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Milking machine
Milking machine
Milk from dairy cows in Ireland is collected each day using a milking machine in a milking parlour. This highly efficient system uses a pulsated vacuum to draw milk from the cows. Milk let-down is encouraged by the release of the hormone oxytocin, which is promtpted by the pre-milking washing routine employed by the farmer. Milk is drawn from the cows and piped to a stainless steel bulk tank, wher it is quickly cooled for storage. Hygene is essential and milk is regularly tested to ensure that bacterial contamination is avoided (www.milkquality.ie)
Copyright Irish Farmers Journal
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Cattle Grazing in the Burren
Cattle Grazing in the Burren
The Burren is Ireland's most distinctive and internationally celebrated landscape, while the burren is inhospiabble it is used for farming.
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Holstein calves
Holstein calves
The vast majority of dairy animals in Ireland are Holstein Friesians, the most popular bairy breed globally. They have been intensively selected for milk production in the main dairy regions around the world, particularly in the Netherlands and the USA. In 2010, there were 611,853 Holstein Friesian Calves born in Ireland compared to 17,099 Jersey calves and 9,472 Montbeliarde. Further details from the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (www.icbf.com) and from the Irish Holstein /frieshian Association (www.ihfa.ie)
Copyright Irish Farmers Journal
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Silage making
Silage making
Each year, Irish farmers harvest their surplus grass crops during the summer growing season and preserve it as silage or hay for feeding during the winter when cattle are housed indoors. Silage is brought into farmyards and stored in airtight conditions under plastic. The crop ferments, with the resulting acidity preserving the feeding value of the material. Most silage crops are harvested by large scale machinery run by contractors. Farms generally take two main cuts of silage, the first in June and the second in August.
Copyright Irish Farmers Journal
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Farm organisations
Farm organisations
A high proportion of Irish farmers are members of representative organisations that provide information, offer strength in numbers as well as lobbying politicians and Government on their behalf. The largest organisation is the Irish Farmer's Association (IFA) (www.ifa.ie), with over 85,000 members in 947 branches nationwide. The picture shows a 2011 protest calling for farmers to receive a fair share of the retail price. For young farmers aged 17-35, Macra na Feirme (www.macra.ie), founded in 1944, offers a network of clubs active in agriculture, sports, travel, public speaking, community involvement and the arts. Thousands of Irish dairy farmers are also members of the Limerick based Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association (ICMSA) (www.icmsa.ie). Drystock farmers are also represented by the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers Association (www.icsaireland.com)
Copyright Irish Farmers Journal
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Christmas trees
Christmas trees
Christmas trees are a significant niche crop in Ireland, with an annual market value of around €15m. Bord Bia estimate that around 100 growers annually harvest 700,000 trees for sale. About 300,000 are exported, mainly to Britain and France. Christmas trees are grown mainly in counties Wicklow, Wexford and Carlow but also in Kerry, Tipperary, Roscommon and Dublin. The most popular varieties grown are the Nordmann fir (70%) and the Noble fir (20%), which suit our soil types. Their ability to retain their needles makes them popular with customers. On average it takes 7 – 10 years for a Christmas tree to grow to a minimum height of 2 metres.
Copyright Irish Farmers Journal
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An area of Land
An area of Land
Average land price in Ireland in 2011 was estimated to be €8,708 per acre. (Source: Irish Farmers Journal Agricultural Land Price Report, 2011). Prices peaked at over €20,000 per acre in 2007, driven by demand for development.
Copyright Irish Farmers Journal
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Teagasc Moorpark
Teagasc Moorpark
Teagasc Moorepark Dairy Production Research Centre in Fermoy, Co Cork. Established by the Irish government in 1959, Moorepark Animal & Grassland Research and Innovation Centre has played a vital role in the development of the Irish dairy industry. It has been the focal point of Irish research into all aspects dairy production and is regarded as one of the world's leading grassland agriculture research centres.
Copyright Irish Farmers Journal