The Farmers Journal team of farmer writes journalists from Ireland, New Zealand, the UK and beyond are dedicated to providing local farming news, comment and opinion across the dairy, beef & tillage sectors.

LATEST ARTICLES
News
Farmer Writes: representing on International Women’s Day
Karen McCabe
Karen McCabe farms with her father Michael in Drumlegga, Co Leitrim.
Farmer Writes: representing on International Women’s Day
Time well spent in health check van
12 March 2025 Northern Ireland
Time well spent in health check van
John Egerton urges other farmers to avail of the Farm Families Health Check service.
Farmer Writes: the pigeons fleeced my oilseed rape
12 March 2025 Farmer Writes
Farmer Writes: the pigeons fleeced my oilseed rape
Gerald Potterton farms tillage and some beef at Kildalkey, Co Meath.
Farmer Writes: talking all things clover
James Strain recently attended Goldcrop’s launch of new white clover verities. This prompted him to think about the use of red clover on his own farm.
11 March 2025 Farmer Writes
Farmer Writes: urea to follow slurry for early growth
Castlederg dairy farmer Jessica Pollock is keen to get grass growing and cows out grazing.
5 March 2025 Northern Ireland
A Farmer Writes: generational renewal a continuous issue
Suckler numbers continue to fall and there's no sign of that coming to an end in the near future.
5 March 2025 Farmer Writes
Farmer Writes: managing herd health and making difficult decisions
Padraig Callanan milks 130 spring-calving cows with his mother Noreen in Laois.
5 March 2025 Farmer Writes
Farmer Writes: a hankering for a holiday in the Hilux
Gerald Potterton uses some of his machinery experience to attempt to plan his holidays with Mrs P.
26 February 2025 Farmer Writes
Two good reasons for a sleepless night
Derek Robinson has had a meeting with his accountant in the middle of lambing.
26 February 2025 Farmer Writes
Farmer Writes: soil sampling and TB tests
This week Karen McCabe discusses a number of jobs that have been done on the farm of late, from hoof trimming to new farm toys.
26 February 2025 Farmer Writes
Trip home to NI allows comparison to NZ dairy
Zac Elkin from Craigantlet in Co Down, is currently managing a dairy farm in Canterbury, New Zealand.
26 February 2025 Farmer Writes
Farmer Writes: roll on the grazing season
The weather hasn’t improved much, but it’s still nice to see it bright at 6 o’clock in the evening. One’s mind starts to turn to the spring and plan for the grazing season, writes James Strain.
24 February 2025 Farmer Writes