The Irish Farmers Journal has announced plans to establish a suckler and sheep demonstration farm near Tullamore, Co Offaly.

The 180ac farm at Brackagh, Screggan, has been secured on a 15-year lease that began in January 2017.

The plan is to establish a suckler herd finishing bulls under 16 months and generating high-index replacement heifers for sale. A high prolificacy ewe flock will be established in autumn 2017 to graze alongside the beef herd.

The farm, the first mixed grazing demonstration farm in the country, aims to show the role of key technologies such as grassland management, breeding and animal health in driving profitability on suckler and sheep farms. There will also be a close focus on labour efficiency.

The farm will be managed by full-time farm manager Ger O’Dwyer, with regular updates in print and online.

Agricultural Trust chair Matt Dempsey said: “The establishment of this farm is a continuation of the Irish Farmers Journal’s commitment to transmit information of real practical value to farmers and to test systems under real-life farming conditions. As in the case of the Greenfield dairy farm in Kilkenny, there will be full transparency of all the production data, including labour and capital costs.”

Read more

Watch and listen: Tullamore Farm – a new venture for the Irish Farmers Journal

Editorial: combining the power of sucklers and sheep on new demonstration farm