A Fermanagh farmer is counting the cost of damage on his farm as a result of storm Ciara on Saturday night.
Barry Read’s farmyard and land in Ballindarragh flooded as a result of the storm. The storm couldn’t have come at a worse time, as Read is about to begin lambing 500 ewes from this weekend. Barry is also a contractor and there was damage to machinery and fodder too.
The land and yard which was flooded as a result of storm Ciara. \ Read Agri Contractors Facebook
“Our farm lies at the edge of the Colebrooke River. Historically, the yard would have flooded every 10 or 15 years. Government bodies put flood defences upstream on two rivers which are just above us [a number of years ago]. Unfortunately, our farmyard and farm are beside a bridge, Ballindarragh bridge, and the bridge couldn’t cope with the floodwater.
“We’re flooding approximately every two years now,” Read told the Irish Farmers Journal.
The Reads are agri-contracters and some machinery was flooded. \ Read Agri Contractors Facebook
Lambing
Read runs a contracting business and also a sheep operation with his father. They have Suffolk-Cheviot ewes crossed with a Texel ram and also run Suffolk-Texel crosses. They had 1,000 in-lamb ewes in sheds on Sunday night when the storm hit.
\ Read Agri Contractors Facebook
“We checked them before midnight on Saturday, the river was nowhere near flooding. It came up at a colossal rate.
"On Sunday morning, my father rang and I thought he was joking [about the flooding],” Read said. At its deepest, the water was 2ft deep in the yard.
“Seven-hundred in-lamb ewes were flooded up to their bellies. We have 1,000 in the sheds. It will be another day or two before the ewes start to throw lambs.
Barry Read will this weekend start lambing 500 ewes. He doesn't know the damage the flooding caused to some of them yet. \ Read Agri Contractors Facebook
“I’m starting lambing 500 from this weekend over the next month. You can change the oil or bearings on machinery, but we don’t know what damage has been done to the sheep. I feel sorry for my dad.
\ Read Agri Contractors Facebook
“We had an awful job getting them moved through the water. There was seven of us here yesterday. Some were walked, some were trailered. We couldn’t clean out the sheds as quick as we would have liked,” he said.
Fodder stocks
There was also damage done to Read’s fodder stocks.
\ Read Agri Contractors Facebook
“The bottom row of bales, about 15 to 20 8x4x4s and 8x4x3s, had water about 2ft up them. We have 50 round bales of hay stacked with the telehandler, 15 were damaged. The flooding didn’t go far into the silage pit. We’ll be alright for fodder and straw.
“A few tonnes of feed were wasted too,” he said.
Read thanked all of his staff, neighbours and friends that offered to help with the clean-up.
Read more
Western seaboard told to brace for high winds and flooding
Weekly weather: cold and wintry week ahead
A Fermanagh farmer is counting the cost of damage on his farm as a result of storm Ciara on Saturday night.
Barry Read’s farmyard and land in Ballindarragh flooded as a result of the storm. The storm couldn’t have come at a worse time, as Read is about to begin lambing 500 ewes from this weekend. Barry is also a contractor and there was damage to machinery and fodder too.
The land and yard which was flooded as a result of storm Ciara. \ Read Agri Contractors Facebook
“Our farm lies at the edge of the Colebrooke River. Historically, the yard would have flooded every 10 or 15 years. Government bodies put flood defences upstream on two rivers which are just above us [a number of years ago]. Unfortunately, our farmyard and farm are beside a bridge, Ballindarragh bridge, and the bridge couldn’t cope with the floodwater.
“We’re flooding approximately every two years now,” Read told the Irish Farmers Journal.
The Reads are agri-contracters and some machinery was flooded. \ Read Agri Contractors Facebook
Lambing
Read runs a contracting business and also a sheep operation with his father. They have Suffolk-Cheviot ewes crossed with a Texel ram and also run Suffolk-Texel crosses. They had 1,000 in-lamb ewes in sheds on Sunday night when the storm hit.
\ Read Agri Contractors Facebook
“We checked them before midnight on Saturday, the river was nowhere near flooding. It came up at a colossal rate.
"On Sunday morning, my father rang and I thought he was joking [about the flooding],” Read said. At its deepest, the water was 2ft deep in the yard.
“Seven-hundred in-lamb ewes were flooded up to their bellies. We have 1,000 in the sheds. It will be another day or two before the ewes start to throw lambs.
Barry Read will this weekend start lambing 500 ewes. He doesn't know the damage the flooding caused to some of them yet. \ Read Agri Contractors Facebook
“I’m starting lambing 500 from this weekend over the next month. You can change the oil or bearings on machinery, but we don’t know what damage has been done to the sheep. I feel sorry for my dad.
\ Read Agri Contractors Facebook
“We had an awful job getting them moved through the water. There was seven of us here yesterday. Some were walked, some were trailered. We couldn’t clean out the sheds as quick as we would have liked,” he said.
Fodder stocks
There was also damage done to Read’s fodder stocks.
\ Read Agri Contractors Facebook
“The bottom row of bales, about 15 to 20 8x4x4s and 8x4x3s, had water about 2ft up them. We have 50 round bales of hay stacked with the telehandler, 15 were damaged. The flooding didn’t go far into the silage pit. We’ll be alright for fodder and straw.
“A few tonnes of feed were wasted too,” he said.
Read thanked all of his staff, neighbours and friends that offered to help with the clean-up.
Read more
Western seaboard told to brace for high winds and flooding
Weekly weather: cold and wintry week ahead
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