I farm: “110ac of average land, 15ac of which is rented. About 20ac of that would be low-lying marginal Fermanagh land. The dry weather over the past two months is suiting us at the moment.”
System: “I run a contracting business alongside a suckler to weanling/store system. I keep about 40 cows, mainly Simmental and Limousin crosses. I have been selling some stock this year from the yard, and some through the mart online system. Our local mart is Ulster Farmers Mart in Enniskillen.”
Contracting: “I took over the business from my father over 40 years ago. My father started off square baling. I was one of the first people in Co Fermanagh to purchase a round baler.”
Machinery: “I have a couple of lads working for me and run two McHale Fusion 3+ balers alongside two McHale F5500 balers and a high-speed McHale 991B wrapper. I have two Kverneland mowers and a Kverneland rake. Tractors consist of four Deutz-Fahrs and one Massey Ferguson 7714S. We cover a 15-mile radius from the Maguiresbridge area.”
Joe with three of the team who work on his extensive contracting business: Mark Tracey, Luke McDermott and Sean McCaffrey.
Silage: “The first cut kicked off here around 1 May, some farmers will be starting their second-cut this weekend, weather permitting. The quality of silage is very good, but farmers haven’t got the same bulk compared to other years.”
Weather: “It is a fantastic year to be able to drain land and reseed ground. It is great to see cattle out earlier this year, which doesn’t really happen in Fermanagh.”
Competition: “The Fermanagh area is saturated with balers, with up to 10 balers within a five-mile radius. There is a lot of competition, but if you do a good job, people will always get you back.”
Threats: “With restaurants and hotels closed due to COVID-19, the demand for beef has dropped. Ever-increasing overhead costs of suckler farming and unstable beef prices have led to some local suckler farmers leaving the sector completely as it is not economically viable.”
Quotable quote: “On a wet year in Fermanagh, you would be struggling 24/7.”
Read more
My Farming Week: Connie O’Sullivan, Athea, Co Limerick
My Farming Week: Eamon Corcoran, The Rower, Co Kilkenny
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