I farm: “90ac of picturesque landscape near Bunclody, Co Wexford. I’m married to Carol and we have three children, Chloe (six), Emily (five) and Kate (three).”
Livestock: “We have 35 sucklers and 240 ewes. The sucklers are a mixture but mainly Limousins running with a Charolais bull. More than half the ewes are Wicklow Cheviots to breed Tullow ewes.”
The Deacons farm 90ac of hill ground and keep over 240 ewes, half of which are used to breed Tullow ewes.\ CJ Nash
Tullow ewes: “The breed is a Suffolk-cross Cheviot sheep. They’re a big part of what we do. The remainder of ewes not used to breed replacements go to a Texel ram and the lambs are sold as stores or fat lambs.”
Benefits: “For me, the stand out qualities of the Tullow ewe are prolificacy, hardiness and mothering ability. You can cross them with any ram to breed a factory lamb and when they’re finished you have a saleable ewe too.”
"I have a love of farming and the time and effort I put into taking care of my stock is rewarding in itself. Of course a good sale is always a bonus too!" \ CJ Nash
This week: “I’ve been drafting fat lambs for sale in the mart. I’ve also been preparing ewes for show and sale next week, making sure they’re tidy and there’s no lameness. A lot of the work is ongoing throughout the year to make sure they’re thriving and in good condition.”
Annual sale: “We have our first big female breeding sale of the year in Tullow mart on Wednesday 5 August. I usually have about 120 to sell each year in total but I move some on every week. I’ll have 10 ewes in the sale myself. I’ve also been preparing ewes for the Tullow Sheep Breeders Association sale next week.”
There are also 35 sucklers on the farm, mainly Limousins, running with a Charolais bull. \ CJ Nash
Tullow Mart: “Since I was knee-high I’ve been going there with my father and uncle. It’s a good livestock area. For the sale next week it will be set up to allow for social distancing and there’ll be online bidding as well. Personally, I think for breeding stock you have to see them in the ring.”
Quotable quote: “I have a love of farming and the time and effort I put into taking care of my stock is rewarding in itself. Of course, a good sale is always a bonus too!”
I farm: “90ac of picturesque landscape near Bunclody, Co Wexford. I’m married to Carol and we have three children, Chloe (six), Emily (five) and Kate (three).”
Livestock: “We have 35 sucklers and 240 ewes. The sucklers are a mixture but mainly Limousins running with a Charolais bull. More than half the ewes are Wicklow Cheviots to breed Tullow ewes.”
The Deacons farm 90ac of hill ground and keep over 240 ewes, half of which are used to breed Tullow ewes.\ CJ Nash
Tullow ewes: “The breed is a Suffolk-cross Cheviot sheep. They’re a big part of what we do. The remainder of ewes not used to breed replacements go to a Texel ram and the lambs are sold as stores or fat lambs.”
Benefits: “For me, the stand out qualities of the Tullow ewe are prolificacy, hardiness and mothering ability. You can cross them with any ram to breed a factory lamb and when they’re finished you have a saleable ewe too.”
"I have a love of farming and the time and effort I put into taking care of my stock is rewarding in itself. Of course a good sale is always a bonus too!" \ CJ Nash
This week: “I’ve been drafting fat lambs for sale in the mart. I’ve also been preparing ewes for show and sale next week, making sure they’re tidy and there’s no lameness. A lot of the work is ongoing throughout the year to make sure they’re thriving and in good condition.”
Annual sale: “We have our first big female breeding sale of the year in Tullow mart on Wednesday 5 August. I usually have about 120 to sell each year in total but I move some on every week. I’ll have 10 ewes in the sale myself. I’ve also been preparing ewes for the Tullow Sheep Breeders Association sale next week.”
There are also 35 sucklers on the farm, mainly Limousins, running with a Charolais bull. \ CJ Nash
Tullow Mart: “Since I was knee-high I’ve been going there with my father and uncle. It’s a good livestock area. For the sale next week it will be set up to allow for social distancing and there’ll be online bidding as well. Personally, I think for breeding stock you have to see them in the ring.”
Quotable quote: “I have a love of farming and the time and effort I put into taking care of my stock is rewarding in itself. Of course, a good sale is always a bonus too!”
This is a subscriber-only article
SHARING OPTIONS: