The Irish Tillage and Land Use Society (ITLUS) will visit two Kerry farms for this year’s summer field day.
The day’s theme is 'Circular economy', with both farms growing fodder for livestock on the farm.
The first stop of the day is the Barry farm near Listowel. The Barrys operate a tillage and beef farm near Listowel and a dairy farm in Lixnaw.
They grow many crops, including wheat, rye, oats and maize, some of which is used to feed the 1,200 animals on the farm every year.
Con Barry will share his experience of running the enterprise on the day.
The next farm of the day is Ballygarron Farm, where Paudie and Mary Hanafin run a vegetable business, supplying Total Produce and some of the major retailers.
There are also 200ac of spring crops on the farm and there are 20 full- and part-time staff.
Second half
The second half of the day will take place in Munster Technological University in Tralee, Co Kerry.
Farmer Johnny O’Hanlon will talk about his experience with slurry separation. He has a dairy farm, but also grows barley, rye, oats, peas and beans to feed his animals.
There will then be a tour of the tractor technology and agri mechanics department at the university.
Brandon Bioscience will then take attendees on a tour of its laboratories at the university campus. The company produces bio-stimulants for crops.
The event takes place on Thursday 6 June 2024 in Co Kerry and the fee for members is €50 for the day and €80 for non-members. Student members can attend for free, while student non-members will be charged €20.
If you wish to attend, you should email itlussec50@gmail.com by Wednesday 29 May.