The Ballinascarthy and Ardfield branches of Lisavaird Co-op are both less than five minutes’ drive from our family farm. They provide such a convenience that you’d nearly avoid jobs like fencing or plumbing on the days they’re closed.
At least if you ran out of something mid-job you knew popping over or down to the creamery would get you out of a pinch and a line could be drawn through whichever job you were at.
When compared to some parts of the country, we’ve been spoiled by their proximity, but now the future of Ardfield is one of three branches of Lisavaird Co-op under scrutiny, Rosscarbery and Reenascreena being the other two.
They are the three closest to the Lisavaird Co-op headquarters and with dwindling farmer numbers, all branches are being examined.
As a depot, the Ardfield branch is a focal point for the likes of fertiliser storage and it saves a lot of driving for those farming out here
The general Ardfield/Rathbarry area that it serves is south of the N71 road as you head west from Clonakilty to Rosscarbery and unless you were going to the beach, a match, or followed the Wild Atlantic Way signs you’re unlikely to know much about the area.
As a depot, the Ardfield branch is a focal point for the likes of fertiliser storage and it saves a lot of driving for those farming out here.
Water leaks can be sorted in a matter of minutes or bags of ration can easily be picked up in the event a bin runs empty faster than expected.
Those are probably things we took for granted up until now.
Its grocery shop has the basics to save fuel in a time when travel costs are increasing too.
There was a glimpse into the importance of it during the Beast from the East in 2018 when the area was snowed in, a tractor delivery of milk was brought there and distributed to locals by farmers.
Boxed in by the sea, there’s probably fewer than 100 farmers in the catchment with about a quarter of those now supplying milk to Carbery, but the shop is a useful lifeline to those that know about it.
From the outside, its façade doesn’t look like a shop. That’s off-putting to the many who live here that don’t farm or have a connection to someone that does. That challenge was highlighted to me last week when a Tesco delivery van passed in the opposite direction to me as I travelled between yards.
The best type of calving, according to Tommy Moyles, is when you find a newborn calf sucking the cow,.
The nearest Tesco at present is 56km away at Ballincollig or in Wilton in Cork city, both over an hour’s drive from Ardfield.
There was a well-attended meeting to discuss the matter last week but a cow having twins ahead of her due date meant I only got there to pick through the post mortem of the meeting.
Fortunately, with that cow I was only needed in a supervisory role and she managed herself. One landed with its head under its body. Both were sucking by the time I got back home from the meeting.
Calving has been tipping away and the last of the heifers calved on her own last week.
She was one of the youngest of the 2024-born crop of heifer calves and wasn’t synchronised with the rest but I said if she was in heat, she’d get one AI straw. That was successful and she’s calved in good order so fingers crossed she should fall in with the rest of them come breeding time.
She’s at grass now with the other calved heifers while most of the cows that calved over the last 10 days will remain indoors until weather improves. The wait for that continues.
The Ballinascarthy and Ardfield branches of Lisavaird Co-op are both less than five minutes’ drive from our family farm. They provide such a convenience that you’d nearly avoid jobs like fencing or plumbing on the days they’re closed.
At least if you ran out of something mid-job you knew popping over or down to the creamery would get you out of a pinch and a line could be drawn through whichever job you were at.
When compared to some parts of the country, we’ve been spoiled by their proximity, but now the future of Ardfield is one of three branches of Lisavaird Co-op under scrutiny, Rosscarbery and Reenascreena being the other two.
They are the three closest to the Lisavaird Co-op headquarters and with dwindling farmer numbers, all branches are being examined.
As a depot, the Ardfield branch is a focal point for the likes of fertiliser storage and it saves a lot of driving for those farming out here
The general Ardfield/Rathbarry area that it serves is south of the N71 road as you head west from Clonakilty to Rosscarbery and unless you were going to the beach, a match, or followed the Wild Atlantic Way signs you’re unlikely to know much about the area.
As a depot, the Ardfield branch is a focal point for the likes of fertiliser storage and it saves a lot of driving for those farming out here.
Water leaks can be sorted in a matter of minutes or bags of ration can easily be picked up in the event a bin runs empty faster than expected.
Those are probably things we took for granted up until now.
Its grocery shop has the basics to save fuel in a time when travel costs are increasing too.
There was a glimpse into the importance of it during the Beast from the East in 2018 when the area was snowed in, a tractor delivery of milk was brought there and distributed to locals by farmers.
Boxed in by the sea, there’s probably fewer than 100 farmers in the catchment with about a quarter of those now supplying milk to Carbery, but the shop is a useful lifeline to those that know about it.
From the outside, its façade doesn’t look like a shop. That’s off-putting to the many who live here that don’t farm or have a connection to someone that does. That challenge was highlighted to me last week when a Tesco delivery van passed in the opposite direction to me as I travelled between yards.
The best type of calving, according to Tommy Moyles, is when you find a newborn calf sucking the cow,.
The nearest Tesco at present is 56km away at Ballincollig or in Wilton in Cork city, both over an hour’s drive from Ardfield.
There was a well-attended meeting to discuss the matter last week but a cow having twins ahead of her due date meant I only got there to pick through the post mortem of the meeting.
Fortunately, with that cow I was only needed in a supervisory role and she managed herself. One landed with its head under its body. Both were sucking by the time I got back home from the meeting.
Calving has been tipping away and the last of the heifers calved on her own last week.
She was one of the youngest of the 2024-born crop of heifer calves and wasn’t synchronised with the rest but I said if she was in heat, she’d get one AI straw. That was successful and she’s calved in good order so fingers crossed she should fall in with the rest of them come breeding time.
She’s at grass now with the other calved heifers while most of the cows that calved over the last 10 days will remain indoors until weather improves. The wait for that continues.
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