Two young people from Northern Ireland, aged between 18 and 24, will have an opportunity to speak at the 2024 Nuffield Farming Conference.

The three–day event takes place in Belfast between November 19 and 21 next year.

The selected duo will be part of the Nuffield Farming ‘Next-Gen’ Scholarship Programme.

A pilot scheme for the programme will run in 2024. It will be open exclusively to young people in Northern Ireland with a demonstrable interest in the dairy industry.

Nuffield

Tom Rawson, vice-chair of Nuffield Farming scholarships, attended the recent launch of the ‘Next-Gen’ programme, held at the Agri-Food and BioSciences Institute (AFBI) in Hillsborough.

He confirmed the significance of the new scholarship and its specific relevance to Northern Ireland’s dairy sector.

“Next-Gen will provide young people, aged between 18 and 24 with an opportunity to secure an in-depth knowledge of the UK’s dairy farming sector in 2024.

“It will also allow the scholarship recipients, and all the initial applicants, to find out more about Nuffield farming scholarships and the key role played by the Nuffield organisation at the very heart of the farming and food industries,” he said.

Scholarship programme

Two applicants will be selected by the Northern Ireland Nuffield Farming Association to take part in a fully funded, 30-day dairy sector study programme in the UK during the early summer of 2024.

The programme aims to give young people the opportunity to develop their understanding of the industry, while also building networks and future opportunities.

The application period for the ‘Next-Gen’ scholarship is already open, it will close on January 31, 2024.

Interviews for shortlisted applicants will take place in early February 2024, and scholarship recipients will be announced by the end of that month.

Dairy

The study tour is supported by the Nuffield Farming Dairy Group and will provide an overview of the UK dairy industry.

The scholars will participate in a dairy tour in North Wales, and visit more than ten other dairy businesses.

In addition, the scholars will be assigned a mentor and give a presentation about their experiences at the 2024 Nuffield Farming Conference, which will be held in Belfast.

Following a successful pilot programme, the Next-Gen Scholarship will be made available to young people across the UK in a variety of sectors, with up to six scholarships awarded each year.

Rupert Alers-Hankey, director designate of the Nuffield Farming Scholarships Trust, said that the programme aims to develop young talent within the industry.

“It is an exciting initiative for Nuffield Farming and forms an important part of our commitment to leading positive change in agriculture.

“We hope that taking part in the programme will enable young people to establish themselves in the industry, while also getting a flavour of all that Nuffield Farming has to offer.

“Launching our pilot programme in Northern Ireland is particularly special as the Nuffield Farming Conference returns to Belfast in 2024,” he said.

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The conference was launched at Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI) Hillsborough in Co. Down this week.

It is envisaged that around 30 Nuffield farming scholars will present their findings at the conference with over 400 delegates in attendance.

All regions of the UK and Ireland will be represented at the 2024 event.

Nuffield conference

The conference will be held at several well-known locations throughout the city, including the Belfast Assembly Rooms, Europa Hotel, and Titanic Belfast.

Next year’s conference will have a three-day agenda featuring a welcome buffet, a formal annual dinner, and two days of scholar presentations, including presentations from the first Nuffield Farming Next-Gen scholars.

“Belfast 2024 is already set to be an exciting conference with a packed agenda, reflecting the importance of the Northern Ireland in UK agriculture and beyond,” Rupert Alers-Hankey, director designate of the Nuffield Farming Scholarships Trust confirmed.

“Delegates will hear from several year groups of scholars, with study titles that reflect the length and breadth of the UK food, farming, rural and land-based industries.

“We are also looking forward to hearing from our first Nuffield Farming Next-Gen scholars who will share their experiences from their 30-day study tour of the UK dairy industry.”

Scholarships

The Nuffield Farming Scholarships Trust is a registered charity that provides funding to people with the potential to make positive change in food, farming, horticulture and rural industries.

Nuffield Farming scholarships are open to applicants between the ages of 22 and 45, with the aim of unlocking an individual’s potential and broadening horizons through study and travel overseas.

Scholars are able to travel anywhere in the world for a period of no less than eight weeks to further their knowledge and understanding of their chosen study topic.

On return from their travels, they present their findings, the conclusions they have reached and the recommendations to the industry in a variety of formats, including a written report and a presentation at the Annual Nuffield Farming Conference.

The scholars are also expected to use all other means at their disposal to spread the knowledge they have gained within their industry and beyond.

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He was speaking at last weekend’s Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) annual conference, held in Belfast.

“Cattle and sheep numbers in Northern Ireland are exactly the same as they were back in the 1950s,” he said.

“What has changed though is the number of street lights and cars on the roads. Both these figures have increased 35-fold over the past 70 years.

“So, where climate change is concerned, policymakers should focus on those aspects of society, where we have seen dramatic increases in fossil usage over recent years.”

The run-up to Christmas will see Northern Ireland’s Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) publishing carbon budgets for the next decade and beyond.

This is a direct follow-on from the climate change legislation passed by the Stormont Assembly in 2021.

Cattle and sheep numbers

Up to now, the public debate on carbon budgets has been very much framed by recommendations published by the UK’s Climate Change Committee (CCC).

These include a proposal to reduce livestock numbers by 20%.

DAERA has already indicated that such a step will not be included in the first tranche of carbon reduction measures for Northern Ireland. However, the measure could be introduced beyond 2030.

Prior to the demise of the Stormont Executive, Edwin Poots had shaped a number of changes to the farm policy supports available in Northern Ireland.

These included a bespoke suckler cow headage payment and a slaughter premium, designed to encourage the finishing of cattle at an earlier age.

“The slaughter premium will be introduced in 2024. There is a 12-month delay in the introduction of the suckler payment,” Poots said.

“But it will still be very much part of the new support measures, as the farming sector looks to the future.”

Edwin Poots said he buys-in to the principle of agriculture in Northern Ireland being placed on a more sustainable footing for the future.

Much of the climate change focus to date, has been placed on the role of methane as a greenhouse gas. This puts beef and sheep producers at the front and centre of farming’s response to this challenge.

The vast majority of beef and sheep farms in Northern Ireland are small, family-run businesses. Turnovers are small and their very existence is predicated on the availability of the basic payment.

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He confirmed that the organisation has attended all of the political parties’ annual conferences of recent weeks.

“And this will conclude with the Sinn Féin annual conference next weekend,” he said.  

“The UFU wants to see the re-establishment of the Stormont Assembly and Executive. There are a large number of issues that require an active involvement of local politicians.

“These include the establishment of a new bovine TB eradication policy and the development of future support policies for the sheep sector.”

Brown also indicated that a number of issues relating to the recent establishment of green and red lanes at ports and airports, for goods coming into Northern Ireland from Great Britain, need to be addressed as a matter of priority.

As part of the Windsor Framework, the new red/green lane measures came into effect on October 1, 2023.

One issue that has arisen over the past week relates to the importation of farm machinery into Northern Ireland.

David Brown explained: “Machinery entering Northern Ireland and destined to stay here can come in through the green lane.

“However, machinery items destined to be moved on to the Republic of Ireland, come under the criteria laid down within what’s called a Northern Ireland Plant Health Label, or NIPHL. These items must come in through the red lane.

“So, in other words, machinery importers in Northern Ireland must pay to have a phytosanitary certificate generated for all machinery destined for customers in the Republic of Ireland.

“A significant number of machinery dealers in Northern trade with customers south of the border.

“These issues relating to machinery imports coming in from GB have only come to light over the past few days. And I am not sure if all machinery importers are fully aware, as yet, of what the new requirements entail,” he added.

Brown said the UFU will seek clarification on this matter from the Cabinet Office in London as a matter of priority.

Ian Paisley MP aattended the DUP annual conference. He specifically highlighted the issues that had arisen over the importation of farm machinery from GB into Northern Ireland.

“I will be taking this matter up with the UK government as a matter of priority,” he said.

DUP on Vet medicines

Another outworking of the current Windsor Framework, that is a priority according to Paisley, is the pending threat of limitations being imposed on the numbers of veterinary medicines that can be imported into Northern Ireland.

“This measure is due to kick-in next year. If fully implemented it could strongly jeopardise the health and well-being of all farm animals in Northern Ireland,” he said.

Former Northern Ireland agriculture minister, Edwin Poots MLA, also attended the DUP conference.

Addressing the UFU’s concern regarding the future availability of support measures for the sheep sector, he said:

“Monies have been ringfenced to support the sheep industry. The problem relates to the development of a policy vehicle, which will allow this funding to be allocated.

“All of the post-Brexit support schemes have been designed to reduce the carbon footprint of the various farming sectors.

“Unfortunately, there is no universal traceability system operating within that sector at the present time.

“So, short of physically inspecting all flocks, it would not be possible to determine if a ewe lamb, as opposed to a hogget, had been put to the ram,” he concluded.

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A case in point was Wilson’s Country’s unveiling of the company’s new anaerobic digestion (AD) plant in Co Armagh last week.

The 250kW facility will produce all the green electricity needed by the potato packer and processer from a combination of potato peelings, slurry and grass silage.

Significantly, though, the additional heat produced by the system’s combined heat and power plant will be used to maintain both the digester and digestate tanks within the plant at a temperature of around 50°C.

By taking this approach, additional volumes of gas will be produced from the stored digestate.

In turn, this will help to further convert this material into a bespoke liquid fertiliser for use in growing potato crops. It’s all very ‘high tech’.

Science

Meanwhile students at Grasten Agricultural College in Denmark have access to a robotic milking system that has a range of additional features, all designed to make cow management so much more effective.

These include auto drafting, a hoof-washing facility and the provision of real-time somatic cell count (SCC) data; not the standard milk resistance figures.

Driving all of this is the recognition that our farmers of the future must be able to do two things well – gather efficient data on the real-time performance of their businesses and, thereafter, to interpret what all of this means, from a management perspective.

Denmark is also looking at a number of technical developments within the tillage sector, focused on the use of enhanced satellite imagery of individual fields.

As a consequence, real-time assessments of biomass production levels within crops can be communicated to farmers.

This approach facilitates the compilation of more accurate advisory messages to farmers, again on a real-time basis.

The end result of all this is the more effective use of fertilisers and plant chemicals.

Rowers can avail of this service on the back of an agreed annual fee.

It’s an approach to crop production that makes available the very latest Global Position Satellite (GPS) satellite technologies to farmers at a realistic cost.

So yes, the appliance of science is very much the future where the development of production agriculture is concerned.

But it’s one thing to amass large quantities of data; the real challenge is that of making this information available to farmers in easy-to-understand ways that can allow them to make quick and effective decisions, where the management of their businesses is concerned.

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As a direct consequence, the commitment made by the country to agricultural education is significant.

Educational achievement has many ramifications throughout the agri economy of Denmark.

One of these is the requirement of Danish banks to only lend money to young farmers with a recognised agricultural qualification.

This entails the completion of an accredited college course, one that delivers at both an academic and skills level.

Education and training in Denmark

Agricultural students are also expected to spend time on a selection of Denmark’s top  commercial farms.

If they do not achieve this level of experience, they will not secure the final qualifications and accreditation that they need.

Grasten Agricultural College, located in eastern Denmark, provides a range of courses to students from 16 to 20 years-of-age. The campus boasts both excellent facilities and 100 years’ of delivering agricultural courses to the highest standards.

The college will celebrate its centenary in 2024. It is home to 240 students and Agriland got to pay a visit to the operation along with the Irish Farm Buildings Association.

Agricultural education is free in Denmark. However, students boarding at Grasten make a contribution to the costs incurred in this regard.

Key to the evolution of Grasten has been the commitment of its staff to deliver courses that reflect the needs of Danish agriculture in an evolving manner.

Today the principle of delivering future sustainability on individual farms is the overarching principle being addressed.

This subject is approached both in terms of food security and the carbon footprint of agriculture.

So e.g., these issues are clearly reflected in the commitment to make the Grasten campus totally energy self-sufficient by 2025.

And major steps along this road have already been taken. The placement of solar panels on many of the college roofs and, the recent installation of a biogas plant means that the college can produce all of the electricity required from its own resources.

The feed stock for the biogas plant is the slurry generated by the college’s pig and dairy units.

Grasten

Grasten is home to a herd of 250 dairy cows and 350 breeding sows. Apart from the slurry, no other feed stock is required for the AD operation.

A combined heat and power plant is included within the specification of the plant.

This represents a valuable source of electricity. Waste heat is pumped back into the college buildings.

The digestate is stored in a nearby above-ground store, from where it will be spread on adjacent arable land.

Plans are in place to have the college secure a net ‘carbon zero’ position, where energy is concerned, with the next 24 months.

The big imponderable here is the fuel that will be required to drive the college’s tractor fleet. One option will be to use the biogas generated by the AD plant. Another alternative will be to invest in new, electrically driven tractors.

The dairy unit at Grasten features a Lely A5 robotic milking system with an accompanying Vector Feeding System.

Almost half the dairy cows in Denmark are now milked robotically. The system at the college comes with a number of tweaks that have been specified to help the learning and dairy management processes at the college.

One is the inclusion of bespoke somatic cell count (SCC) software; the other is the availability of an automated feet washing system, to help reduce lameness levels within the Grasten herd.

The students are also taught to use traditional milking systems, which necessitates the manual placement of clusters on cows’ udders.

Feeding systems

The decision to opt for the Vector Feeding System was taken for two reasons – one relates to the teaching of new technologies, the other relates to the savings it generates, relating to the overall management of the college herd.

Prior to the installation on the system, it took one man three hours each day to feed all the cattle within the dairy unit.

Feeding in this way also required 40L of diesel plus the wear and tear on machinery on a daily basis.

Now the ‘Lely kitchen’, an integral part of the feeding system, is stocked up with the required maize and grass silages on alternate days.

According to Lely, there are 15 Vector systems operating in Ireland at the present time.

They comprise a mixing and feeding robot that is both 100% electric and self-contained.

The system uses technology to create a highly mixed ration, which it then transports independently to the identified feed passages.

The Vector also senses when it is time for a new feeding round. The mixing and feeding robot measures the feed height of a specific section to determine when the ration needs to be supplemented, so there is never too much or too little feed available to the cows.

The cows at Grasten are producing 11,000L of milk per lactation. They receive a ration that delivers 23kg of dry matter (DM)/cow/day. Approximately 40% of the feed is made up of concentrates.

Students are expected to have a firm grasp of the information coming from the dairy robots and the other modern technologies operating at Grasten.

Automation

The use of automation is seen as a key means by which improved sustainability can be delivered across Danish agriculture as a whole.

Learning to use and manage farm machinery well is a key driver for many of the courses offered at the college. Students are taught the basic operating principles of each machine.

They also get ample opportunity to use the machines in the field on the college’s 240ha farm.

Agriculture and food combined, account for 24% of all Danish exports. Germany, Sweden, the UK and China are the main markets with pork, fish and dairy the main product categories leaving the country.

Approximately 60% of the available land area in Denmark is cultivated (2.8 million ha). The average farm size is 77ha. This figure is projected to increase significantly as older farmers continue to retire.

Most Danish farmers grow cereal crops – barley and wheat – 75% of which is destined for animal diets.

Land prices in Denmark are currently in the range €12,500-50,000/ha.

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Located within the site of the existing business, the new plant will provide 60% of the company’s annual electricity requirements.

Wilson’s Country managing director, Lewis Cunningham, commented: “The potato waste from the business will be used as the main feedstock for the AD operation.

“It has taken two years to get the project through near to completion. The last piece in the jigsaw puzzle was the establishment of an interconnector between the AD plant and the national grid.

“The new system is being gradually brought on-line over the next number of weeks. It will reach full operational capacity by the end of November,” he added.

Anaerobic digestion

The management team at Wilson’s Country has confirmed the key role of the new AD operation in helping to bring down the carbon footprint of the overall business.

Company CEO, Angus Wilson said: “We have been using certified ‘green electricity’ only within our entire operation for the past couple of years.

“This step, alone, has allowed us to reduce the carbon intensity of the company by 75%.

“Being able to generate a significant proportion of our green electricity on-site allows us to reduce our overall energy bill while, also making more efficient use of the waste streams produced within the business.

“It all adds to the sustainability of Wilson’s Country into the future,” he added.

AD is the conversion of organic feedstock by microorganisms in the absence of oxygen into biogas and digestate.

The biogas which is produced can be used to generate electricity and heat.

“We have a large electricity requirement on site. This is needed to power our controlled temperature potato stores, processing and potato packing operations,” Wilson continued.

“Given the nature of our business, the actual amounts of electricity that we need can vary a lot throughout the year.

“However, there will also be occasions when there will be surplus electricity generated on site, which can be exported to the grid.”

A proportion of the waste heat produced will be used to maintain the operational temperature of the AD operation itself.

“We are also looking at options which will allow us make best use of the residual heat from the AD process that will be available to us,” Wilson said.

“We are committed to securing a carbon ‘net zero’ position for the business over the coming years. The investment in the new AD plant is a critically important step in this process.”

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A new study has shown that whether or not blackgrass will be herbicide-resistant depends on more than just what is on its chromosomes.

Blackgrass is a growing threat on Irish tillage farms. It is believed that resistant strains of the weed have been coming into the country on imported machinery.

Once established, heavy infestations of herbicide-resistant grassweed can reduce cereal yields by up to 1.5t/ac.

Tackling blackgrass

The use of integrated pest management (IPM) practices will help to reduce the impact of blackgrass.

But getting a stronger research insight into the weed’s genetic mode of action is key to the development of future management and eradication strategies.

Rothamsted Research, in collaboration with scientists at Clemson University (US), has found that blackgrass has small loops of DNA that are outside the plant’s chromosomes.

These loops, called extra-chromosomal circular DNA (eccDNA), are not inherited in the same way that the chromosomes are.

They evolve separately from the main genetic structures in the cell nucleus and could help explain how blackgrass can rapidly develop resistance to herbicides or other stresses.

The research team identified the similarities and differences in the eccDNA in both resistant and sensitive populations.

Although the numbers and size of detected eccDNAs varied between the populations, comparisons managed to identify shared and unique genes and protein coding.

Compared to blackgrass that are herbicide sensitive, the eccDNA of herbicide-resistant weed have extra copies of genes known to confer herbicide resistance, including genes related to herbicide detoxification.

New information

Previous analysis of resistant and non-resistant varieties had clearly shown that resistance develops across multiple genes, but until now the mechanisms of how blackgrass could rapidly evolve these differences have been hard to pin down.

The researchers have shown that a combination of differences in chromosomal and eccDNA encoded genes might be responsible for the rapid evolution of herbicide resistance in blackgrass.

Rothamsted’s Dr. Dana MacGregor commented: “Because of advances in sequencing, we are now finding eccDNAs in many different species and are starting to understand what they do.

“Our findings show that blackgrass has eccDNAs, and on them are copies of chromosomal genes we know to be correlated with herbicide resistance.

“Having these eccDNAs may contribute to the genetic diversity we see in blackgrass and explain how it has so successfully adapted to man-made and abiotic stresses, including herbicide treatment.”

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Interim chief executive, Colin Smith said: “The remaining 150 surveys will be completed during the months of October, November and December.

“The information gathered will be used to test the process of carbon data collection on farm and if data quality is sufficient, can be used to determine a carbon footprint for each individual business.

“The initial surveys will specifically provide a carbon baseline for each business that is surveyed.”

The information gathered from the research and development phase will also be used to continually refine and improve the carbon survey process.

“Large numbers of farm quality beef and sheep farms operate other enterprises within their businesses: dairy, pigs, poultry, arable etc.,” he continued.

“As a consequence, surveying these farms, across all of their enterprises will allow a carbon calculation on a whole farm basis.”

Research into carbon farm surveys

The carbon surveys are carried out as a ‘bolt-on’ to a scheduled farm quality assurance inspection.

“Each of the farmers taking part in this research and development work is selected at random. The farmer is supplied with a checklist with helpful templates to aid preparation ahead of the farm visit,” Smith continued.

“If the checklist has been completed prior to the actual survey taking place, then the additional time required to complete the process on the day of the inspection will be in the region of 90 minutes.

“The farmers will also be contacted by LMC beforehand giving an opportunity to secure whatever advice they need.”

He added that some red meat and dairy processers have also committed to assist farmers in advance of the farm visit.

Smith has pointed out that LMC is carrying out these surveys on behalf of Northern Ireland’s Carbon Steering Group (CSG).

The CSG has been set up to represent farmers and the agri-food industry, and progress with the carbon element of Northern Ireland’s sustainability agenda.

The collaboration has been built on the recognition that an industry wide coordinated approach is the most effective way to ensure the farming sectors are heard and that the best solutions are achieved for everyone in Northern Ireland.

“The farming industry must establish a baseline carbon footprint, which will be important in evidencing our sustainability credentials,” Smith continued.

“The research and development phase is the first step in this process. Beyond this, industry and government are looking at a more extensive body of work to identify the carbon footprint of agriculture in Northern Ireland as a whole.

“The information gathered in this way must be relevant and accurate across the industry as a whole.”

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The Co. Armagh-based potato packer and processer works with growers throughout the island of Ireland.

Company managing director, Lewis Cunningham told Agriland: “We are about six weeks behind with this year’s harvest. Yields are down approximately 10%, year-on-year. Tuber quality is also an issue.”   

Challenging year for the potato crop

Cunningham confirmed that local potato growers are facing into one of the most challenging harvests in living memory.

“The harvest is just the latest setback that has confronted potato growers this year,” he added.

“The very wet weather in April meant that main crop potatoes were not planted out until the middle of May, a full six weeks later than would normally be the case.

“Drought-like conditions followed, which hampered the germination and early growth of crops. But then came the heavy rains of July and August.

“Short of heavy snow in the middle of the summer, Northern Ireland’s potato growing community has had to cope with every extreme of weather that nature could ever conceive of throwing at them in 2023,” he said.

Even before this year’s potato harvest got underway, potato growers knew that yields would be well down, year-on-year.

“The switch from the very hot and dry conditions of June to the monsoons of July has created growth cracking problems in quite a number of crops,” Cunningham added.

“Something consumers do not want to see in bags and as a result, the potatoes in question cannot be sold in retail outlets.

“Also as the industry was coming out of a year with extremely low stocks of potatoes in store from the previous season, we really needed a early good yielding harvest with no problems.

“Early September saw harvest get underway but it quickly turned into a nightmare, as growers attempt to lift potatoes out of the ground that is just saturated, conditions have been more like November than September,” the Wilson Country’s managing director added.

 He explained that ground conditions were “pretty much bottomless” at the time, especially after Storm Agnes.

He said that he saw potato harvesters getting totally bogged down in places like Bishopscourt in Co. Down.

According to Lewis Cunningham, potato growers across Europe have had major challenges to confront throughout 2023.

“Most of these issues have been weather-related. Floods earlier in the year created major delays in planting dates in countries like France, Italy, Spain and Portugal,” he said.

“This was followed by a prolonged drought, which served to reduce the yield potential of potato crops dramatically.

“As a consequence, potato supplies will be very constrained right across Europe over the coming months,” he continued.

Adding to the economic pressures on potato growers in 2023 were the very strong fertiliser and agrochemical prices that characterised the entire growing season.

“Sustainable prices at retail level will be required to get the entire potato sector through the next few months.”

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The other alternative is to use slatted systems with very fine gap widths.

Where storage is concerned, research has shown that reducing slurry temperatures will decrease ammonia emission levels.

But by far the biggest impact on ammonia emissions relates to the use of covers on above ground stores and lagoons.

Trial work in Denmark has shown that emission levels can be reduced by as much as 50%, if this step is taken.

Ammonia emission levels

Where the spreading of slurry is concerned, the Danish government is now strongly recommending the use of injection systems, in tandem with acidification, as opposed to splash plate and trailing shoe systems.

SEGES Innovation is the organisation delivering most of the farm-related research and development carried out in Denmark.

The body has access to all of the data on the performance generated by Denmark’s dairy farmers. It also works closely with pig farmers and feed companies in delivering the country’s Applied Pig Research Scheme.

It comprises both a product and transport standards.

Feed compounders regularly submit new rations to SEGES to independently assess their ability in driving performance and improved sustainability within the pig sectors.

All the results achieved from this work are put into the public domain, Agriland learned during a recent learning trip to the country.

Driving down carbon dioxide (CO2) emission levels on Danish farms has been identified by the government as the country works through a programme of action that will secure a net ‘carbon zero’ position by 2050.

The enhanced use of anaerobic digestion (AD) technologies has been identified in this context.

Carbon tax

Significantly, the Danish government has committed to the introduction of a carbon tax on the country’s farmers as a way of incentivising businesses to reduce their carbon footprints.

The exact timing of the tax’s introduction has yet to be agreed. However, the level of tax will be set at €100/t of carbon emitted.

Farmers in Denmark are not happy with the prospect of paying this levy.

Specifically, they want more official recognition given to the levels of CO2 sequestered by growing crops, which they actively manage.

It is envisaged that the introduction of a carbon tax will encourage ruminant livestock farmers in Denmark to switch to pig and crop production.

Agriculture currently accounts for 28% of all CO2 emissions generated in the country.

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In addition, home-grown forage maize is a key component of the rations fed to ruminant livestock in Denmark.

Improving sustainability across agriculture as a whole is a key research and development objective for Denmark.

Tillage in Denmark

Where tillage is concerned, two key objectives have been established. These are: The growing of more protein crops – including beans, other legumes and grass; and the more sustainable use of all crop fertilisers and agrochemicals.

SEGES Innovation is the independent organisation charged with the responsibility of carrying out the research and development (R&D) required across all the sectors of Danish agriculture. It is a farmer-funded body.

SEGES works closely with universities in Denmark as well as a number of international research partners.

Members of the Irish Farm Buildings Association along with Agriland, recently visited SEGES’ main research centre, close to the city of Aarhus.

While there, they received an update on a number of current R&D projects from staff member, Jenn Hales Pedersen.

Where crop management is concerned, she highlighted to the availability of new digital imagery-based systems, which allow tillage farmers to gauge exactly when to apply fertilisers, fungicides and other agrochemical to best effect.

In the first instance, the CropManager system provides users with software to map out crops. It also offers access to sowing history and weather forecasts

The system provides farmers with the latest satellite imagery of the biomass available from their growing crops.

As a consequence, a full assessment is available of when best to spray crops or apply fertiliser.

Hales Pedersen explained: “Farmers using the CropManager System are provided with full advisory updates along with the satellite imagery, which they can download.

“The imagery is delivered courtesy of the Geographic Information System technology that is at the very heart of the new system.”

Carbon goals

Denmark has committed to having its farming and food sectors achieve a carbon ‘net zero’ position by 2050.

To help secure this objective, SEGES has developed a bespoke Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) digital tool.

The calculations in the climate tool are based on the individual farm’s own data which is transferred automatically.

By using the tool, the farmer is able to calculate his/her farm’s footprint and how possible changes in feed, fertiliser management, field management, new technologies or investments can impact the carbon imprint positively or negatively.

ESG is constantly developing new calculation methods, which are integrated into the climate tool on an ongoing basis.

Significantly, all the Danish banks are now seeking confirmation that a farmer is using ESG as one of the criteria determining the availability of credit.

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The plan is to double this figure over the next five years, at which time biogas will replace all the fossil-fuel-based natural gas, sourced from either the North Sea or Russia.

Recent years have seen a large number of AD operations developed in Denmark, all of which are located close to the country’s natural gas pipeline.

As a consequence, the biogas produced by the various AD operations can be easily pumped into the pipeline that was developed 40 years ago.

Anaerobic digestion

Torkild Birkemose, a department manager with Denmark’s SEGES Innovation organisation, updated members of the Irish Farm Buildings Association on the potential to further develop AD in Denmark, during a learning trip this week.

From a farming perspective, he cited a number of benefits linked to the adoption of the technology at farm level.

These include the development of green energy, the recycling of organic wastes and a reduction in the environmental impact of farm wastes.

Birkemose also highlighted the potential for farmers to use digestate that, potentially, has a higher fertiliser value than the original slurry and manures used in the AD process.

Significantly, the digestate is also free of pathogens and weed seeds.

Centralised AD operations in Denmark are currently sourcing slurries and animal manures from a number of farming businesses.

In addition to these products, a range of other feed stocks are used to produce biogas. These include waste from the food processing sector and straw.

Birkemose commented: “Large tonnages of straw are produced in Denmark. One third of this output is destined for animal bedding, and a similar proportion is included in cattle diets.

“This leaves the final one-third, which is normally chopped and incorporated back into the soil. It is this latter fraction which could be used as an AD feed stock.”

Birkemose confirmed that straw would have to have pre-treated in some way before it could be used in an AD operation.

“Farmers in Denmark are being paid for the slurries and manures they supply to AD operations. This is especially so, where deep litter is concerned,” he added.

“AD operators secure environmental certificates for the green biogas they produce.

“These have real value, a proportion of which can be passed down the line to those farmers supplying the manures and other AD feed stocks.”

The post 33% of Denmark’s animal slurries destined for anaerobic digestion appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

The Agricultural and Horticultural Development Board (AHDB) has confirmed that the 2023 grain harvest in Great Britain (GB) is coming to an end, from a cereals perspective.

Only a few crops of very late spring barley and oats in Scotland and the north-east of England remain to be combined.

At this point, winter wheat yields are estimated at 7.8–8.2t/ha, sitting around the five-year average.

Winter barley yields are estimated at 6.2–7.2t/ha, sitting around the five-year average. Spring barley yields are estimated at 5.2–5.5t/ha and is sitting below the five-year averages.

Combined winter and spring oat yields are estimated at 5.0–5.4t/ha; the range has tightened as harvest progressed.

Winter oilseed rape (OSR) yields are estimated at 2.8–3.0t/ha. This is below the five-year average.

Lower yields were primarily a result of inclement weather during the growing season, as well as significant pest damage in some regions, particularly from Cabbage Stem Flea Beetle (CSFB).

Grain quality

Grain quality is quite variable. Where wheat is concerned, specific weights are ranging from 71-78kg/hl nationally. The GB average is currently 73–75kg/hl.

National protein contents are ranging from 12.5–13.0%, the same as a fortnight ago. The GB average moisture content for wheat is estimated at 15-17%. The range has increased from a fortnight ago where it was 15–16%.

The specific weights of winter barley crops have varied by region, ranging from 58–64kg/hl on farm. The GB typical average is currently 63–65kg/hl.

The GB average grain nitrogen indications range between 1.5–1.7%

The specific weights of spring barley crops have been ranging from 58-65kg/hl. The GB average is currently 59–62kg/hl.

The GB specific weights for oats are estimated at 49–52kg/hl, down from the 50–53kg/hl reported a fortnight ago.

Autumn planting

Meanwhile, there has been a slow start to the 2023 autumn planting season in GB.

Recent rainfall has allowed for the germination of weeds and volunteers in stale seedbeds, which are being controlled by soil cultivations or applications of glyphosate before drilling.

Wet soil conditions have resulted in more farmers reverting to ploughing rather than doing min-till.

Sowing of winter oilseed rape started in mid-August and has continued into September.

However, establishment has been variable following a period of hot and dry weather at the beginning of September.

Crops in several regions have already been damaged by CSFB and slugs.

Drilling of winter cereals started from mid-September. However, planting progress has been slow in most regions due to wet conditions.

The post Harvest 2023: Grain harvest coming to an end – AHDB appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

Dr. Debbie McConnell, who took up the role of principal group scientist, a new position within the business, last month has a passion for the livestock industry.

McConnell joined the group from Lakeland Dairies (agri-business division), having previously held senior research positions at the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (agriculture branch) and the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (dairy division).

According to Northern Ireland based AI Services she has brought a wide range of experience to the new role,

Originally from a dairy, beef and sheep farm, McConnell has worked in a number of research roles, within industry and on commercial farms within the UK and Republic of Ireland livestock sector for the past 11 years.

According to the principal group scientist she is delighted to have joined the team at AI Services.

Genetics

In her latest role she will work across the AI Services Group with a particular focus on the introduction and adoption of new science and technology both within the group and on farm.

Dr. McConnell said: “It has been exciting to see the range of breeding indices, traits and tools on offer to farmers increase markedly in recent years as our understanding of genetics and our ability to capture data from animals increases.

“I look forward to working with the team across the group to help ensure farmers are gaining maximum value out of these developments, and help them build their herds for the future.”

The development of effective breeding policies has always been a “cornerstone” of improved herd performance, according to the AI Services Group.

The farmer-owned company, which has around 2,500 farmer shareholders, believes there is a growing recognition of the role that genetic improvement will play in delivering future sustainability for the milk sector.

The post Breeding and genetics have ‘a crucial role to play’ – AI Services appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

The new entrant into milk imported 80 ProCROSS in-calf heifers from Denmark in three batches. 

The first animals were milked by a Lely A5 robot at the beginning of 2023. There are 67 calved heifers in the milking group at the present time.

A number of the heifers brought in from Denmark will be calving down for the second time over the coming weeks.

ProCROSS breeding

The ProCROSS has its origins in the US 25 years ago. The cow type represents the result of a protracted breeding programme undertaken in that country under the aegis of Viking Genetics.

It brings together three breeds: Holstein, Montbéliarde and Viking Red.

This specific breed mix delivers for milk producers from a number of perspectives: Sustainable milk yields, milk quality, longevity and fertility.

But by far the most significant benefit of ProCROSS cows is that of enhanced feed efficiency across a wide number of dietary options.

Viking Genetics’ Sven Johnsson spoke at the event and confirmed that ProCROSS cows can deliver up to a 33% improvement in lifetime profitability, relative to all other cow types.

“These results were confirmed courtesy of a 3,500-cow trial, carried out in Minnesota 10 years ago,” he said.

“Dairy farmers want to make money from their cows. Maximising feed efficiency is the way to achieve this. The US trial work has confirmed that ProCROSS stock can achieve this objective across a wide range of diets.

“ProCROSS cow numbers have increased significantly in a number of countries across Europe over the past number of years.”

Significantly, Johnsson indicated that the cows are able to make maximum use of forages.

“This makes them very suited to the grazed grass and grass silage – based systems that predominate in Ireland,” he said.

The Kelly farm

Des Kelly explained that two fundamentally important decisions were made when the initial decision to get into milk production was made.

The first was to commit to an established cross-breeding programme, where the cows are concerned: the other was to invest in a robotic milking system.

“I am happy to confirm that both decisions were the correct ones to take,” he said.

At the heart of the ProCROSS breeding programme is the sequential use of Holstein, Montbéliarde and Danish Red genetics.

“All the animals were imported from Denmark as in-calf heifers in three batches,” Kelly said.

“The breeding history of each animal was confirmed, going back over a number of generations.

“As a result, the position of each in the ProCROSS breeding cycle can be clearly identified.

“This allows me to select the specific breed of sire to be used on each animal in order to maintain the full impact of ProCROSS programme across the next and future generations of cows on the farm.”

The animals currently on the robot are averaging 32.3L/day at 4.27% butterfat and 3.35% protein.

The open day was jointly hosted by Ai Services (Northern Ireland) Ltd.

“There is a growing demand for medium-sized cross bred cows that will deliver significant volumes of high quality milk over a long number of lactations,” company breeding manager, Ivan Minford, said.

“The ProCROSS option meets this requirement in a more than meaningful way.”

Lely’s Tommy Johnston, who was also present at the event, highlighted the exceptional milk speed being recorded by ProCROSS animals within the herd, recording an average milking speed of 3kg/min.

“The average figure for Northern Ireland is 2.5kg. This faster milking speed is the reason why a single robot can cope with 65 plus cows within the same group,” Johnston said.

The post Tyrone dairy farmer displays ProCROSS breeding results appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

It has also published a new advisory leaflet which explores the value of magnesium as a nutrient source for wheat, barley, oats and other crops.

Trial work, carried out over the past 30 years across the UK and Ireland, has confirmed that insufficient potash has been applied to cereal crops relative to the quantities of nutrients removed in cereal grain and straw.

This has resulted resulted in an inevitable reduction of soil potash reserves.

A similar imbalance has developed for some other main arable crops and this also applies to phosphate.

These trends have continued and will lead to serious consequences for yield and quality.

The length of time before financial penalties occur will depend on soil type, manure use and the phosphate and potash reserves of individual fields.

Crops

The area of cereals receiving no annual phosphate or potash at all has also increased significantly in recent years with over 60% of the winter wheat area sown receiving no fertiliser phosphate or potash.

As only around 20% of tillage soils are at an index where phosphate and potash can safely be omitted for cereals, this is further evidence of imprudent cost-cutting.

It must not be assumed that because cereals are known to be efficient scavengers of phosphate and potash and because no visual symptoms are seen, that such cost-cutting is without penalty.

Serious economic consequences can occur without any visible symptoms of deficiency. Soil phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) indices may decline only slowly but as they fall below accepted threshold levels, the risks of yield and quality losses increase.

According to the PDA, such risks are not worth taking because of the essential requirement of these nutrients for the maintenance of yield and quality.

Potash affects both yield and quality of grain as well as the general health and vigour of the plant.

Cereal crops need at least as much, if not more, potash than any other nutrient – including nitrogen.

Potash is needed in such large amounts because it is the major regulator of solution concentrations throughout the plant.

It controls cell sap content to maintain the turgor of the plant and supports the movement of all materials within the plant.

Potash supply is thus essential for all nutrient uptake by the roots and movement to the leaves for photosynthesis and for the distribution of sugars and proteins made by the green tissue for plant growth and grain fill.

Sulphur

Immediately available sulphur in the soil can be measured by laboratory analysis.

But its susceptibility to leaching as sulphate and its variability both down the soil profile, and over time, means that the normal FOUR yearly soil analysis regime is not appropriate.

Both the organic processes and the leaching potential cause soil sulphur levels to vary by month, and by year.

Some research work has been done by measuring sulphur in deep core samples taken for soil mineral nitrogen testing in oilseed rape crops.

However, the predictability of potential reserves is still being determined.

Because routine soil analysis cannot be used to predict sulphur deficiency, plant tissue testing is sometimes suggested.

For oilseed rape and cereals there is the ‘Malate Sulphate’ test which can be done early in the crop’s life, but it may need to be repeated later at stem extension.

Plant tissue analysis looking at nitrogen and sulphur concentrations may also help to give a guide.

But the results may not become available until too late to correct for the current crop.

Alternatively, grain analysis for nitrogen and sulphur concentrations can be carried out. Although the results will certainly be too late to influence that crop, they should give good guidance for future policy.

The post What is the value of magnesium as a nutrient source for crops? appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

This follows the departure of the organisation’s former CEO, Ian Stevenson, to take up his new role with the Northern Ireland Dairy Council.

Smith, LMC’s industry development manager and former staff member with the Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU), takes up his new position with immediate effect.

Announcing his appointment, LMC board member, Joe Stewart said: “For over a decade Colin has worked at the heart of the commission’s business activities.

“His experience is important to LMC and our stakeholders during this period of transition.”

Since joining LMC, Smith has played a key role in helping to develop a number of key policy areas.

These include the evolution of Northern Ireland’s Farm Quality Assurance Scheme (FQAS) for beef and lamb plus Northern Ireland’s response to the challenge of reducing antibiotic usage within the livestock sectors.

“It is anticipated the new LMC Board will be appointed shortly,” Stewart added.

“One of their first items of business will be the recruitment of a permanent CEO for LMC and it is foreseen an appointment to the substantive post will happen as soon as possible.”

LMC

Looking ahead, it is envisaged that LMC will be centrally involved in the strategy that is followed to reduce the carbon footprint of local agriculture.

The commission has previously confirmed that FQAS will be used as a carbon survey platform in Northern Ireland.

This will allow a complete carbon footprint determination of 11,600 farms.

In essence, the work being undertaken will represent the collective outworking of a whole industry agreed approach for all the sectors: Beef, lamb, dairy, pigs, poultry and crops.

Smith has also been involved in the work to secure Northern Ireland’s inclusion within an EU Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) for grass-fed Irish beef.

The European Commission had previously agreed the principles associated with the PGI for the Republic of Ireland.

Work at a technical level has been taking place over recent months to also confirm Northern Ireland’s compatibility with the terms of the scheme.   

A final decision from Brussels on this matter is expected in the very near future.

Currently, Joe Stewart is the only LMC board member in situ. Bringing the membership of the board back up to its full complement will require political intervention.

This would require the input of a Stormont Executive minister or, failing this, a decision by a member of the current Northern Ireland Office ministerial team.

The post Colin Smith appointed LMC NI interim CEO appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

The participating farms, which included CAFRE’s own dairy unit at Greenmount College, account for 15,800 milking animals.

The work has confirmed that the decision to cull a cow is driven by a number of factors.

The main results of the survey were discussed by CAFRE’s Dr. David Mackey at the recent ProCROSS open day. The event was hosted by Co. Tyrone dairy farmer, Des Kelly.

CAFRE dairy survey

The results of the survey confirm that the average age of cows was 6.1 years and the average calving age was 27.7 months. They had a productive lifespan of 3.8 years, after producing some 30,200L of milk.

The CAFRE work also confirmed that infertility is still the main reason for culling, followed by mastitis and lameness.

Across all the herds surveyed, 12% of cows are culled in their first lactation.

Mackey highlighted the concept of determining dairy cow efficiency in terms of her estimated lifetime yield of butterfat and protein per day of life.

For the current Greenmount herd, this figure comes in at 1.14kg. The average figure across the survey as a whole was 1.04kg.

As cows get older, a proportionately higher number of cows are culled for mastitis and lameness-related issues.

Mackey commented: “Achieving a good lifetime yield is about: Securing good yields per lactation; calving heifers earlier; effectively managing infertility in young cows; managing mastitis and lameness-related issues.

“Securing a reduced culling rate is also important.

“Herds with the highest lifetime yields culled fewer younger cows, especially in their first and second lactations," he added.

“In contrast, herds with the lowest lifetime yield culled as many cows in their first lactation as the top 25% of herds achieved up to the end of cows’ third lactation.”

Future sustainability

According to CAFRE, lifetime yield is key to the future sustainability of dairying. Around 27% of cows are either culled or die in Northern Ireland, achieving lifetime yields of 30,200L.

“Lifetime yield is not about keeping more older cows, it’s about having fewer losses of younger cows," Mackey continued.

According to Mackey, crossbreeding can be expected to increase the productive life by between 0.5 and 1.0 lactations.

This is a direct result of lower culling rates for infertility, mastitis and lameness.

David Mackey pointed out that dairy farmers in Northern Ireland should aim for a minimum lifetime yield from their cows of 40,000L.

This works out at 1kg of milk solids per kg of cow bodyweight per year. This assumes an average liveweight figure for mature cows of 700kg.

The post CAFRE dairy survey highlights the main reasons for culling cows appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

Recent days have seen plans for a consultation on the matter confirmed.

The process will take place during autumn 2023 and will be coordinated by the Digital Grain Passport (DGP) leadership group.

Digital passports for crops

Digitising paper passports to improve food and feed safety data communication, through supply chains, has been discussed for more than a decade.

The commitment to hold a formal consultation now, follows the completion of a five-year pilot programme.

Over the 12 months, a much-simplified version of previous proposals that had been discussed at industry level has been developed. This will now be consulted on.

Representatives from all parts of the cereals and oilseeds chain have been working together to create a business case. This includes merchants and animal feed businesses, farmers and receivers.

The group has been supported by experts at the Agricultural and Horticultural Development Board (AHDB).

To inform the development of the business case, advice has been taken from a very broad range of interested parties including hauliers, port facility operators and businesses outside the membership of the organisations represented on the leadership group.

The business case sets out how a Digital Passport (Combinable Crops) system could operate, replicating the purpose of the existing paper passports.

The electronic documentation will, as now, be initiated by farmers with input from hauliers before onward transmission to receivers.

There will be live updates of assurance status prior to the vehicle leaving farms, avoiding the risk of delay or rejection at the receiver’s site.

The system is expected to be built with sufficient resilience and back-ups to avoid any undue downtime or faults.

Data

The new processes will also enable a multi-directional flow of data between farmers, grain merchants and end users such as millers, maltsters and feed mills.

This includes a commitment to the real-time return of information to those involved in the contractual chain.

All involved have said that they are very much aware of the need to ensure ease of use, as well as minimise costs and maximise accessibility.

There has therefore been active exploration of the potential for existing software and off-the-peg systems to be adapted to the grain sector’s needs along with a more bespoke approach.

The business case will be published in early October detailing the purpose, benefits and costs.

It will also consider how data will be governed, how real-time information will flow and to who, how data will be secured, as well as ownership and funding.

The purpose of the consultation is to ensure industry needs are addressed, highlighting gaps in the business case and to establish the level of support for the project.

If the majority confirm the proposal is supported, and considering feedback on the business case, the Leadership Group would approach the AHDB Cereals and Oilseeds Sector Council to discuss funding options.

Additional funding would be investigated from all available sources to keep costs as low as possible to direct passport users.

The post Consultation on introduction of digital passports for crops confirmed appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

The Andersons Centre is predicting that major structural change will impact across UK farming over the next decade.

This was the overarching conclusion emanating from the agribusiness consultancy’s recent autumn seminar.

Factors that will directly impact on UK farming businesses over the coming years include: The changing format of the government support systems available to agriculture, rising inflationary pressures, stronger interest rates, increased pressure on farm input costs, and challenging farmgate returns.

But, according to Richard King, head of business with the Andersons Centre, inflation will remain the “key challenge” for all farming business over the coming months.

“It is currently sitting at around 7%, well above where it would have been a couple of years ago,” King said.

“The net result of high inflation is higher wage costs, higher interest rates and higher costs for farmers across the board.

“Agriculture came through two very good years in 2021 and 2022. Yes, input costs did increase during this period,” he said.

“However, strong farmgate returns more than compensated farmers for the enhanced spending they incurred at that time.

Significantly, the tenor of most food commodity markets has fallen sharply since the beginning of 2023.

“Specifically, where dairy is concerned, there was a degree of hope expressed earlier in the summer that world markets might stabilise as we headed towards the end of the year,” King said.

“It turns out that such optimism was premature. The reality is that the outlook for milk prices remains extremely challenging over the coming months.

“Most farmers will have invested the profits made up to the beginning of this year in their businesses. And this is a good news story.

“In terms of input costs, it is also worth noting that fertiliser prices have fallen significantly from the heights of last year,” King added.

“However, the economic challenges confronting agriculture across the UK continue to mount up. One of these is the high tax bill facing many farm businesses at the end of next January.

“This is an inevitable consequence of the two good years that agriculture enjoyed in 2021 and 2022. The reality is that farmers will have to find the money to meet these commitments.”

Support for UK agriculture

According to King, the banks will continue to support the farming sectors.

“But the period ahead may well see it becoming that little bit more difficult for farmers to get that overdraft increase they might be looking for,” he said.

“The bottom line is that the banks will want to see a strong business case made against every funding request they receive.”

Richard King fully recognises the strong economic headwinds confronting agriculture throughout the UK at the present time.

“In these circumstances, farmers have no option but to sit down and ruthlessly assess the state of their businesses,” he said.

“Their priority must be that of improving efficiency levels across the board. Finding ways of reducing on-farm input costs is equally important.”

Significantly, the Andersons representative believes that the UK government will retain its current level of support to the farming sectors.

“But how the money is spent will be the big issue. In England and Wales, environmental payments represent the future,” he said.

“But these do nothing for the bottom line of a farming business, as would have been the case back when the single payment was available.

“Now farmers have to actually spend money before they can recoup the support that is available from government.” 

The post Major structural change in UK farming likely over the next decade appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

By way of verification, he points to the fact that Northern Ireland is a nitrates vulnerable zone.

“As a consequence, the spreading of slurry on to land is not allowed at all from the end of October until the beginning of February,” he said.

“These measures have been in place for a number of years.”

Meanwhile, SDLP politician, Patsy McGlone, is claiming that a combination of human sewage run-off, agricultural wastes and the introduction of invasive mussel species to Lough Neagh are now impacting on the quality of the water in the lake.

McGlone also points out that the swarming of flies, which used to be such a feature of the entire Lough Neagh catchment area, has been relegated to the history books.

“It was the flies that fed the fish in the lake. I am deeply concerned about the overall quality of the water in Lough Neagh at the present time,” McGlone said.

His sentiment is matched by that of the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA), which has previously said that the “key reason behind the algae is “excess nutrients are entering our water bodies, primarily from agricultural land use activities and from waste water pressures”.

Blue-green algae on Lough Neagh

According to the Agri-Food and Biosciences’ Institute, the green layer on Lough Neagh is an algal bloom, caused by the rapid growth and accumulation of blue-green algae.

Algal blooms can produce toxins and can also remove oxygen from the water as they decompose.

The current condition in the Lough is unusual in that these blue-green algae have not been abundant here since the mid-1970s. 

The Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI) routinely monitors temperature and oxygen levels throughout the Lough and observed water temperatures steadily rising during the early summer period.

“We recorded surface temperatures of 21^o, while average June surface temperatures in recent years have typically been around 15^o,” an AFBI spokesperson said.

“Observers of Lough Neagh will also have noticed that the water is currently clearer than usual.

“The clearer waters are likely due to the activity of zebra mussels, an invasive non-native species, first seen in Lough Neagh in 2005.

“Zebra mussels feed by filtering particles from the water, and as a result remove food normally available to other species such as swan mussels.

“The resulting increased water clarity allows sunlight to penetrate deeper into the water, which can lead to increased nuisance plant and algal growth and allows prey species usually concealed by murky waters to become visible to their predators.”

Sonar surveys, conducted by AFBI, have shown that for now at least, most fish are remaining in their normal habitat near the bottom of the Lough.

The post Agriculture not to blame for algae on Lough Neagh – Poots appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

The work will be undertaken by staff at Rothamsted Research based in the UK.

Significantly, initial results suggest that techniques, such as no-till and diversified cropping, are not a short-term fix for more sustainable food production systems; a long-term commitment will be required.

Research on regenerative agriculture

An experimental set-up of 24 cropping systems that combine a variety of regenerative agriculture practices has been established.

To date, reduced tillage has resulted in lower wheat yields but the effect varied with crop rotation, previous-crop and site.

However, plots with added organic matter significantly increased spring barley yield by 8% on average, though the effect again varied with site.

The ploughed crop plots tended to produce higher caloric yield, overall, than systems under reduced tillage.

Study team leader, Prof. Jon Storkey said: “The initial results suggest that it takes time for regenerative approaches to restore the health of soils and the ecosystem.

“In addition, there may be a decrease in yields as the system transitions to a more sustainable state.

“With so many variables in play, only a long-term, integrated approach will be able to tell us what really works in regenerative farming.”

History

The original long-term Broadbalk experiment at Rothamsted was set up in 1843 and was focused on how varying inputs of fertiliser might affect crop yield.

This was hugely influential and helped establish many modern farming practices that have consistently delivered bountiful harvests and widespread food security.

Today, as agriculture faces multiple pressures to reduce its environmental impacts, the new long-term experiments will look at how varying approaches to crop rotation, tillage, nutrition and crop protection can reduce inputs of pesticides and fertilisers, emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs) and support biodiversity.

The aim is to collect extensive data on multiple indicators from each of the experiments.

Rather than just focusing on crop yield, these new Large Scale Rotation Experiments (LSREs) are being monitored to study the synergies and trade-offs of each approach.

The experiment has been established as a long-term resource for inter-disciplinary research.

“We have explained the experimental setup in detail in this new paper so that other similar experiments can be set up worldwide,” Storkey added.

“Only by taking such a broad perspective can we hope to successfully inform the transition to more sustainable cropping systems across the planet.

“Inevitably trade-offs will need to be made between maximising crop yield and protecting the environment, but these experiments will help us better understand the system behaviour, and ultimately identify the optimal balance for multiple systems and approaches.”

The post Research into long-term impacts of regenerative agriculture appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

The event took place at Gill Hall Estate in Co. Down over four days last week.

Organised by the International Sheep Dog Society, Petter went head-to-head with 16 of the world’s best sheepdogs and handlers over the first three days of qualifiers and emerged victorious, with an impressive score.

Meanwhile 17-year-old Tyler McKinlay, from Lanark, Scotland and her dog, Heatherstane Squiggle, were named Young Handler World Champions at the event.

This is the first year that the trials have had an all-female final in the junior competition.

The team event first prize went to the Irish grouping of: Martin O’Malley; Eamonn Connell; Allistair Lyttle; James McCloskey; and Paddy Fanning.

John McCullough, chairman of the World Trial Committee congratulated Petter and Tyler on their respective achievements.

“The standards shown at the trials this week have been exceptional so to walk away with world titles is certainly no mean feat. It was an absolute joy to watch Petter and Tyler in action in the competition field over the past few days,” he said.

“Hosting the World Sheepdog Trials at Gill Hall Estate in Dromore has been a privilege. We have welcomed approximately 30,000 spectators alongside 240 handlers from over 30 different countries over the past four days which has hugely boosted many local businesses and the wider economy.

“Northern Ireland has a rich farming history and we’re so proud to have contributed to this by bringing a once-in-a-lifetime event to our shores.

“We hope that everyone who attended throughout the week enjoyed witnessing the incredible partnership between sheepdogs and their handlers,” McCullough added.

Isabel Branch, CEO of the International Sheep Dog Society added: 

“The 2023 World Sheepdog Trials have been a huge success and on behalf of the committee, we are delighted.

“We have seen lots of tough competition and it’s a testament to farmers around the world who remain committed to preserving more traditional methods of farming and to promoting the very best in terms of breeding.

“Congratulations to Petter and Tyler on your world titles. Being crowned the best in the world at what’s known as the ‘Olympics’ of the sheepdog community, is a remarkable achievement.”

Allistair Lyttle from Kesh in Co. Fermanagh was a member of the successful Irish team. He is also a member of the committee that organised the entire Gill Hall event.

“It was a tremendous honour for Northern Ireland to host the 2023 World Championships. And Gill Hall was the perfect venue,” Lyttle said.

According to Lyttle, it took a tremendous, cooperative effort to get the entire competition over the line.

A case in point was the sourcing of 800 ewes from sheep producers across Northern Ireland.

Lyttle also confirmed that sheep dog trialling is extremely popular across the island of Ireland.

“Events are taking place around the country every week of the year,” he said.

“Up to 70 dogs could be taking part in each of these competitions, all of which will attract large crowds of spectators.”

The post Norway native named ‘Top Dog’ at World Sheepdog Trials appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

The nutrient also impacts on the general health and vigour of plants.

Cereal crops need at least as much, if not more, potash than any other nutrient including nitrogen.

Potash is needed in such large amounts because it is the major regulator of solution concentrations throughout the plant.

It controls cell sap content to maintain the turgor of the plant and supports the movement of all materials within the plant.

Potash supply is, therefore, essential for all nutrient uptake by the roots and movement to the leaves for photosynthesis, and for the distribution of sugars and proteins made by the green tissue for plant growth and grain fill.

Potash

According to the Potash Development Association (PDA), adequate and available potash is essential to produce high-quality marketable grain with good specific weight and well filled grains.

A shortage will result in premature ripening with significantly lower individual grain size and weight.

This scenario will also prevent some potential grain sites from developing, thus reducing the number of grains per ear.

Cereals convert natural resources, including water, solar energy and carbon dioxide (CO2) into grain. With light being one of the most common limitations for crops in the UK in most seasons – the more light is intercepted, the higher the yield.

Cereals

As cereals are annual crops, they are not able to capture sunlight all year, and measurement data carried out by the Agricultural Development and Advisory Service (ADAS) would suggest that crops in this part of the world have the ability to capture up to 60% of the season-long energy.

The current Agriculture and Horticultural Development Board (AHDB) benchmark within the Wheat Growth Guide is based on a figure of 47%.

Although there is some opportunity for improvement early in the season, most of the ‘lost’ solar energy occurs later in the season, as crops begin to senesce.

The canopy starts to senesce from June onwards. But the speed of senescence will depend on a variety of factors, including moisture availability.

Levels

While there is little that can be done about the weather, one of the variables that can be controlled is the supply of potassium to a crop.

The level of potash available can have a dramatic impact on the speed of crop development from flowering through to ripening.

Measurements taken from three soils with varying levels of potash showed crops that were well supplied with potassium took 29 days longer to fully senesce than crops that were deficient.

Moisture stress significantly reduces growth and accelerates leaf senescence due to the reduced time to translocate metabolites from leaves to grain, which ultimately affect grain yield and quality.

Delayed leaf senescence can therefore facilitate plants in remobilising nutrients from old senescing leaves to young leaves and the developing grains.

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And the continuing decline in farmgate prices is an important factor in this regard, Omagh-based Seamus McCaffrey said.

“But there are many other issues adding to the complexity of the financial challenges confronting agriculture as a whole," he said.

McCaffrey cited the growing threat of bovine tuberculosis (bTB) as a case in point.

“Many of our clients have their herds restricted at the present time because of the disease,” he said.

“As a consequence, they are having to manage greater numbers of stock than would normally be the case. This is adding significantly to the costs incurred by these businesses.

“Many farmers are also concerned that they won’t have enough silage saved to see them through the coming winter. The issue of silage quality is a related matter.”

Farm incomes and tax

The accountant said that the possibility of concentrate feed costs rising over the coming months has also been factored-in by many farmers.

It all adds up to a scenario that will have significant cashflow and tax implications for farm businesses over the coming months.

According to McCaffrey, effective tax planning at a time of reduced prices is critically important for all farm businesses.

Centre stage within all of this is January 31, 2024, the next date when all sole traders and those involved within business partnership must pay tax.

There will be two components to the liability to be paid – the balance of the tax owing up to April 5, 2023 and a payment on account for the current year.

“The balance piece is based on the actual tax return and accounts filed for the year ending April 5, 2023,” McCaffrey said.

“The payment on account for the current year is normally 50% of the previous year’s liability. However, it is possible to pay a lesser payment on account.

“The way to do this is prepare profit and loss figures for the current year to-date, which will enable an informed guestimate to be made of the tax liability for the current year.

“If this projected liability for the current year is less than the final liability for the year ending April 5, 2023, then a lower amount of tax can be paid as a payment on account in January 24.”

McCaffrey went on to point out that before the tax return for the year ending April 5, 2023 is filed, it is important to review carefully that the return is accurate and that all income and expenditure are included.

“The following question should be addressed – have all items of allowable expenditure been included?” he said.

“This list can include the following: The cost of trips to agricultural shows; the cost of buying the farming press; the cost of wages to family members aged 13 and above.”

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The new design, which was outlined on a recent event in France attended by Agriland, comprises four beams and eight rows of harrow tines.

Complex spring combinations are replaced by a hydraulic tine pressure adjustment, which ensures that the tines deliver more even pressure across the full working surface.

The pressure can be continuously adjusted to up to 5kg while driving. As a result, the Thulit is said to do an “outstanding” job during the sensitive crop growth stages.

The tines are arranged with a line spacing of 31.25mm to ensure blockage-free work. Stable, true-to-track and wear-free tine bearings also aim to ensure optimum weed removal.

A straightforward quick-change system makes it easy to replace the harrow tines, according to Lemken.

The Thulit features precise and continuous ground contour following with consistent tine pressure, making it a highly versatile implement, even on very uneven ground and in ridge crops.

Rubin 10

Meanwhile, Lemken also launched its 10m width version of the Rubin 10 – 10m harrow. It was also launched at the recent Innov-agri farm machinery event in France.

Given the scale of the new machine, it will be of specific interest to larger tillage operations in places like eastern Europe plus North and South America.

Like other Rubin 10 models, the new harrow features a symmetrical disc arrangement for fuel-efficient operation without side draft.

This new harrow can be hitched via a ball coupling or drawbar eye and hydraulic support is available to make attachment and detachment easier.

The two rows of serrated concave discs reportedly allow thorough incorporation across the full surface width from a soil depth of just 7cm.

The 14cm line spacing ensures blockage-free work even with large volumes of organic matter.

Each concave disc of the new Rubin 10 is equipped with an overload protection with damped kickback, which reduces loads on the frame.

Significantly, the new Rubin 10 has EU-wide road approval for speeds of up to 40km/h.

The machine is folded in from the cab, with the roller’s folding system ensuring that the width is reduced to 3m and the height to 4m, again to meet the requirements for road transport throughout the EU.

The new Rubin 10 also features a pendulum type suspension. The hydraulic depth adjustment facility on the new machine means that working depths can be adjusted in-cab while it is operating.

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The event will continue through until Saturday afternoon (September 16) when the World Singles Champion dog and handler will be crowned. Up for grabs is a first prize of £3,000.

This week’s activities at Gill Hall constitute the Olympic Games of the trialling world. The event is held every three years. However, the Covid-19 pandemic forced a major realignment of the championship’s schedule.

Sheepdog handlers from around the world last came together, in a competitive sense, back in 2017. The year in question saw the Netherlands hosting the World Championships.

Thereafter Covid-19 kicked in 2020 and again the following year, when the event should have been held in England.

Brian Kelly, secretary of the committee organising the Gill Hall event said: “We were asked to come on board and host the 2023 World Championships 16 months ago.

“The approach was made on the back of Gill Hall Estate hosting an International Sheepdog Trial back in 2018.

“There has been a 25-strong committee of people working on the event since the request came through from the International Sheepdog Society. We were delighted to get on board from the outset.”

A total of 240 dogs and their handlers, representing 30 different countries, will be taking part in the competitions planned for Gill Hall Estate this week.

“Day One sees 120 dogs competing, spread across three fields. The same format is followed on Day Two when the remaining 120 dogs compete,” Kelly continued.

“The top seven dogs from each field over the two days, go forward to the semi-finals on the Friday. That makes a total of 42 animals.

“A total of 16 dogs take part in the final class, scheduled for Saturday.”

According to Kelly, the standard of challenge confronting the dogs increases significantly as they move through the competition.

Sheepdog trials

Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales are each represented by 21 handlers and their dogs. Each competitor is allowed to compete with two dogs.

National competition trials competitions are held to allow for the selection of the handlers that take part in the world event. 

“One Irish handler has won the World Championship crown up to this point – James McGee, from Ballybofey in Co. Donegal, back in 2011,” Kelly explained.

Co. Offaly hosted the World Sheepdog Trials back in 2005. The organisers are anticipating crowds of up to 15,000 at Gill Hall over the coming days.

Gill Hall Estate – the perfect location

Allistair Lyttle, from Kesh in Co. Fermanagh is a member of the committee organising the events planned for Gill Hall Estate this week. He is also taking part in the competition in his own right.

“It’s a tremendous honour for Northern Ireland to be hosting the 2023 World Championships. And Gill Hall is the perfect venue,” Lyttle explained.

“The estate has tremendous facilities. What’s more, all the trials locations are in tip-top condition.”

According to Lyttle, it has taken a tremendous, cooperative effort to get this week’s event over the line.

A case in point has been the sourcing of 800 ewes from sheep producers across Northern Ireland.

“We have been able to source the sheep form a number of flock owners. These include, O’Kane Brothers, from Ballymena; Robin McNinch, from Larne and Frankie McCullough, from Dromara in Co. Down,” Lyttle said.

“Ewes are chosen for the championships because there is more of them to select from at this time of the year.”

Lyttle is quick to confirm that sheepdog trialling is an extremely popular sport in Ireland.

“Events are taking place around the country every week of the year,” he said.

“Up to 70 dogs could be taking part in each of these competitions, all of which wil attract large crowds of spectators.”

Lyttle went on to point out that trialling competitions are open to border collies only.

“A good dog could sell for up to £25,000,” he continued.

Young handlers

15-year-old Peter Óg Morgan, from Castlewellan in Co. Down will be pitting his wits against 14 other competitors from around the world in the Under-18 International Young Handlers Championship at Gill Hall on Friday.

He has been working with dogs at home for as far back as he can remember. Previously his father – also Peter – had won the Irish National Championships back in 2021. He went on to take the reserve at the International Sheepdog Trials, held in Wales later that same year.

Peter Óg will be competing with the eight-year-old collie, Tip.

The Morgans run 550 Lanark Blackface sheep on their home farm.

Peter Óg believes that a champion dog brings a combination of ‘brains’ and breeding to the table.

“A young dog will quickly confirm whether it has the interest and the ability to work with sheep,” Peter Óg explained.

“By the time it is 18-months-old, it will be well settled. A dog will really come into its own at around four-years-of-age.

“Border collies are very intelligent dogs and are continuously learning.”

The training process starts by putting a young dog into a circular pen with a group of sheep. By using this type of enclosure, the sheep cannot bunch into a corner; they will always be facing the dog.

Young dogs are first taught to ‘stop’ on command.

Some dogs will lie down on hearing this command; others will remain standing. After that, a range of verbal commands are given to the dogs. These include ‘come-bye (move off to the left) and ‘away’ (move off to the right).

Peter Óg continued: “Handlers will use a combination of whistles and verbal commands to dogs. Whistles are used when dogs are at a distance from their handlers.”

Sheepdog handling in Poland

Toamasz Nowakowski is the sole representative from Poland taking part in the competition classes at Gill Hall this week.

He lives close to the city of Warsaw.

“Initially, I got involved in dog obedience classes and graduated from there to sheepdog handling,” he explained to Agriland.

“There are approximately 30 handlers who take part in open handling classes that are held at locations across Poland.

“Rather than hold one-day events, as would be commonplace in Ireland, sheepdog handling competitions held in Poland take place over an entire weekend.”

Most of Poland’s native sheep breeds were killed out during World War II. Those left were cross bred with sheep from other parts of Europe in the years that followed.

The Wrzosowkas is the oldest native, ovine breed in Poland. According to Toamasz, they are a very “primitive” type of sheep.

He arrived in Ireland with his four-year-old dog last Thursday, Pete. Bred in Wales, the collie was brought to Poland as a pup.

The last few days have given the handler and his dog an opportunity to get acclimatised to Irish sheep trialling conditions.

“When we left Poland the weather was very warm relative to the conditions here in Ireland. This should not present a problem to the dogs. Had they been travelling from a cool climate to hot conditions, the change in weather would impact on their performance.

“Sheep in Poland tend to be heavier than the sheep here in Ireland. Irish sheep also tend to be more responsive to the dog.

“So, we will just have to wait and see how we get on over the coming days,” Toamasz concluded.

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The farmer-owned company, which has around 2,500 farmer shareholders, believes there is a growing recognition of the role that genetic improvement will play in delivering future sustainability for the milk sector.

This was one of the key themes discussed at the recent launch of the 2024 AI Services (Northern Ireland) Holstein Sire catalogue.

According to the company’s breeding services’ manager, Ivan Minford, technologies – including the use of sexed semen and embryo transfer – are already making a significant difference in this regard. 

“Committing to AI has always represented a very small investment relative to the overall costs incurred within any dairy farming business. Feed, fertiliser and energy prices continue to increase at an exponential rate,” he added.

Breeding policies

“What’s more, the development of effective breeding policies has always been the cornerstone of improved herd performance that will continue to deliver for many generations,” Minford said.

“In money terms, the size of the initial investment required to make all of this happen is inconsequential, relative to the scale of the benefits accrued.

“And this remains the case. AI Services has developed a strong working relationship with the world’s premier breeding companies to secure elite dairy genetics at prices that represent unbeatable value for money for local milk producers,” he added.

According to Minford an investment in improved genetics will deliver at two fundamental levels for dairy farmers these are; improved efficiency and improved profitably.

“Genetics impacts on every impact of cow performance: improved milk production, enhanced milk quality, extended longevity within a milking group and improved health traits to name but a few.

“Significantly, all of these factors combine to deliver a smaller carbon footprint and improved sustainability for all dairy farming operations,” he outlined.

Cow size has also been identified as a key factor in determining the carbon footprint of all milk production business.

“There is scope to reduce cows size while still maintaining overall animal performance,” Minford stated.

Milk sector

Meanwhile, Northern Ireland’s winter milk sector continues to expand.

An increasing number of dairy farmers are opting to calve cows in the months of September and October.

This approach ensures that the winter milk bonuses available from all the dairies can be fully capitalised on.

From a management point of view, there is a growing recognition that autumn calving cows can be put back into calf and subsequently turned out into early spring paddocks.

Optimal use of grazed grass can also be achieved by taking this management approach.

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“Hemp is the fastest growing form of wood on the planet,” the organisation’s William Taylor argued.

“The crop sequesters more carbon in one year than trees will in 20 years.”

Taylor believes that growing more trees in response to the challenge of climate change is nothing more than a “land grab” away from family farms.

“Once tress are planted, they are in situ for generations. Food security must be made a priority for farming businesses,” he said.

“There is no reason why hemp cannot be included within a standard farming rotation.

“Trees can be planted on ground that is not suited for any other use.”

Going green – hemp and ‘treadmills’?

A deputation from Farmers for Action attended the second of three public consultations, hosted by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) to facilitate debate on the establishment of Northern Ireland’s first three carbon budgets.

The accompanying discussion documents highlight the recommendations from the Committee on Climate Change (CCC) to cut livestock numbers as part of the initiative to secure a net carbon zero for the position by 2050.

“There would be no need for a reduction of 22% in the dairy herd and 17% reduction in beef numbers due to innovation, which is moving forward at a significant rate of knots,” Taylor said.

“We also know that cattle when housed will be able to generate electricity whilst eating. This is achieved by putting a form of treadmill system into sheds.”

According to the FFA representative cattle can be easily trained to adopt to this type of system. It is hoped that a pilot project will be operational in Northern Ireland within the next two years.

“For example, if this innovation were in production, then it would mean that by reducing cattle numbers by even one animal, farmers would, in effect, be doing away with one of the greenest forms of energy on the planet,” he said.

“We also used the consultation event to highlight our Northern Ireland Farm Welfare Bill.

“This aims to return to farmers a minimum of their cost of production, inflation-linked, plus a margin for their produce.”

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The new registration and permitting facility NIFAIS, which replaces the Animal and Public Health Information System (APHIS), which has been in use for the past two decades, launched last week.

Mart managers in Northern Ireland remain exasperated at what they regard as the debilitating impact of the new livestock permitting system.

James Johnston, the manager of the Ulster Farmers’ Mart in Enniskillen, took part in the meeting with DAERA. He said the new system is "far too slow".

“From what we can gather it may take weeks, or possibly months, to bring it fully up to speed," he added.

“Why did DAERA not wait until they had all the gremlins worked out before introducing the new system?”

According to Ballymena Mart’s Shaun Irvine, the introduction of the new procedures have not been without problems.

“We have had major headaches to deal with over the past few days," he said.

“I am fully aware of the complexities associated with the changeover to the new system. But we have had to deal with numerous delays this week.

“Under the old system, dealing with incoming permits and writing outgoing permits was an almost instantaneous process.

“Now staff at the mart are waiting for up to two minutes simply for NIFAIS to open up a farmers’ herd record.

“This might be ok if only a few cattle are involved.

“But we are dealing with up to 700 or possibly 800 animals at each of our sales. As a result, the delays created in getting the paperwork sorted out were enormous.

“It’s bad enough when dealing with cattle moving from the sale yard back to another farm. It’s a different matter altogether when moving out cattle destined for slaughter within 24 hours.”

Commenting on these developments, Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU) president, David Brown, said:

"Many members have been in contact this week reporting problems with the NIFAIS system. We are aware that it has been performing poorly.

“The issues with NIFAIS has created a great deal of disruption and stress for our members who are extremely worried about statuses and penalties that it could cause in the future. We also spoke to local marts and processors, and they too are having issues with the system.

“We urge DAERA to acknowledge that there is a problem with NIFAIS and to communicate with the farming community so they know what is happening. This is critical to ease any fears and confusion.”

Last week, the NIFAIS head, Nigel Trimble, acknowledged some "teething" issues.

“As with any complex IT system roll-out, there have been some teething issues, including system performance, which we are working to address as quickly as possible and our thanks to all the users including farmers, private veterinary practices and the livestock marts and meat plants for their continued patience as  the system becomes fully embedded," he said.

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Rothamsted Research’s Dr. Steve Foster told Agriland: “The banning of neonicotinoid seed treatments some years ago meant that farmers were left with only one group of chemistries, the pyrethroids, to control aphids and other insects damaging their crops.

“And to use the tool box analogy, this is a very narrow base to be operating from.

“If resistance to pyrethroids was to become widespread, then farmers would be left with no insecticide options, from a crop management perspective.

“Insects will naturally evolve over time to develop a gene-based resistance to chemicals that they interact within the environment,” he added.

The scientists explained that this is why it is so important for farmers to use the pyrethroids that are available now properly.

Insecticide resistance in tillage

Most Irish grain farmers will be aware of the threat posed by aphids, where Barley Yellow Dwarf Virus (BYDV) is concerned.

But according to Foster, aphids and other insects act as vectors for a number of virus-related diseases that will impact on a range of crops. In all cases, the end result can be severe yield reductions.

“It is therefore important that farmers use the insecticides that are available now at the full and recommended spray rates,” Dr. Foster said.

“Going in with reduced rates simply gives the insects a greater chance to develop resistance.”

Research is currently ongoing in the UK and Ireland, centred on identifying insects with genes that are resistant to pyrethroid chemistries.

“Suction traps are useful in allowing the identification of specific aphid and other insect populations that are prevalent in a specific area at a particular time,” Foster continued.

“However, the collection containers within the traps contain alcohol and other organic solvents, which act to kill the samples taken, so screening bioassays that need live insects cannot be done.

“The identification of genomic resistance to an insecticide can only be achieved using live insects. This is why it is so important for farmers to play a role in collecting live aphids that are actually populating their crops.”

The Rothamsted scientist went on to point out that the threat of pyrethroid resistance is becoming a very significant issue to the arable farming sector is a very real one.

“Knock down resistance to these specific chemistries has already been identified in a wide range of insects,” he stated.

New chemistries

So is the development of new insecticide chemistries an option for the future?

“In theory, yes,” Foster confirmed.

“However, the cost of getting new insecticides over the line, purely in terms of the challenge posed by the current compliance measures, is prohibitive.

“In the meantime farmers can take fundamental management decisions, which will minimise the risk of losing pyrethroid chemistries.

“In the first instance, insecticides should only be applied to crops on a need-to-use basis.

“The inclusion of green bridges within fields at time of planting will act to prevent the migration of aphids on to growing crops and encourage beneficial insects into the crop,” he added.

Plant breeders will also play an important role in developing new crop varieties with in-built resistance to crop diseases, according to Rothamsted.

“However, if we were to lose the use of pyrethroid chemistries in the near future, either through greater resistance evolving or legislation, the consequences for the arable farming sector would be pretty devastating,” Foster concluded.

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The decision had a direct bearing on all council employees and sub-contractors engaged by the council.

Now the campaign is on to have the ban made permanent and, in addition, for all central government departments in Northern Ireland to implement similar policies.

Leading the anti-glyphosate campaign is the ‘Hive Cancer Support Group’. Jacquie Loughery, a Derry-based member of the group, is also committed to making the city of Derry a ‘pesticide-free’ area in its totality.

She said: “Chemicals, such as glyphosate, are causing severe damage to the environment and people’s health.”

Derry consultation

Jacquie attended the recent public consultation meeting in Derry, profiling the future carbon budget options  for Northern Ireland.

“The European Commission has already taken the decision to ban glyphosate. So it was important for the council to reflect this reality,” Loughery said.

“But it is important that the ban on glyphosate usage is made permanent and that other public bodies In Northern Ireland commit to a similar policy.”

Glyphosate

Meanwhile, pressure is building across Europe to have the use of glyphosate banned completely.

Those who favour this approach point to the introduction of better crop rotations, the use of intercropping, the application of mulches and a great reliance on mechanical weeding systems in a post-glyphosate world.

Others point to the role model that is organic agriculture. They claim farmers committed to this form of production agriculture have shown that it is possible to produce food in ways that work with nature a very fundamental level.

Glyphosate is currently for use in the EU until December 15, 2023. This means it can be used as an active substance in herbicide products until that date, subject to each product being authorised by national authorities following a safety evaluation. 

In 2022, the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) carried out a hazard assessment of glyphosate and concluded that it did not meet the scientific criteria to be classified as a carcinogenic, mutagenic or reprotoxic substance. 

Glyphosate is the most widely used pesticide in the world. However, it has been linked to cancer and can be harmful to wildlife.

It was last approved for use in the EU back in 2017. The five-year licence was extended for another 12 months last December.

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The reference periods are: 2023-2027; 2028-2032; and 2033 to 2037.

These assessments will be factored into Northern Ireland’s draft Climate Action Plan, which is due to be published before the end of this year.

The initial consultation meeting was held in Co. Derry. Attending Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) staff confirmed that the carbon budgets would be based on net emission figures.

In other words, the potential of agricultural soils and farming businesses to sequester carbon will be recognised.

While the impact of Northern Ireland’s Climate Change Act was discussed in detail, it was also confirmed that subsequent legislation will be required to allow for the full implementation of a Climate Action Plan and the accompanying carbon budgets.

Making this happen will require the input of a functioning Executive at Stormont.

Carbon budgets

The discussion document that accompanies the public consultation references many of the recommendations previously made by the UK Climate Change Committee (CCC).

And, specifically, where agriculture is concerned, they include a proposed reduction of the dairy herd by 22%, a 17% reduction in beef cattle numbers plus a 17% reduction in sheep, pig and poultry numbers.

In overall terms, agriculture emissions in Northern Ireland need to fall by 21% from 2020 to 2030.

The widespread adoption of new and improved breeding, feeding and management practices is envisaged as part of process to reduce greenhouse gas (methane and nitrous oxide) emissions.

DAERA’s current consideration of the CCC ‘Pathway for Agriculture’ is within the context of the policies and proposals contained within the decisions on future agricultural policy announced by the then agriculture minister for Northern Ireland, Edwin Poots, in March 2022.

These are aimed at delivering an agricultural industry with improved productivity, improved resilience, improved environmental sustainability and an effective functioning supply chain. This includes also a focus on reducing carbon.

The CCC Pathway assumes a significant reduction in livestock numbers and an associated transition to significant bioenergy cropping and increased forestry on agricultural land.

According to DAERA, the reduction in livestock numbers is based on the assumption that the consumption of livestock products in the UK will fall and that this will lead to an equal reduction in Northern Ireland livestock numbers.

However, DAERA stated that it is conscious of the nature of the Northern Ireland agricultural sector, with very significant markets for livestock products outside the UK.

The department’s assessment, based on the scenario modelling that has been undertaken by the Agricultural Development and Advisory Service (ADAS), is that the policies and proposals within the future agricultural policy programme can deliver in line with the emissions reductions in the CCC advice pathway for the agriculture sector.

The agriculture emission reductions in the first carbon budget will, therefore, be achieved without reductions in the numbers of breeding animals, but with a focus on reducing the number of older, non-breeding animals on farm through improvements in animal productivity.

Land released as a result of the reduction in numbers of older, non-breeding animals will be available for alternative land use activities.

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Launched in 2017, the scheme has actively addressed the challenges faced by young farmers in accessing land and resources while facilitating intergenerational transition within the agricultural sector.

The scheme concludes today (August 31) making way for a new pilot scheme.

Land Mobility Scheme

The YFCU Land Mobility Scheme was an initiative aimed at bridging the gap between aspiring young farmers seeking opportunities and retiring landowners in Northern Ireland looking to transition their properties.

Over the course of six years, the scheme effectively facilitated 125 deals covering 19,000ac of land across the whole of Northern Ireland with participants gaining mutually beneficial exchange of land, knowledge, and expertise.

One of the key themes addressed by the programme was that of sustainable farming.

By enabling young farmers to access land and resources, the scheme contributed to the continued vibrancy and growth of the agricultural sector.

New ideas and technologies were infused into established farming operations, leading to enhanced sustainability and productivity.

Land Mobility manager, John McCallister, commented: “While the chapter of the Land Mobility Scheme may be closing after six remarkable years, its legacy will forever remain a testament to the power of collaboration and progress in our farming communities.

“The bonds forged, the skills exchanged, and the innovations witnessed during this journey will continue to shape the future of our agricultural landscape.”

As the YFCU Land Mobility Scheme concludes, the organisation has expressed its gratitude to all the participants, partners, and supporters who contributed to its success.

The YFCU has said that it remains committed to its mission of empowering young farmers and promoting the vitality of the agricultural sector.

Although the Land Mobility Scheme is ending, the YFCU intends to continue to explore innovative ways to create opportunities, provide resources, and foster the growth of the next generation of agricultural leaders.

The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) plans to launch a pilot scheme called Farming for the Generations over the coming months.  

This programme will deliver a wide range of support for farming families, where the transfer of their farm business from one generation to another is concerned.

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The first of these will be held in Derry tomorrow Thursday, August 31.

It will be followed by an event in Belfast on Tuesday September 5. The final consultation will be hosted online on Thursday, September 7.

All the events will be hosted by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA).

A spokesperson for Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU) said that it is in farmers’ interests to both attend and express their views on the issue of future carbon budgets at these events.

The union is also expecting to attend a specific briefing with DAERA, where carbon budgets are concerned, over the coming weeks.

“There will be one joint sector meeting for agriculture plus Land Use, Land-Use Change and Forestry [LULUCF] stakeholders,” a spokesperson for the UFU said.

“The union will be invited to this meeting.”

William Taylor of Farmers for Action (FFA) confirmed that his organisation will be actively participating in the public consultation.

“Agriculture is more than capable of meeting its climate change commitments. But farmers must get paid adequately for the food they produce,” he said.

Taylor highlighted the role for FFA’s proposed Farm Welfare Bill in this context.

If legislated for, the measure envisages farmers being paid a price that takes full account of all input costs plus an agreed margin to deliver ongoing sustainability at farm level.

All the main food commodities produced in Northern Ireland would be covered in the scope of the legislation that is finally enacted.

FFA envisages the cost of these measures being met by food retailers – not a government body.

“The legislation would also serve to keep out imports of beef from countries such as Australia and Brazil,” Taylor commented.

“From a climate change perspective alone, it makes no sense to import food that is already in abundance locally from half way around the world.

“At the end of the day accelerated climate change comes back to the issue of burning fossil fuels. The continuing wildfires in countries around the world represent a wake-up call for society as a whole, where this critically important issue is concerned.

“A 75% reduction in the usage of fossil fuels would get us to where we need to be in terms of greenhouse gas emission targets,” he concluded.

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The business is managed by the couple and a number of family members.

Their farm extends to 150ac; 135ac are in grass, the remainder is sown out in cereals.

Given the sandy soil and seaside location, the farm is prone to drought. Over the years, soil nutrition and fertility has been improved with the benefit of soil sampling and today boasts pH of 6.2 across the farm with a phosphorous (P) Index of 2 and potassium (K) Index of 3.

The main enterprises on the farm comprise a dairy-bred calf-to-beef operation and a flock of 250 breeding ewes.

The Hendersons’ overall objective is to operate the farm business as efficiently as possible with consideration for the environment.

The overriding priority is to optimise the production and utilisation of grass, while reducing concentrate feeding levels, in order to produce high quality beef and lamb.

The dairy-bred beef operation centres on the purchase of Aberdeen-Angus / British Blue heifers in October / November, mainly from the marts.

These animals are then reared on the farm and finished at around two-years-of-age with a carcass weight of 320-340kg. A mix of O+/R carcass grades is normally achieved.

Calves receive up to 300kg meal during their first winter and rely on quality silage during their second winter with no concentrates fed at grass.

Heifers rotationally graze two-day paddocks (1.5ac) and receive minerals through the drinking water, with calves wormed twice during their first summer.

Sheep are also rotationally grazed with part of the flock now grazing a multi-species sward. Adult ewes lamb indoors during March with the year-olds lambing a month later.

Primera composite rams are used on the flock. Last year 1.71 lambs were weaned per ewe with 56kg concentrates fed per ewe.

The average days to slaughter for lambs is 140 days and considerable improvements in this figure have been achieved in recent years.

Reseeding takes place every 10 years with mainly diploid perennial rye grasses and some tetraploids and white clover used in both grazing and silage swards.

Silage is now based on a three-cut system – early May, late June and late August with big bales used to better utilise surplus grass and provide buffer feeding during periods of drought.

The Hendersons’ silage ground receives 2,500 gallons per acre for every cut along with 80units of N/ac for first cut and 60 units of N for subsequent cuts.

The Hendersons have also committed to carbon benchmarking. To date, this work has confirmed 21.9kg carbon output per kg of beef produce.

The equivalent deadweight carbon figure for lambs is and 26.4kg. No account taken of carbon sequestration levels within the farm business is taken account of in these calculations.

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Speaking at the recent 50^th anniversary event for Teemore Engineering, the Cavan-Monaghan TD specifically highlighted the pressure on dairy farmgate returns at the present time.

“Obviously, the Irish government cannot step in and directly support farmer prices,” he said.

“What’s happening within the milk sector at the present time is typical of the cyclical trends that impact on food commodity markets around the world.

“We have seen the same pressures impacting on pig, beef, poultry and lamb markets over recent years.

“Under these circumstances, it’s important for all the sectors within the farming food chain to come together and deliver the highest possible levels of stability for farmers.”

Turning to the upcoming budget, Smith confirmed the need for the Irish government to address the challenges posed by the new nitrates regulations.

He specifically highlighted the requirement for tillage farmers to be put on a ‘level playing field’ when it comes to leasing the land they need to sustain their businesses.

“The government can look at relevant tax measures in two ways,” he said.

“First off, all the current tax exemptions that are in place for farmers must be retained. And if further changes to the current tax landscape can be looked at, as a means of supporting farm businesses, these should also be examined.”

Smith was joined by Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) agriculture spokesman, Tom Elliott, at the Teemore event.

The Fermanagh – South Tyrone MLA is urging dairy farmers, milk processers and animal feed companies to work closely together over the coming months.

He made the call against the expectation of further pressure coming on international milk markets over the coming months.

“There is little prospect of dairy markets improving before the end of this year,” Elliott said.

“Given this challenging scenario, it is important for milk processers and meal companies to be mindful of the pressures that are already coming on dairy farmer margins.

“Obviously, milk producers will have no option to tighten their belts. But, in truth, it really is a case of everyone involved within the dairy sector cooperating in the most effective way possible.

“Dairy markets will strengthen again; the problem is that no one is in a position to predict when this will happen.”

“The milk industry has been here before on a number of occasions. The sector has always rebounded, bigger and better. I am in no doubt that such will be the case again.”

The post Brendan Smith – ‘farmers must have access to sustainable prices’ appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

The recent farm walk hosted by Fivemiltown-based, pedigree Angus breeder – Ian Browne – provided a perfect platform for an in depth discussion on this subject.

Ian farms with his son Harry on a productive grassland farm, located right on the border between counties Tyrone and Fermanagh.

Their pedigree Angus herd comprises 100 cows and followers. It is one of the most significant breeding operations of its kind in Northern Ireland. Ian and Harry also keep a small number of pedigree Hereford cattle.

Their Angus herd contains 20 red-coloured breeding females.

“The vast bulk of our customers are dairy farmers looking to buy black Aberdeen Angus bulls,” Ian explained.

“They are looking for an animal that will produce a high quality calf that is eligible for all of the current Aberdeen Angus beef quality schemes.

“However, there is a growing demand for red Angus bulls within the suckler sector. When crossed, with a Charolais cow, for example, the resulting calf has that deep cream colour that is widely sought by beef finishers.”

Black or red Aberdeen Angus

According to Ian Browne, there is no difference in the overall performance levels that can be achieved by red and black coloured Angus cattle.

“The difference in coat colour is the only factor coming into play,” he explained.

Crossing a red Aberdeen Angus bull with a black cow will always produce a black calf and vice versa. The production of a red calf will only be guaranteed when a red bull is crossed with a red cow.

“However, the red trait can come through in the second generation,” Ian added.

“We have 20 red cows in the herd at the present time. The plan is to keep numbers at this level.”

It turns out that Europe is out of step with the rest of the world, where red Aberdeen Angus cattle predominate.

They are the predominant Angus option in the United States, Canada, across South America and Australia.

Red is a naturally occurring colour trait within the Aberdeen Angus breed; it is not a mutation.

It has been the case that black cattle have been chosen as the bloodlines of choice in the UK and Ireland for many generations.

Genetic assessment has confirmed that, coat colour apart, red Angus animals are identical to the Scottish population of Aberdeen Angus cattle.

Today, red Angus stock are registered separately from black Angus cattle in Australia, Canada, and the United States.  

Red Angus cattle are naturally polled. Mature bulls have an average live weight of 935kg; the equivalent figure for cows is 635kg.

The Scottish Angus is usually black, but red individuals occur. This may be the consequence of cross-breeding in the 18th century of the small Scottish cattle with larger English Longhorn stock, aimed at increasing their draught power.  

Management

Making best use of grazed grass is an absolute priority for Ian Browne. He puts the bulls out with the cows and heifers at the beginning of July.

This means that the first calves of the year are not born until April.

“The vast majority of our mature cows will calve outdoors without assistance,” Ian commented.

“Obviously, we keep a closer eye on first-calving heifers. We do not feed creep to calves at all. The only animals on the farm receiving meal are young breeding bulls in preparation for sale.

“Our breeding bulls are sold at around 18 months of age. They are brought together in groups of 10 with potential buyers given full access to all the animals for sale at a particular time.”

The myriad quality beef schemes continue to encourage demand for Aberdeen Angus cattle across the island of Ireland. As part of this, all pedigree Angus cattle are fully genotyped at birth.

The beef industry across the UK and Ireland is changing with dairy calf-to-beef systems rising in prominence.

Farmers adopting these systems are more than happy to work with Aberdeen Angus cross calves, provided they are of a suitable quality.

College of Agriculture Food and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE) beef and sheep advisor, Gareth Beacom, was the guest speaker at the farm walk hosted by Ian Browne.

Courtesy of his presentation, he highlighted the central role that grazed grass can play within all livestock production systems.

“Grazed grass remains the cheapest feed that farmers can offer their stock. It costs 6p to produce one kg of grass dry matter; the equivalent figures for silage and concentrates are 12p and 27p respectively,” Beacom explained.

“GrassCheck figures confirm that grass crude protein figures will remain at around 20% throughout the grazing season.

“This fact alone makes grass a very valuable feed input, when one compares the cost of procuring meals with a similar protein value.

“However, the energy contained within grass swards will vary throughout the year, decreasing as the autumn period approaches,” he added.

Beacom explained that it is possible to finish cattle on grazed grass alone during the early summer period adding that offering meals at this stage is simply adding costs for no reason.

“The cattle will take the meals offered to them. But they will only be substituting the concentrate for the grass that is already available to them,” Gareth added.

“Maximising the energy intake of cattle during the finishing period is crucially important. This ensures that the animals have the correct level of fat cover.

“Animals can be finished at grass during the autumn period. But meal supplementation will be necessary in order to ensure that energy intakes are at the correct levels.”#

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According to the organisation, this has been triggered by a damaging mix of rising input costs and falling returns, with no signs of any early improvement.

UFU president David Brown commented: “This is as serious a financial situation as many farmers can remember.

“The industry has always had a good and a positive relationship with the banks and farmers have been valued and profitable customers for generations.

“That is why the banks need to do more to respond to this crisis, particularly as the nights drawing in confirms more costly times are on the way for farm businesses.”

Banks should support farmers

The UFU said farmers facing financial difficulties often feel alone, but that this is certainly not the case now.  

According to David Brown, this is why farming families need the reassurance that banks will work with them to get through this crisis.  

“We are receiving an increasing number of calls from members, and it is depressingly clear there are problems across the industry on farms of all sizes and enterprises,” Brown continued.

“The current market prices are unsustainable and once again, the primary producer is taking the brunt of the price squeeze.

Global dairy markets remain difficult, due to ample global supplies of dairy products and weaker demand, particularly from China. Market assessments for a better final quarter to 2023 now look wide of the mark by a long way.”

The UFU president explained that beef and sheep prices have been, and remain, poor, and input costs are rising relentlessly.

The union has said that against that background, all banks need to do more now to engage with their farming customers in a discussion around what products are available to help ease cash flow problems.

“The UFU will be engaging with banks and other credit providers to ensure farmers are properly supported over the coming months. This is an approach that will head off potentially even more difficult months ahead for farmers and the banks – a clear case of it making sense to talk,” Brown said.

Ulster Bank

Ulster Bank’s head of agriculture, Cormac McKervey, has confirmed that dairy margins in Northern Ireland are coming under pressure.

“The dairy sector is coming under significant economic pressure at the present time. But the industry has been here before,” he said.

“The structure of Northern Ireland’s milk sector is inherently stable. And Ulster Bank will aim to support customers over the coming months.” 

Farming in Northern Ireland came into 2023 with total borrowings in the form of loans and overdrafts sitting at around £1.1 billon.

Monies on account have risen steadily in recent years with that figure currently sitting at around £500 million.

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He made the call against the backdrop of further pressure coming on international milk markets.

“There is little prospect of dairy markets improving before the end of this year,” Elliott said.

“Given this challenging scenario, it is important for milk processors and meal companies to be mindful of the pressures that are already coming on dairy farmer margins.

“Obviously, milk producers will have no option to tighten their belts. But, in truth, it really is a case of everyone involved within the dairy sector cooperating in the most effective way possible.

“Dairy markets will strengthen again; the problem is that no one is in a position to predict when this will happen,” he added.

Farmers in Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland is home to 300,000 cows. It is estimated that 50% of these animals will calve during the autumn and early winter period. It is a form of milk production that requires a high level of concentrate feeding.

“Single farm payments will be arriving in producer bank accounts during the first week of September,” Elliott continued.

“This will provide a welcome boost for farmers across all the sectors. I would urge farmers that they make best use of the single payments monies as they plan for the winter ahead.”

Elliott is to meet Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) permanent secretary, Katrina Godfrey, later this week.

“We will be discussing a number of issues relating to the upcoming budget and the continuing campaign to the reduce the levels of ammonia, produced by farm businesses in Northern Ireland,” he said.

Milk apart, Tom Elliott is of the view that agriculture in Northern Ireland enters the autumn/winner period pretty much on an even keel.

“The poultry and pig sectors had been under considerable economic pressure earlier in the year,” he said.

“But the good news is that market prices have turned in a more positive direction, where both industries are concerned.”

The post Farmers urged to work with milk processors and feed companies appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

The company has grown to become one of the largest private sector employers in the south west Fermanagh area.

Established by Victor Wilson and David McMullen in 1973, Teemore has been to the fore in the design, supply and manufacture of livestock housing and handling equipment.

Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU) president David Brown spoke at the 50^th anniversary event.

He highlighted the remarkable role played by Teemore Engineering in creating so much high-value employment opportunities in Fermanagh.

“Teemore has always been at the fore in bringing new thinking and innovation to bear in terms of the products and services it provides.

“In turn, this has been of huge benefit to farmers throughout the island of Ireland and the UK.”

Victor Wilson added: “The vision for the business has always been to develop new engineering concepts that will deliver greater levels of efficiency within agriculture.

“Looking back over five decades, I take great satisfaction from the fact that Teemore Engineering has such a strong reputation in this regard.

“I would like to particularly thank all our customers for their support, so many of whom come back to us time after time.”

Support for Teemore Engineering

Victor Wilson thanked Fermanagh Council and numerous government support agencies for the support received over many years.

Colin Wilson, the current managing director of Teemore, commented: “I believe we can look forward to an extremely bright future.

“We have recently committed to a £1 million investment programme at the company, one which will allow us to significantly expand the scope of the business. This project will get underway in early 2024.”

Teemore currently employs 55 people, generating an annual turnover of approximately £16 million.

The company supplies a selection of housing, flooring, fencing, feeding and bespoke animal management solutions for farmers in the dairy, beef, sheep and equine sectors.

“Farm businesses face pressure to become more sustainable. Lowering emissions and increasing productivity through better animal husbandry and welfare are seen as key strategic goals for the future,” Colin Wilson said.

“Advancements in housing technologies and correct equipment will reduce ammonia emissions, improve animal health and comfort, and reduce the need for medical intervention.

“These will essentially lead to more sustainable farming businesses achieving higher levels of productivity.”

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The project is part of a Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) research challenge fund initiative that has been developed, in partnership with the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI).

Accurately estimating grass covers is crucial for maximising grassland utilisation, grazing efficiency, and meeting livestock demand in rotational grazing systems.

However, the additional labour required to conduct regular paddock walks to measure grassland (either by using a rising plate meter or by cutting and weighing), and accurately recording data can put many farmers off, despite the clear benefits.

In response, AgriSearch and AFBI have completed a research project evaluating new precision technologies, which have recently come available, to measure grass covers, which reduce labour requirements in comparison to traditional grass measurement methods.

It is hoped such innovations will encourage farmers to adopt technology to improve grazing efficiency and grass utilisation.

Grass cover estimation

The precision technologies evaluated within the project included a range of remote and ground-based technology, such as a ‘Smart Platemeter’ that connects to the user’s phone via bluetooth to speed up data entry, and a C-Dax trailed Pasture Meter that can be towed by an all-terrain vehicle (ATV).

The remote precision technologies reviewed courtesy of the project, comprised a range of drone and satellite technology which were able to measure the reflectance of near infrared light by chlorophyll in vegetation to estimate grass cover.

As part of the project, two plot experiments commenced in 2018 and 2021 at AFBI Hillsborough, where both remote (satellite and drone) and ground-based technologies were tested to compare cover estimation accuracy against cut and weigh protocol.

This involved the establishment of a large number of perennial ryegrass trial plots to evaluate the accuracy of technology at a range of different grass covers that would be representative of conditions experienced on Northern Ireland farms.

Findings from the plot experiments indicated there is opportunity for advanced ground and remote technologies to be used within precision grazing systems in Northern Ireland, with grass cover estimation accuracy similar to that of existing grass measurement technology currently used on farm.

However, further development of these technologies is required, in order to be able to integrate them on farm.

Booklet

The new booklet draws a number of specific conclusions.

Different vegetation indices obtained with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and multispectral cameras have shown strong correlations with pasture biomass in some studies.

However, complex photogrammetry processing and the saturation of reflectance from the dense grazing swards generated through good grassland management remain a barrier to the utilisation of this technology on-farm.

In practical terms, while these approaches show some promise, further development is required before they will be available as commercial packages.

While the process of image collection with a UAV may be speedier than plate-metering a paddock, associated issues such as licensing and training requirements, planning and subsequent image processing do not currently seem to offer the significant time savings, which are desired.

The GrassHopper smart plate meter trialled did the job of recording grass covers equally well to the older style traditional plate meter, while making data recording and interpretation much simpler and faster through the automated upload and processing.

Interpreting automatically processed data from the trailed pasture meter was equally straightforward, and the operation via ATV offers an attractive alternative to using a plate meter, although accuracy remains a concern and the equipment requires a greater cost outlay, the project determined.

Satellite-derived estimations of grass cover were rapid and easy to obtain, although cloud cover and the irregularity of satellite passes was limiting for data collection.

The overall accuracy of the satellite platform tested was low in this trial, but this was highly variable within the study.

With coming improvements to allow data collection regardless of cloud cover, and combined with ground-truth measurements on a proportion of the grazing platform, these remote sensing estimates may well offer more rapid access to grass cover estimate for farmers.

The post Agrisearch publishes new booklet on grass cover estimation appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

“With the ongoing cost-of-living crisis, it would not surprise anybody to know that rural communities reliant on heating oil are being disproportionately hit," he said.

“Around 82% of the population who reside in rural areas are heavily reliant on heating oil, which trades in an unregulated market.

“This is further exasperated due to the size and age of some rural buildings which are less fuel efficient, therefore this leads to more costs for the rural community.”

Elliott claims that this will negatively affect the local economy of rural areas, as less spending power by the consumer leads to less money being put back into the local economy.

Rural fuel poverty

Elliott continued: “It is important that government should review regulation of the fuel services provision to ensure that severe spikes in fuel costs can be avoided.”

The rate of fuel poverty in Northern Ireland currently stands at 22%. There are three factors coming into play – income, the cost of energys and the domestic energy efficiency of houses.

There are two schemes currently operating, both managed by the north’s Department of the Communities, which specifically addresses the challenge of fuel poverty.

The Boiler Replacement Scheme is for owner-occupiers whose total gross income is less than £40,000 and is to help with the cost of replacing boilers which are 15 years old or older with new boilers.

The Affordable Warmth Scheme is the Department for Communities’ scheme for addressing fuel poverty in the private sector.

It is delivered across Northern Ireland on behalf of the department by the Northern Ireland Housing Executive and 11 local councils. Households that have a total gross annual income of less than £20,000 can apply.

Measures are also in place to temporarily increase the Winter Fuel Payment lump sum available in Northern Ireland by £300 for winter 2023/2024.

Normally, people aged 66-79 receive lump sums up to £200 as a winter fuel payment, and people aged 80 or over receive up to £300, depending on their circumstances.

However, last November saw the UK’s Chancellor of the Exchequer announce further support to help with the cost-of-living crisis. This includes an increase of £300 to winter fuel payments for the winter of 2023/2024.

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This is a direct result of the drier conditions that have impacted across the country over recent days.

By the end of last week, more than 37% of the GB winter wheat area had been harvested.

However, there is a large variation in progress, ranging from 2% in Yorkshire to over 60% harvested in the southeast.

In Yorkshire, it has been reported that priority has been given to harvesting spring barley, especially malting varieties, in an effort to preserve grain quality. As a result, winter wheat harvest progress has been slow.

In some regions, storms and heavy rain have led to reports of lodging, notably in the northeast of England.

But the overall rate of lodging remains relatively low. There have been reports of ergot identified in some loads in the east midlands. But, significantly, there have not been any reported rejections currently.

Winter wheat harvest yields

Where yields are concerned, early reports point to winter wheat tonnages being positive across many regions.

However, variation across regions is clear, with soil type also impacting this, according to the AHDB.

In Yorkshire, although winter wheat harvest has not progressed much, it is noted that early yield indications suggest that crops on lighter land have suffered more with lower yields.

Water stress towards the end of the growing season caused some grains to become shrivelled.

Early indications of yields on-farm are ranging from 5.5-12.5 t/ha, with higher yields typically achieved on heavier land than crops on the lighter soils.

Typical average GB winter wheat yields up to the middle/end of last week are estimated between 7.7-8.3 t/ha. These are well within the the five-year average yield figures.

Specific weights are ranging between 72-78 kg/hl on farm. The GB average is currently 74-76 kg/hl.

Hagberg falling number (HFN) values are ranging between 260 and 300 nationally. There is limited information regionally.

However, reports from the east midlands would indicate that early harvested crops have come in with HFN values averaging around 280.

In the south-east, the HFN range is between 270 and 320. In the south-west, HFN are slowly declining, but the majority of high-quality wheat has now been harvested in this region.

 Up to this point protein levels have been ranging from 12.5-13%.

There is limited reporting of this information so far but in the east midlands, early harvested crops show protein content to be at 12.6%.

The average grain moisture is around 16.2%, with the GB average set between 16% and 17%. There has been a variation in drying requirements depending on weather.

However it has been reported that less grain drying, notably in the west midlands, has been needed over the past week due to drier weather conditions.

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This is the computer-based facility that delivers full traceability for Northern Ireland’s cattle and sheep sectors.

The service went down on Sunday evening (August 20) as part of a greater IT ‘crash’ across many of Northern Ireland’s civil service departments.

Large queues of farmers with cattle due for slaughter had built up at a number of meat plants yesterday morning (Monday, August 21).

The incident left many farmers wanting to know why adequate back-up facilities have not been put in place by DAERA when IT problems of this nature arise.

Upgrade of APHIS

Meanwhile, plans remain in place to upgrade APHIS to the Northern Ireland Food Animal Information System (NIFAIS) on Monday, September 4.

This is a project that has been beset with delays. A number of previous attempts have been made to complete this transition, all ending in delay.

DAERA has already spent millions of pounds putting the replacement for APHIS in place.

The project is years behind schedule and has already been the focus of a report from the office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (C&AG) for Northern Ireland.

The C&AG referenced a litany of mistakes and shortcomings that relate to the introduction of NIFAIS. Many of these were apparent from the very outset of the project.

The end result has been years of delay in getting a feasible alternative to APHIS off the ground plus the escalating costs associated with all of this.

The effective introduction of NIFAIS is a priority for Northern Ireland’s beef, dairy and sheep sectors.

For the last decade or more, APHIS was lauded as the system that gives Northern Ireland’s food sectors that all-important advantage on export markets, where guarantees of full traceability from farm to fork are concerned.

The post DAERA confirms APHIS is up and running again appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

The sale is proceeding despite Northern Ireland’s livestock traceability system, or Animal and Public Health Information System (APHIS), having ‘crashed’ since yesterday (Sunday, August 20)

Auctioneer, Hampton Hewitt, told Agriland: “Assuming that APHIS is still not operating, mart staff will process all the relevant permits manually.

“But this will take time. We would specifically ask all vendors to reference their farm quality assured status on incoming permits.

“We will issue an outgoing permit to all buyers. All relevant data will be uploaded onto APHIS, once the system comes back online.”

APHIS off-line

APHIS went down on Sunday as part of a wider IT malfunction that impacted most of Northern Ireland’s civil service departments.

Queues of farmers with cattle to be slaughtered had been forming at some meat plants since earlier this morning (Monday, August 21).

A representative from the north’s meat industry confirmed to Agriland that cattle held in lairages overnight had been slaughtered first thing this morning on welfare grounds.

Vets will check through the paperwork on these animals as soon as APHIS comes back online.

The plants have been in touch with farmers scheduled to deliver cattle today, advising them not to take cattle in for slaughter.

Upgrade of the system

Meanwhile, the upgrade of APHIS to the Northern Ireland Food Animal Information System (NIFAIS) remains set to take place on Monday, September 4.

Because the transfer of all bovine data to NIFAIS from APHIS is a complex process and to reduce the risk of data loss or corruption, there will be restrictions on bovine tuberculosis (bTB) testing throughout a three-week period, from August 21 to September 11, 2023.

Reactor testing will take place during weeks one and three of the schedule.

There may be a short delay in the removal of reactors due to a reduction in the processing of valuations on APHIS and the generation of movement licences. 

Any disruption is expected to be kept to a minimum and reactors must remain isolated until removed.

The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) said it will be working with all parties to ensure any delays in paying compensation are minimised.

Tag suppliers will have restricted access to NIFAIS during the weekend of September 2 and 3, 2023, so people are being advised to place orders for tags in advance of these dates.

The post Markethill cattle sale to go ahead despite APHIS malfunction appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

The list comprises Zone 2 of the Soil Nutrient Health Scheme (SNHS), the Forestry Expansion Scheme (FES) and the Small Woodland Grant Scheme.

Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) agriculture spokesperson, Tom Elliott, is encouraging all farmers in the Fermanagh, west Tyrone and west Armagh catchment area to sign-up for Zone 2 of the SNHS.

“This is a very beneficial measure. It will provide detailed soil-related information on every field within a farming business,” the MLA explained.

“So it makes total sense for all farmers to sign up for the new measure; the application deadline is Thursday, August 31.

“I have filled in a number of Zone 2 applications on behalf of constituents. These are quite straightforward forms to complete.”

Elliott said he is also mindful of the fact that failure on the part of farmers to sign-up for the SNHS rules them ineligible for future farm support measures.

“Obviously, this is another key reason for all farmers to sign-up for the new soil scheme,” he said.

Other farming schemes in Northern Ireland

Meanwhile Premier Woodlands managing director, John Hetherington, has confirmed that 2023 is the first year in which FES will be fully supported by UK national funding.

“Up to this point, an element of European Union (EU) support had been available for the scheme,” he said.

“Looking ahead, it seems likely that FES, or a scheme similar to it, will be continued into the future, possibly with ongoing revisions or updates.

“The bottom line is that forestry and woodland development remain long-term investment opportunities for farmers and landowners. And they need certainty, where future planning of this kind is required.”      

Forest Service has confirmed that 50,000ha of new woodland creation will need to be planted out in trees by 2050 as part of a cohesive response to the climate change regulations that are now legally binding in Northern Ireland.

And this new planting target could be increased further by an additional 20,000ha to compensate for forest to bog restoration peatland previously planted out in trees mainly within the Forest Service Estate.

These figures were unveiled at a recent stakeholder meeting, hosted by Forest Service.

Hetherington, who was in attendance commented: “The overarching target is to have 12% of Northern Ireland’s total land area planted in trees by 2050.

“The scale of the actual planting areas is a direct consequence of the binding target that is now legislated for within the Northern Ireland Climate Change Act.

“It’s my understanding that Forest Service will be publishing an action plan, one that clarifies how this future tree-planting strategy will be implemented.”

According to the Premier Woodlands representative, annual tree planting rates of up to 2,500ha will have to be achieved between now and 2050, if the climate change targets are to be met.

“This is almost 10 times the current planting figure,” he added. 

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The end result is that Northern Ireland’s movement permit system is not currently operating.

Queues of farmers with cattle to be slaughtered had been forming at some meat plants since earlier this morning (Monday, August 21).

A representative from the north’s meat industry confirmed to Agriland that cattle held in lairages overnight had been slaughtered first thing this morning on welfare grounds.

Vets will check through the paperwork on these animals as soon as APHIS comes back online.

The plants have been in touch with farmers scheduled to deliver cattle today, advising them not to take cattle in for slaughter.

However, some farmers had not been contacted in time. Those who managed to get their cattle through the gates of the plants have been allowed to offload their animals; they will be placed in lairage and slaughtered as a matter of priority.

Those who were left queuing outside the gates of premises were advised of developments and asked to take their cattle back home.

The Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU) has confirmed that the APHIS crash is part of a larger IT malfunction within Northern Ireland’s entire public service.

It is not known when APHIS will come back online. The union said it is enquiring into this issue as a matter of priority.  

APHIS

Using APHIS online, farmers can:

• Register cattle births, deaths and stillborns;
• Produce movement notification of cattle moving off the herd to market, abattoir or farm;
• Confirm cattle movements into a herd;
• Use APHIS as the herd book
• View and download a herd list including information about animals DAERA statuses, TB and Br test results and export eligibility;
• View movement and progeny history of every animal in a herd;
• View post- and ante-mortem details of slaughtered animals;
• Produce a report to count and classify animals in accordance with the Nitrate Action Programme.

The post Queues at meat plants as APHIS computer system crashes appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

The organisation was formed in 1997 to help dairy, beef and sheep farmers become directly involved with production-oriented research.

AgriSearch is an independent charity, incorporated as a company limited by guarantee.

The person appointed to the new post will work alongside AgriSearch general manager, Jason Rankin.

AgriSearch chairman, Prof. Gerry Boyle commented: “The new person will take on a lot of the day-to-day administration activities. The reality is that Jason cannot be expected to do all of the work involved with AgriSearch by himself. He needs help.

“The appointment of the new operations manager will allow Jason to take on a more strategic role within the organisation.”

AgriSearch support

Boyle said he is very conscious that a myriad new farm support and climate change-related measures will be introduced.

He has made it clear that AgriSearch will not seek to play any role as a delivery agent in this context. Rather the organisation will seek to ensure that all new schemes will be implemented in the most efficient way possible.

“And we can do this by nudging organisations, including Queen’s University Belfast and the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute, in the right direction in terms of the research work they carry out,” he added.

“AgriSearch is unique on the island of Ireland in securing its funding exclusively by way of levies collected from dairy, beef and sheep farmers.”

Meanwhile, an opportunity has arisen for an independent farmer trustee to join the board of AgriSearch.

The successful applicant will be actively involved in livestock farming and may have experience of working with the voluntary sector.

The appointed person will be able to demonstrate a strong interest in Northern Ireland’s agri-food sector; the challenges it faces and the role that science can play in addressing these.

Gerry Boyle explained: “Trustees have considerable influence over the strategy of the organisation and play an important role in its effectiveness.

“The Trustees are responsible for ensuring that the organisation operates according to its constitution and that the financial management of the organisation is sound.”

Boyle explained that in recent years, AgriSearch’s role has grown from mainly being a co-funder of research to taking a much more active role in leading projects and acting as a liaison between researchers, advisors and the industry.

“It also has a key role in articulating the research and innovation needs of beef, sheep and dairy farmers,” Boyle said.

“AgriSerach now has a pivotal role within the research and knowledge exchange functions for Northern Ireland’s ruminant livestock sector.”

The post AgriSearch to appoint new operations manager appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

This was the key take-home message delivered by Signet Breeding geneticist, Sam Boon, during his presentation to the recent EasyCare sheep open evening, hosted by Co. Antrim flock owner Campbell Tweed,

According to Boon, 2023 marks 50 years of the Agricultural and Horticultural Development Board (AHDB) Signet programme in the UK, a period of time that has seen a revolution in the science associated with the performance recording of sheep.

“The good news is that the rate of genetic gain within the sheep sector is now increasing at an exponential rate. And this is tremendous news for commercial flock owners,” he explained.

“It is now possible to breed for so many traits that are performance recorded.

“These include ewe longevity and the ability of a ewe to rear her lambs. Lamb growth rates remain a critically important trait to assess within all sheep enterprises.”

Sheep recording

Boon went on to point out that the numbers of sheep being recorded does matter. The larger the population of sheep under assessment, the faster rate of genetic gain that can be achieved.

“Where sheep are concerned, the generational interval is quite small. Hence the potential to drive genetic progress that much faster,” he commented.

In the case of Campbell Tweed’s Ballycoose flock, 4,000 lambs are recorded courtesy of the Signet programme on an annual basis.

Campbell also utilises the recording facilities available through Sheep Ireland.

Parasite resistance

Specifically, where parasite resistance to wormers within sheep flocks is concerned, Boon stressed the important role that genetic evaluations can play into the future.

But is the challenge one that centres solely on genetic resistance or should flock owners be breeding for flock resilience, where these matters are concerned?

Research has identified genetic differences between sheep in the strength of their acquired resistance to internal worm parasites.

If these differences can be identified by measurements in sheep, this trait can be incorporated into genetic evaluations and improved through selective breeding.

But selection for resistance alone comes at a cost, which can result in a reduction in overall performance.

In the opinion of Sam Boon, flock owners should select for resistance in conjunction with other performance traits, such as growth rate, carcase quality and maternal ability.

Carbon footprint

According to the Signet breeding specialist, ongoing genetic assessment will also allow farmers to identify sheep with a low carbon footprint.

July of this year saw the sheep sector in England awarded £2.9 million by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (Defra) in order to specifically identify animals with a low carbon footprint.

This work will constitute a three-year initiative. The project has been titled ‘Breed for CH4nge’.

It will measure methane emissions from a total of 13,500 sheep in 45 flocks, collect the necessary data and build and develop the tools required to genetically reduce methane emissions and improve the efficiency of the national flock.

The initiative will eventually demonstrate the impact of low-carbon sheep on whole farm carbon footprints.

Signet is one of a number of organisations delivering scientific expertise to the project.

“AHDB is delighted to share news of our involvement in ‘Breed for CH4nge’, an industry collaboration that will help to breed sheep with a naturally low carbon footprint,” Boon continued.

“There are a number of exciting elements to the project that align closely to AHDB’s research interests, and the genetic services delivered by Signet.

“The project will enhance our knowledge of genomics, breeding for parasite resistance and CT scanning, whilst assessing the benefits of using Portable Accumulation Chambers to predict methane emissions in grazing sheep.”

The Ballycoose flock

Ballycoose farm is home to 3,000 EasyCare ewes.

The entire operation is managed by three full-time staff. This, in itself, is a very powerful illustration of what ‘EasyCare’ sheep management is all about.

Campbell took the decision of going down the self-shedding route after the wool price crash of 1999.

His initial investment centred on the acquisition of Wiltshire Horn rams, which he purchased in Northern Ireland. Up to that point, the Ballycoose flock comprised a mix of Newton Stewart Blackface and Colbred ewes.

Within a relatively short period of years, he fully committed to the EasyCare breed, the first of which he imported from Iolo Owen in Wales.

The EasyCare is a composite breed of sheep comprising mostly Welsh Mountain and Wiltshire Horn bloodlines. It was developed almost 60 years ago with breed members specifically selected for their wool-shedding and polled traits.

10 years prior to his switch to self-shedding sheep, Campbell had committed to complete animal recording within the flock.

“There is no splitting of the flock into groups. Each lamb is tagged at birth and, thereafter, electronically recorded on a regular basis throughout the period of its stay on the farm,” he explained.

“From a breeding point of view, we cull on a consistent basis.

“Obviously, we will assist any ewe that has a problem lambing. However, that female and her lambs will not be retained for further breeding purposes. Nor will we sell these animals on to other breeders; they are all sent for slaughter at the appropriate time.

“We take a similar approach, where lameness is concerned. Obviously, any animal can succumb to a problem of this kind. However, if the issue arises again, after the initial treatment, it will not be retained for breeding.”

EasyCare sheep

Campbell believes that EasyCare sheep have a key role to play on sheep farms of all types.

“They are particularly suited to flock owners who work from 9:00a.m to 5:00p.m between Monday and Friday. To a large extent, the sheep can manage themselves,” Tweed said.

Campbell is currently selling both breeding EasyCare ewes and lambs to flock owners throughout Ireland and the UK.

“We are offering fully recorded stock that can add significantly to any sheep enterprise. Demand for EasyCare bloodlines is on the up and this trend shows no sign of diminishing,” he said.

He is quick to confirm that the self-shedding ability of the breed is a big selling point.

“Back when Blackface sheep were our main focus, we would have sold up to 7t of wool on an annual basis,” Campbell further explained.

“Last year that figure dropped to around 600kg.”

On the back of the commitment to comprehensive sheep recording, demand for Ballycoose bloodlines is increasing on an international basis.

In 2020 EasyCare rams were selected by Shrewsbury based Farmgene Ltd. from the Ballycoose flock.

Progeny from this selection were sold very successfully in two sales in New Zealand earlier this year.

The post Genomics will ‘revolutionise’ performance in sheep sector appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

However, the organisation’s coordinator, William Taylor, said he fully recognises that nothing can happen to facilitate this development while the Stormont Executive remains moth-balled.

The proposed legislation has been a cornerstone of FFA policy for the past number of years.

“FFA was established some 20 years ago to deliver sustainable prices for farmers throughout Northern Ireland,” Taylor told Agriland.

“Our Farm Welfare Bill addresses this issue from two fundamental directions; food security is one, the other relates to a comprehensive response on behalf of the entire farming industry to climate change.”

According to the FFA representative, it should be possible to have the proposed legislation passed into law within 12 months of Stormont being reinstated.

“Until recently, we thought this might happen in the run-up to Christmas. However, it now seems that we are looking at some date beyond the next Westminster election.”

Farm Welfare Bill

The Farm Welfare Bill envisages farmers being paid a price that takes full account of all input costs plus an agreed margin to deliver ongoing sustainability at farm levels.

All the main food commodities produced in Northern Ireland would be covered in the scope of the legislation that is finally enacted.

“The legislation would also serve to keep out imports of beef from countries such as Australia and Brazil,” Taylor commented.

“From a climate change perspective alone, it makes no sense to import food that is already in abundance locally, from half way around the world.”

Once legislated for in Northern Ireland, William Taylor believes that the Farm Welfare Bill will have a positive ripple effect on an all-island basis.

“The same principle holds where the rest of the UK is concerned,” he suggested.

The bill references the appointment of a Fair Farm Gate Pricing Panel, the members of which will oversee the compilation and maintenance of the relevant prices paid back to primary producers.

According to William Taylor the funding for all of this will come courtesy of the supermarkets and the corporates within the farming and food sector redistributing their profits back down the supply chain to farmers.

“Currently, the proposed legislation is resonating with many of our politicians because it highlights the stress that so many local farm families are under,” he said.

“Much of this is being generated on the back of the poor prices that farmers are receiving for their produce at the present time.”

The post Farmers For Action: Need for a Farm Welfare Bill appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

“Barley yields were disappointing for the most part with crops ranging from 2.5t-3.5t/ac,” he said.

“Brackling was a real issue in winter barley this year with ears dropping to the ground.

“Moisture contents came in at 16% to 25%. In many cases, growers have had to factor-in a fairly hefty drying cost, in order to get grain down to 15% moisture.”

Most barley straw produced in Northern Ireland has been rounded up. But quality is poor.

Some farmers have taken the decision to chop up barley straw and plough it back in. This will be at their own cost, as there is no Straw Incorporation Measure available in Northern Ireland.

“Some growers are also lining the bottom of their silos with chopped straw. This will catch a lot of the effluent coming off the very wet grass going into pits at the present time,” Owens told Agriland.

Arable in Northern Ireland

Turning to wheat, Owens said that crops are yielding well; 3t to 4.5t/ac. But here again moisture levels are very high at 18% to 22%.

“Drying charges are adding significantly to growers’ costs across the board this year,” he commented.

Meanwhile, winter beans are turning out to be one of the success stories in Northern Ireland for 2023.

“Crops are looking well at the present time,” Owens confirmed.

“The Protein Aid Scheme, offering £300/ha for beans, has really encouraged farmers to push on with the crop.

“Beans require no chemical nitrogen while also providing a tremendous entry point for first wheats within an arable rotation.”

According to Owens, the first of this year’s spring barley crops in Northern Ireland will be desiccated within the next 10 days to a fortnight.

“The heavy rains of recent weeks actually brought on a lot of later sown crops, which were looking very poor up to that point,” he said.

“Some crops actually went down some weeks ago. This was a direct result of the heavy rain and strong winds. But it’s not the end of the world, as the crops in question were actively growing at the time.”

Silage

Meanwhile the area of crop silages grown in Northern Ireland continues to expand.

“Winter rye is proving popular with dairy and beef farmers. Crops are extremely high yielding with silages performing well from an animal performance perspective,” Owens said.

“Livestock farmers, for the most part, do not have rain drying facilities available to them. So the prospects of putting in rye during September and harvesting it as a crop silage the following July is attractive.

“Another arable silage alternative that has taken off this year is the combi-crop option of peas, spring barley and spring oats.

“Because of the peas, the crop does not require bagged nitrogen. The peas also represent a very valuable protein source at feed out, particularly for young stock.”

Looking ahead, Richard Owens believes that dedicated arable farmers in Northern Ireland will want to push ahead with a significant acreage of winter crops over the coming weeks.

“But those dairy and beef farmers who grow smaller acreages of cereals have found the harvest of 2023 a difficult one to cope with. And the jury is out on whether they will go again with a cropping option  for 2023/2024.” 

The post Arable update: Barley yields disappointing in Northern Ireland appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

This is according to Livestock and Meat Commission (LMC) chief executive, Ian Stevenson.

“The current state of uncertainty within that market is being reflected on an international basis,” Stevenson explained.

“China is slowly responding to the decision to move away from a zero tolerance Covid-19 policy.

“The country’s economy is currently in a state of stasis. This is reflected in the fact that almost 30% of its 2023 university graduates cannot find employment.

“In addition, consumers across China are now putting a very strong focus on the paying back of debt.”

The LMC chief said that as as a consequence, beef and lamb retail prices have softened and that cheaper pork is also impacting negatively on the country’s red meat market.

“But currency is also coming into play within China’s beef and import scenario. Recent months have been marked by a weakening of the Chinese Yuan,” he added.

In theory, this should make China less attractive as an export destination.

The most recent figures confirm that beef and lamb imports into the country actually increased during the first months of 2023 by a factor of 8%. However, the actual value of these imports fell by 11%.

China and global meat markets

Australia and Brazil remain key suppliers of beef to the Chinese market.

Similar trends can be identified within China’s sheepmeat market.

The ending of Covid-19 restrictions has boosted consumption levels; sheepmeat is very much a driver of social occasion in China.

However, imports have risen by 33% over the first half of 2023, leading to a 20% fall in prices during the same period.

“We are also seeing signs of a grey market for beef resurfacing in China. This entails the likes of frozen buffalo meat from India coming into the country through Hong Kong,” Stevenson continued.

“In addition, steps taken to boost levels of indigenous food production in China are now bearing fruit. The end result is a lowering in demand for imported beef and lamb coming into the country.

“Widespread inflation is squeezing margins across international beef and lamb sectors. There will be difficulties in passing on costs to consumers during the current cost of living crisis,” he added.

According to the LMC, retail meat prices have probably peaked; consumer spending is under significant pressure.

The commission said that there has been some relief for farmers reently on the back of falling feed costs.

“But threatening socio-political developments taking place around the world add cost and complexity along the entire food chain,” Stevenson said.

“Chronic labour shortages in economies around the world is adding significantly to food production costs.”

The post China most influencing factor on global meat markets – LMC appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

Teagasc is strongly advising growers to concentrate on harvesting grain; getting winter wheat and relevant spring barley crops combined is a priority.

Later-sown crops of spring barley continue to look disappointing for this harvest. Both grain and straw yields do not look promising.

In addition, the strong prospect of these crops coming in with high protein values puts a major question mark on their suitability for brewing or distilling.

Thereafter, it will be a case of baling straw and making preparation for the 2023/2024 winter oilseed rape planting season which is just around the corner.

Met Éireann is predicting that high pressure will build across the country over the coming days with temperatures to exceed 20°C tomorrow Wednesday (August 16) and Thursday (August 17).

Forage maize harvest

Meanwhile, crops of forage maize remain on course to produce tremendous yields.

This is certainly the case in Northern Ireland, where the total area dedicated to the crop is estimated to be up 10%, year-on-year.

Maizetech’s Robert Duncan commented: “We also saw an increase of a similar magnitude for 2021 into 2022. Driving all of this is a combination of two factors – the return of growers and new farmers looking at maize for the first time.”

According to Duncan, the cold and wet conditions of late April into May encouraged arable farmers to look at maize, rather than spring barley.

“And they made the right decision,” he continued.

“Yes, maize planted this year was a fortnight or so behind where crops would have been in 2022. But the dry, warm conditions that followed in June were a real game changer.

“The moisture trapped below the film put in place at planting meant that newly germinated crops had full access to the heat and moisture they needed to maximise germination and subsequent early growth rates.”

Duncan specifically cites the availability of new compostable films as a key step forward in maximising the potential of maize crops grown in Northern Ireland.

“The new materials provide the young crops with all the protection that they need. But at the same time, they allow the growing plants to break through so much easier,” Duncan added.

“As a consequence, crop development is in no way hindered.”

Previously, crops grown under the old ‘oxo’ films would have been prone to heat stress during periods of very hot weather.

In the past, growers would have had no option but to physically cut open the film to allow the growing maize plants push through.

“This is no longer the case,” the Maizetech representative explained.

“Another advantage of the new films is that they are extremely biodegradable.

“Little or no evidence of the film used at planting will be visible, above or below ground, 10 to 12 weeks after planting.”

Robert Duncan also points to the fact that forage maize is no longer a marginal crop in Northern Ireland in terms of its harvest potential.

“Companies like Pioneer have committed to breeding new maize varieties that are totally suited to northern Europe and Scandinavia. And Northern Ireland is benefiting accordingly in this regard,” he commented.

“It is perfectly feasible for local farmers to grow crops of maize that will produce between 16t to 18t of fresh weight per acre. In addition, targeting dry matters and starch values, each in excess of 30%, is equally feasible.”

This year should see the first crops of locally grown maize harvested during early October, assuming the weather plays ball over the coming weeks.

“The hot spell in June allowed later sown crops to catch up on what would be regarded as a normal development profile,” Duncan added.

“But new crop management options are also allowing growers to maximise the potential of their investment in maize.

“One of these is the application of liquid nitrogen on maize at the 10-leaf stage. This is a real game changer.”

The post Tillage: Dash for harvest finishing line this week appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

The supreme sheep championship of the show was won by George and Rachel McKenzie, from Irvinestown, with a North Country Cheviot Park ewe. The animal in question had lambed for the first time earlier this year.

The victory has provided Cheviot breeding in Northern Ireland with a welcome boost.

Dennis Taylor, from Coleraine, judged the inter-breed sheep classes at Fermanagh.

He described his champion as an almost perfect example of the Cheviot breed, adding:

“She looked an absolute picture in the ring. Her mobility and stature caught my eye from the outset.”

Taylor breeds pedigree Suffolks. He confirmed that prices paid at early season ram sales held over recent weeks at venues across the United Kingdom, are holding up well.

“But commercial sheep breeders continue to come under pressure, where their input costs are concerned,” he said.

“And this is having an impact on the levels of overall profitability being achieved across the sector at the present time.”  

Beef and dairy classes at Fermanagh Show

The show also featured a very competitive inter-breed beef championship class. It saw Scottish judge, Harry Emslie, selecting two Limousin heifers as his overall champion and reserve.

It won’t come as a total surprise to learn that the overall championship of the show went to the Mulholland family, from Aghalee, with their eye-catching heifer, Deerpark Shakira.

Fermanagh Show marked her 8^th breed championship and fifth inter-breed championship of the 2023 showing season.

Emslie described his selection as a tremendous example of the Limousin breed.

“She has everything – great length, style and truly excellent hindquarters,” he said.

Shakira is a daughter of the elite Limousin sire, Wilodge Vantastic. She will be put to the bull in September.

But Emslie made no secret of the fact that the runner-up, Rathkeeland Tenndresse, is another very special Limousin heifer.

Owned and bred by the Crawford family, from Lisnaskea in Co. Fermanagh, she is 20 months of age. The plan is to flush her over the coming weeks, to produce embryos, and show her again in 2024.

The Crawfords had a total of 12 animals competing in an array of classes throughout the day. It’s a commitment that reflects their absolute dedication to the highest standards of Limousin cattle breeding.

Fermanagh Show was also marked by a tremendous entry of dairy stock.

The event’s supreme inter-breed dairy championship was won by Alan Paul, from Maghera in Co. Derry with a magnificent Holstein cow.

The red and white second calver is currently giving 65L of milk per day. Charles George, from Pembokeshire in Wales, judged the dairy classes at Fermanagh Show 2023.

“The turnout of stock was excellent throughout the day. But the champion caught my eye as soon as she entered the ring,” he commented.

“She has a tremendous udder, great locomotion and a fantastic presence.”

The post Record turnout of sheep at Fermanagh Show appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

This has significant benefits in terms of grassweed suppression, but new data suggests that it also has a benefit regarding nitrogen use efficiency.

Syngenta trials in the UK in conjunction with the Agricultural Development and Advisory Service (ADAS) as well as trials carried out by Syngenta Germany over seven years, have shown that hybrid barley has significantly improved nitrogen use efficiency when compared to conventional varieties.

Nitrogen use efficiency

Nitrogen use efficiency is the sum of two key components – one relates to uptake efficiency, the other to actual utilisation efficiency.

Nitrogen uptake efficiency relates to the effectiveness with which nitrogen (N) is taken up by the roots as they grow and explore the soil.

Nitrogen utilisation efficiency, on the other hand, relates the efficiency with which the plant converts the N it has taken up into harvestable grain.

The aforementioned hybrid barley trials are ongoing, but initial results from the first two years of trials with ADAS suggest that hybrid barleys are doing more, with less.

Hybrid barleys

According to Syngenta’s Ben Urquhart, the larger and deeper rooting system of hybrid barley leads to it being able to scavenge for nutrients more effectively than conventional wheat and barley.

As a result, the plants take up more N despite being at a lower plant population.

“Hybrid barley is known for its hybrid vigour, and vigorous roots are associated with improved nutrient uptake,” Urquhart said

“Hybrid root systems are significantly larger than those of conventional varieties.”

Across a wide range of N rates in the trial, the hybrids also showed significantly improved nitrogen utilisation efficiency over the conventional varieties, with the biggest differences being shown in very low application level scenarios.

Weeds

Hybrid vigour is the driving force behind the higher yields recorded when comparing hybrid to conventional barley.  

But hybrids also bring to bear significant advantages, where grassweed control in barley crops is concerned.

Taller plants with higher tiller numbers are more competitive with grassweeds for space and light.

Significantly larger root mass underground means that hybrid barley plants are more effectively anchored in the ground and provide a larger surface area for uptake of essential nutrients and water.  

According to many agronomists, hybrid barley should be an essential element of any integrated pest management (IPM) strategy, targeting grassweeds.

It has been shown that grassweed suppression is achieved, irrespective of herbicide resistance status.

Trials have also demonstrated that the remaining grassweeds in crops of hybrid barley produce fewer tillers, smaller heads and fewer seeds. The end result is a reduced seed return for the following crop.

The post Hybrid barleys – improved nitrogen use efficiency appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

UFU president David Brown confirmed that, according to the European Commission, the amended application to register the PGI on an all-island basis has successfully met the regulatory requirements.

“Now, a three-month opposition period in accordance with the [commission’s] defined regulatory procedures will be carried out. If all goes accordingly in this final stage, the PGI will be officially registered later this year,” he said.

“The UFU lobbied to ensure Northern Ireland would be part of the Irish Grass Fed Beef PGI, and we are optimistic that our farmers will be able to benefit from this deserved status very soon.

“Northern Ireland’s beef farmers have faced many challenges over the last number of years and a PGI status would provide a much-needed boost, highlighting the world-class beef that our farmers produce,” Brown added.

PGI status

The UFU said the special indication would display local beef as a unique product during a time when NI now must compete on the world beef market.

The union explained that it will give recognition to farmers who strive to produce quality beef to the highest standards and will help to ensure farmers receive a fair economical return.

“In the meantime, the UFU will continue to work with industry with the shared goal of creating appropriate processes that will allow local farmers to utilise the PGI once it is registered,” Brown continued.

Meanwhile, Livestock and Meat Commission (LMC) chief executive, Ian Stevenson, has also welcomed the PGI-related developments.

“We are pleased with the update coming from Brussels that the application for registration of ‘Irish Grass Fed Beef’ as a Protected Geographical Indication fulfils the regulatory conditions,” he said.

“The next step will see the European Commission undertake a three-month opposition  period in accordance with its defined regulatory procedures.

“Pending no reasoned notices of opposition to the application for registration being submitted during this time we are hopeful that the PGI will be registered later this year.

“The credentials of a PGI are valued in many markets with over 3,500 geographical indications already registered by the European Commission covering various foodstuffs, agricultural products, wines and spirit drinks produced in identified regions. 

“Securing PGI status for ‘Irish Grass Fed Beef’ could prove to be an additional marketing benefit for processors selling our world-class grass-fed beef.”

The LMC has stated that while the PGI application progresses, it will continue to work with industry to develop the processes that need to be put in place to enable use of the PGI after it is registered.

The post NI groups welcome progress on all-island PGI for grass-fed beef appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

Agricultural and Horticultural Development Board (AHDB) senior cereals and oilseeds analysts have confirmed that improved US crop conditions will bring downward pressure on market prices.

The next crop condition update from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) will be published next Monday, August 14. It is expected to contain a series of actual yield projections for both soyabean and maize.

Meanwhile, the situation in the Black Sea region remains very volatile.

This is a direct consequence of Russia and Ukraine failing to agree a continuation of the Black Sea Grain initiative.

The past week has seen attacks by Russia on ports along the Danube river with Ukraine using naval drones to attack Russian shipping.

AHDB’s Anthony Speight commented:

“The Russian cereal harvest is now underway. Total grain output in the country for 2023 is estimated to come in at 137Mt, with wheat alone accounting for 88Mt, according to IKAR.

“Russia is very active on international markets at the present time. Recent days have seen Egypt agreeing to purchase 235Kt of Russian wheat.”

Meanwhile, the 2023 grain harvest in Ukraine is continuing apace. The latest crop forecasts from Ukraine’s traders’ association relate a projected increase from the July figures across the following grains and oilseeds: Wheat; barley; maize; rapeseed; and sunflower.

Ukraine’s wheat output figure for 2023 is now projected to come in at 20.2Mt. The equivalent figures for barley, maize, rapeseed and sunflower are 5.2, 26.9, 3.9 and 13.9Mt respectively.

Back in 2021, the last year of unaffected farming in Ukraine, the actual crop output figures were as follows: Wheat – 33.0Mt; barley – 10.1Mt; maize – 37.6Mt; rapeseed – 2.9Mt; and sunflower – 16.9Mt.  

AHDB is reporting that the UK cereal and oilseed harvest is starting to pick up.

Up to now, it has been a case of dodging the showers with growers making significant inroads, where winter barley, oilseed rape and oats are concerned.

Momentum is set to increase further with the prospect of some continuous drying days in the offing. This should give farmers an opportunity to start combining winter wheat and spring barley crops.

Where recommended list winter barley harvest results are concerned, the latest figures from AHDB confirm that 2023 yields have held up well.

This is somewhat in contrast to the situation in Ireland, where barley yields are down, year-on-year.   

The post US maize and soyabean output projections increased appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

This is despite the fact that the same markets held up well during the first half of 2023, in relative terms.  

According to market analysts, one of the key factors contributing to the relatively strong market conditions to-date this year, was the decision taken by governments around the world to subsidise energy prices.

In addition, the winter of 2022/2023 was milder than had been predicted. As a consequence, one of the key contributors of consumers’ regular household outlays was kept very much in check.

However, this scenario is now fast-changing. Governments are stepping away from the energy supports previously made available.

As a consequence, consumers have no option but to face-up to the full cost of expensive energy bills.

And the knock-on impact of this and the other factors that contribute to the continuing cost-of-living crisis, will factor into their food-buying decisions during the second half of 2023. 

Beef and sheep prices

“Volatility across many international beef and lamb markets may well be the major factor coming into play over the next few months,” Livestock and Meat Commission (LMC) chief executive Ian Stevenson confirmed.

“This was certainly the view expressed by representatives of the international beef and lamb sectors, who participated in a recent global meat market outlook presentation, delivered by the GIRA Meat Club.”

Based in Switzerland, Gira is an international consultancy and forecasting agency, operating at every level of the food supply chain. LMC is a member of the organisation.

“There are a number of factors now coming into play that will impact on both the production and demand side of the redmeat market equation,” Stevenson continued.

“These include the cost-of-living crisis, impacting at consumer level, and the continuing developments in Ukraine.

“The reality is that inflation is now impacting significantly on buying habits. Consumer pressure will, almost certainly, start to come on market prices.”

The LMC chief explained that from a production point of view, there has been some cost reductions, from a feed and fertiliser perspective.

“However, political uncertainty remains a major issue with the ongoing war involving Russia and Ukraine being the most obvious example of this,” he said.

“Instabilities of this nature serve only to add production costs, from a farming and food perspective. It all adds up to growing levels of volatility and uncertainty impacting on global meat markets.”

Labour

According to the LMC, labour availability is now a key factor impacting negatively across many farming and food economise around the world.

“Having to pay more for labour adds to the cost of producing beef and lamb,” Ian Stevenson explained.

“Meeting the sustainability challenge that now confronts the international livestock sector will also come at a substantial cost.

“Farmers know that they will have to invest in more efficient production systems if they want to meet their climate change targets.

“But all of this commitment comes at a substantial cost, one which they will want markets to fully reimburse them for,” he concluded.

The post Forecast: Global beef and sheep prices volatile for rest of 2023 appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

The Co. Down property is home to a herd of 30 elite Jersey cows, and has built up quite a reputation in the diary products area.

The meeting saw its farm manager Mark Logan endorsed as chair for an additional two-year period. This recommendation was fully endorsed at a subsequent meeting of Jersey Society board members.

Clandeboye Estate yoghurt

Courtesy of his involvement with the management team at Clandeboye, Logan has played a central role in the development of the estate’s now highly recognised and equally commended yoghurt business.

“All of the milk produced on the estate now goes for yoghurt production. Sales are strong throughout the island of Ireland and our market outlets continue to expand,” Logan said.

“As a consequence, we may soon reach a position, which sees us buying-in additional milk to meet out yoghurt production needs.”

The farm manager said there is no scope to further increase the size of the current Clandeboye dairy herd.

“All the farmable land on the estate is already fully accounted for,” he said.

“The acreage not used for milk production is dedicated to crops, which are used to duel the anaerobic digester, or AD plant, at Clandeboye.

“By taking this approach we have been able to generate all the heat and electricity used throughout the estate. And this includes the yoghurt manufacturing facility,” he added.

“All the whey produced as a by-product of the yoghurt manufacturing process is fed back into the digester, the feedstock for which also includes our own cattle slurry and the high energy silages grown specifically for AD purposes at Clandeboye.

“A ‘circular economy’ approach has been taken to the development of the yoghurt production business.”

As part of the AGM itinerary, the event was opened up to include a presentation on the yoghurt making facility and a farm visit for both Jersey Society delegates and members of the farming public.

A significant number of people from across the island of Ireland availed of the opportunity.

Clandeboye Yoghurt commercial manager, Patrick Black, confirmed that the product now has a sales’ footprint across the UK and Ireland.

“We are currently processing between 8,000L and 9,000L of milk on a daily basis,” he said.

“This includes all the milk produced on the estate plus additional product sourced from local farmers.

“This arrangement ensures that we are processing milk produced in the Co. Down area.”

The yoghurt operation currently employs 24 people. The venture was launched at Balmoral Show back in 2008, initially working from premises in the town of Newtownards.

Growth

Just over 12 months ago, the entire operation was brought to a state-of-the-art processing site at Clandeboye.

“The last 12 months have seen the scale of the operation quadruple in size. In line with this, employment levels have also increased, from 16 up the current figure,” Black said.

“All of our staff come from the surrounding area. So it really is a case of adding to the local economy.”

The current turnover of Clandeboye Yoghurt is in the region of £2.5 million per annum.

According to Black, the new processing facility has a maximum processing capacity of 16,000L of milk/day.

“This can be achieved within the current infrastructure on the back of further investment in the likes of new packing technologies,” he said.

The yoghurt operation has been designed with the objective of securing an almost zero carbon footprint for its processing arm. Making this possible is the impact of the AD operation on the estate.

“We secure all the electricity we need from the plant,” Black confirmed.

“In addition, the waste heat from the AD plant is used to heat our water and to pasteurise the incoming milk.

“Meanwhile, all our whey and effluents are fed back into the digestor. So we are talking about a circular economy in the purest sense of the term.”

Dairy sector

Logan believes that Jersey cows have a key role to play within the UK and Irish dairy sectors.

“Jersey cows have been long recognised for their ability to produce milk from grass in a very sustainable manner. They also perform well within confined feeding scenarios,” Logan said.

“The ability of the breed to produce milk with high levels of fat and protein is universally accepted.

“Looking to the future, our core breeding aim is to maintain this level of quality while also increasing milk volumes. And this target is more than achievable,” he added.

The post Yoghurt production and Jersey cows at Clandeboye Estate appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

This is nothing new for one of Northern Ireland’s most lauded rural communities with a commitment to the environment and the highest standards of conservation.

Last year, for instance, saw the village winning the ‘Best of the Best’ at the 2022 Best Kept City, Town, Village and Housing Area Awards.

Prior to this, Donaghmore had also come up trumps in the ‘Best Kept Small Village’ category.

Donaghmore Horticultural Community

The most obvious outworking of all this community effort is the myriad floral displays that bedeck Donaghmore throughout the spring and summer months.

The floral displays and other horticultural features that add so much to the village are all created and maintained by members of the village community.

Driving all of this is Donaghmore Horticultural Community, a group of 14 committed members with a passion for growing flowers and vegetables.

Sammy Wilson has been involved with the project since the get-go back in 2010. A native of nearby Newmills, he was born into a beef and sheep farming family.

“I have worked in the building industry for almost 60 years. But the love of growing plants never left me,” he explained.

“The opportunity of starting the horticultural community was made possible courtesy of land that was made available to us on a leased basis by the Diocese of Armagh.

“We are based within the grounds of St. Joseph’s Grammar School.”

Over the years, the members of the horticultural community have established an extensive pathway and watering system across the site. They have also constructed four polytunnels.

“We have received tremendous support from many local businesses and our local council,” Wilson continued.

“The group is split pretty much down the middle in terms of the members who concentrate on flowers and those with a strong interest in vegetables.

“We hold regular meetings throughout the year. There is also a horticultural community app, which allows members to receive regular updates.”

Sammy Wilson is keen to expand the membership of Donaghmore Horticultural Community.

“Only half of the land available to use is being used at the present time. So we have plenty of room to grow,” he concluded.

The post Donaghmore Horticultural Community hoping to expand appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

The show, which takes place on Friday, August 11 and Saturday, August 12, will feature a full show programme of cattle, sheep, goats and poultry.

The two-day event at Castle Irvine Estate, Necarne, near Irvinestown will also have a focus this year on home industries, schoolchildren’s exhibits and an ever popular dog show.

In addition to the normal sheep breeds of Suffolk, Texel and crossbred classes, this year six new breeds will take to the judging ring including Swaledale, both types of Cheviots, Spotted Dutch, Blue Texel and Badger Face.

In the large cattle section, in addition to the native and continental breeds, there will be a welcome repeat of the innovative Castle Irvine Suckler Cow Classic competition with a prize fund of £1500 - plus the new Castle Irvine Cup and Breeding Heifer Derby with prize money of £500.

The commercial cattle section at Fermanagh County Show has always had huge support from across Northern Ireland.

Meanwhile, the food pavilion at the show is set to be one of the largest yet in the show's history, with up to 30 local, regional, and national artisan food and drink producers showcasing their products.

Cookery demonstrations also promise to keep people entertained over the two days of the event.

Another key attraction on Saturday will be the Pettigo Sheep Dog Trials which will be take place from 10:00a.m to 5:00p.m.

Fermanagh Show organisers have invited judges from across the British Isles to select the winners in the livestock and home industries sections of the event.

In the cattle classes, noted livestock judges from Scotland include Iain Green, Fochabers; Basil Lawson from Fife; William McLaren from Perthshire; and Harry Emslie, from Peterhead.

They will also be joined by a long list of notable judges from all parts of Ireland.

Show season

Fermanagh County Show marks the traditional end point of the agricultural show season in Northern Ireland - and what a summer it has been.

Newry Show made a welcome return after four years, at which a combination of tremendous weather and a new venue ensured a turnout on the big day.

Armagh Show also saw huge crowds in attendance at Gosford Forest Park.

Although Castlewellan and Clogher Valley Shows had the challenge of the inclement weather, that has so characterised the month of July, the rain in no way failed to diminish the calibre of either event.

Both shows attracted large crowds and the quality of livestock at both shows was impressive.

According to the president of the Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU) David Brown, who attended this year’s Clogher Show, county shows are an important event for the local economy.

Taken together, the agri-shows provide an invaluable shop window for the farming and food industries.

The shows are testimony to the hard working groups of volunteers who are committed to the rural way of life within their respected communities. 

The post New venue unveiled for Fermanagh County Show appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

Kelly told Agriland that wool is a victim of the ongoing cost-of-living crisis.

He said: “Wool is an internationally traded commodity and it’s hard to get around this fact. Our continuing aim is to market the wool produced in Northern Ireland as a high-value product with a unique heritage and quality.

“We know that end-users of wool want full traceability when it comes to sourcing the products they want to work with.

“We can meet this requirement in full and this is the future - in terms of delivering sustainable wool prices for sheep farmers in Northern Ireland.”

He also stressed the desire of British Wool to work closely with bespoke licensees and also companies and organisations that have a commitment to promoting the heritage and quality of locally produced wool.

Kelly was keen to highlight the potential role, which he believes exists, for companies within the carpet manufacturing sector.

Meanwhile, Ulster Wool has confirmed that payment is now being made for wool delivered to the co-operative in 2022 - on receipt of this year’s clip from individual flock owners.

Wool prices

Prices for good quality samples are in the region of 30p/kg with Blackface wool coming in at 19p/kg.

Ulster Wool is also guaranteeing full traceability of all of the wool it handles, from farm to final user.

This is being achieved thanks to a wool trace ‘QR’ attached to every fleece delivered to the organisation’s depot at Muckamore in Co. Antrim.

Brendan Kelly believes that the role of the new ‘Irish Grown Wool Council’ is important as a vehicle to develop new marketing opportunities for wool across the island of Ireland.

It was officially formed in April as an independent stakeholder-led council.

The Irish government has made €30,000 to fund the establishment of the new all-island body.

Members of the council come from a wide range of interests from within the wool sector, and include farmers; wool merchants; sheep shearers; educators; designers; crafters; as well as industry representatives and farming organisations. 

The group aims to promote wool as a natural, sustainable and versatile material and improve the quality of Irish-farmed wool and facilitate collaboration in product and market research.

It is envisaged that the formation of the new body will lead to the creation of an all-Ireland wool brand.

Kelly said: “These are still early days we are making progress.

"But there are a number of fundamental issues that have yet to be resolved."

The post NI wool prices remain downbeat – British Wool director appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

In a grueling and intense record-breaking event, Tom Perry from Strabane in Co. Tyrone shattered a former record previously held by Co. Fermanagh's Stanley Allingham.

It was a nail biting run up in the 'Irish 9 Hour Lamb Shearing Record Attempt' before Perry clinched the record title at 3:21p.m precisely on Saturday (July 29).

Hundreds of people came along to witness the shearing marathon, held on the farm of the Hoy family, near Templepatrick in Co. Down.

To set a new record Perry had been set the task of shearing a lamb every 45 seconds in a strict nine-hour period.

The audience, both at the event in Templepatrick and online, watched in anticipation as Perry pushed the number up to 708 lambs shorn, then 40 seconds later, lamb number 709 was pushed down the chute. 

But he kept going and went on to shear 858 lambs within the allotted nine-hour period.

It is a new record that will take a lot of beating, particularly in light of Perry's determination to clinch the title.

He started his record breaking attempt on the day at 5:00a.m.

His push for glory was divided up into five separate runs: 5:00a.m to 7:00a.m; 8:00a.m to 9:45a.m; 10:15a.m to 12:00p.m; 1:00p.m to 2:45p.m and 3:15p.m to 5:00p.m.

The audience in Templepatrick and online were clearly impressed by the staggering level of shearing performance achieved by the Strabane man throughout the day as he delivered Run 1 – 193 lambs; Run 2 – 167 lambs; Run 3 – 176 lambs; Run 4 – 163 lambs and Run 5 – 159 lambs.

Figures shows that across the allotted nine hours, Perry managed to shear a lamb every 38 seconds.

The first person to congratulate him on his record-breaking feat was former title holder, Stanley Allingham.

Sheep shearing

Both men have spent large periods of their lives travelling the world as professional shearers.

They highlighted how instrumental shearing courses provided by Ulster Wool, have been to furthering the skills of many sheep shearers and why the commitment by the farmer-owned cooperative to developing these skills is important.

Perry and the entire team behind the 'Irish 9 Hour Lamb Shearing Record Attempt' have spent months preparing and putting preparations in place for the event.

He personally began his build up to the record attempt 11 months ago with his training regime.

But the support of many local farmers, who supplied the animals for the event, was vital to its success including that of the Hoy family.

The day before the event a full inspection of all of the lambs to be used in the event was also conducted.

Perry, who is a former College of Agriculture, Food and rural Enterprise (CAFRE) student, has built up a close relationship with members of the Hoy family over many years which was why the record breaking attempt was held at their farm.

All proceeds generated from the record breaking event will go to Rural Support in Northern Ireland.

The charity provides impartial guidance for farmers and farm family members in support of their "farm business and personal well-being".

The post Tyrone farmer sets new record shearing 858 lambs in 9 hours appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

They help to provide soil cover at times when no plants would otherwise be growing.

The crops also provide the living roots after harvest to help feed bacteria and fungi that form part of the food web and maintain soils in a healthy state.

These plants, like all plants, will access nutrients from the soil, which hopefully then contribute to the needs of the following crops rather than some having been lost through leaching.

Catch and cover crops

One of the many challenges, however, is that there is no specific definition of a cover crop; it all depends on what species is grown, when the crop is drilled, how well it is established and how successfully it establishes and grows.

This means that there is no ‘standard’ data available on what a ‘cover crop’ will deliver, nor when the nutrients in its biomass will become available to subsequent crops.

Plants growing at a time of the year when nothing would otherwise be growing will pick up nutrients from the soil.

These nutrients, particularly the more mobile ones, such as nitrogen and sulphur, as well as potassium on light soils, may otherwise be at risk of moving down the profile following rainfall (particularly in late autumn or over winter).

If they are ‘held’ within the cover crop, they are protected in the topsoil, to be released back to the soil at some point following termination (whether by frost, physical or chemical means).

To a large extent, this is what the previously harvested crop has already achieved, with nutrients ‘held’ within the straw (where it is not removed) and the decaying root systems.

Not all nutrients behave the same way, with most being held within the structural parts of the plants; these will only become available (or at risk of leaching) once the plant begins to breakdown or decompose.

Potassium (K) is atypical; it is found in plants as the free K⁺ ion, or held in weak complexes, meaning it is released much more quickly and easily from unharvested material and residue.

The rate of release is largely related to rainfall amounts and timing.

In terms of their impact on the cycling of K in particular, crop species that pick up the available potassium in the soil and release it after destruction will have limited benefit.

The exception is very light soils, where the K may otherwise move down the soil profile, although this requires significant rainfall.

However, with the majority of nutrients likely to be slowly released from the unharvested material of the previous crop, this leaves the remaining available nutrients in soil as a target for catch or cover crops to take up.

Cash crops

Most catch and cover crops carry out the same functions as many cash crops, the only difference being that they have a shorter growing period and are generally not harvested.

These plants will therefore be utilising the same available (or exchangeable) nutrients within the soil, meaning the potential for plants to cycle nutrients will depend on the levels within the soil.

Cover or catch crops grown on soils with low available K are likely to contain less K than plants grown on a soil with a higher level of available potassium, just as would be the case for any cash crops.

There are a number of variables surrounding how much nutrient catch and cover crops may pick up and release back to the following crop, and species and soil nutrient levels are two of them.

Another is the length of time these crops are growing, as this will impact their access to soil reserves, effectively through the size and architecture of their root systems.

Best types

From a K perspective, the most effective plants at providing a benefit for following crops will be those that are able to access potassium reserves from deeper soil layers, bringing it closer to the surface, such as fodder radish.

This is less likely when these species are grown as cover or catch crops as the growing period is short and therefore roots are unlikely to have had time to develop fully before they are stalled by the weather, or destroyed for the establishment of the following cash crop.

Once a cover crop is terminated, the nutrients contained in the residue will become available to the following crop over different timescales depending on the nutrient and the cover crop species.

E.g., if a cover crop is destroyed shortly before sowing a spring crop, varying proportions of the nutrients it contains may be released too late to be usable by the crop.

Cover and catch crops have a greater role to play than purely nutrient cycling.

However, in this context the short growth period and restricted range of species are likely to result in limited quantities of nutrient being taken up by the cover crop.

For potassium in particular, the more nutrient-rich the soil, the greater the quantity that may be cycled.

Nutrient cycling through cover crops may slow the rate of decline in soil nutrient status, particularly on light soils, but they will not improve a soil that has a low nutrient status to begin with.

Weather

Cover and catch crops are generally grown at times of the year when nothing would otherwise be growing, between the harvest of one cash crop and the sowing of the next.

Along with the nutrient cycling, this provides soil cover which helps reduce the negative impact that rainfall can have on the soil.

Rainfall hitting bare soil can have a significant compacting effect, therefore cover crops can help to maintain, and in some cases improve, soil structure.

Improvements are particularly possible through deep-rooted crops like radish, which can help to rectify structural issues at depth.

Maintaining good soil structure, which is also assisted by the cycling of carbon (as an additional microbial food source) from cover crops, is clearly important for effective crop growth.

But it also provides for efficient nutrient use by the following cash crops.

This is improved through less restricted root length and architecture, root hairs and mycorrhizal relationships.

The post Impact of catch and cover crops on potassium cycling appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

This follows the confirmation by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) of further positive results for highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in wild birds.

Aston said: “Poultry farmers must remain vigilant and that means maintaining the highest levels of biosecurity at all times.”

Meanwhile, there is growing concern within the north’s poultry sector of what’s now becoming a year-round HPAI threat.

Significantly, Aston does not anticipate any decision on the part of DAERA, calling for poultry flocks to be housed as a biosecurity measure at the present time.

HPAI has also been detected in two fox cubs along with wild birds in the Portrush area over recent days.

While this is the first time mammals have been confirmed as having influenza of an avian strain in Northern Ireland, it is not unexpected.

There have been similar findings in mammals over recent months across Europe, Great Britain, and the Republic of Ireland.

The most recent findings from Portrush were detected as part of DAERA’s routine disease surveillance, and the laboratory has confirmed the strain of the disease as H5N1 in both the fox cubs and wild birds.

DAERA is encouraging the public to keep their dogs on leads and keep pets away from carcasses, particularly in coastal areas. Posters have recently been issued in conjunction with local councils to reiterate this message.

The public is also being urged to report any findings of dead wild birds through the new online reporting form on the DAERA website.

Since its launch almost two weeks ago, over 150 reports have been made by members of the public.

Meanwhile, Northern Ireland’s Public Health Agency (PHA) has advised that human infections with AI are rare as it is primarily a disease of birds, with the risk to the health of the general public being very low.

Members of the public should not pick up or touch sick, dying or dead poultry, wild birds or wild animals and keep pets away from them.

The should avoid contact with surfaces contaminated with bird faeces. Untreated bird feathers (such as those found in the environment) and other bird waste should be avoided.

It is also important to maintain good personal hygiene with regular hand washing with soap and use of alcohol-based hand rubs.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has also advised that there is a very low risk to public health from the consumption of properly cooked poultry meat or eggs, provided appropriate hygiene measures are followed.

Not all dead wild birds will be collected by DAERA for surveillance. Where dead wild birds are not required for surveillance purposes or other carcasses are found and not collected for surveillance purposes, it is the landowner’s responsibility to safely dispose of the carcasses.

The post North’s poultry sector on full biosecurity alert appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

This is according to the latest planting and variety survey from the Agricultural and Horticultural Development Board (AHDB).

The survey, which provides planted area estimates for the UK with a regional breakdown, revealed the UK wheat area for harvest 2023 is set to slightly decrease year on year.

It is estimated that 1.75 million hectares of wheat has been planted for harvest 2023. The slight year-on-year decrease in wheat area has been at the expense of additional barley and oilseed rape (OSR) being sown.

The total UK barley area is estimated to increase by 5% in the year with an uplift in both winter and spring area.

There is also an increase in the GB rape area, which is estimated to increase 11% year-on-year.

High prices in spring 2022 offered growers the incentive to plant additional OSR.

There seems to be a movement away from alternative break crops such as oats, as the GB oat area is set to decrease by 7% year-on-year.

Barley and oilseed rape

Anthony Speight, AHDB senior analyst, said: “The UK harvest is here and it’s highly likely that gross margins for 2023 are going to be squeezed in comparison to 2022.

“This season has been a high input year for farmers as inflation, energy prices and input costs have increased exponentially.

“Since winter crops have been sown, global grain markets have been on a downward drift as markets have adjusted, navigated and digested the war and geo-politics in the Black Sea.

“It’s a hard time for growers as cereal and oilseed prices are now lower than what they were when planting intentions were decided last year, and those peak marketing opportunities may have passed for 2023 harvest.”

Speight explained that with the war continuing in Ukraine, it is still a volatile and unknown time for commodity prices.

“As harvest 2023 starts, growers will have a clearer idea on their breakeven point,” he said.

For 2023, the total UK wheat area is estimated at 1.75 million hectares, 3% down from 2022.

The total UK barley area for harvest 2023 is estimated at 1.15 million hectares , up 5% on the year.

The GB spring barley area is estimated at 702,000ha, up 7% year-on-year, while the GB winter barley area is estimated to be 2% higher at 434,000ha.

The GB oat area is estimated at 161,000ha, this is 7% down year-on-year. In contrast, the GB rape area 11% higher than 2022 levels, estimated at 402,000ha for 2023.

KWS Extase is the most popular wheat variety for 2023, accounting for 17% of the total GB wheat area.

For barley, Laureate is the most popular variety, accounting for 32% of the total GB barley area.

The post More barley and oilseed rape sown at expense of wheat in UK appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

Following a successful trial last year, M&S has announced an expansion of its partnership with agri-tech start-up AgriSound to an additional 18 sites across the UK, including Gilpin Farms in Armagh.

Two in-field sensor trials were launched last year to help farmers better support pollinators like bumblebees and increase crop yields.

Pollinator insect activity

AgriSound Polly technology allows farmers to track the number of pollinators visiting their farm in real-time and target specific interventions, like differing wildflower densities, for improving numbers and yields and quality of crops, as well as benefiting the wider environment.

This technology has now been scaled-up to a further 18 M&S Select Farms across the UK– including Gilpin Farms in Armagh.

The programme will cover a diverse range of M&S’s fruit, vegetable and salad farms, making up 8% of M&S growers, with monitors covering 120 habitats and over 1000ha, the largest number of growers reached through a retailer-funded trial to date.

The technology will provide growers access to real-time data and insights to help set their farms up to be more nature friendly.

Gilpin Farms is an M&S Select Farm which supplies a range of vegetables including carrots, leeks, pumpkins and brussels sprouts to the high-street retailer.

AgriSound are biodiversity experts that have developed specialist listening devices, which combine acoustic technology and environmental sensors to monitor the density of key pollinators, including bumblebees and honeybees, as well as the wider insect community remotely.

The devices collect and send data via mobile data, with users able to see results via a smartphone or web app.

At Gilpin Farms the sensors will be located in the pumpkin fields surrounding the Armagh site.

Elaine Neill, head of sustainability and innovation at Gilpin Farms said:

“Pollinators play a vital role in helping us deliver the best quality produce we can at the farm. So, we are keen to see the impact AgriSound technology has on activity.

“With so many current environmental challenges, it’s more important than ever to understand pollinators better.”

Richard Gilpin, head of farm operations at Gilpin Farms commented:

“The technology will be invaluable to help us monitor the pollinator activity across the whole farm but particularly in the pumpkin crops.

“We currently bring in over 100 hives of bumble and honey bees to aid the pollination of the pumpkins and the AgriSound technology will monitor how effective this is and also help us to make informed decisions about further interventions.

“We’re delighted to have been selected by M&S as one of the locations for this expansion and excited to see what beneficial outcomes can be achieved by these relatively simple measures. If we can attract more pollinators to our farm, this will be a huge success.”

M&S

This collaboration is part of M&S’ Farming with Nature programme, launched in 2021 to support the retailer’s Select Farmers to become more resilient to environmental challenges spanning climate change and biodiversity loss.

As part of the programme, M&S has partnered with specialist industry partner LEAF (Linking Environment and Farming) to strengthen pollinator-friendly farming practices across M&S’s grower base in the UK.

M&S British fruit and vegetable growers are adopting higher standards, developed in partnership with LEAF, to boost biodiversity.

This means, for instance, that growers set aside between 5-10% of habitat for wildlife and monitor numbers of farmland birds and pollinators.

Today, M&S Select Farm growers are protecting and enhancing 9,500ha of habitats across the UK, with the growers on average setting aside 7% of their farms to wildlife.

Andrew Clappen, technical director at M&S Food, said: “Improving biodiversity is at the forefront of our plans to help farmers become more resilient to the impact of climate change.

“Pollinators are the unsung heroes of British farming, helping to improve yields and quality while benefiting the wider environment.

“Since we launched Farming with Nature, we’ve been hosting workshops offering advice to our M&S Select Farmers on the best ways to attract more pollinators.

“Now, by expanding out our partnership with AgriSound, Gilpin Farms will have real-time data and valuable insights into what’s working and what’s not,” Clappen added.

M&S is also working closely with farmers on land use and different wildflower mixes to boost pollinator numbers, alongside crop health and pest management.

The post M&S joins Armagh vegetable grower to boost pollinator activity appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

This annual event represents a unique opportunity to gauge directly the developments that are taking place at Ballycoose farm with regard to the use of wool shedding and easy care genetics in commercial setting.

Speakers taking part will include Sam Boone, manger of Signet Breeding Services from Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) and Ann McLaren, an animal breeding and genetics specialist with the Scottish Rural College (SRUC)

EasyCare sheep

Campbell Tweed has said that increasing numbers of farmers are now actively seeking comprehensive performance figures when it comes to deciding which new bloodlines best suit their flock development needs.

The Ballycoose enterprise comprises 3,000 EasyCare breeding ewes. The flock is totally self- contained with all lambs not going for breeding brought through to finishing weights.

Every lamb born within the Tweed flock is performance recorded from birth.

The entire enterprise is managed by three full-time staff. This, in itself, is a very powerful illustration of what ‘easy care’ sheep management is all about.

Campbell took the decision of going down the self-shedding route after the wool price crash of 1999. So he has had almost 25 years’ experience of working with this particular type of sheep.

“Visitors will have the opportunity of seeing a selection of ewes and rams,” he said.

“EasyCare sheep have a key role to play on sheep farms of all types. They are particularly suited to flock owners who work out from 9:00a.m to 5:00p.m between Monday and Friday.

“To a large extent, the sheep can manage themselves.”

Tweed is currently selling both breeding EasyCare ewes and lambs to flock owners throughout Ireland and the UK.

“We are offering fully recorded stock that can add significantly to any sheep enterprise. Demand for EasyCare bloodlines is on the up and this trend shows no sign of diminishing,” he said.

The open evening event gets underway at 6:00p.m on August 1.

The post EasyCare sheep open evening to take place on Antrim farm appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

The Fleming Family from Seaforde had a day to remember with a clean-sweep in the dairy section.

They claimed the Jersey championship and inter-breed dairy honours with the home-bred fourth calver Potterswalls Bontino Dawn EX95.

Later in the day, Scottish judge Robin Templeton crowned her 2023 Thompsons and NISA Dairy Cow Champion.

Described by the judges as an absolutely outstanding mature cow with a phenomenal udder, Bontino Dawn is no stranger to show success having won the Jersey and reserve inter-breed titles at Balmoral in May.

This is turning out to be an amazing year for the Fleming family. Back in June Bontino Dawn secured the ‘champion of champions’ accolade at Lurgan Show, having won the dairy inter-breed title at the event earlier in the day.

Jersey cattle breeding in Northern Ireland is on a high at the present time. On Monday next (July 31) Clandeboye Estate in Co. Down will host the Jersey Society’s 2023 annual general meeting.

Large numbers of visitors from across the UK and Ireland are expected to take part in the tour of the estate, which will follow.

Runner-up for Antrim Show’s dairy inter-breed prize was the Ayrshire champion Beechmount Russet 9 VG89 bred and exhibited by Robert and Caroline McConnell, Ballyclare.

The inter-breed beef honours went to the 14-month-old Limousin bull Jalex Transform bred by James Alexander, Randalstown; while the reserve title went to the 17-month-old Simmental heifer Ballinalare Farm Nikita bred by Joe and Alan Wilson, Rathfriland.

Both young animals have won an array of prizes during the show season.

Sheep at Antrim Show

There was a large entry of sheep with more than 20 native, continental and minority breeds represented.

Inter-breed judge Charlie Harkin awarded the top title to a Bluefaced Leicester gimmer owned by Graham and Julie Loughrey, Limavady. Runner-up was a Border Leicester ewe exhibited by the Aiken family from Dromore, Co. Down.

There was a strong line-up of qualifiers for the final of the Danske Bank/NISA sheep championship.

After much deliberation judge Jonathan Aiken, Wigtown, selected a Mourne Blackface ewe shown by Niall and Christopher Brown from Hilltown, as the winner of the £300 cash prize.

Runner-up was a Suffolk ewe from James Alexander’s Jalex flock; while the second reserve prize went to a Texel ewe bred by Alastair Gault, Newtownabbey.

The Antrim Show was sponsored by Randox Laboratories.

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“Many dairy and suckler farmers have re-housed cows over recent days. This is either on a full-time basis or at night-time only.

“Taking such an approach is adding to the cost incurred by farmers. Feeding round bales of silage, as opposed to offering cattle fresh grass, is a much more expensive option.”

The Co. Fermanagh farmer went on to point out that ground of his own was deluged by 70mm or rain at the tail end of last week.

“We had managed to get silage cut from half the fields before the rain came. But, in all honesty, I don’t know when I will be able to get back out on to that land again,” he told Agriland.

Producer prices in Northern Ireland

Addressing the challenge of free-falling producer prices will be a priority for the UFU president over the coming weeks and months.

“Dairy and beef prices have taken a real hit since the turn of the year,” he said.

“Farmers want to know when markets will turn around.”

David Brown acknowledged that the vast bulk of the food produced in Northern Ireland is destined for export.

“International markets are key factors when it comes to determining prices at the farm gate,” he commented.

“But we are now seeing input prices starting to strengthen again, fertiliser being a case in point.

“The bottom line in all of this is that farm businesses must be allowed to generate a sustainable margin.”

The UFU is particularly concerned that the gap between the price dairy farmers are receiving and the break-even cost for producing milk in Northern Ireland is widening.   

Analysis confirms that Northern Ireland’s milk price is lagging behind most European Union member states.

And the gap is widest, relative to the returns currently available in Great Britain. The figure here can be as much as 5p/L.

As a consequence, the UFU is urging dairy companies to take note of this differential and pay the most competitive price to farmers.

On a more positive note, the union has welcomed the recent announcement by the UK government that it intends to bring forward new contractual regulations to increase fairness and transparency in the dairy supply chain.

Once the new contractual regulations are published, the UFU said it will study them in detail to ensure that this important legislation delivers for all dairy farmers in Northern Ireland.

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Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU) president, David Brown, was in attendance and confirmed the significance of the event for the farming communities across the mid-Ulster region.

“A total of 650 cattle and 500 sheep were entered for this year’s event. In addition, we had a full house of trade exhibitors and tremendous crowds attending throughout the day,” he told Agriland.

“These trends bear out the full significance of Clogher Valley Show for agriculture in Northern Ireland.”  

Weather for Clogher Valley Show

The intermittent and heavy rain failed to take the gloss off what was a tremendous event.

Large crowds turned out to take in the spectacle of a record livestock entry with events culminating in the crowning of the supreme cattle champion.

The animal in question, Deerpark Shakira, is a very special heifer. Earlier in the day she had also picked up the Limousin and beef inter-breed championship titles.

Owned and bred by the Mulholland family, from Aghalee in Co. Antrim, she has now won seven breed and four inter-breed championships this year,

Supreme cattle championship judge, Robin Boyd, described his selection as a tremendous example of the Limousin breed.

“She has everything – great length, style and truly excellent hindquarters.”

Shakira is a daughter of the elite Limousin sire, Wilodge Vantastic. She will be put to the bull in September.

Clogher’s dairy inter-breed championship was won by the Fleming family, from Seaforde in Co. Down.

Their Jersey cow – Potterswalls Joel Glamour – calved for the third time five weeks ago. She is currently giving 46L of milk/day.

Inter-breed judge, Graham Kirby from Lancashire, described his champion as a tremendous example of the Jersey breed.

“The animal looks very youthful and has the potential to produce many more calves. In addition, she has tremendous locomotion and a very impressive mammary system,” he said.

Kirby went on to confirm the potential to increase Jersey cattle numbers throughout the UK.

“Jersey cows have a proven ability to produce the highest level of milk solids from grazed grass,” he said.

“This will be a key factor when it comes to determining the response of the dairy sector to climate change.”

Kirby was also very impressed with his dairy inter-breed reserve champion.

The animal in question, a red and white Holstein from the Relough herd of the Donaghmore-based McLean family, looked an absolute picture in the ring. The fifth calver is currently giving 63L of milk/day.

Yesterday was the cow’s first ever competitive show outing.

Sheep

There was a tremendous turnout of sheep at Clogher Show 2023. The inter-breed championship was won by Charollais breeder, Diane Christie.

The Comber flock owner is having another tremendous year in show rings across Northern Ireland with sheep of all ages winning their respective classes and breed championships.

By general consensus the quality of the sheep entered for Clogher 2023 was the best on record.

The event’s inter-breed sheep championship reserve award went to Adrian Liggett, from Seskinore in Co. Tyrone, with an eye-catching Texel ewe lamb.

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These farm supports include the Ruminant Genetics Programme; the Livestock Dietary Emissions Challenge Fund; Farming for Carbon Benchmarking; and the Beef Sustainability Package – Beef Carbon Reduction Scheme.

The measures have been designed by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) to support farming and enhance environmental sustainability during the period ahead.

The new Ruminant Genetics Programme launched last month will help drive improvements in productivity and environmental performance in the ruminant livestock sectors.

The programme will be delivered by DAERA in partnership with the agri-food industry.

The industry has also established a new company – Sustainable Ruminant Genetics Ltd. (SRG) – to assist DAERA in delivering several key functions including the promotion and marketing of this programme.

Ian Stevenson, LMC chief executive, said: “While final budgets for all the new measures have yet to be confirmed, it is encouraging to note DAERA’s intentions to push ahead with the support schemes that will allow the ruminant sectors look to the future with a strong degree of confidence.”

Stevenson said that a number of the new measures, now endorsed by DAERA, have their origins in work originally carried out jointly by the main stakeholder groups operating within Northern Ireland’s ruminant livestock sectors.

He added: “This work was crystallised in the report, published by the Andersons Centre in 2021.

“The clear aim of that study was to identify the policy framework and associated measures that will deliver a sustainable, competitive suckler beef and sheep sector in Northern Ireland.”

The LMC chief executive believes that improved genetics will play a key role within the beef and sheep sectors and in particular will deliver a sustainable future for Northern Ireland’s ruminant livestock industry.

He added: “The launch of the new Ruminant Genetics Programme is worthy of note.

“It is envisaged that genetic improvement will contribute significantly to achieving the target reductions in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

“The first phase of the new programme will provide farmers with the data and evidence to make better informed breeding decisions to advance genetic gain in dairy and beef animals.”

Ian Stevenson said that work carried out by Teagasc in Ireland has confirmed the wide variation in methane emission levels generated by different ruminant animals.

“In addition, there is a strong possibility that it will be possible to select for both improved animal performance and reduced greenhouse gas emissions at the same time.

“In other words, both traits may well be complimentary to each other. If this is the case, it represents a win:win scenario for farmers,” he said.

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This was a direct response to the ending of the Black Sea Grain Initiative.

And while the week ended with some profit-taking on the part of traders, the new week has kicked-in with markets opening higher again.

Ukraine has been increasing shipments through the Danube in recent months. So, the widening of air strikes by Russia on these facilities poses renewed questions about access to Ukrainian grain.

Global grain prices

Meanwhile, the International Grains Council (IGC) increased its forecast of the global grain crop last week by five million tonnes, mainly due to a larger US maize area.

Despite this, the IGC still expects global grain ending stocks to contract year-on-year due to deficits in the wheat and barley markets.

The IGC forecasts global wheat carryover stocks to fall by 20Mt over 2023/2024, while barley stocks drop to the lowest level in nearly three decades.

Maize crops both in the US and Europe are in still their critical stage of development, known as ‘silking’.

So, markets remain nervous about crop potential. Higher temperatures are forecast for much of the US maize growing area this week, which could hamper yield development.

There is also concern about the impact the current hot, dry weather in southern Europe may be having on summer crops, especially maize.

UK

Last week also saw UK prices rising, a direct consequence of the Black Sea Grain Initiative ending. The November 20223 UK feed wheat futures contract settled at £212.15/t on Wednesday past, its highest level since April 19.

The contract then dropped back slightly to end the week at £207.00/t.

Oilseed markets are currently focused on developments in the Black Sea region and global weather trends.

Last week saw Chicago soya bean future prices climbing through the start of last week, buoyed by dry US weather concerns and wider market volatility surrounding the Black Sea Initiative.

So, the weather over the coming weeks remains crucial and continues to support soya bean and soya bean oil markets.

Demand also remains a watch point on oilseed markets. In the US, the Environmental Protection Agency has finalised the blending volumes of biofuels required by US oil refiners over the next three years.

But the total volume is less than the initial proposals.

The impact of Russia withdrawing from the Black Sea Grain Initiative, damage to Ukrainian ports, and the intensification of the war in Ukraine remains important in oilseed markets too.

Malaysian palm oil futures (October delivery) closed on Thursday at the highest point since March.

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Christened ‘Cicero’, the £500,000 project has received funding support from the Department of Food, Environment and Rural Affairs (Defra) .

In common with other nitrogen-fixing legumes, chickpea has the potential to reduce on-farm fertiliser requirements and the high greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with fertiliser production and application.

Current UK legume production is mainly restricted to field beans and combinable peas, which are not necessarily optimised for human consumption.

A large proportion of these crops is destined for animal feed.

In contrast, chickpea is familiar to the food industry. However, the crop is rarely grown in the UK, largely due to the scarcity of adapted varieties and the lack of knowledge both growers and advisors have of the crop.

Chickpea research

UK food companies annually import 60,000t of chickpeas for products including standalone tins, pouches of cooked chickpeas and packets of dried pulses.

Chickpeas are used as ingredients in ready meals and bakery products. Cicero will explore the possibility of displacing imported chickpeas, courtesy of UK-grown crops.

Project lead and NIAB’s head of breeding, Dr. Phil Howell said that Cicero will take a multi-faceted approach.

Variety trials and agronomy testing will be carried out by NIAB and specialist seed company Premium Crops, ranging from small plots up to field-scale evaluation.

End-use quality assessments will be undertaken by Norfolk-based grower Place UK, which has successfully grown chickpea crops to sell through its vertically integrated food ingredients business.

“Whilst the two-year project timescale prohibits a full breeding cycle, new populations will be advanced rapidly through the glasshouse, with selections ready for their first field evaluation by spring 2025,” Howell stated.

“NIAB has already assembled a diverse collection of chickpea material, which will be evaluated in field nurseries over the project duration.

“These will be complemented by a unique population of novel induced variants developed together with biotechnology start-up Viridian Seeds.

“These new sources of diversity will all feed into a second cycle of new crosses to kick-start the development of UK-adapted material.”

Solutions

The NIAB representative explained that chickpeas are a classic example of the challenges the legume sector is facing.

Manufacturers must often rely on imports to service the increasing demand for healthy plant-based foods.

“While this crop can be grown in the UK, its yields and quality are unreliable because current varieties are not well adapted,” Howell continued.

“Ultimately, we need better varieties bred specifically for UK conditions, but we also need to improve our agronomy know-how to get the most out of varieties, now and in the future.”

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This is one of the findings of a major four-year project currently underway at Northern Ireland’s Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI).

Ammonia is produced when faeces (which contains the enzyme urease) and urine (which contains urea) mix, with this process taking place on the floors of livestock houses, during slurry storage and at field spreading.

The ammonia gas produced enters the atmosphere and may be deposited locally on sensitive habitats, where the nitrogen within ammonia can cause nutrient enrichment of soil and water and lead to biodiversity loss. 

Both livestock production and sensitive habitats have a significant presence in Northern Ireland and, as such, ammonia emissions present a key challenge for the livestock industry in order to support the health of sensitive habitats. 

Lowering crude protein

AFBI is partnering with John Thompsons and Sons Ltd., and Trouw Nutrition Ltd., in developing the new project. Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs ( DAERA) funding is also available.

In one of the studies within this project, dairy cows were offered diets containing either 14%, 15.5% or 17% crude protein on a dry matter (DM) basis, with the concentrates offered with each treatment formulated using different raw material inclusion levels.

During this study samples of faeces and urine produced from cows on each diet were collected and subsequently mixed and incubated in a temperature-controlled environment.

Ammonia produced from the different manures was then measured over a four-week period using a photo-acoustic gas monitor.

The work has confirmed that reducing dietary crude protein levels from 17% to 14% reduced ammonia emissions by an average of 64%, with emissions from the 15.5% crude protein diet intermediate in nature.

Bigger picture

In addition, the AFBI work clearly demonstrates that ammonia production was highest during the days after the faeces and urine were produced, and gradually decrease over time.

The background document produced by DAERA as part of Northern Ireland’s recent ammonia consultation contextualises the current AFBI work extremely well.

It specifically points out that action on this matter is required urgently, in order to achieve better outcomes for nature, and for public health.

In other words, addressing this challenge is essential to see agriculture thrive while at the same time protecting our environment.

The greater the extent and speed of action to lower ammonia emissions and reduce ammonia concentrations, the greater opportunity there will be to support sustainable farm development.

Northern Ireland has 394 sites of high nature conservation value designated for their protection.

Almost 250 of these are sensitive to the impacts of ammonia and nitrogen. The vast majority of designated sites are currently experiencing ammonia concentrations and nitrogen deposition above the critical levels and loads at which damage to plants may occur.

As a consequence, sustained and tangible reductions in ammonia are required to protect nature, to meet Northern Ireland’s legal obligations and to ensure a sustainable agri-food sector.

Ammonia targets

DAERA has set two 2030 ammonia targets. These are 1) to reduce total agricultural ammonia emissions by at least 30% from 2020 levels and 2) to reduce ammonia levels at internationally designated sites by 40% by 2030.

There are two pillars to the envisaged ammonia abatement strategy that has been proposed by DAERA. Pillar 1 comprises ambitious and verifiable ammonia reduction programme with Pillar 2 centred on conservation actions to protect and restore nature.

The establishment of a stakeholder group, representing primary agriculture, the agri-food supply chain and the environmental sector, has been proposed to advise on implementation of the finally agreed measures.

The steps that can be taken on farm to reduce ammonia production and emission levels are multi-faceted.

The uptake of verifiable ammonia reduction technology in livestock housing will be encouraged. There will also be a requirement to spread all slurry using low emission slurry spreading (LESS) equipment by 2026.

Trials have shown that nitrogen excretion levels in cows’ urine can more than double if dietary protein levels are boosted from 14% to 19%.

This process, in itself, puts an additional energy demand and increases the metabolic stress on the cow.

The fact that urea is a very volatile chemical means that a high proportion of it is lost to the atmosphere when slurry is spread on land.

Urea is also very water soluble. As a consequence, it can add to the pollution threat posed by slurry.

Typically, the nitrogen efficiency of dairy cow diets will be in the region of 22% to 32%.

Reducing emissions

Developing verifiable systems to encourage implementation of longer grazing seasons has significant potential for the future.

The need to reduce ammonia emissions from fertiliser will include a consultation on the potential introduction of a prohibition on the use of urea fertiliser without an inhibitor in 2024.

Establishing systems to implement and verify crude protein reductions in livestock diets can play a key role in reducing farm ammonia production levels, as will the identification and selection of genetic traits that maximise nutrient use efficiency.

In addition, supporting protein crop establishment is already available, courtesy of a pilot scheme.

And, finally steps will be taken to encourage the development and implementation of emerging technologies for ammonia reduction.

Livestock diets

It is universally agreed that reducing crude protein in livestock diets has a significant influence on ammonia emissions.

Reducing the amount of nitrogen in animal feed reduces the amount in excreta, leading to less of the nutrient being available for ammonia generation.

Scientific research shows that ammonia emissions are reduced by 8-10% for every 1% fall in crude protein in pig diets.

Ammonia reductions of up to 35% are thought to be possible in poultry diets.

Across the livestock sectors, including cattle, it is envisaged that reducing crude protein in all livestock diets can achieve an industry wide reduction in ammonia of around 9%.

Trials have shown that nitrogen excretion levels in cows’ urine can more than double if dietary protein levels are boosted from 14% to 19%.

This process, in itself, puts an additional energy demand and increases the metabolic stress on the cow.

Typically, the nitrogen efficiency of dairy cow diets in Northern Ireland will be in the region of 22% to 32%.

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This is one of the key issues, teased out in the organisation’s latest annual report.

Analysis carried out by the WTO confirms that eliminating tariffs and reducing non-tariff measures on a subset of energy-related environmental goods could boost exports by 5% by 2030 while driving energy efficiency.

The increased uptake of renewable energy technologies would reduce global emissions by 0.6%.

Trading opportunities and climate change

In addition, a global shift to clean energy will generate as many as 30 million new jobs in clean energy and related sectors by 2030, according to the report.

According to the WTO, international trade can play an essential role in climate adaptation, risk prevention, reduction and disaster preparedness.

The organisation also recognises that sustainable food production practices must play an important part of the global response to climate change.

Specifically where sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures are concerned, WTO representatives have adopted a declaration on responding to challenges that may significantly impact international trade in food, animals and plants.

Recognising the evolution of the global agricultural landscape since the adoption of the original SPS Agreement in 1995, the new declaration foresees WTO carrying out additional work in this field, reflecting  new opportunities and emerging challenges.

These issues include population growth, climate change, innovation, new technologies, pest/disease pressures and persisting obstacles to trade.

Food security

The WTO has set itself the objective of facilitating global food security for the future. Themes that will be addressed in this context include its support for SPS measures on scientific evidence and principles.

The organisation said it will also act to enhance safe international trade in food, animals and plants and products through the adaptation of SPS measures to regional conditions.

It will cooperate with observer organisations that support the envisaged SPS-related work and international standard setting bodies.

The WTO will also commit to supporting the increased participation of developing and least-developed country members in the development and application of SPS measures.

Trade rules

The WTO operates the global system of trade rules, guaranteeing WTO member governments important trade rights.

It provides a forum for its members to lower trade barriers through negotiations and oversees a system for resolving the trade problems they face with each other.

It also helps developing economies improve their capacity to trade.

The overall objective of the WTO is to help its members use trade as a means to raise living standards, create jobs and improve people’s lives.

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The publication references key events over the past year, focusing specifically on WTO work carried out in addressing a number of global challenges.

These issues include climate change, the Covid-19 pandemic and food security.

WTO director-general, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala commented: “The past year was another tumultuous one for the world economy and for global trade. Even as the Covid-19 pandemic began to recede, the international community was tested by one crisis after another.

“Despite the shadow cast by rising geopolitical tensions, trade has proved itself to be a force for resilience and recovery.

“We can and must continue to strengthen this vital institution and ensure that multilateral cooperation on trade does its part to provide solutions to problems facing people, nations and the wider global commons.”

WTO Annual Report

The 2023 report reflects on many of the key agreements reached by WTO.

Its 12th Ministerial Conference (MC12), held in June 2022, resulted in a series of important outcomes, including decisions on an emergency response to the food crisis and the Covid-19 pandemic and a groundbreaking agreement on curbing harmful fisheries subsidies.

Following MC12, members focused on implementing outcomes and on how to approach areas such as agriculture, WTO reform and a second wave of negotiations on fisheries subsidies.

The organisation’s director-general has urged members to find solutions – wherever they can – especially in topics such as green technologies, services, digital commerce and inclusiveness.

In December 2022, the General Council of WTO agreed that MC13 will be held in Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates) in February 2024.

Climate

WTO is keen to highlight the role it played at last November’s COP27 Climate Summit in Egypt.

According to Okonjo-Iweala, trade is the missing part of the puzzle for more ambitious, more effective climate action.

Alongside the heads of the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), International Monetary Fund, World Bank Group and World Food Programme, WTO is calling for an urgent response to the food security crisis.

The latest figures confirm that 349 million people across 79 economies are acutely food insecure.

WTO’s agriculture committee has launched a work programme to address the food security concerns of vulnerable economies around the world.

Looking to the future, the WTO director-general has specifically warned against the fragmentation of the world trading order along geopolitical lines.

She fundamentally believes in the principle of strengthening trade cooperation, not weakening it.

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This was view expressed this week by Mark Logan, the current chair of the UK Jersey Cattle Society.

He has also confirmed that Clandeboye Estate in Co. Down, at which he is farm manager, will host the society’s 2023 annual general meeting (AGM).

“Jersey cattle numbers continue to increase in Northern Ireland. I have held the position of organisation chair for the past two years,” Logan said.

“And it is a tremendous privilege for Clandeboye to have been selected as the venue for this year’s annual meeting.”

The event takes place on Monday July 31 commencing at 11:00a.m.

It also represents the beginning of a two-day celebration of all that is positive about Jersey cattle breeding in Northern Ireland.

“The AGM will conclude at around 12:30p.m. Lunch will then follow in the banqueting hall at the estate. The afternoon events will focus on a visit to the Clandeboye yoghurt factory and a tour of the estate,

“This will also provide visitors with an opportunity to view the Clandeboye pedigree Jersey herd.”

Significantly, the decision has been taken to open up proceedings on the day from lunch time onwards.

“We have invited members of the Jersey Association of Ireland to join us for the afternoon’s proceedings, starting with lunch,” Mark confirmed.

“And we are also opening the invitation to others with an interesting in Jersey breeding.”

Jersey cattle at Clandeboye

Clandeboye is home to 30 elite Jersey cows and followers. The herd is currently averaging  6750L at 5.4% butterfat and 3.9% protein.

The following day will see the Fleming family, from Seaforde in Co. Down, hosting a visit for Jersey Cattle Society members and others with an interest in Jersey breeding.

Their Potterswalls’ herd is home to a number of the UK and Ireland’s most prestigious Jersey bloodlines. It is currently averaging 7,500L with exemplary butterfat and protein levels.

Recent years have marked the installation of two milking robots on the farm. The farm visit gets underway at 10:00a.m.

Mark Logan is quick to confirm Jersey cows’ inherent ability to produce large volumes of high quality milk in a very efficient manner.

“Jersey cows have been long recognised for their ability to produce milk from grass in a very sustainable manner. They also perform well within confined feeding scenarios,” he explained.

“The ability of the breed to produce milk with high levels of fat and protein is universally accepted.

“Looking to the future, our core breeding aim is to maintain this level of quality while also increasing milk volumes. And this target is more than achievable.”

Climate

The past years have seen the climate change debate gather momentum across the UK and Ireland.

Significantly, Mark Logan believes that the Jersey cow has an inherently lower carbon footprint than production animals in other breeds.

But having a sense of something and proving it are two entirely different things.

“There is every merit in having the carbon footprint of Jersey cows independently assessed and verified across a range of production scenarios,” he said.

Yoghurt

Courtesy of his involvement with the management team at Clandeboye, Mark has played a central role in the development of the estate’s now highly recognised and equally commended yoghurt business.

“All of the milk produced on the estate now goes for yoghurt production. Sales are strong throughout the island of Ireland and our market outlets continue to expand,” he continued.

“As a consequence we may soon reach a position, which sees us buying-in additional milk to meet our yoghurt production needs.

“There is no scope to further increase the size of the current Clandeboye dairy herd. All the farmable land on the estate is already fully accounted for.

“The acreage not used for milk production is dedicated to crops, which are used to fuel the anaerobic digester, or AD plant, at Clandeboye,” he explained.

By taking this approach, the estate has been able to generate all the heat and electricity it needs, including for the yoghurt manufacturing facility.

“All the whey produced as a by-product of the yoghurt manufacturing process is fed back into the digester; the feedstock for which also includes our own cattle slurry and the high energy silages grown specifically for AD purposes at Clandeboye,” Logan added.

A ‘circular economy’ approach has been taken for the development of the yoghurt production business.

“Recent assessments have confirmed that the yoghurt manufacturing facility has, to all intents and purposes, a zero carbon footprint. This is on the basis of the dairy herd not being included in the figures,” Logan stated.

“The next stage in the assessment process will be to look at the impact of the cows on the carbon footprint of the entire venture.

“This is another reason why we need to see verifiable carbon footprint data produced for all of the dairy farming systems practised here in Northern Ireland.”

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