The historical dominance of the Aussie and Dutch bloodlines in Irish dairy breeding has been almost completely replaced by home-bred dairy sires in less than a decade.
When I started out dairy farming in 2009, 'resilience' was the buzz word in the sector - it was used in relation to developing a strong farm system that could manage fluctuations in milk price.
When I started out dairy farming in 2009, 'resilience' was the buzz word in the sector - it was used in relation to developing a strong farm system that could manage fluctuations in milk price.
Factory quotes for sheep, be they spring lambs, hoggets or cull ewes, were back by between 10-20c/kg yesterday. "Normal service has been resumed," was the reaction from one sheep farmer I know, but given that Ramadan began last Thursday a price pull was always going to be on the cards.
A few years ago a colleague of mine observed that the roads of west Limerick were a dangerous place to travel on a Sunday morning, as you were liable to be mowed down by mobile congregations in search of a 'fast Mass.'
Like many others I am continuing to adjust to working from home. My normal weekly routine of visiting farms throughout Ireland and abroad has been replaced by remote communication.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has promised to "fire up the engines" of the UK economy with a plan for "refining" the coronavirus lockdown which he will reveal by the end of this week.
