Bright sparks set to fly at Tullamore Show
THIS WEEKEND Sunday August 13 sees the 2017 Tullamore Show taking place, with around 60,000 visitors expected to attend.
One section of the Tullamore Show we are proud to support here at the Farming Independent is the National Inventions Competition.
The inventions arena draws out the curiosity and inventor in every one of us, and it’s a mustvisit area for anyone planning on coming to the event.
You are always guaranteed to meet some inspiring characters, and they all tend to have an infectious enthusiasm in their search for the perfect invention and the top prize in their category.
Mobile calf feeder
First place last year in the agriculture, horticulture and forestry section went to Liam Murphy for his brilliant moveable calf feeder idea.
Mr Murphy, a Kilkenny man, is a serial inventor who seems to just keep on producing great ideas.
He never fails to disappoint, and 2016 was actually his second time claiming the top prize.
Mr Murphy explained: “My idea came about from having to deal with feeding up to 100 calves on the out farm.
“The feeder can be hooked up to the tractor’s front loader — the farmer simply drives right up to the field gate or ditch and then lowers the loader to drop the feeder down over the gate.
“You wait for five minutes while the calves are being fed; you don’t even have to get down from the cab. When finished you just raise the loader and drive off again.
“The unit allows you to feed up to 100 calves at a time, and it is easily road transportable by folding back into a half moon shape that ensures good road visibility.
“It saves so much hassle in wet ground, avoiding the need for damaging soil or dragging a trailed feeder around.”
The quality of entries this year promises to be equally high as potential bright sparks avail of the opportunity to give their invention a launch pad for future success.
We will carry a special report on the best inventions in next week’s issue.