Strong turnout at Dairygold Tillage Conference 2024
All things tillage were up for discussion in Corrin Event Centre last Friday as the Dairygold Annual Tillage Conference 2024 got underway at Cork Marts.
Welcoming those from the tillage sector, near and far, the event kicked off at 12 allowing attendees time to take a tour of the trade suppliers' stalls set up around the bustling centre.
“For tillage farmers, building resilience into their business is key to achieving long-term success" - this was the message from Liam O’Fla
herty, general manager at Dairygold Agri Business.
“The experience of 2023 with challenging weather, a difficult harvest and tightening margins has confirmed that the sector is resilient and will always adapt and succeed. It has also highlighted the importance of looking at every aspect of tillage enterprises to ensure resilience and sustainability, both environmental and financial, are always key areas of focus.
"Our tillage growers are a key part of our overall business and Ireland’s tillage industry continues to support hundreds of farming families across the coun
try and make a significant contribution to national GDP, we need to ensure that we continue to have a thriving tillage sector into the future," Mr Leahy said.
Facilitated by former Irish Farmers Journal tillage editor, Andy Doyle, the speakers on the day included Eoin Lowry, head of agriculture at Bank of Ireland; Ciaran Collins, Teagasc specialist and William and Robert Coleman, tillage farmers from Cork.
Eoin Lowry explained how to build resilience in turbulent times and how to manage challenges and identify opportunities within the tillage industry by measuring performance, benchmarking standards and knowing the returns needed to achieve short, medium and long-term goals.
William and Robert Coleman, tillage farmers from Kanturk, also spoke at the event about adapting to changing times on their family-run farm, with their extensive knowledge of soil and crop management techniques. Viewed as ambassadors in their field, the Colemans are recognised for their tillage and dry stock farming techniques as they promote a more natural way of farming.
Teagasc tillage specialist for Southern Ireland, Ciaran Collins, presented his paper on the area of ‘knowing your costs’ and debated and supported the figures from the recently published Teagasc monitor farms.
At the conference, Dairygold confirmed a minimum contract price of €250/t for the 2024 protein bean crop.
“Our minimum contract price for protein beans for the 2024 season, is a commitment to encouraging the harvesting of this valuable native crop for the season ahead. Beans are an important ingredient in Dairygold’s feeds, supplying a rich source of valuable native protein and starch," Mr Leahy said.
This strong pricing commitment from Dairygold offers welcomed security to growers who want to make informed commercial decisions early in the season.
The four Malting Barley Grower regional winners were also in attendance on the day, including the North Cork Regional winner, Michael Archdeacon who farms in the Blackwater Valley; the Mid Cork Regional winner, Denis O’Connor who farms in Ballyvodock, south of Midleton; Billy Nicholson the East Cork Regional winner who farms near Crosshaven and Michael J Aherne, the Tipperary Regional winner from Kilcommon, Cahir, Co Tipperary.
The O'Connor family from Ballyvodock were confirmed as the overall winners of this year’s Dairygold Malting Barley competition. Denis O’Connor and his wife Maria, along with his parents Denis and Ann, have grown their business significantly in recent years as they adapted from sugar beet farming.
Denis describes the farm as an ideal site for malting barley, as the ground is free-draining and can be worked from late January, offering the opportunity to plant cover crops after cereal harvest, to enhance organic matter and carbon retention.
The O’Connors are dedicated to farming sustainably and soil sample every three years, to ensure that the land has the right nutrient levels.
“We farm very early ground and look on this as a massive asset to us, that’s our strength and we capitalise on it," Denis said.
Congratulating the O'Connors, Dairygold vice chairman, Ger O’Dwyer, said: “Denis O'Connor and his family showcase the very best of innovative and sustainable farming practices. They have a deep commitment to nurturing the land and its resources. Their victory shows their dedication to a more sustainable agricultural future."