New network to be a ‘game-changer’

A new online social network for farmers and those interested in farming has been launched.

Wicklow vet Tommy Heffernan and Limerick farmer Geoff Dooley have launched Co-Farm, a new network where farmers can build an online profile for their farm and connect and share knowledge and ideas with other farmers locally and globally.

Co-Farm also enables farmers to benchmark their performance and to find solutions to common farming problems. The idea arose from the founders’ frustration with the way farming is often served so badly by poor information, unnecessary complexity and vested interests.

‘By far the easiest way to improve farm performance is to do simple things at the right time and in the right way, consistently. It’s about knowing what those things are and turning them into habits. Great habits are the best predictor of high performance,’ explains Tommy.

For the launch phase, Co-Farm is making benchmarking and problem solving programmes for managing milk quality available to dairy farmers. Tommy and Geoff ’s vision is that Co-Farm will become a platform that hosts management tools and development programs relevant to all farming sectors and businesses. However, it is the social networking aspect of Co-Farm that could become the biggest game-changer.

‘ There are 570 million farmers in the world while the agri-food supply chain is controlled by handful of giant players. As a result the unconnected farmer base is at the complete mercy of the market. We believe that connecting farmers through a professional social network is a step towards addressing this power imbalance,’ says Geoff.

Co-Farm is positioning itself as a LinkedIn for farmers. If it proves effective as a coordination tool for delivering the best advice to farmers and for enabling farmers to organise themselves; its impact could be very significant. This potential has been recognised by Enterprise Ireland who selected Co-Farm to attend the Innovations Arena at this year’s National Ploughing Championships.

Wicklow based dairy farmer Sean Hurley who was involved in the testing phase of Co-Farm endorsed the idea.

‘I see it as a tool that will change the way we manage production risks on the farm. Instead of hoping to be lucky; we can create a little more luck for ourselves by benchmarking what we do, following specific programs and learning from others who are on the farmer’s side,’ he said.

For further information see www.cofarm.org

Cattle sale, Friday, June 24: Numbers remain steady on last week with 290 cattle on offer. No noticeable effect on the trade with report on the British exit with forward beef cattle very much in demand.

Beef and forward bullocks sold from €800 to €1070 with the kg while forward FR cattle sold from €2 per kg. Store bullocks continue to meet at farmer demand with €380kg to €440kg bullock setting the trade. The majority sold from €2.20 to €2.60 with the kg up to €3 given for the fancy U grade bullock.

Beef and forward heifers sold from €750 to €980 with the kg while store heifers sold from €2.10 to €2.65 with up to €2.90 given for U Grade

Cattle sale, Thursday, June 23: 276 cattle and 57 calves on offer. Very good trade for all types, with a lot of customers for the good quality lots. Prices: Cattle Beef & Forward Store Bullocks €580 to €910 over €/kg, Store Bullocks over 500Kgs €560 to €865 over €/kg, Store Bullocks over 400Kgs €515 to €690 over €/kg, Store Bullocks over 300kgs €400 to €575 over €/ kg, Beef & Butchers Heifers €570 to €880 over €/kg, Store Heifers over 400kgs €460 to €675 over €/kg, Store Heifers over 300kgs €414 to €580 over €/kg, Beef Cows €400 to €620 over €/kg, Feeding Cows €160 to €380 over €/kg, Calves Fr Bulls €100 to €220, Cont. Bulls €260 to €400, Cont. Heifers €240 to €385, He/AA Bulls €160 to €360, He/AA Heifers €130 to €290.

Cattle sale, Wednesday, June 22: Heavier, plainer cattle tend to be back a small bit, good quality stores are always in demand. Sample prices: Bullocks: 275kg €620 Lm, 385kg €675 CH, 432kg €1060 LM, 433 kg €1050 CH, 600kg €1350 CH. Heifers: 295 kg €660 LM, 350kg €905 CH, 565kg €1200 LM, 400kg €885 CH. Cows with calf at foot from €1090 -€1160