Other farming enterprises

Other sectors will have to be retained, at the very least to ‘dilute’ the effects of large-scale, intensive grassbased dairying.

At one level, cropping can aid the development of intensive dairying.

Crops can mop up nutrients, provide an outlet for manures, deplete excess soil reserves, provide bedding material and provide concentrate feeds.

However, when the inevitable dip occurs in the fortunes of dairy and/or when the eventual upswing in the fortunes of grain occurs, we might need a few more irons in the fire.

While the spotlight shines undimmed on the dairy sector, other sectors are working away and becoming very viable.

Take sheep for instance. Scoffed at for so long by some commentators, sheep farming is now a steady earner for those well set up and prepared to put in the effort.

Sheep farmers get most Sundays off — and they can even take a holiday that isn’t planned two years in advance.

The last few years have seen a split develop between the milk and non-milk sectors. For a small island with so much potential to produce any type of produce we choose, this split is a complete waste of energy and resources.

Since the development of the Norfolk 4 rotation in the 17 th century, agriculture has thrived on the synergy that exists between livestock and crop production.

Modern agriculture has temporarily diminished the strength of this synergy.

However, the only sustainable way we can all get a long-term living from farming is by reigniting and nurturing this synergy.

Richard Hackett is an agronomist based in north Dublin and is a member of the ITCA and ACA