Resilient farmers in for the long haul
Peaks and valleys - the story of Irish farming. Things aren't going badly for farmers at the moment, except for those attempting to grow tomatoes for the Irish market - almost impossible given the pricing structures employed by a lot of supermarket chains.
Undoubtedly, certain sectors are under pressure, however, some commodities (milk and beef) are commanding premium prices at the moment. Tillage is hard going.
'INPUTS'
'Inputs' has entered the lexicon of Irish farmers, in basic terms, it relates to 'costs' associated with production. It will come as no surprise that 'inputs' across all sectors have increased dramatically in the last few months - energy, in particular stands out.
And yet, there remains a decent margin in most farming enterprises. The big concern is that 'inputs' will continue to increase, in such a scenario, this will spell very bad new indeed.
PRESSING ON REGARDLESS
Irish farmers have rode out many a storm and there's every reason to believe that present challenges will also be overcome. These same farmers have shown themselves to be extremely flexible and there's now a huge onus on smarter, more efficient farming.
This may mean better breeding, better soil management and making the best possible use of natural advantages, e.g. our temperate climate. It will also mean seeking new markets - markets that are prepared to pay ' over the odds' for high end produce.
THE GROWTH OF ORGANIC FARMING
According to the Department of Agriculture statistics, organic farming is a significant growth area in the years ahead.
Like a lot of things in life, there's a contraction at the heart of a system that encourages more production, while at the same time, advocating 'slow farming' methods such as organic, where chemicals, weedkillers and genetically modified variants are major negatives.
In a brave new world that will continue screaming for cheap food, it's not entirely fanciful that tomorrow's farmers will continue with an intensive, commercially successful approach, while at the same time, setting aside part of their holding to grow food in an organic or natural manner - you never know, a daring few might even try growing tomatoes.