ON THE FARM: Vehement opposition needed to Suckler Carbon Efficiency Programme
Farming columnist with The Clare Echo, Joe Melody says all farming representative bodies need to unite in opposition to the Suckler Carbon Efficiency Programme.
Joe Melody
ON THE FARM: Simple regulation can save lives with farm safety
Farm Safety Week has just passed and for all the progress we have made in terms of efficiencies in the industry this is one area that our record is a sorry one.
ON THE FARM: In praise of the suckler cow
*Sucklers on the Melody farm. There is something about a scent and its power to transport you away to another time or place. To even an urbanite, the sweet fragrance of hay wafting through the air on a balmy summer’s breeze can arouse a nostalgia for summers past.
ON THE FARM: Climate justice warriors upsetting natural course of commerce in farming sector
Joe Melody gives an insight into the damage caused by “climate justice warriors”.
ON THE FARM: Devil in the detail of the new CAP
*The paddock on the Melody farm which was reseeded seven weeks ago. Joe Melody gets down to the nitty gritty of the CAP.
ON THE FARM: Machinery has enabled farmers to expand
While we are both in the season of field work and societal COVID-19 restrictions, it seems that the hum of farm machinery is more prolific than the roar of aircraft over our skies heralding the arrival of visitors to our shores for their summer sojourn.
ON THE FARM: Grass quality a trivial matter compared to diminished grass quantity
Last week I had the pleasure of being invited to speak at my alma mater Clonmoney national school. I was there to speak about farming, the environment and biodiversity. I have spoken to schools in the past but there is a sentimental aspect to returning to your own school.
ON THE FARM: Ag-tech investment will not replace the farmer of the future
“Demography is destiny,” this a quote by French sociologist was coined to describe the European real estate situation of the 19th century.
ON THE FARM: Making a good silage pit no different from building a solid house
There is a waltz going on in our meadows under the overcast summer sky. This waltz is choreographed to a not so subtle melody, a loud hum and rev of tractor engine and silage harvester all working in unison.
ON THE FARM: Irish agriculture enjoying one of its best year in terms of market returns
At last a verdancy has came over the countryside, with the incessant rain of May replenishing the thirsty blotting paper like canvas that was the countryside, this appears to have been the panacea we were waiting for.
