Replacing the builder's bread

Sean Jennings is a self-employed block layer and stone mansion. He farms 55 acres all in one block outside Ballinrobe, where he runs 18 suckler cows.

The rain and wind howled down as we drove into his tidy farmyard. The job he was working on at the time was at the foot of Croagh Patrick. "On a day like this, there was no point in going in,'' he said.

The farm itself is well set up. Old buildings and the yard have been very well maintained.

The slatted shed was put up in 2001, and no more building is planned. An old Ford 6610 was the main working tractor, but Sean has plans to replace this in the next few years.

One thing that was out of place was the small forklift. "I picked it up very cheaply, and it is very handy for pushing in bales,'' said Sean. He's been in REPS since the start, and is currently in year 3 of REPS 3. The scheme suits Sean, as he takes pride in having the farm looking well.

With stock, Sean's preference is for Simmentals for the suckler dam and he has a few pedigrees: "I find them more docile and they are good mothers''. He crosses them with mainly Belgian Blue and some Charolais bulls, using AI to get the best quality.

He has used a lot of the Belgian Blue Bull EDJ with good results. "The calves are born small, but they soon start showing their muscle and potential,'' Sean told me. Using AI also allows him to breed his own replacements, and he had a pen of eight cracking Simmental in-calf heifers.

Up to now, Sean was keeping a lot of the heifers to improve the herd, but he plans to sell some as replacement in the years ahead.

He sees it as one way to increase the income for the cows. Last year, the weanling bulls were back €100 a head in the marts and costs are increasing. He signed up quickly for the suckler welfare scheme, seeing its obvious advantages, both financial and in breeding terms. The major change he will make is how he weans the calves this year before he takes them into Ballinrobe mart. Like many good blocklayers, Sean has been flat out for the last few years.

"I definitely notice a slowdown, and have to seriously think about what I will do for an income in the future,'' he told us.

His wife, Eithne, works in the Irish Pride Bakery. Sean is at his happiest when farming, but he now has to look elsewhere to replace the building 'bread'.

Sean is looking at going into garden maintenance and offering his services for mowing lawns and outdoor work. "I definately think there is an opportunity there. Set up costs are very low, and I can offer customers a wide range of services.''