Flooding last winter increased costs on farms affected, according to Michael Beirne and Jack Lohan from CBS Roscommon.
Their BT Young Scientist project entitled “The effects of recent floods on farms in South Roscommon” aims to raise awareness of the ongoing struggles farmers face in the wake of flooding. Theirs is one of 550 student projects that qualified for the 53rd Young Scientist Exhibition, which takes place from 12 to 14 January in the RDS.
“One of the main parts of the project was the questionnaire that we sent out to farmers. One man had a 20% lower milk yield as a result of the floods,” said Lohan, who recalls the black fields with no grass after the water drained away.
“Others said that they had €20,000 of damage done to farm buildings. On average, each farm had 10ha flooded in the area surrounding Lough Funshinagh, fertiliser use decreased and farmers had to bear the cost of reseeding,” Lohan told the Irish Farmers Journal.
“Some farmers will have to give up parts of their land that are going to keep flooding,” added Beirne, who hails from a sheep farm.
The project also incorporated a soil compaction test, which concluded that flooded land was less suited to grass growth afterwards.
“The general feedback we got from farmers was that the rivers need to be cleaned out and the swallow hole in the nearby turlough should be unblocked,” Beirne said.
For Beirne and Lohan, going up to the RDS this week to exhibit their project is more about awareness than winning. Their project is in the biological and ecological category, which has the highest number of competitors.
“Obviously, we’d like to do our best but the most important part of it for us is raising awareness of what farmers in our area face as a result of flooding.”
Other agricultural projects in this year’s exhibition include ‘‘The psychological effects of a farm accident’’ from Mount Mercy College in Cork, ‘‘Agroforestry and carbon sequestriation’’ from Schull Community College in Cork and one on the incidence of bovine TB in south Galway from Seamount College.
Stay tuned to www.farmersjournal.ie or the Irish Farmers Journal daily news app for updates from the BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition
Read more
Farming innovations displayed at BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition
Flooding last winter increased costs on farms affected, according to Michael Beirne and Jack Lohan from CBS Roscommon.
Their BT Young Scientist project entitled “The effects of recent floods on farms in South Roscommon” aims to raise awareness of the ongoing struggles farmers face in the wake of flooding. Theirs is one of 550 student projects that qualified for the 53rd Young Scientist Exhibition, which takes place from 12 to 14 January in the RDS.
“One of the main parts of the project was the questionnaire that we sent out to farmers. One man had a 20% lower milk yield as a result of the floods,” said Lohan, who recalls the black fields with no grass after the water drained away.
“Others said that they had €20,000 of damage done to farm buildings. On average, each farm had 10ha flooded in the area surrounding Lough Funshinagh, fertiliser use decreased and farmers had to bear the cost of reseeding,” Lohan told the Irish Farmers Journal.
“Some farmers will have to give up parts of their land that are going to keep flooding,” added Beirne, who hails from a sheep farm.
The project also incorporated a soil compaction test, which concluded that flooded land was less suited to grass growth afterwards.
“The general feedback we got from farmers was that the rivers need to be cleaned out and the swallow hole in the nearby turlough should be unblocked,” Beirne said.
For Beirne and Lohan, going up to the RDS this week to exhibit their project is more about awareness than winning. Their project is in the biological and ecological category, which has the highest number of competitors.
“Obviously, we’d like to do our best but the most important part of it for us is raising awareness of what farmers in our area face as a result of flooding.”
Other agricultural projects in this year’s exhibition include ‘‘The psychological effects of a farm accident’’ from Mount Mercy College in Cork, ‘‘Agroforestry and carbon sequestriation’’ from Schull Community College in Cork and one on the incidence of bovine TB in south Galway from Seamount College.
Stay tuned to www.farmersjournal.ie or the Irish Farmers Journal daily news app for updates from the BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition
Read more
Farming innovations displayed at BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition
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