I heard machinery enthusiast and friend of the farmer Dermot Forristal hung up his research boots from Teagasc Oak Park last week.

The Kilkenny man had a 42-year career in Teagasc, where he started off investigating baled silage in 1983 before progressing into his home in tillage.

Dermot is no stranger to farmers or this publication from his attendance at meetings, farm walks and writing. He strives for improvements to make farms more efficient. From tyres and sprayer nozzles to discs and ploughs I’ve heard him talk about them all. This year’s Crops and Technology open day showed the progress that has been made in machinery over his career, where Dermot found himself describing spot-spraying using drones and satellite maps. A far cry from 1983 when the internet was only starting.

No doubt he has a busy schedule ahead in retirement, but he won’t be too far away from a machinery demo.