Retired Omagh dairy farmer Alan Kyle is well known for his passion for producing milk from grazed grass, and he has now put that passion into print with his book entitled A Touch of Grass.
It charts over 50 years involved in farming and is based on diaries he kept since the age of 15.
Alan’s enthusiasm for grass began when he was a student at Greenmount in 1955/56. He returned home to farm in 1956, starting with eight cows. By 1959, he was milking 30 cows and, by 1967, had expanded to 50 cows. In 1973, he made what he now describes as “the biggest mistake of our farming career” by stopping milking cows and converting to a suckler beef operation. By 1979, he was back milking cows in a new unit. “They were five years I would never wish to repeat,” writes Alan.
In 1989, he was the 13th farmer to sign up to supply milk to Strathroy Milk Marketing Ltd. When the business was sold to Town of Monaghan Co-op in 1997, there were around 400 farmer suppliers. Alan Kyle remained with Town of Monaghan and was later appointed to the position of vice-chair.
By 2004, Alan’s son Michael was milking 340 cows on the home farm, but issues around land availability and the wet climate prompted him to consider moving elsewhere. In 2006, he decided to sell the farm and move to Scotland where he now operates a large spring-calving dairy herd. Alan’s other son, Kenneth, lives in New Zealand.
As well as outlining developments within dairy farming, Alan’s book looks at some of the major farming issues throughout his lifetime, including advances in machinery, disease outbreaks and battling the weather of 1985. He also has a healthy disregard for red tape and bureaucracy in farming, and voices his opinions on global warming, genetically modified crops, EU membership and the growth of mega-dairies. Overall, however, his focus remains low-cost milk produced from grazed grass.
The book costs £20 and is available from Carlisle Bookshop in Omagh. All profits from the book are going to Cancer Research UK after the death of Alan’s daughter-in-law to the illness in 2014.
Where has grazing gone?
A key speaker at the book launch in Omagh was Dr Sinclair Mayne from the Agri Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI).
While he now has a senior management role at AFBI, his earlier career was as head of dairying research at AFBI Hillsborough, where much of his work was focused on getting more grass into cows, particularly by extended grazing.
During Dr Mayne’s presentation, he questioned the direction that the NI industry has taken over the last 10 years, with many farmers locked into high-cost production systems. “Where has grazing gone in the evolution of dairy farming in NI?” he asked. He said that NI was “blessed” with one of the longest growing seasons in Europe, but that the industry now produces 1,000 litres less milk from forage per cow than 10 years ago.
On farm gate prices, he maintained that the relentless drive for low-cost food cannot continue, with less than 10% of household income now spent on food, compared with 24% 50 years ago. “It is no longer sustainable. If people want good food, they will have to pay more,” he said.
World population
With rising world population and increasing affluence in the developing world, he predicted that the demand for meat and milk will double by 2050. “I have no doubt that those involved in farming over the next 20 to 30 years will farm more profitably than we are at present,” concluded the AFBI scientist.
Profit in
liquid milk
One of the main speakers at the book launch was Eamon Cunningham, chair of Strathroy Dairies.
During a short question-and-answer session, he was asked about the control that retailers have on farm gate prices.
He maintained that the price Strathroy receives for milk remains reasonably steady from one year to the next. “Over the last three years, it has been difficult to make a profit, but the guys processing liquid milk are making a profit at the moment,” acknowledged Cunningham.
His company is well-known to operate an efficient and lean processing business but, according to the Strathroy chair, processing costs across the island are generally 10% higher than they should be.
He also questioned the recent drive by some processors to get producers signed up to five- and 10-year contracts. He maintained that recent history proves that those producers who were able to easily switch between buyers were much better off.
Thurs 30 April
QUB Agricultural Symposium: Future farms – what will food production look like after 2020? Takes place at Medical Biology Centre, Lisburn Road, Belfast, 6.30pm.Farm families’ health check van, Pomeroy mart, 6.30pm to 10.30pm.Fri 1 May
Scotts of Maghera open day, Maghera, 8am to 9pm.Mon 4 May
Limousins 65 bulls and 27 females, show 10am, sale 1pm, Ballymena mart.N Antrim and E L’Derry Suffolk club, fat lamb competition, Kilrea mart, 10.30am.Holstein NI annual stock judging competition at David and Gary Throne Willofarm herd, 7 Willow Rd, Bready, Strabane, 11am. Details John TN 07711 041128. Tues 5 May
Holstein NI 20 bulls, show and sale, Kilrea mart, 10.30am.UGS dairy farm walk at Pat Lavery, 20 Derryvore Lane, Portadown, 10.45am. TN George on 07920 037910.Fri 8 May
Suckler cows with calves at foot, 26 head for L Bowden, Ballymena mart, 11am.Aston takes over as new
UFU CEO
The annual general meeting of the Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU) held this week at Loughry campus, Cookstown, has marked the official start for Wesley Aston as chief executive of the UFU. He takes over from outgoing chief Clarke Black.
The meeting was addressed by the secretary general of COPA COGECA, Pekka Pesonen, who outlined his views on CAP Reform, Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership talks, and livestock issues.
Also at the AGM, an honorary life membership was presented to John Clarke from Ballymena.
Retired Omagh dairy farmer Alan Kyle is well known for his passion for producing milk from grazed grass, and he has now put that passion into print with his book entitled A Touch of Grass.
It charts over 50 years involved in farming and is based on diaries he kept since the age of 15.
Alan’s enthusiasm for grass began when he was a student at Greenmount in 1955/56. He returned home to farm in 1956, starting with eight cows. By 1959, he was milking 30 cows and, by 1967, had expanded to 50 cows. In 1973, he made what he now describes as “the biggest mistake of our farming career” by stopping milking cows and converting to a suckler beef operation. By 1979, he was back milking cows in a new unit. “They were five years I would never wish to repeat,” writes Alan.
In 1989, he was the 13th farmer to sign up to supply milk to Strathroy Milk Marketing Ltd. When the business was sold to Town of Monaghan Co-op in 1997, there were around 400 farmer suppliers. Alan Kyle remained with Town of Monaghan and was later appointed to the position of vice-chair.
By 2004, Alan’s son Michael was milking 340 cows on the home farm, but issues around land availability and the wet climate prompted him to consider moving elsewhere. In 2006, he decided to sell the farm and move to Scotland where he now operates a large spring-calving dairy herd. Alan’s other son, Kenneth, lives in New Zealand.
As well as outlining developments within dairy farming, Alan’s book looks at some of the major farming issues throughout his lifetime, including advances in machinery, disease outbreaks and battling the weather of 1985. He also has a healthy disregard for red tape and bureaucracy in farming, and voices his opinions on global warming, genetically modified crops, EU membership and the growth of mega-dairies. Overall, however, his focus remains low-cost milk produced from grazed grass.
The book costs £20 and is available from Carlisle Bookshop in Omagh. All profits from the book are going to Cancer Research UK after the death of Alan’s daughter-in-law to the illness in 2014.
Where has grazing gone?
A key speaker at the book launch in Omagh was Dr Sinclair Mayne from the Agri Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI).
While he now has a senior management role at AFBI, his earlier career was as head of dairying research at AFBI Hillsborough, where much of his work was focused on getting more grass into cows, particularly by extended grazing.
During Dr Mayne’s presentation, he questioned the direction that the NI industry has taken over the last 10 years, with many farmers locked into high-cost production systems. “Where has grazing gone in the evolution of dairy farming in NI?” he asked. He said that NI was “blessed” with one of the longest growing seasons in Europe, but that the industry now produces 1,000 litres less milk from forage per cow than 10 years ago.
On farm gate prices, he maintained that the relentless drive for low-cost food cannot continue, with less than 10% of household income now spent on food, compared with 24% 50 years ago. “It is no longer sustainable. If people want good food, they will have to pay more,” he said.
World population
With rising world population and increasing affluence in the developing world, he predicted that the demand for meat and milk will double by 2050. “I have no doubt that those involved in farming over the next 20 to 30 years will farm more profitably than we are at present,” concluded the AFBI scientist.
Profit in
liquid milk
One of the main speakers at the book launch was Eamon Cunningham, chair of Strathroy Dairies.
During a short question-and-answer session, he was asked about the control that retailers have on farm gate prices.
He maintained that the price Strathroy receives for milk remains reasonably steady from one year to the next. “Over the last three years, it has been difficult to make a profit, but the guys processing liquid milk are making a profit at the moment,” acknowledged Cunningham.
His company is well-known to operate an efficient and lean processing business but, according to the Strathroy chair, processing costs across the island are generally 10% higher than they should be.
He also questioned the recent drive by some processors to get producers signed up to five- and 10-year contracts. He maintained that recent history proves that those producers who were able to easily switch between buyers were much better off.
Thurs 30 April
QUB Agricultural Symposium: Future farms – what will food production look like after 2020? Takes place at Medical Biology Centre, Lisburn Road, Belfast, 6.30pm.Farm families’ health check van, Pomeroy mart, 6.30pm to 10.30pm.Fri 1 May
Scotts of Maghera open day, Maghera, 8am to 9pm.Mon 4 May
Limousins 65 bulls and 27 females, show 10am, sale 1pm, Ballymena mart.N Antrim and E L’Derry Suffolk club, fat lamb competition, Kilrea mart, 10.30am.Holstein NI annual stock judging competition at David and Gary Throne Willofarm herd, 7 Willow Rd, Bready, Strabane, 11am. Details John TN 07711 041128. Tues 5 May
Holstein NI 20 bulls, show and sale, Kilrea mart, 10.30am.UGS dairy farm walk at Pat Lavery, 20 Derryvore Lane, Portadown, 10.45am. TN George on 07920 037910.Fri 8 May
Suckler cows with calves at foot, 26 head for L Bowden, Ballymena mart, 11am.Aston takes over as new
UFU CEO
The annual general meeting of the Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU) held this week at Loughry campus, Cookstown, has marked the official start for Wesley Aston as chief executive of the UFU. He takes over from outgoing chief Clarke Black.
The meeting was addressed by the secretary general of COPA COGECA, Pekka Pesonen, who outlined his views on CAP Reform, Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership talks, and livestock issues.
Also at the AGM, an honorary life membership was presented to John Clarke from Ballymena.
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