I believe, thousands of years ago, Ireland used to be covered in rainforest. I think nature is trying to turn us back into one (though maybe this time without the trees). The rain and misery has been non-stop. Last week’s sunshine was a much-needed respite.
With the wet weather, I’ve been keeping the calved cows out as much as I can and leaving a gap open for them to walk back to the yard once they’re finished grazing.
This system is kind of working. There is some damage to the ground, but it’s worth it for the health of the cow and the quality and quantity of the milk they’re producing. On the worst weather days, though, the cows won’t even venture out. They take one look at the weather and say, ‘I think I’m going to take it easy today.’
I have this year’s maiden heifers out on our large silage field. When they were let loose, they were overjoyed and full of energy – I thought they were going to clear the ditch, at one point.
We’re about two-thirds of the way through calving and the shed is filling up with the little tail-waggers. I’m getting a mini-break before our final batch is due. We don’t calve all at once within several weeks like other farms might; we just don’t have the room in the shed. This break provides a bit of work-life balance – I can wean the earlier calves while bringing on the remainder.
In any case, they are all doing great, though there are always some sad times during calving and we did have one calf fatality this year. You always feel angry and frustrated when you lose a calf – you blame yourself for potentially missing something, but most of the time there is very little which could have been done.
Still that one fatality was frustrating, and then to top off that week I received a rejection letter for my solar TAMS application.
For those who aren’t familiar, farmers can avail of grants to invest in equipment and infrastructure (called TAMS grants). We had applied for one to help cover the cost of solar panels, so my dream of becoming a solar baron has been shattered (for this round, anyway).
I had to laugh at the timing – here we are now, we have a global energy crisis. The country will struggle to get the gas and oil necessary to power our economy and what does the Government do? They reject 90% of the solar TAMS applications Irish farmers have spent so much time working on. I mean, you couldn’t make it up.
The average house (with a heat pump) might use 5kWh (kilowatt-hours) of electricity per year. The solar company I spoke with estimated I could get 30kwh of electricity from solar off the roofs of my sheds – that’s a good six houses I could have powered. I have no idea how many farms were rejected, but let’s say it was 1,000. That’s 6,000 homes. It’s such a simple win.
The country will struggle to get the gas and oil necessary to power our economy and what does the Government do? They reject 90% of the solar TAMS applications Irish farmers have spent so much time working on
Let’s combine that with the continued negativity thrown our way for not being carbon neutral or ‘green’ enough. Not a week goes by without somebody lamenting about how destructive farmers are. Just these last few weeks there’s been a social media campaign suggesting our butter is somehow tasting and looking different. We are obviously doing some sneaky thing to make the butter lower quality.
I’m always looking at alternative ways to farm. I have a curious mind and I love technology. I recently attended a conference on the growing bioeconomy. I had a great time – not just listening to presentations, but also participating in workshops with scientists, business owners and other organic and conventional farmers.
We’re all trying to look at the future of agriculture and see how we can turn waste into positive energy sources for our farms and communities. There are plenty of opportunities for farmers to take part, or even take a leading role.
My only fear is that we’ll fall behind, just as we’ve done in energy security, because of a lack of Government buy-in and investment in the right people.
For years, farmers have been creating energy-rich, high-value products for consumption. Why not trust us to create the energy to power our future?
Read more
Desperate Farmhusband: never, ever, be too positive about farming
Desperate Farmhusband: is it just me or are we all feeling a bit more cheerful?
I believe, thousands of years ago, Ireland used to be covered in rainforest. I think nature is trying to turn us back into one (though maybe this time without the trees). The rain and misery has been non-stop. Last week’s sunshine was a much-needed respite.
With the wet weather, I’ve been keeping the calved cows out as much as I can and leaving a gap open for them to walk back to the yard once they’re finished grazing.
This system is kind of working. There is some damage to the ground, but it’s worth it for the health of the cow and the quality and quantity of the milk they’re producing. On the worst weather days, though, the cows won’t even venture out. They take one look at the weather and say, ‘I think I’m going to take it easy today.’
I have this year’s maiden heifers out on our large silage field. When they were let loose, they were overjoyed and full of energy – I thought they were going to clear the ditch, at one point.
We’re about two-thirds of the way through calving and the shed is filling up with the little tail-waggers. I’m getting a mini-break before our final batch is due. We don’t calve all at once within several weeks like other farms might; we just don’t have the room in the shed. This break provides a bit of work-life balance – I can wean the earlier calves while bringing on the remainder.
In any case, they are all doing great, though there are always some sad times during calving and we did have one calf fatality this year. You always feel angry and frustrated when you lose a calf – you blame yourself for potentially missing something, but most of the time there is very little which could have been done.
Still that one fatality was frustrating, and then to top off that week I received a rejection letter for my solar TAMS application.
For those who aren’t familiar, farmers can avail of grants to invest in equipment and infrastructure (called TAMS grants). We had applied for one to help cover the cost of solar panels, so my dream of becoming a solar baron has been shattered (for this round, anyway).
I had to laugh at the timing – here we are now, we have a global energy crisis. The country will struggle to get the gas and oil necessary to power our economy and what does the Government do? They reject 90% of the solar TAMS applications Irish farmers have spent so much time working on. I mean, you couldn’t make it up.
The average house (with a heat pump) might use 5kWh (kilowatt-hours) of electricity per year. The solar company I spoke with estimated I could get 30kwh of electricity from solar off the roofs of my sheds – that’s a good six houses I could have powered. I have no idea how many farms were rejected, but let’s say it was 1,000. That’s 6,000 homes. It’s such a simple win.
The country will struggle to get the gas and oil necessary to power our economy and what does the Government do? They reject 90% of the solar TAMS applications Irish farmers have spent so much time working on
Let’s combine that with the continued negativity thrown our way for not being carbon neutral or ‘green’ enough. Not a week goes by without somebody lamenting about how destructive farmers are. Just these last few weeks there’s been a social media campaign suggesting our butter is somehow tasting and looking different. We are obviously doing some sneaky thing to make the butter lower quality.
I’m always looking at alternative ways to farm. I have a curious mind and I love technology. I recently attended a conference on the growing bioeconomy. I had a great time – not just listening to presentations, but also participating in workshops with scientists, business owners and other organic and conventional farmers.
We’re all trying to look at the future of agriculture and see how we can turn waste into positive energy sources for our farms and communities. There are plenty of opportunities for farmers to take part, or even take a leading role.
My only fear is that we’ll fall behind, just as we’ve done in energy security, because of a lack of Government buy-in and investment in the right people.
For years, farmers have been creating energy-rich, high-value products for consumption. Why not trust us to create the energy to power our future?
Read more
Desperate Farmhusband: never, ever, be too positive about farming
Desperate Farmhusband: is it just me or are we all feeling a bit more cheerful?
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