Sligo farmers Anne and Frank Guest, who have been donating cows through Bóthar every year for the last 12 years, at their home in Tubbercurry, Co Sligo. \ James Connolly
I farm: “Around 40ha with my husband, Frank. We have a few suckler cows, mostly Hereford, Angus and Limousin. But we also buy in calves or weanlings to rear and sell as stores. I also work part-time as a carer.”
This week: “The ground is starting to get wet, so we are bringing the cattle in and dosing them. Hopefully, it will be a shorter winter than 2017. So far, it has been a good year with grass – people got late cuts of silage.”
Bóthar: “We’ve sent an in-calf heifer out with Bóthar every year since 2007. We buy them either locally or in the midlands and prefer a British Friesian. They thrive better in hotter countries. Our heifers have gone to Romania, Rwanda, Albania and Kosovo.”
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Study tour: “We were in Romania on a Bóthar study tour in 2013. It makes you appreciate how lucky you are to be born this side of the world. The first heifer calf the cow produces is passed on to another family so it is a gift that keeps on giving. One of the things I was anxious to see was how the heifers were treated. The receiving families get training in animal husbandry and keep them in out of the heat in the day. They’re looked after very well.”
Farming future: “Suckler farming in the west of Ireland is on the decline and Government input in this area is essential if numbers are to be sustained in the future. Environmental schemes are good as they generate extra income and enhance the appearance of the countryside and protect water and wildlife. Money from the EU for all of these schemes has helped keep small and medium-sized farms viable for the last 25 years.”
Quotable quote: “One cow for a family in Romania is like winning the lotto here. It guarantees food and education for the children.”
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I farm: “Around 40ha with my husband, Frank. We have a few suckler cows, mostly Hereford, Angus and Limousin. But we also buy in calves or weanlings to rear and sell as stores. I also work part-time as a carer.”
This week: “The ground is starting to get wet, so we are bringing the cattle in and dosing them. Hopefully, it will be a shorter winter than 2017. So far, it has been a good year with grass – people got late cuts of silage.”
Bóthar: “We’ve sent an in-calf heifer out with Bóthar every year since 2007. We buy them either locally or in the midlands and prefer a British Friesian. They thrive better in hotter countries. Our heifers have gone to Romania, Rwanda, Albania and Kosovo.”
Study tour: “We were in Romania on a Bóthar study tour in 2013. It makes you appreciate how lucky you are to be born this side of the world. The first heifer calf the cow produces is passed on to another family so it is a gift that keeps on giving. One of the things I was anxious to see was how the heifers were treated. The receiving families get training in animal husbandry and keep them in out of the heat in the day. They’re looked after very well.”
Farming future: “Suckler farming in the west of Ireland is on the decline and Government input in this area is essential if numbers are to be sustained in the future. Environmental schemes are good as they generate extra income and enhance the appearance of the countryside and protect water and wildlife. Money from the EU for all of these schemes has helped keep small and medium-sized farms viable for the last 25 years.”
Quotable quote: “One cow for a family in Romania is like winning the lotto here. It guarantees food and education for the children.”
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