I farm: “In partnership with my father Paddy. It’s always been a mixed farm. We grow potatoes, cereals, peas, beans and have cattle. The systems complement each other.”
Cattle: “We buy them in at six to 10 months from local farmers in October. They are a mixture of Angus, Hereford and some Friesian. We hold them until March – 12 months – and sell some as forward stores and finish some, depending on the market.”
Crops: “So far this year, we have winter barley and winter wheat sown. We still have some winter wheat to put in. We were relatively happy with yields, but disappointed with where the grain price ended up, I thought there was a bit more in it. The input costs have gone so high, it does make you look at the cost of production.”
Potatoes: “I am growing Rooster potatoes for Aldi, Markies for chipping and crisping varieties for O’Donnells and Tayto.
We should be finished digging potatoes at the end of this week. With the weather being good, we will probably get the winter wheat in behind the potatoes. The costs of inputs make them a risky crop to grow.”
Partnership: “I came home to farming 12 years ago. The partnership was a good way to transition and give me a chance to understand what my dad did.
I’d say to anyone going into one that while your views may differ, you are both aiming to get a positive outcome, so keep that in mind and if you are considerate of each other’s views and don’t get trenched in your own views, it works very well.”
Outlook: “When you’re in a system you don’t want to be jumping around, but equally when it’s not profitable, why would you continue to do it? Farming is hard enough without losing money. I think for me and my system, it is all about spreading risk. If one sector isn’t doing too well maybe another will compensate for it.”
