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I farm: “Sucklers and now Droimeann cattle on 29ha of marginal land in Connemara.”
Stock: “We nearly got out of it a few years ago but we have six suckler cows, two Droimeann heifers and a couple of calves. I have Angus Freisians and Simmental Holsteins; they’re big on the land though.
Droimeann cattle:“I ended up looking for something a bit different and I looked back at our history. Cattle were the currency of ancient Ireland and I came across Droimeann cattle. They’re a native breed and they suit the land here. They’re very hardy, tough and a very fertile breed. They have good solids and are easy-calving, which is handy when you’re a part-time farmer. Native breeds always did very well here.”
Genomics and breeding: “Before getting them I got on to Google, did a bit of research and found the Irish Droimeann Cattle Society. Basically, if something wasn’t done about the breed, it would be lost. So they had a list of people with young stock and they started doing genomics with them.”
John, Aoibheann and Marcella O'Halloran.
Future plans: “I found two off a breeder in Limerick that suited me, age-wise, size-wise and price-wise. We might have another few before the year is out. I only have them [the two] about a week.
Native breeds: “We also keep a few Connemara ponies, Draught horses and we also have two native Irish dogs; an Irish red and white setter and an Irish waterspaniel.”
Challenges: “The costs [of farming here] are just so much higher than other parts of the country. I’m frequently down the country and farmers down there are paying much less for seed [and the like]. Hopefully, in the future, there might be a market for native breeds.”
Weather and fodder: “The place is swamped. The ground is in very bad condition. I filled the sheds earlier in the year and fodder was expensive then and I’m going to need more. I’ll have enough until the end of January but I’m going to be buying more. If the push comes to shove, I can put some of them on to 16ha of mountain ground.”
Quotable quote: “I remember around 1996/97, there was an incredibly bad winter. My grandfather paid £3.20 for a small square bale of hay. I’m paying about €3.50 a bale now.”
My farming week: Alan Rigney, Leamonaghan, Ballycumber, Co Offaly
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