This is a subscriber-only article
I farm: “In partnership with my brother Christopher on 100ac of owned and rented land. My father Michael and brother Adrian also have their own farms and we keep 60 suckler cows, in total.”
Sucklers: “Most of the cows are Limousin, Charolais and Simmental crosses. We also have 20 pedigree Shorthorn cows, as well as two pedigree Simmentals.”
Glann and Glannaven: “My father started breeding pedigree Shorthorns in the late 1990s and our herd is called Glann and Glannaven. The breed is suited to our farm as a lot of the land is quite marginal. They are very easily maintained, good mothers and show great docility.”
Society president: “I was elected as president of the Irish Shorthorn Society on 14 January. I’m really looking forward to my two-year term. We have a lot of breeders and clubs dispersed around the country and I aim to unite them all.”
Breed demand: “The breed is beginning to take off. We can’t meet the demand that’s out there for good breeding stock. Recently, we sold a bull to a farmer in Wales for €3,000. We like to keep as many of the females as we can, but we sell a few springing heifers now and again.”
Future expansion: “Shorthorn genetics give you super colour in your calves, no matter what breed you cross with. In future, I’d like to see Shorthorn genetics used widely in the dairy herd.”
This week: “I also work for Harrington Farms in Kilkelly, which has over 250 suckler cows. This week we are synchronising for breeding with AI, predominantly using Belgian Blue straws.”
Touchdown in Knock: “It’s great to see US president Joe Biden show such interest in his Irish ancestry and especially his connection to Mayo. Hopefully we’ll welcome him back to the county soon and encourage tourism in the area. Air Force One might even touchdown in Knock.”
SHARING OPTIONS: