The farm: “I was farming in partnership with my father Harry up until February of last year when he passed away. I am farming on my own here now. The farm is on Clonroche-type soil, it’s free draining soil, so we are lucky enough we can get out on land early. I sow 200 acres of tillage and this year I lambed down 210 ewes.”
A helping hand: ”The ewes are Suffolk-cross. They scanned in at 1.8 this year and lambed very well, I didn’t incur many losses. It was due to my sister Louise, son Ryan, niece Nikita and nephew Rhys helping me and minding all the lambs. There was no hungry lamb in the place thanks to them! Ryan’s nanny Ann even had the dinner ready for us every day, which was as important as everything else.”
A floor for prices: “The price is great to see. I wonder were we always selling our sheep too cheap. I hope the market will stay there for them and we will get paid for our work.”
Back to the land: “I got back into sheep in 2016 after working off-farm for 10 years, people thought I had kind of gone mad, but you have to love what you do and that’s why I got back into them.”
Wesley Hatton from Kiltealy, Co Wexford with his son Ryan, niece Nikita and nephew Reece and sister Louise. \ Patrick Browne
Tillage: “I grow both malting barley and roasting barley for local merchants. I have 60ac of winter cereals sown, and that is ready for its top dressing now. I have a field of beet and all the spring barley left to sow, I hope to get that done around St Patrick’s Day, as soon as the weather takes up I am ready to go.”
Machinery: ”I have a New Holland TM140 and a Case MXM 120, I don’t have a love for the shiny stuff. My father’s first tractor, a 1979 David Brown 996 went over to our mechanic Richard Nolan with a few small issues during lockdown and came out of the workshop fully renovated. It is in everyday use and has a beet chopper on it.”
Quotable quote: “I am looking forward to the summer and the bright evenings, maybe the pub opening up again and getting a nice pint of Guinness.”
Read more
My Farming Week: Donal Hickey, Kildavin, Co Carlow
My Farming Week: Donal Monaghan, Ardgaineen, Claregalway, Co Galway
The farm: “I was farming in partnership with my father Harry up until February of last year when he passed away. I am farming on my own here now. The farm is on Clonroche-type soil, it’s free draining soil, so we are lucky enough we can get out on land early. I sow 200 acres of tillage and this year I lambed down 210 ewes.”
A helping hand: ”The ewes are Suffolk-cross. They scanned in at 1.8 this year and lambed very well, I didn’t incur many losses. It was due to my sister Louise, son Ryan, niece Nikita and nephew Rhys helping me and minding all the lambs. There was no hungry lamb in the place thanks to them! Ryan’s nanny Ann even had the dinner ready for us every day, which was as important as everything else.”
A floor for prices: “The price is great to see. I wonder were we always selling our sheep too cheap. I hope the market will stay there for them and we will get paid for our work.”
Back to the land: “I got back into sheep in 2016 after working off-farm for 10 years, people thought I had kind of gone mad, but you have to love what you do and that’s why I got back into them.”
Wesley Hatton from Kiltealy, Co Wexford with his son Ryan, niece Nikita and nephew Reece and sister Louise. \ Patrick Browne
Tillage: “I grow both malting barley and roasting barley for local merchants. I have 60ac of winter cereals sown, and that is ready for its top dressing now. I have a field of beet and all the spring barley left to sow, I hope to get that done around St Patrick’s Day, as soon as the weather takes up I am ready to go.”
Machinery: ”I have a New Holland TM140 and a Case MXM 120, I don’t have a love for the shiny stuff. My father’s first tractor, a 1979 David Brown 996 went over to our mechanic Richard Nolan with a few small issues during lockdown and came out of the workshop fully renovated. It is in everyday use and has a beet chopper on it.”
Quotable quote: “I am looking forward to the summer and the bright evenings, maybe the pub opening up again and getting a nice pint of Guinness.”
Read more
My Farming Week: Donal Hickey, Kildavin, Co Carlow
My Farming Week: Donal Monaghan, Ardgaineen, Claregalway, Co Galway
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