My Farming Week: Nigel Quaid, Screen, Co Wexford

I farm: “About 80ac just outside Wexford town.”

The system: “It’s currently all in tillage, rotating winter and spring barley with beans. We’re very happy with the yield and quality of the spring barley, all the malt barley passed. The winter crops were fairly disappointing. The land is quite sandy, we’re close to the sea, and very dry at the moment.”

The work: “We do almost all our own work, in tandem with family who farm nearby. We contract in some of the spraying, as it is such a time-sensitive job and we have other business interests that mean we can’t always be on the farm.”

The journey: “We started out dairy farming, but have always had other business interests. My wife Breda and I run TPW Eurotank, septic tank and wastewater treatment systems. We have our own manufacturing facility and supply and install systems nationwide.”

DJing: “I’m preparing this week for Electric Picnic (EP). I curate the music at the My Lovely Ranch area of the Trailer Park. I’ve been involved with Electric Picnic for almost a decade now. We’re catering for the 40-pluses. My set starts with music from the 1970s, then into the ’80s ending in a proper ’90s rave. Every year, more young people join our retro-disco; they know every word to the songs.”

Father Ted: “It’s all in association with My Lovely Horse Rescue, they will have horses, dogs and pigs on site. It has become known as the Father Ted area. Joe Rooney, Father Damo from Father Ted, usually arrives to say some prayers on Sunday morning.”

The stage: “We repurpose old agri machines for festival installations. For EP I’ve converted a Dania 900 combine into a DJ stage. The header is the DJ deck under a windmill that was once a meal bin. We also have a caravan rotating using the back end of a MF 135. It’s all for a good cause and it’s really great craic.”

Changing times: “I’ve been a DJ since I was in school. The technology has changed over the years, from vinyl to digital, but I’m playing the same tunes I played 40 years ago, along with contemporary dance tracks. It’s a bit like farming that way. Building and running festival installations is a whole family affair, with shared ideas and work from Breda.”