It seems sucklers aren’t sexy anymore.

Pallaskenry College is the latest to ditch the sucklers for dairy calf-to-beef. The herd was revamped five years ago with the purchase of a number of high replacement index Salers crosses.

The college is now moving to a dairy calf-to-beef system and is also going to operate a trading system where students purchase cattle in the autumn to finish the following spring.

Where will the next generation of suckler farmers come from if agricultural colleges don’t have any?

The Dealer wonders if there will now be classes on “how to open low” or “mart ring lingo”. Potential students will need to own a pair of dealer boots, a long stick and be proficient in all online trading apps.