A bad tradesperson blames their tools and perhaps the same can be said for a farmer and their land. Farming on fragmented ground in south Leitrim has its challenges, but Tom Mulligan doesn’t let land quality or location stand in the way of a successful farming enterprise.
Spring-born Angus calves.
This is a trait that he inherited from his father, the late Gerard Mulligan, and with Tom and wife Deirdre’s five children all having an active role on the farm, it looks as if it is a highly heritable trait that has been passed on once again to the next generation.
Spring calving Angus cows are running with the stock bull Knockmountagh Robert purchased in April 2018.
The 90ha farm runs a herd of 60 cows across four parcels of land and is home to the well known Currycamp and Clooncarne pedigree herds. All cows on the farm are pure-bred, with 40% of the herd Angus and the remaining 60% evenly split between Charolais and Limousin genetics.
All the cows are bred pure except Charolais heifers who are mated to a Limousin bull.
Calving takes place from September through to April to give a nice spread of ages so that bulls are suited to sales at different times of the year.
This batch of cows and calves were just freshly moved into this paddock.
The winter periods can be long on the farm with six months plus being the norm. To facilitate this there is a huge reliance on winter fodder. All the baling on the farm is carried out by the family themselves, with the aim of having between 600 and 700 bales in the yard coming into each winter.
Some of the land is designated for the protection of Curlews. This means lower stocking rates and certain grazing restrictions.
This year turnout was in mid-April once the weather dried up and grazing conditions have been ideal since. The prolonged dry spell is not really an issue on the farm, with grass growth rates remaining very respectable.
The first of the silage was cut last week – this will be targeted at young stock or freshly-calved cows. While crops were slightly lighter than usual, the quality was very good. The main crop of silage for dry cows will be harvested in a couple of weeks’ time.
Read the full story in this week’s Irish Farmers Journal.
A bad tradesperson blames their tools and perhaps the same can be said for a farmer and their land. Farming on fragmented ground in south Leitrim has its challenges, but Tom Mulligan doesn’t let land quality or location stand in the way of a successful farming enterprise.
Spring-born Angus calves.
This is a trait that he inherited from his father, the late Gerard Mulligan, and with Tom and wife Deirdre’s five children all having an active role on the farm, it looks as if it is a highly heritable trait that has been passed on once again to the next generation.
Spring calving Angus cows are running with the stock bull Knockmountagh Robert purchased in April 2018.
The 90ha farm runs a herd of 60 cows across four parcels of land and is home to the well known Currycamp and Clooncarne pedigree herds. All cows on the farm are pure-bred, with 40% of the herd Angus and the remaining 60% evenly split between Charolais and Limousin genetics.
All the cows are bred pure except Charolais heifers who are mated to a Limousin bull.
Calving takes place from September through to April to give a nice spread of ages so that bulls are suited to sales at different times of the year.
This batch of cows and calves were just freshly moved into this paddock.
The winter periods can be long on the farm with six months plus being the norm. To facilitate this there is a huge reliance on winter fodder. All the baling on the farm is carried out by the family themselves, with the aim of having between 600 and 700 bales in the yard coming into each winter.
Some of the land is designated for the protection of Curlews. This means lower stocking rates and certain grazing restrictions.
This year turnout was in mid-April once the weather dried up and grazing conditions have been ideal since. The prolonged dry spell is not really an issue on the farm, with grass growth rates remaining very respectable.
The first of the silage was cut last week – this will be targeted at young stock or freshly-calved cows. While crops were slightly lighter than usual, the quality was very good. The main crop of silage for dry cows will be harvested in a couple of weeks’ time.
Read the full story in this week’s Irish Farmers Journal.
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