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info@eastcorkjournal.ie


EAST CORK AGRICULTURE info@eastcorkjournal.ie


IFA Timber Price Survey Shows Increase Across All Product Types


IFA Farm Forestry Chairman, Pat


Collins


said the latest timber price survey shows that farmers are getting a higher price across all product types in the last quarter. The


largest increase


was for sawlog, which saw farmers being paid up to €80 per tonne at roadside for quality sawlog. This represents an increase of over 10% in price since the last quarter. Pat


Collins said


wood, had seen a minimal increase depending on lo- cal market conditions. He emphasised that the prices paid for timber varied sig- nificantly, for example the pulp prices quoted ranged from €18/tonne to €30/ tonne, depending on dis- tance to markets, access to the site and the size of the sale. “When you are selling


that


prices for other prod- ucts, including pulpwood, stakewood and pallet-


timber it is so important that you get to know the local market. I would ad- vise any farmer selling to contact


their local IFA Farm Forestry represent-


ative or talk to a farmer that has sold timber. The more informed you are, the more likely you are to have a positive experience selling your timber”. Pat


Collins stressed that the primary aim of


thinning is to improve the quality of the forest, by focussing the growth on the best quality stems to maximise quality sawlog production. He


recom-


mended that farmers use a reputable contractor and make sure that fee struc- ture and prices are clearly set out in the contract.


The Teagasc National


Dairy Conference will take place on Tuesday, 28 No- vember at the Lyrath Estate Hotel, Kilkenny and on Wednesday, 29 November at the Hotel Kilmore, Cavan. Speaking in advance of the Teagasc Dairy Conferenc- es, Tom O Dwyer, Head of Dairy Knowledge Transfer in Teagasc said: “’Seizing Opportunities for a Better Future’ is the theme for this year’s event and an exciting panel of speakers has been assembled to explore the issues that will shape the future of dairy farming in Ireland.” Sean Molloy, Glanbia will


deliver the keynote address at the Kilkenny Conference, He will outline


both the


challenges and opportuni- ties faced by Glanbia in the marketplace and how Glan-


bia are responding to these. He will also present findings from a recent Glanbia sup- plier survey. At the conference in Ca-


van, Michael Hanley, Chief executive of Lakeland Dair- ies, will present a similar paper but from a Lakeland Dairies perspective. The rest of the confer- ence is similar


for both


venues. See https://www. teagasc.ie/news--events/ dairy-conference/ for a full programme for the two con- ferences.


Grass10 Grassland Farm-


er of the Year judges, John Maher, Teagasc and Aidan Brennan, Farmers Journal will outline the key features of the winning farmers from this recent


competition.


Two of the farmers who won awards, Eddie O’Don- nell, the overall winner of


Thursday, 9th


November 2017


Deadline Monday at noon Teagasc National Dairy Conference


the National Grass- land Farmer of the Year Award, and


Ed Payne, the Connacht/ Ulster Regional Winner, have been confirmed as speakers for the Kilkenny and Cavan conferences re- spectively. With the rapid growth in


the number of dairy cows being milked – an increase of 300,000 cows in the last four years – it is no surprise that the issue of people on dairy farms has come into sharp focus. Teagasc earlier this year launched its “Peo- ple In Dairy Report”, and the lead author on the re- port, Paidi Kelly, will outline the changing trends in cow numbers and the estimated requirement for additional labour as a result; he will also outline the six key stra- tegic actions required by the dairy industry to meet this challenge. One of the


challenges


facing many dairy farmers is to balance the dual roles of a working manager – that is the requirement to get on with the job yourself and the requirement to manage somebody else doing the job for you. This balance is not always easily achieved. Management


consultants,


Margaret Dorgan and Ka- ren Brosnan – will address this topic. The final pres- entation in the


“people”


part of the conference will look at how dairy farmers can prepare for the peak in workload in the spring. Two dairy farmers – Phil Purcell and Mark Cassidy – will outline their labour strate- gies to be ready for spring 2018. The final session of both


conferences will provide attendees with the oppor- tunity to hear some of the more


recent results from


the comprehensive research programme at Teagasc.


Winners Of Cáis Irish Cheese Awards 2017 Enjoy Moment In The Spotlight As Excellence In Irish Farmhouse Cheese Is Recognised At Prestigious Event


There was excitement


in the air and delicious artisan fayre on the menu as distinguished guests, nominees and judges gath- ered together on Thurs- day 2 November, for the eagerly-anticipated Irish Cheese


Cáis Awards


2017, which took place at the


fabulous Ballymaloe


Grainstore. Presented by Cáis, the


Association of Irish Farm- house Cheesemakers, the prestigious biennial cere- mony recognises and cele- brates the plentiful, diverse and exquisite range of Irish Farmhouse chees- es produced right here in Ireland. In fact, it is the only competition that in- volves and awards only Irish-made it


receives great


cheeses and support


from key sponsors Pallas Foods and Bórd Bia, along with Horgans Delicatessen Supplies and the Tradi- tional Cheese Company.


This year’s event, the sec- ond in its current format, was also greatly assisted by Sheridans Cheesemongers and Geneely Foods. The evening got off to


an elegant start as guests arrived to a welcome re- ception of prosecco and canapes, accompanied by music performed by a solo cellist. As the night moved on, MC for the evening, publisher and editor Ross Golden-Bannon,


ed the perfect monologue throughout the


provid- ceremo-


ny and ensured that each transition of the evening ran smoothly. Following the


opening address, a


welcome speech was given by acting Chair of Cáis, Louis Grubb, and without further ado, it was time for the first of the awards to be announced. The difficult job of


choosing the winners in each category was left to the highly-experienced


panel


was headed up by Ed- die O’Neill


of judges, which of Teagasc


and included valuable


input from Mia Buckley of Musgraves; Clifford Webb of La Rousse Foods; Ros Windsor of Paxton and Whitfield; Stephanie Ciano of World’s Best Cheeses;


John McKen-


na of the McKennas’ Guides; Astrid Dalman of Fallon & Byrne and Paul McSweeney, Head of Food and Nutritional Sciences at University College Cork. The judging process be- gan from early morning on Thursday 2nd


November


and was finalised just a few hours before the ceremo- ny began; all in good time for guests to arrive and eagerly take their


seats.


Speaking about this year’s stiff competition, Eddie O’Neill of Teagasc said: “It was extremely difficult in certain


categories to pick an outright winner as


the standard was through the roof. We are all aware of the talent that exists all over Ireland within the food sector, but to see the extent of amazing produce that the numerous produc- ers involved in this year’s awards are putting forward is both mind-blowing and hugely exciting. I think I echo the sentiment of my fellow judges when I say that I was so proud to be a part of this year’s selection process.” The evening was filled


with whoops of celebra- tion from the various winners across all 15 cat- egories, but it was the Su- preme Champion Award announcement


that was


met with the biggest drum- roll of


the evening. The


coveted award was pre- sented to delighted winner Tom Burgess of Coolat- tin Cheese for his Mount Leinster


Cloth Bound Cheese by Tara McCarthy Tel: 021 463 8000 • Email: info@eastcorkjournal.ie • Web: www.eastcorkjournal.ie


of Bord Bia and the win- ner’s speech received rap- turous applause. To mark this achievement, Mr. Bur- gess’ name was engraved into the Sheila Broderick Memorial Trophy, which is presented to the new win- ner every two years. This huge moment was followed quickly by the presentation of the Lifetime Achieve- ment Award, which was handed over to Jane and Louis Grubbs from Cashel Blue in honour of their in- credible accomplishments within the field of Irish cheesemaking. The buzz and excite-


ment of the evening car- ried through to the early hours of Friday morning as guests danced the night away to the stylings of The Gardeners band. Commenting on an-


other hugely fruitful Cáis Irish Cheese Awards, Bord Bia’s Tara McCarthy said: “What an honour it was to


be a part of this evening’s proceedings! To see such a wealth of expertise and talent at play within one room is an amazing thing and it instils great confi- dence in me regarding the future of Irish cheese. This country is up there with the best of them when it comes to the quality and reputation of the cheese we produce and to see our homegrown brands receive the recognition they deserve, not only here at home but also on an interna- tional level, is a very satisfying feeling. “I would like


to congratulate all of tonight’s winners and to


commend


everyone in- volved in the 2017 Cáis Irish Cheese Awards


eastcorkjournal @eastcorkjournal / #eastcorkjournal


for making it yet another hugely successful and en- joyable event!” For more


information


on Cáis and the Irish Cheese Awards 2017, visit www.irishcheese.ie. For social media updates, fol- low CAISIreland on Face- book and


@caisireland


on Twitter or follow the conversation using #Irish- CheeseAwards


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