My old grinder gave up this week so I brought a lidl cordless grinder. As has often happened by on by visit to Lidl’s shop I go in for milk and bread and come home with a bunch of tools. I wouldn’t be usually a fan of cheap power tools but it just so […]
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Highland cattle in Ireland today are still not a very popular breed. There are various reasons for this and the main one being over a long number of years there has been a push towards bigger continental type cattle. Breeds like Belgian blues, limousines, parthenais, Charolais, aubracs, etc. that have all become very popular. […]
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A handy tool for electric fence fault-finding are digital fault-finders which are specially designed for the job and while all are not that cheap to buy they can save you hours of walking and if you think your time has any value then over time these devices will actually save you money. Any farmer […]
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This is my list of working farm dogs breeds from around the world. As I found out many years ago all dogs have some purpose but for many dogs that purpose is not work. I once had a great dane who was very elegant and very active he was always looking to do something […]
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A lot of controversy has been going on over the last number of years over the right to roam in Ireland or should I say lack of the right to roam. Unlike the UK farmland in Ireland is private property much like your house or garden or any other commercial property. This means […]
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I just want to write a short piece about applying for basic farm payment because it is a question that I have been asked on occasion by different farming friends. A lot of the time the question comes up when they get an annual bill from teagasc or their agriculture consultant. The question asked is […]
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Have you ever wondered what farming in the future will be like. At this moment in time I don’t think I can ever remember a time when there was such a divide on what is expected from agriculture. I find it difficult as a farmer to see even 5 years ahead as so much […]
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This is just my quick guide on how to look after a pony for kids. I have often come across articles online claiming that ponies’ are very expensive to keep and need lots of care and attention and in a way that statement might be true in some cases but it really is as […]
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This is my view on how to care for newborn piglets’ and although a lot will depend on the breed and genetics the basic principles are going to be the same. I have seen sows having between 2 and 29 piglets’ at one time and although this is rare it is not uncommon to […]
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So is dairy ethical? for those of you that don’t know the answer to that question or maybe think that its not then let me explain why I think that it is. first off dairy cows are some of the quietest and friendliest of all cattle and that’s because they are in contact with […]
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This is a guide to keeping chickens for beginners and while I am not an expert on chickens or fowl we did keep some on our home farm when I was a child and I have some friends that have some small numbers today. While you won’t in reality make any fortune keeping a […]
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If you are looking for the best electric fencer then like the battery fencers the number one thing I would be looking at is joules the measurement of power that the fencer is putting out. The higher the joules the better the fence will be able to cope with and burn off vegetation. The […]
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A look at dairy policies around the world by Ryan Dennis the founder of The Milk House, a collective of rural writing that showcases the work of authors, bloggers, and readers. In addition to a syndicated column of the same name, Ryan is also the author of the literary Irish farming novel The Beasts They […]
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For someone who wants to know how to raise pigs for meat I can offer this advice. You don’t need to get any special skills or knowledge and any domestic breed of pig will do fine outside over the summer I would however stay from the Vietnamese pot-bellied pig or miniature pigs while they […]
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what is dairy free ? The meaning of dairy free is actually there is no dairy products at all in the food. Which is fine many people don’t want to consume dairy products for various different reasons such as being lactose intolerant or have chosen a vegan diet or maybe they just don’t like […]
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For anyone thinking of buying second hand farm quad bikes the first thing to ask yourself is what do you plan to use it for. If you just want something as a runaround farm vehicle for around the farm then you probably won’t need a very big machine. If you are traveling on flat […]
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Why is there gorse fires in Ireland every spring and early summer. That’s just a simple question but yet I have never heard it asked. I am reading every year about how this is illegal and how the people who started these fires will be brought to justice and the farmers that own the […]
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Here are some legitimate ways to make money at home. I was going to start another website on this topic at some stage in the future when I had more experience but with the amount of people around the world out of work at the moment it might be a good a time as […]
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I thought I might give some tips for bottle feeding calves this is based on my opinion and experience only but might be useful for somebody that’s new to it. The first and most important thing to any newborn animal is good quality colostrum and that should start before the calf is ever born. […]
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I feel I should write an update on why you should avoid covid 19 at all costs. Only two weeks I wrote a bit about it in an article about chemical masks for spraying. I knew very little about the Corina virus at the time and had given out some information available to […]
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