Cattleman’s rope trick in Co Wexford style

Some of the best tricks in farming are the old ones.

Haltering a cow or young animal is easier with a length of plain rope. The rope trick, demonstrated to me by a Co Wexford farmer when I was on one of my trips to Ireland, combining evening talks with farm visits, is something once learned, never forgotten.

As a young farmer, Jim Forriistal was shown the technique by a vet who was nearing retirement, and Jim has used it all his life.