#Farming Columns

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#Farming Columns

The latest opinion and analysis from the Irish Examiner's farming section.

A COMPREHENSIVE SERIES OF ARTICLES ON THIS TOPIC

<p>Becky Hynes getting ready for the show ring at YBS in Battice, Belgium.</p>

farming

Paula Hynes: Black pudding in Cork and Belgium

Kasey’s dam calved with a lovely heifer calf by Vierra Sting. It’s our second Sting heifer calf this autumn, and we also had a Chocochip heifer calve with a Blondin Classic heifer calf

Brian Reidy: Can any of these calves selling for €500+ make a profit?

Lighten Up: The ploughing... like Cannes, only better!

AFC Championship Game: Buffalo Bills v Kansas City Chiefs

farming

Lighten Up: Why our Auld Lehane reckons Taylor Swift could get married in Ireland

Kieran Coughlan.png

Kieran Coughlan: Budget must balance protecting Agricultural Relief with curbing abuse

Paula Hynes: I'm on an Azores high amid this busy show season

Paula Hynes: I'm on an Azores high amid this busy show season

In the middle of a busy show schedule — including Cavan this week and Inniscarra later this month — Paula enjoyed a visit from farmers working in Portugal's Azores Islands

Wed, 20 Aug, 2025

LAND ASSECHEE LOT ET GARONNE

Drought again beginning to bite in the South and East

The drought conditions are particularly serious on dairy farms where good grassland managers had been wrapping surplus grass which had gone too strong

Fri, 15 Aug, 2025

Farmer at work.

From one in four to one in 25: Ireland’s shrinking farming workforce

There are 108,450 working in 'agriculture, forestry, and fishing' in 2024, according to the Central Statistics Office's Labour Force Survey.

Fri, 15 Aug, 2025

Dairy cattle in a grassy field and blue sky

Kieran Coughlan: New uncertainty in nitrates derogation demands strategic thinking

For farmers currently in derogation, it would be worthwhile scenario-planning what actions to take if the derogation is lost or unavailable in their catchment, writes farmer and rural accountant Kieran Coughlan

Wed, 13 Aug, 2025

Paula Hynes: We are simply a showing family

Paula Hynes: We are simply a showing family

We take one show at a time, we discuss show teams as a team, and decide who travels and who needs a rest. The close friends we have made, we compete against each other in the ring, but outside the ring, we are a show family, and we’ve got each other's backs

Wed, 13 Aug, 2025

BET Awards 2025 - Show

Lighten Up: Ageless Mariah Carey - A new 'hero' of Irish farming

The greatest problem in Irish farming today, bar finding a wife, is ageing, so anti-ageing queen Mariah Carey could be the new hero Irish farmers need, writes our auld Lehane in this week's Lighten Up

Mon, 11 Aug, 2025

Cows in a field, Orkney, Scotland

Making weaning in the suckler herd low stress

When weaning calves, reducing stress must be your priority. Stressed weanlings are much more prone to illness, such as pneumonia, writes ruminant nutritionist Brian Reidy

Mon, 11 Aug, 2025

Paula Hynes: A-maizing maize and genetics insights

Paula Hynes: A-maizing maize and genetics insights

Do you know who cloned the first horse, or who revolutionised the global dairy breeding industry through sexed semen? Paula Hynes explains where you can find the answers

Wed, 06 Aug, 2025

Farm and milk truck arriving

Lighten Up: The milk lorry gives me the heebie-jeebies

The rumble of that truck, the air of panic, the struggle to finish a job I wish I had never started, all became too much to handle, writes our Denis in this week's Lighten Up

Mon, 04 Aug, 2025

Black and White Cow Up Close Grazing in an English Meadow

Milk production this August — there's still a long way to go until drying off

Keeping spring cows milking well must be high on the agenda, as they still have a long way to go before drying off, writes independent ruminant nutritionist Brian Reidy

Fri, 01 Aug, 2025

Stephen Cadogan: Farmers cheer as von der Leyen’s EU budget faces collapse

Stephen Cadogan: Farmers cheer as von der Leyen’s EU budget faces collapse

Germany, the EU's largest member state and biggest funding contributor, was one of the first to shoot down her commission's €2 trillion long-term budget proposal

Wed, 30 Jul, 2025

Paula Hynes: The championship of dreams - and it's not the hurling

Paula Hynes: The championship of dreams - and it's not the hurling

A championship we had only dreamed of winning had now become a reality, as Rouge sizzles at National YMA Finals

Wed, 30 Jul, 2025

Áras an Uachtaráin

Lighten Up: Auld Lehane for president

Our Auld Lehane is busy packing his bags for a new life in Áras an Uachtaráin as Ireland's premier, in this week's Lighten Up

Sat, 26 Jul, 2025

Cow bonding with her newborn calf

Plan ahead now to get autumn calving off to a smooth start

Remember a cow in the dry period is like an athlete in pre-season and you must prepare the system for the season ahead, writes independent ruminant nutritionist Brian Reidy

Fri, 25 Jul, 2025

Iowa Corn Field

Grain deals, straw steals: Now’s the time to buy smart

With soil temperatures well above normal, if we get more moisture, we can expect a supercharging of grass growth

Mon, 21 Jul, 2025

RICHARD HARRIS, THE FIELD, 1990

Denis Lehane: Glenroe and The Field taught me more about farming than any classroom

Richard Harris as The Bull McCabe taught me more about farming passion than any advice from a whiteboard ever did

Sat, 19 Jul, 2025

Paula Hynes: Do you have a beef with the cost of living?

Paula Hynes: Do you have a beef with the cost of living?

The next time you hear a politician or an MEP saying they have got your back, ask them what their stance on EU food security is, writes Aherla dairy farmer Paula Hynes

Fri, 18 Jul, 2025

Indoors chicken farm, chicken feeding, farm for growing broiler chickens

Is it the thin end of the wedge for flat rate Vat compensation scheme?

It has come to pass in the past week that minister for finance Paschal Donohoe has made the decision to remove the poultry broiler sector from the Vat flat rate addition scheme

Tue, 15 Jul, 2025

Paula Hynes: A truly great Yorkshire show

Paula Hynes: A truly great Yorkshire show

A successful show for Georgie and making memories that will last a lifetime

Mon, 14 Jul, 2025

LAND ASSECHEE LOT ET GARONNE

Grass under pressure as rain stays away for much of the country

The recent dry spell caused difficulties for many beef and dairy producers around the country. Grass growth slowed down dramatically on many farms, particularly in the south and east, writes independent ruminant nutritionist Brian Reidy

Mon, 14 Jul, 2025

The Irish Post Awards 2024

Lighten Up: Flatley for president? Make Ireland dance again!

There's only one serious candidate to be Ireland's next president, writes Denis Lehane in this week's Lighten Up

Mon, 14 Jul, 2025

Row of brown cows staring over a wall

Brian Reidy: Weanling sales and managing grass for suckler performance

Some say successful beef and dairy enterprises are one-third breeding, one-third feeding and one-third management. But in truth, it's 100% management, writes independent ruminant nutritionist Brian Reidy

Wed, 09 Jul, 2025

red wooden private property sign farm land no right of way no public access

Ask a solicitor: I live abroad and worry I might be targeted by squatters

It is important that landowners living abroad are not careless about the risks of adverse possession, writes rural solicitor Karen Walsh.

Wed, 09 Jul, 2025

Man giving presentation

Denis Lehane: To the book readers of Macroom Mart

Any place well accustomed to the bawling of a bullock would have no bother dealing with the bellowing of auld Lehane and his tales from the 'Lighten Up' column

Mon, 07 Jul, 2025

Paula Hynes: A presidential visit to Charleville Show

Paula Hynes: A presidential visit to Charleville Show

A hectic show life makes for a hectic farm life, as there is always work to catch up on, writes Paula Hynes

Thu, 03 Jul, 2025

Siobhan Kavanagh: Seeing the progress that farmers are making to improve environmental sustainability

Siobhan Kavanagh: Seeing the progress that farmers are making to improve environmental sustainability

At this time of year, I am packing up the car with wellies, raingear, and sun screen, and heading out around the country to judge the family farm finalists in the Teagasc FBD Environmental Sustainability Awards.

Thu, 03 Jul, 2025

Cows walking approaching, towards and oncoming in a group, a herd on a path to the milking robot under a blue sky

Farm View: Where are the profits for Irish dairying supposed to come from now?

'More cows for more litres for more profits' is not compatible with the nitrates situation, writes Stephen Cadogan

Mon, 30 Jun, 2025

Paula Hynes: The Royal Highland, a field evening and a farmyard loss

Paula Hynes: The Royal Highland, a field evening and a farmyard loss

It is always great to experience overseas shows, but the days are long so the trips are far from a holiday, writes Paula Hynes

Mon, 30 Jun, 2025

Risk assessment

Ask a solicitor: Does it really matter if I haven't done a risk assessment?

I know I am supposed to have a health and safety statement in place and Risk Assessment Document, but I have kept putting it off. What it is the importance of this?

Mon, 30 Jun, 2025

Calculating home finances!

High profits, high tax: Why 2025 could catch farmers out

Higher farm profits usually result in higher income tax liabilities, but the tax liabilities don’t usually manifest themselves until the following year, writes rural accountant Kieran Coughlan

Wed, 25 Jun, 2025

Paula Hynes: Special K with a hint of Chocochip at the Cork Summer Show

Paula Hynes: Special K with a hint of Chocochip at the Cork Summer Show

Last weekend's Cork Summer Show was a great success for Paula Hynes and her 'special K Club' which she hopes to continues in the Royal Highland Agricultural Show in Edinburgh

Tue, 24 Jun, 2025

Man signing last will and testament

Ask a solicitor: What happens when your spouse leaves you out of the will?

When one spouse dies leaving a will, and the surviving spouse has not renounced his/her rights, then that surviving spouse has a right known as a 'Legal Right Share' to a share of a portion of deceased spouse’s estate, writes solicitor Karen Walsh

Mon, 23 Jun, 2025

Close-up of excavator at construction site. Backhoe digging soil for earthwork and construction business. Excavating machine at

Ask a solicitor: The amount I've been offered won't even cover my building materials

We agreed on a price of €50,000. The job is now done and I asked for payment, but now he is saying it couldn’t possibly be this amount and that we never agreed on that price, writes this week's reader

Thu, 19 Jun, 2025

Dairy cows eating silage from a trough early morning, United Kingdom

Scientists accuse Ireland and New Zealand of methane ‘accounting trick’

Climate researchers at the University of Oxford came up with GWP* about six years ago, as a better way for governments to set emissions targets for different greenhouse gases

Tue, 17 Jun, 2025

Men's Accessories. Elegant men's shoes.

Auld Lehane is looking forward to the wedding of the year in Venice

Jeff Bezos will be getting married shortly, and I doubt if he will go through with it without inviting Auld Lehane, writes Denis in this week's Lighten Up

Mon, 16 Jun, 2025

Full frame image of fresh green grass shoots from sown seed, rejuvenated, damp and muddy green grass, Summer lawn maintenance, f

Brian Reidy: Is it time to think of reseeding your ground?

Reseeding can boost efficient grass growth, advises ruminant nutritionist Brian Reidy

Mon, 16 Jun, 2025

Paula Hynes: Emilie is not in Paris, but Aherla instead

Paula Hynes: Emilie is not in Paris, but Aherla instead

As French student Emilie settles into our farming life, Paula welcomes more arrivals to prep the show team for West Cork's main show for dairy stock, the Clonakilty Show

Thu, 12 Jun, 2025

Soil checking

From the stars to the soil... agtech taking inspiration from Nasa

With global fertiliser use costing farmers up to €200bn a year, excess fertiliser is an expensive mistake

Tue, 10 Jun, 2025

Cowboy hat guitar and boots in barn, country music festival live concert or rodeo background

Lighten up: Rock and rolling in West Cork

Summer in West Cork is unbeatable and you simply 'gotta roll with it', writes our Denis in this week's 'Lighten up'

Sat, 07 Jun, 2025

Paula Hynes: I greet my guests with a 'Welcome to Fawlty Towers' sign

Paula Hynes: I greet my guests with a 'Welcome to Fawlty Towers' sign

Last week may have been a bank holiday weekend, but with so many shows on the horizon, Paula's been busy catching up and keeping ahead with farm chores ahead of her visitors arriving

Fri, 06 Jun, 2025

Trained espalier peach fruit tree as a living edible fence in the countryside for higher productivity and using in limited space

New hedge must be planted before old one removed, farmers told

A hedge is defined by the Department as a line of shrubs and/or trees, maintained to form a barrier for controlling animals or marking land boundaries

Thu, 05 Jun, 2025

No trespassing private property sign on a fence

Ask a solicitor: Should I be worried about trespassers on my land?

Trespassers are a significant worry for many landowners, writes rural solicitor Karen Walsh.

Tue, 03 Jun, 2025

US Premiere of "Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning (Red Carpet)

Denis Lehane: Dreams of Tom Cruise at Cork Summer Show

Our Denis reckons he's just like Tom Cruise, except for the fancy molars, in this week's Lighten Up

Mon, 02 Jun, 2025

Paula Hynes: Water is the source of life, and essential for farms

Paula Hynes: Water is the source of life, and essential for farms

A cow will drink anything from 30 to 120 litres of water a day, so as you can imagine availability is key for successful farming, writes Farming columnist and Aherla dairy farmer Paula Hynes.

Fri, 30 May, 2025