#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>A certain cohort will pay more for organic, free-range or grass-fed products, but the reality is most consumers vote with their feet and price is the deciding factor. File picture</p>

farming

Mercosur: A 1.5% oversupply that could cost Irish beef hundreds of millions

The EU consumer wants cheaper food. It is a misnomer to think consumers are broadly willing to pay a premium for food produced under higher standards, writes rural accountant Kieran Coughlan

Lighten Up: Auld Lehane... On the ground in New York City

<p>A Will must comply with certain legal formalities in order to be valid, writes rural solicitor Karen Walsh.</p>

S farming

Ask a solicitor: The biggest mistakes people make when drafting a will

Woman injecting semaglutide in her abdomen

farming

Stephen Cadogan: A slimmer appetite but better food – the challenge for agri-food

Paula Hynes: Snowy roads, new calves and the on farm challenge

farming

Paula Hynes: Snowy roads, new calves and the on farm challenge

Retired man looking at cattle grazing in a field

farming

Ask a solicitor: No will, no spouse, no children — who inherits the farm?

Close-Up Of Text On Table

Kieran Coughlan: Are you ready for auto-enrolment? Key steps for agri-food employers

Auto-enrolment is a new scheme designed to ensure that most employees who do not currently have access to an employer pension scheme will be contributing toward their own personal pension fund, writes rural tax adviser Kieran Coughlan

Wed, 31 Dec, 2025

Young woman's first day working at a burger restaurant

Stephen Cadogan: Can wild venison really threaten the beef market?

Wild venison has replaced beef at several stadiums and event spaces in the UK and Ireland — but what does it mean for the beef market?

Wed, 31 Dec, 2025

Yorkshire Farm

Ask a solicitor: I was promised the farm, but it was left to someone else

When a person has committed years of their life to caring for property in reliance on assurances given to them, it feels deeply unjust to be left without security, writes rural solicitor Karen Walsh

Mon, 29 Dec, 2025

Two donkeys

Lighten Up: A girl's best friend — how Sophie Ellis-Bextor fell for an Irish donkey

T'was like a story straight out of Shrek, only with a pop giant instead of an ogre, writes our auld Lehane this week.

Mon, 29 Dec, 2025

Paula Hynes: A Parisian Christmas amid France's farmer protests

Paula Hynes: A Parisian Christmas amid France's farmer protests

The passion and flair the French have for food means they are very accepting of seeing their farmers protest, writes Cork dairy farmer Paula Hynes

Tue, 16 Dec, 2025

mechanical bull

Lighten Up: A Christmas rodeo at the mart

Ever a man to spot an opportunity, our auld Lehane has fixed upon a great scheme to further enhance our cattle marts standing in the world, in this week's Lighten Up

Mon, 15 Dec, 2025

Bluetongue outbreak

Paula Hynes: We need to use common sense when it comes to bluetongue

We must not be sucked into conspiracy theories, we need to be vigilant

Mon, 08 Dec, 2025

Young woman is stealing at store, shop, boutique at shopping mall. Shoplifting concept.

Lighten Up: Guarding Cork's Christmas knickers

Thirty years ago, if you were looking for Auld Lehane, you wouldn't find him out here on this farm in Kilmichael, busily carrying buckets across the yard to feed two hungry calves...

Mon, 08 Dec, 2025

Young pilot candidate receiving flight training meets with the tower

Lighten Up: Tractor pilots wanted

Auld Lehane, the self-declared Lord Byron of Irish farming, has a poem this week to lift the spirit, and indeed the finances, of the struggling farmer.

Tue, 02 Dec, 2025

Paula Hynes: The North's bluetongue scare has given us a dose of the Winter Fair blues

Paula Hynes: The North's bluetongue scare has given us a dose of the Winter Fair blues

Unfortunately, the bah-humbug of Christmas show spirit has come in the form of two suspected cases of Bluetongue in Northern Ireland, writes Aherla dairy farmer Paula Hynes

Mon, 01 Dec, 2025

Road transport. Lorry carrying liquid products traveling on the motorway.

Paula Hynes: It’s time to decide — volume game or value game for Irish dairy?

Dairy production globally is a volume game anyway. But if we adapt our cow type on farm, then so too do our dairy processors need to adapt, writes Cork dairy farmer Paula Hynes

Wed, 26 Nov, 2025

BBC Satellite Dishes, West London

There's some truth in the cattle mart rumours that Auld Lehane could soon be running the BBC

From chit-chatting to royalty to cleaning out the loo, there's no job our Auld Lehane says he wouldn't tackle, in this week's Lighten Up

Mon, 24 Nov, 2025

Lighten Up: Gabriel Byrne — the sexiest man in Irish farming

Lighten Up: Gabriel Byrne — the sexiest man in Irish farming

The 80s were a great time to be an Irish farmer. We were like Tom Cruise on a Massey, writes Denis in this week's Lighten Up

Sat, 15 Nov, 2025

Silage clamp on a dairy farm in England, United Kingdom

Brian Reidy: The causes and cures for heating in grass silage

Moulds can thrive in silage that’s not well managed, worsening the problem, advises independent ruminant nutritionist Brian Reidy

Thu, 13 Nov, 2025

Paula Hynes: 15 years in Irish dairy farming

Paula Hynes: 15 years in Irish dairy farming

Imagine if you stood up at a farm walk 15 years ago and said beef prices would hit €8 a kilo in 2025 and the cost of producing a litre of milk from grass would rise to 42 cent and the EU would look to reduce dairy herds 10 years after allowing them to expand

Thu, 13 Nov, 2025

Video surveillance camera in the backyard of a country house

Lighten Up: A calving camera could save Oireachtas TV

There is a prevailing fear that Oireachtas news (at bedtime) could go the way of Bosco and Wanderly Wagon, writes Denis in this week's Lighten Up

Sat, 08 Nov, 2025

Close-up of maize forage outdoors

Brian Reidy: Feeding and management of livestock once indoors

2025 silages are a mixed bag, like any other year, writes independent ruminant nutritionist Brian Reidy

Thu, 06 Nov, 2025

Farm View: The Commission needs to be careful what it wishes for on nitrates

Farm View: The Commission needs to be careful what it wishes for on nitrates

The Commission will need to reach its environmental targets by working with farmers, not by driving them off the land, writes Farming Editor Rachel Martin.

Wed, 05 Nov, 2025

King Charles III Records Podcast With Cate Blanchett And Dr Elinor Breman For Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew's Seed Bank 25th Annive

Lighten Up: Nurturing the seed with Cate Blanchett

If you have some quirky-looking plant sprouting up in the back field that you think Kew Gardens, and indeed Cate Blanchett herself, would be interested in, why not give them a call?

Sat, 01 Nov, 2025

Dairy farming: Cows in the milking parlor are milked

Brian Reidy: Reducing the dry period to lower milk production costs

Unnecessarily long dry periods will cost you a lot of money this winter, advises ruminant nutritionist Brian Reidy

Fri, 31 Oct, 2025

Dairy farm cows indoor in the shed

Brian Reidy: Remember, no one can feed a dry cow for free

At the current milk price, if cows are in good condition, keep them milking, writes independent ruminant nutritionist Brian Reidy

Thu, 09 Oct, 2025

Paula Hynes: Rivers running free as Storm Amy hits

Paula Hynes: Rivers running free as Storm Amy hits

It was a miserable 48 hours as the rain returned with a bang during storm Amy

Sun, 05 Oct, 2025

Exhibition / new tractors lined up next to each other in a row

Lighten up: Auld Lehane's top 10 budget proposals to help struggling farmers

With Budget 2026 closing in faster than the plastic being stretched over a freshly-made silage pit, Denis Lehane has a shortlist of measures to encourage farmers to stick with the job

Sun, 05 Oct, 2025

Lighten up: Ould Lehane has finally found his element in Positive Ageing Week

Lighten up: Ould Lehane has finally found his element in Positive Ageing Week

The Early Retirement Scheme was just like the car scrappage scheme — but we old lads are totally different now, writes Denis Lehane

Thu, 02 Oct, 2025

Stephen Cadogan: How artificial intelligence is even challenging the sheepdog

Stephen Cadogan: How artificial intelligence is even challenging the sheepdog

The robot moves easily among trees and obstacles in the pasture, detecting the poultry. It returns to a dedicated charging station and notifies the farmer of task completion or alerts them in case of any issues. It also deters wild predators.

Tue, 30 Sep, 2025

Paula Hynes: The people in our overworked health system deserve a lot of praise

Paula Hynes: The people in our overworked health system deserve a lot of praise

Paula Hynes thanks the dedicated, highly skilled people who looked after her while she undertook tests in hospital last week and looks forward to Millstreet

Mon, 29 Sep, 2025

For Sale by Owner

Kieran Coughlan: Is the Irish land market dysfunctional?

From a national perspective, is it desirable that any Tom, Dick or Harry can buy land and put it to whatever use they wish, or even no use at all, asks rural accountant Kieran Coughlan.

Fri, 26 Sep, 2025

John Deere 6920 Tractor and Mower cutting Grass for Silage on a Farm in the UK

Brian Reidy: What are your feeding options for stock for the coming winter?

As we head into October, attention will turn to preparing for housing and the winter-feeding plan

Tue, 23 Sep, 2025

Putting five-star bulls to the test for finishing performance in Youghal

Putting five-star bulls to the test for finishing performance in Youghal

The bulls we choose for the autumn herd will be selected with two things in mind: improving both the maternal and terminal traits of the herd, write Waterford suckler farmers Eamon and Donnchadh McCarthy

Tue, 23 Sep, 2025

1998 Robert Redford stars in "The Horse Whisperer."

Lighten Up: Robert Redford and the bullock whisperer

For a farmer, whispering is part and parcel of rural life, writes our Auld Lehane in this week's Lighten Up

Tue, 23 Sep, 2025

Paula Hynes: Maize season makes me wish our contractor had airplanes

Paula Hynes: Maize season makes me wish our contractor had airplanes

While I'm glad Ryanair was not given the task of planting and harvesting our maize, given the delayed flights we have recently experienced, I know our contractors CCS would have as usual given an efficient service

Mon, 22 Sep, 2025

Silage being prepared in a round bale wrapper

Brian Reidy: Is there time for one more cut of silage before winter rolls in?

Grass will obviously need a bit of a longer wilt at this time of year, particularly if it is being baled, as grass dry matters are currently between 13% and 15%, advises independent ruminant nutritionist Brian Reidy

Tue, 16 Sep, 2025

CTAOP's Night Out 2021: Fast And Furious

Denis Lehane: A hairy time at the ploughing

From Dáithí Ó Sé, to Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta Jones, you can never tell who will come bounding out of a Portaloo door or squelching around a muddy corner, writes Denis Lehane in this week's Lighten Up

Mon, 15 Sep, 2025

Thanks to all the volunteers at Inniscarra

Thanks to all the volunteers at Inniscarra

Farming is like a merry-go-round, with baby calves on the farm again. Autumn breeding season is just around the corner, and it is hard to believe we will be breeding the show heifers soon, writes Aherla dairy farmer Paula Hynes

Mon, 15 Sep, 2025

Paula Hynes: Black pudding in Cork and Belgium

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

Wed, 10 Sep, 2025

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

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

Calves have been selling at record prices in 2025, but is it possible for them to make any money? Independent ruminant nutritionist Brian Reidy gives his take

Wed, 10 Sep, 2025

Counting Money Hands Holding Euro Bills, Examining the Value of Cash and Currency Assets

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

With this year's newfound wealth, the Ploughing is going to be like the Venice Film Festival, only without the boats, and a lot more boots, writes our auld Lehane in this week's Lighten Up

Mon, 08 Sep, 2025

Paula Hynes: Lights, camera, action - 'My Story, Georgie' hits the screens

Paula Hynes: Lights, camera, action - 'My Story, Georgie' hits the screens

When you're filming real life, and especially with animals involved, you can’t really do a take two, writes Paula Hynes

Wed, 03 Sep, 2025

AFC Championship Game: Buffalo Bills v Kansas City Chiefs

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

I never thought we'd be complaining about cattle being too expensive, but here we are, writes Denis in this week's Lighten Up.

Sat, 30 Aug, 2025

Senior man with grandaughter gardening in the backyard garden.

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

Beneficiaries who avail of Agricultural Relief see the taxable value of the gift or inheritance of 'agricultural property' (including farmland, buildings, stock) reduced by 90%

Fri, 29 Aug, 2025

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