Tag Archives: Ireland

There’s still Drought in the South East

23rd August 2018 by Lorna
2 comments
Cows being supplemented with soya hulls August 2018

We’re still in a drought situation. Okay, it’s nothing like New South Wales in Australia where the situation is incredibly dire and the earth is brown. However, this is Ireland, the Emerald Isle, where rain is usually never far away and we’re accustomed to rain either spilling, pouring, lashing or spitting at us. The fields have greened up but we’re in a ‘green drought’ whereby the grass just isn’t growing enough to meet demand.

There has been plenty of rain in [...]

The Highs and Lows of Farming

3rd April 2018 by Lorna
5 comments
Calf in Red

I’m tired. It’s not often that I’m really tired. It has been a busy couple of months: new calf shed being built, 130 calves born, and lots of finishing touches to Till the Cows Come Home which is being published in May. But it’s the relentlessly bad weather and all the extra work that goes with it that has made me tired. We knew the weather wouldn’t be great over Easter but the fact that it is continuing on for [...]

‘Let it snow, let it snow’

5th March 2018 by Lorna
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A shed of two halves

Storm Emma and the “Beast from the East” met to create some chaos in Ireland this past week. While we got a lot of snow and were snowed in for a few days, we weren’t in the worst affected county. We didn’t have to put in that much preparation as all livestock were housed in any case. We moved any heavily pregnant cows into the maternity shed to reduce the risk of having to move them across an icy yard. We [...]

6 Ways to Win Awards at Agricultural Shows

15th May 2017 by Lorna
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My daughter won first prize with the scones by the way, not me! Recipe is in the book "How to be a Perfect Farm Wife"

As it comes into the summer, there is going to be at least one agricultural show relatively near you each weekend. If you would like to impress the neighbours (not to mention your mother-in-law) a farm wife should try to win at least one prize at the local county or agricultural show. Thinking it’s impossible? Okay, it’s not easy but much more doable if you follow these tips.

  1. Do Your Homework

Weigh up your options by observing the various classes at the [...]

Stand And Deliver

20th April 2017 by Lorna
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2016-10-08 10.13.48

We don’t expect too much of the delivery men (I say men because I can’t recall ever seeing a woman making a delivery here). Okay, it does say DELIVER TO YARD in block letters under our address on all deliveries from Buyrite – as they can be quite heavy and it makes extra work for us if they deliver to the front door rather than the farmyard. One delivery guy is really helpful and friendly, gives us a wave to [...]