Farming Life Morning Update 23 May, 2024

Daily Briefing Videos - National World

Watch Farming Life Morning Update 23 May, 2024 - Daily Briefing Videos - National World on Dailymotion

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00:00 This is your morning update for Thursday 23rd May 2024.

00:08 Brought to you by Farming Life, Horse Week, Sunshines on start of Laurelviews summer 2024

00:19 Dressage League, Competitors shown in the sunlight to impress judges, Martina McKinley

00:27 and Ivor Harper.

00:30 Congratulations to Donnie Doyle who has been named TGASC FBD Student of the Year for 2023.

00:41 The awards were presented by the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie

00:47 McConnell-Ogg.

00:48 TD in Coalawi on Tuesday 21st May.

00:56 It's time for targets in law to protect nature, says RSPB at Stormont.

01:03 The event, which was sponsored by John Blair MLA and attended by Assembly members and industry

01:09 professionals was chaired by the charity with Ruth Chambers OBE and DARA Minister Andrew

01:16 Muir as keynote speakers.

01:19 Ruth Chambers OBE, a senior fellow with environmental think tank Green Alliance, played a key role

01:27 in the environmental coalition Greener UK, which was at the heart of the environmental

01:35 community's response to Brexit.

01:40 Young handlers put their best foot forward for the Sheep Young Handlers competition at

01:45 Balmoral Show.

01:47 The growing popularity of the event, sponsored by the Livestock and Meat Commission, LMC,

01:55 saw this year's competition subdivided into three age categories, 8, 9 year olds, 10,

02:04 11 year olds and 12, 14 year olds.

02:11 Limousin Heifer is tapped out as the Beef Champion of Champions at Balmoral Show.

02:18 The strongly contested line-up of individual breed champions took to the cattle lawns on

02:24 Friday afternoon for the ever popular Beef Champion of Champions competition, sponsored

02:31 by the Livestock and Meat Commission, LMC.

02:36 M&S Select Farm Award winners at Balmoral Show.

02:41 Steve Maclean, Head of Agriculture and Fisheries at M&S said, "These awards are a celebration

02:49 of the innovation and dedication shown by our select farmers.

02:54 They go the extra mile to deliver fantastic quality products which our customers love.

03:02 Our Northern Ireland suppliers punch well above their weight in terms of their contribution

03:07 to our supply chain and we're delighted that we can bring their superb ingredients to stores

03:14 not only in Northern Ireland but also in the Republic of Ireland and across the water.

03:20 My heartfelt congratulations to all the winners announced at this year's Balmoral Show."

03:29 In June of 2023, James Robinson's Clogger family farm established an egg enterprise

03:36 comprising of two barns, stocking 32,000 free-range hens and tootles.

03:44 James, now 23, has been pivotal in this development since the project started in the summer of

03:51 2022, working tirelessly to make it a reality and is now managing his first flock of laying

03:58 hens.

04:00 I've always had an interest in farming and after graduating from university I knew I

04:06 wanted to become involved in the family farm and we thought an egg laying unit would work

04:12 well alongside the existing dairy farm, Commons James.

04:18 With a number of small modifications, I can now pretty much do everything to run both

04:24 hen houses successfully.

04:27 Moving forward, we plan on adding additional egg laying units.

04:32 David Irwin from Dervack Farms, in partnership with his mother and father, milked 250 pedigree

04:40 Holstein Friesian cows at his 400 acre farm in Ballymoney and his family were founding

04:47 members of the NA Regional M&S Milk Pool 24 years ago.

04:54 The milk pool is committed to delivering industry leading animal health and welfare, farm standards

05:01 and low carbon milk production in return for a fair, transparent and stable price for farmers.

05:09 It is great to be involved in a group of lake minded farmers who have animal welfare at

05:15 the top of their priorities and the fact that we are the only RSPCA assured milk pool is

05:23 a testament to that vision, comments David.

05:27 Our focus is not limited to welfare, however, we have recently started using a new methane

05:34 inhibitor to help improve the sustainability of the pool and other priorities include reduction

05:41 in antibiotic use and elimination of soya feed.

05:47 David Giesoeb from Antrim recently established a Wagyu finishing enterprise after visiting

05:53 fellow M&S supplier Stephen Thompson and was impressed by their temperament.

05:58 Together with his wife Cathy and father Barry, they agreed a move into Wagyu presented an

06:05 exciting opportunity for the family farm.

06:10 David has displayed precision management through the meticulous weighing and tracking of his

06:16 Wagyu cattle to understand how they are performing in addition to the analysis of his salage,

06:24 comments Keith Williamson, supply chain manager at ABP Linden.

06:29 This process has helped him to both drive carbon reduction on his farm as well as decrease

06:36 antibiotic usage.

06:39 I don't like the half measures approach if I don't aim to produce the highest quality

06:44 beef that I can then why am I doing it, comments David.

06:50 Care and love for the animal and being meticulous over the small details is rewarding.

06:57 Kingsley Bell, whose On a Clough farm comprises of 16,000 free range hens and 17,000 organic

07:06 hens across eight barns in addition to a herd of suckler cows and sheep has embraced a low

07:13 impact farming ethos.

07:16 We have undertaken extensive tree planting around the barns which not only sequester

07:23 carbon and provide a habitat for local wildlife but also provide shelter and encourage roaming

07:30 of our hens, he comments.

07:33 We have also installed solar panels to help power our operation with renewable energy.

07:41 I am delighted to win this award but I wouldn't be in this position without the support of

07:46 my family who are integral to our farm success, he adds.

07:52 I would also like to thank Scea Eggs for nominating me.

07:57 In addition to being an M&S award winner Kingsley has been selected as one of seven farmers

08:04 to take part in M&S's Farm of the Future programme which sees the retailer collaborate with suppliers

08:11 industry and farmers to deliver rapid decarbonisation of livestock production as part of its Plan

08:19 A roadmap to net zero by 2040.

08:23 Julie Mullin who manages a 140 acre mixed farm in Stewartstone which includes wagyu

08:31 beef, suckler cows, sheep, poultry and more alongside her husband Geoffrey has hosted

08:38 groups of school children from local primary schools educating them on rearing livestock.

08:45 We provide pupils with a tour of our farm and teach them a variety of topics including

08:52 calf health and rearing and give them the opportunity to feed some of the calves, comments

08:58 Julie.

08:59 ABP Linden invited a vet and a feed specialist to take part and they share what they do in

09:07 their jobs to help the children understand the various roles needed to rear calves to

09:13 highest standard.

09:15 Our decision to open the farm up in this way comes from a belief that it is important for

09:21 children to learn where their food comes from.

09:25 Yet not every child gets that opportunity.

09:28 My sons are fortunate enough to grow up on a farm and we want to share at least some

09:34 of that experience with their classmates.

09:38 Julie Mullin exemplifies the values we hold dear at the Royal Countryside Fund said Keith

09:45 Halstead Executive Director.

09:48 Her commitment to educating young minds in her locality about farming underscores the

09:55 importance of community engagement in agriculture.

10:00 Balmoral Show was busy for the team at Smithsdale Side who were on hand to congratulate some

10:07 winners.

10:08 Check out our pictures here.

10:12 Judge Meg Black from Fife, Scotland was impressed with the stock presented to him at the opening

10:17 day of Balmoral.

10:19 Judge Meg Black from Fife, Scotland was impressed with the stock presented to him at the opening

10:26 day of Balmoral and certainly had tough decisions to make in each of the classes.

10:35 For more news go to farminglife.com and for more videos check out ShotsTV.com

10:41 [BLANK_AUDIO]

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