Farming Independent

Farming Independent The Farming Independent is published every Tuesday as a supplement with the Irish Independent newspaper. The team is headed by editor Margaret Donnelly.

It covers all aspects of agriculture, including news, features, and technical and political analysis. Regular features include forestry, machinery, farm finance, property, along with dairy, beef, sheep and tillage advice. Please contact us on [email protected]

From tea and scones at the gate… to 60,000 visitors a year.That’s the journey of one Burren farm that decided to do some...
09/06/2026

From tea and scones at the gate… to 60,000 visitors a year.

That’s the journey of one Burren farm that decided to do something different and stuck at it.

Caherconnell might be one of the most remote, rocky parts of the country, but the Davoren family have built a business there that mixes farming, history and a bit of showmanship, without losing sight of the land underneath it all.

A 1,000‑year‑old ringfort.

Sheepdog trials twice a day.

Cows, sheep and cattle still being farmed alongside it all.

It didn’t start as a grand plan either, more a case of finding a way to keep the farm going when things got tough… and protecting what was already there.

There’s a line in this piece that sums it up:
“We think about the farm like a table - different legs keeping it steady.”

Tourism, sheep, dairy, beef - each one helping the other.

It’s a very different model to the traditional setup, but one that’s drawing people from all over the world into a working farm… and showing them what Irish farming actually looks like up close.

👉 Read the full story: https://www.independent.ie/farming/from-farming-to-tourism-how-history-and-sheepdog-trials-drew-60000-visitors-to-a-burren-farm/a/153184111.html

“Sure there’s enough repeats without him doing the Leaving again…”It’s a throwaway line in Eamon O’Connell’s latest, but...
09/06/2026

“Sure there’s enough repeats without him doing the Leaving again…”

It’s a throwaway line in Eamon O’Connell’s latest, but it sums up exactly where a lot of herds are right now.

Week five of breeding…
and the questions are starting.

Too many repeating… or not enough showing at all?

Is something wrong or is it just the way the cycle is falling?

This is the stage where heads can go wrecked looking at a bunch of cows bulling together and wondering if the whole thing has slipped.

But Eamon cuts through it:

Are the records right?
Were cows served too early?
Is it timing, condition, minerals… or something you’re simply not seeing?

And the key message this week is an important one:

The repeats you’re seeing now are still fixable.

There’s still time to act, but only if you step back from the panic and start looking at what the figures (and the cows) are actually telling you.

It’s practical, straight-talking advice at a time of year where decisions made over a few weeks shape the entire year ahead.

👉 Read Eamon O’Connell’s full column and tell us: are repeats causing pressure in your herd now… or is it the lack of activity that’s the bigger worry?

https://www.independent.ie/farming/too-many-repeats-or-not-enough-what-farmers-need-to-know-now/a/155380844.html

“Christmas has come early for sheep farmers.”That was the line coming out of the marts this week and for once, it’s not ...
09/06/2026

“Christmas has come early for sheep farmers.”

That was the line coming out of the marts this week and for once, it’s not far off the mark.

After a shaky spell post-Eid, the lamb trade has found its feet again… and then some.

Factory prices are on the rise.

Mart prices are jumping sharply.

And in plenty of rings, it’s the wholesalers and butchers driving things on, not the factories.

Lambs up €10, €20… even €30 a head in places.

There’s also a small twist on the side that few saw coming this year… wool prices showing signs of life again.

👉 Full report from Martin Coughlan, with all the latest prices and what’s really driving the trade.

And tell us: are you seeing the lift in your own mart… or is it hit and miss where you are?
https://www.independent.ie/farming/christmas-comes-early-for-sheep-farmers-as-lamb-trade-surges/a/156219623.html

Ireland sells its beef on a powerful image: grass, rain, and family farms.But is the reality starting to shift?A growing...
09/06/2026

Ireland sells its beef on a powerful image: grass, rain, and family farms.

But is the reality starting to shift?

A growing share of cattle are now being finished in specialised units, over 30% of the national kill and it’s raising a question that’s getting harder to ignore across the sector.

Does that change anything about how Irish beef is produced… or how it’s perceived?

Some argue these units are simply part of a modern, efficient system, still largely grass-based, still fitting within the rules.

Others are warning that if finishing becomes more concentrated, we risk drifting away from the very story that sets Irish beef apart on world markets.

And behind that is a bigger concern for many farmers:

If the system changes, where do ordinary family farms fit?

This piece lays out the facts, the figures, and the fault lines in a debate that’s only going to grow as the sector evolves.

👉 Read the full feature and tell us: do specialised finishing units strengthen the industry… or pose a risk to Ireland’s grass-fed image? https://www.independent.ie/farming/are-specialised-finishing-units-a-threat-to-irelands-grass-fed-beef-image/a/153772173.html

What happens when a border closes… and the cattle stop moving?It’s a question playing out in real time between the US an...
09/06/2026

What happens when a border closes… and the cattle stop moving?

It’s a question playing out in real time between the US and Mexico and the answer isn’t as straightforward as you might think.

A pest outbreak, screwworm, triggered a shutdown in live cattle imports. The intention was protection.

But a year on, the consequences are rippling right through the beef trade:

Feedlots in Texas, some with generations behind them, are now sitting half-empty or worse.

Workers are watching jobs dry up.

And producers are being squeezed from every side by supply, drought and price pressure.

Meanwhile, across the border…

Mexican producers have adapted and in some cases, thrived. Instead of shipping cattle north, they’re finishing and processing them at home… and then exporting the beef.

Same cattle.

Different value chain.

Different result.

There’s a line in this piece that sums up the frustration:

“We’re giving this to them on a silver platter.”

It’s a powerful look at how quickly a system can shift and how decisions made for one reason can reshape an entire industry.

👉 Read the full feature, a story of empty yards, rising exports, and a beef trade being turned on its head. https://www.independent.ie/farming/screwworm-border-closure-fuels-beef-boom-in-mexico-gloom-in-texas/a/156143945.html

“There’s no real start or finish to the day… just the next job waiting.”If you’re running sheep, that line will hit home...
09/06/2026

“There’s no real start or finish to the day… just the next job waiting.”

If you’re running sheep, that line will hit home.

Glyn Egan captures a time of year that looks grand from the outside, grass growing, lambs out, long evenings, but in reality it’s flat out, with pressure coming from every angle.

Because this is the stage where lambs either push on… or fall back.
Worms, cobalt, grass quality, flystrike, miss one thing and you can lose ground fast. And after the kind of spring most have had, there’s no room for setbacks now.

He’s honest about it too:
“You can do everything right… and still get caught.”

That’s sheep farming in a nutshell.

From dosing and dagging to watching for the first signs of trouble in a lamb that just isn’t right… it’s constant attention, even when you’re running on fumes after lambing.

And just when you think you might get a breather, shearing starts, machinery needs servicing, and the next rush is already lining up.

It’s a piece that’ll feel very familiar to anyone trying to keep lambs thriving at this time of year.

👉 Read Glyn Egan’s full column and tell us: how are lambs performing on your place… and what’s causing the most pressure right now? https://www.independent.ie/farming/flat-out-and-no-let-up-keeping-lambs-thriving-under-pressure/a/155222025.html

Every bullock I’ve bought this year will die in debt.”It’s a stark line, but it’s the kind of talk that’s starting to be...
09/06/2026

Every bullock I’ve bought this year will die in debt.”

It’s a stark line, but it’s the kind of talk that’s starting to be heard more as the trade turns increasingly negative.

Martin Coughlan reports this week on a market that’s sending mixed signals.

Factory prices are slipping back again…
yet ringside, there’s still life in the trade, especially for better Angus, Herefords and continentals.
So what’s going on?

Finishers are doing the sums and not liking what they see.

Agents are looking at the same cattle and asking how the figures can stack up.

And all the while, buying goes on.

There’s a nervous edge creeping in:

How far will beef price fall?
Will store prices correct in the autumn?
And is there a margin left for anyone finishing cattle this year?

One finisher summed it up bluntly, he’ll go again next year, but only if the numbers come back into line.

Until then… caution.

👉 Full mart report here, with the latest prices, trends and what’s really happening ringside this week.

https://www.independent.ie/farming/every-bullock-bought-this-year-will-die-in-debt-finisher-warns-as-prices-slide/a/156151076.html

A devastating incident on the River Glyde has left over 20,000 fish dead, with warnings it could take years, even decade...
08/06/2026

A devastating incident on the River Glyde has left over 20,000 fish dead, with warnings it could take years, even decades, for the river to recover.

Minister of State Timmy Dooley visited the site in Louth on Friday, where the scale of the damage has been described as “very, very significant”, with a serious impact on biodiversity, anglers and the wider local community.

Dead fish were still visible along stretches of the river as Inland Fisheries Ireland continues its clean-up and assessment work, with staff expected to remain on site in the coming days.

Local anglers have spoken of a “complete wipe out”, with multiple species, including protected fish, affected along the length of the river.

The Minister has also raised concerns about enforcement, saying current fines for pollution incidents are “not fit for purpose” and do not reflect the level of damage caused.

This is a difficult story for everyone connected to farming, fisheries and rural communities and one that raises wider questions about responsibility, penalties and recovery.

👉 Read the full report here
https://www.independent.ie/county/louth/minister-timmy-dooley-says-fines-not-fit-for-purpose-as-he-visits-river-where-agricultural-pollution-killed-over-20000-fish-in-louth/a/155424795.html

“AI won’t milk the cows.”It’s probably the line most farmers will agree on this week.Because let’s be honest, until a co...
08/06/2026

“AI won’t milk the cows.”

It’s probably the line most farmers will agree on this week.

Because let’s be honest, until a computer can calve a cow at 3am or clear a blocked sump, most of us will take the talk of “Artificial Intelligence” with a healthy pinch of salt.

But Gillian O’Sullivan reckons we might be overlooking something.

She’s been putting a few of these tools to work on her own farm, not for the flashy stuff, but for the everyday decisions that quietly make or lose money.

And what she found isn’t about replacing farmers… it’s about sharpening the decisions they’re already making.

From figuring out where fertiliser will actually pay,
to tracking cashflow tighter in a year where every cent matters,
to turning dry figures into something you can actually use at the kitchen table…

There’s one line that stands out:
“Sometimes the challenge isn’t finding the information, it’s pulling it together quickly enough to make a decision.”

👉 Read Gillian O’Sullivan’s full piece and tell us: is AI something you’d ever trust on your own farm?

https://www.independent.ie/farming/ai-wont-milk-the-cows-but-it-might-make-you-more-money/a/155055473.html

“When was the last time you actually stopped and looked at your hedges?”Not drove past them. Not cut them on the way thr...
08/06/2026

“When was the last time you actually stopped and looked at your hedges?”

Not drove past them. Not cut them on the way through.

But properly looked.

Henry Walsh did just that at a recent farm walk in Galway and what he saw might surprise a few of us who think we’re already doing enough.

Whitethorn in full bloom. Moths by the hundred. Bats feeding through the night. Butterflies depending on what most of us would call a patch of nettles.

Nothing radical. Nothing that would turn a system upside down.

Just small, practical changes… quietly stacking up.

Letting hedges grow that bit longer.

Thinking differently about margins.

Paying attention to what’s actually living alongside the farm we’re working every day.

There’s a moment in this column where he asks himself a simple question:

“How is our own scorecard looking?”

And it’s the kind of question that might land with a lot of farmers right now, especially with all the talk of schemes, inspections and targets.

👉 Read Henry Walsh’s latest column and tell us below: are the small changes happening on your own farm… or is biodiversity still something for “another day”?
https://www.independent.ie/farming/small-changes-big-impact-what-one-farm-taught-me-about-biodiversity/a/155059507.html

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