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]

"Not many beef farmers ever get to taste the finished product they're producing."That thought sent Patrick O'Doherty dow...
26/08/2026

"Not many beef farmers ever get to taste the finished product they're producing."

That thought sent Patrick O'Doherty down a path that has transformed his family's Clare farm.

Monday to Friday, he's an architect in Dublin. At weekends, he's back in Lahinch building something very different: a Wagyu beef business that takes cattle all the way from the field to customers' front doors.

Instead of accepting whatever factory price is on offer, Patrick and his father Gerard are selling their beef directly to consumers and restaurants, creating their own market and their own brand.

It's not the easy route.

There are websites to build, customers to find, orders to manage and cattle to finish. But Patrick says the reward is knowing exactly where the beef is going and getting paid for the product he's worked so hard to produce.

The feature is a fascinating look at diversification, value-added farming and one family's attempt to carve out a niche in Ireland's beef sector.

💬 Could more beef farmers sell directly to consumers? 💬 Is creating your own market the future for some family farms? 💬 Or is the extra work simply too much for most producers?

Read the full story below 👇
https://www.independent.ie/farming/from-architecture-to-wagyu-meet-the-clare-farmer-taking-beef-sales-into-his-own-hands/a/160120767.html

"We can bring enough drink to last a four-day festival, but not a ham sandwich?"Trust Hannah Quinn-Mulligan to ask the q...
26/08/2026

"We can bring enough drink to last a four-day festival, but not a ham sandwich?"

Trust Hannah Quinn-Mulligan to ask the question nobody else is asking.

After a weekend at Altogether Now, Hannah returned to the farm with sore feet, a tired head and one strong opinion: we've forgotten the art of bringing a picnic.

While festival-goers complained about €15 meals and eye-watering food bills, Hannah arrived armed with sandwiches, a cooler box and the sort of practical thinking that would make any Irish mother proud.

In her latest column, she wonders when we became convinced that every trip to a festival or day out requires us to buy expensive food instead of packing our own.

💬 Are packed lunches a lost art? 💬 Have we lost a bit of "cop on" when it comes to spending money? 💬 Or is convenience simply worth paying for?

Read Hannah's latest column below 👇
https://www.independent.ie/farming/bring-back-the-picnic-why-i-packed-sandwiches-for-a-music-festival/a/160223750.html

"The scales don't lie."Like plenty of suckler farmers, Aonghusa Fahy used to see SCEP weighing as another job that had t...
25/08/2026

"The scales don't lie."

Like plenty of suckler farmers, Aonghusa Fahy used to see SCEP weighing as another job that had to be done to draw down a payment.

Then one cow stood on the scales.

On paper, she looked the business. A good cow. A shapely Charolais calf at foot. The sort of pair that would catch any farmer's eye.

But the figures told a very different story.

In this week's column, Aonghusa explains how a day spent weighing calves and scanning cows made him question his breeding decisions, rethink the role of Angus in his herd, and identify one cow that may have been getting a free ride for far too long.

It's a reminder that the cattle that look the part aren't always the cattle making money.

Do you weigh your cattle regularly?

Have the figures ever changed your opinion of a cow, a bull or a breeding policy you thought was working?

Read Aonghusa's full column below 👇🐂

"The scales don't give marks for appearance." https://www.independent.ie/farming/the-scales-dont-lie-what-weighing-my-cattle-taught-me-about-my-herd/a/160230448.html

"I took four days off work for lambing this year. They worked away themselves."For plenty of sheep farmers, that line wi...
25/08/2026

"I took four days off work for lambing this year. They worked away themselves."

For plenty of sheep farmers, that line will sound almost too good to be true.

But software engineer and part-time farmer Josh Lamb is building a flock around one simple idea: sheep that need less labour, less intervention and can thrive off grass.

On his Tipperary farm, every sheep is performance-recorded, genotyped and analysed. He has even built his own flock management app to help identify the traits that matter most.

The goal?

✅ Ewes that lamb themselves
✅ Sheep that shed their own wool
✅ Fewer dosing and management headaches
✅ Strong performance from a low-input system

It's a fascinating look at how technology, breeding and data are being used to tackle one of farming's biggest challenges: finding a system that works when time is in short supply.

Could self-shedding sheep become a much bigger part of Irish farming in the years ahead?

And would a flock that largely manages itself tempt more people into sheep farming?

Read Catherina Cunnane's full farm feature below 👇 https://www.independent.ie/farming/how-this-software-engineer-is-using-data-to-breed-better-easycare-sheep-in-tipperary/a/159640987.html

"If it's already there for free, why are we talking about spreading more nitrogen?"That's one of the questions tillage a...
25/08/2026

"If it's already there for free, why are we talking about spreading more nitrogen?"

That's one of the questions tillage agronomist Richard Hackett is asking after one of the driest summers in years.

In this week's column, Richard argues that recent weather conditions could force farmers and policymakers alike to rethink some long-held assumptions around nitrogen, soil health, water use and crop management.

He believes warm soils and returning moisture could release a significant flush of naturally available nitrogen. But with that opportunity comes a risk for water quality too.

The piece also tackles another increasingly uncomfortable question: if droughts become more common, can Ireland continue to rely on rain alone to grow crops?

Whatever your views on irrigation, climate resilience or fertiliser use, Richard's argument is likely to get people talking.

Are Irish farmers and policymakers planning far enough ahead for more extreme weather, or are we still treating drought as a once-off event?

Read the full column below and let us know what you think 👇 https://www.independent.ie/farming/why-a-dry-summer-demands-new-thinking-on-nitrogen-and-water/a/160270253.html

How much should a carrot cost?It's a simple question, but the answer is causing growing concern among the handful of far...
25/08/2026

How much should a carrot cost?

It's a simple question, but the answer is causing growing concern among the handful of farmers who produce most of Ireland's carrots.

Growers say the cost of producing the country's favourite vegetable has soared in recent years, while retail prices have failed to keep pace. This summer's drought has only added to the pressure.

One figure that caught our attention: there are now just nine commercial carrot growers supplying the vast majority of the Irish market.

If food security, Irish-grown produce and the future of tillage farming matter to you, this is a story worth reading.

Should consumers pay more for Irish-grown food if it helps keep farmers in business?

Read the full story below 👇
https://www.independent.ie/farming/cost-of-carrot-production-rising-faster-than-retail-prices-growers-warn/a/160286162.html

Who'll answer the phone when you need a vet at 2am?It's a question many farmers may not have thought much about, but vet...
25/08/2026

Who'll answer the phone when you need a vet at 2am?

It's a question many farmers may not have thought much about, but vet Eamon O'Connell believes it's becoming one of the biggest challenges facing rural Ireland.

In this week's column, Eamon argues that veterinary medicine has a retention crisis, particularly in large-animal practice, and says the issue can no longer be ignored.

Younger vets are increasingly turning away from jobs that involve nights, weekends and constant on-call duties. Meanwhile, demand for out-of-hours services isn't going away.

Most farmers know the feeling of needing help with a difficult calving, a sick calf or an emergency that can't wait until morning.

But what happens if there are fewer vets willing to provide that service?

Do farmers sometimes take on-call veterinary cover for granted? And what should the future of out-of-hours vet services look like?

Read Eamon's full column below and let us know your thoughts 👇 https://www.independent.ie/farming/why-the-veterinary-on-call-crisis-can-no-longer-be-ignored/a/160316760.html

A blast from the past from the pages of the Farming Independent in August 1996. With live exports back in the headlines ...
25/08/2026

A blast from the past from the pages of the Farming Independent in August 1996.

With live exports back in the headlines following the decision by Brittany Ferries to stop carrying live animal exports from September, it's interesting to look back at a very different era for the trade.

This clipping from the Farming Independent archives shows the launch of the livestock carrier M.V. Felicity in Waterford, one of several ships operated by the Purcell family as part of a major live export business serving North Africa and the Middle East. At the time, the company required additional capacity to fulfil a contract to export 35,000 cattle to Egypt.

For many farmers, especially in the west and south, live exports were a vital outlet and a major source of competition in the cattle trade. The Purcell name became synonymous with the business over several decades.

Love it or hate it, the debate around live exports is nothing new.

Do you remember the Purcell ships, the cattle boats leaving Waterford, or the live export trade of the 1980s and 1990s?

Share your memories below 👇

Twenty years on, the crowds are still coming. ❤️🚜From vintage Fergusons and steam engines to working threshing machines,...
25/08/2026

Twenty years on, the crowds are still coming. ❤️🚜

From vintage Fergusons and steam engines to working threshing machines, classic cars, motorcycles and horses, Knockbridge Vintage Day once again turned back the clock at the weekend.

What started as a small gathering of local enthusiasts has grown into one of the biggest celebrations of rural heritage in the country, preserving skills, machinery and memories that helped shape Irish farming life.

A few snapshots from a fantastic day in Co Louth:

📸 Gerry McShane from Dundalk and Patsy Costello from Kells at the Knockbridge Vintage Day. A fantastic display of vintage tractors, cars, lorries, motorcycles, bikes and working vintage machinery.
Photo: David Conachy

📸 David King from Dunleer, Co Louth, working at the Knockbridge Vintage Day. A fantastic display of vintage tractors, cars, lorries, motorcycles, bikes and working vintage machinery.
Photo: David Conachy

There's something special about seeing machinery that once worked farms across Ireland brought back to life by people who are determined that these traditions won't be forgotten.

Were you there? Share your photos, memories or favourite exhibits from the day in the comments below 👇

https://www.independent.ie/videos/knockbrige-vintage-day-pays-tribute-to-grey-ferguson-tvo-20/a/160443832.html

"I like trees."That's how Eddie Punch begins a column that may surprise a lot of people.The former ICSA general secretar...
25/08/2026

"I like trees."

That's how Eddie Punch begins a column that may surprise a lot of people.

The former ICSA general secretary says he has spent years planting trees and improving hedgerows on his farm, not for scheme payments, but because he sees them as part of the legacy he will leave behind.

So when he decided to plant native woodland under one of the State's flagship schemes, he expected the hard part would be the fencing and planting.

Instead, he found himself hitting obstacle after obstacle.

In this week's column, Eddie describes how site after site that he had earmarked for native trees was ruled out, leaving him asking a question many farmers will recognise:

If someone who actually wants to plant trees can't get a project over the line, what hope is there for everyone else?

It's a thought-provoking piece about farming, forestry, bureaucracy and the gap between policy ambitions and realities on the ground.

Have you tried to plant trees, establish woodland or join a forestry scheme?

What was your experience?

Read Eddie's full column below 👇 https://www.independent.ie/farming/i-tried-to-plant-native-trees.-almost-every-site-was-ruled-out/a/160342178.html

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