Thurles Information » Farming

International Miss Macra Festival 2010 In Tipperary

George — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 20:48:45 +0000

Clonoulty/Rossmore Macra na Feirme is once again proud to announce details of it’s 2010 International Miss Macra Festival, to be held this year from Thursday 29th July to Monday 2nd August.

Now in it’s 39th year, this popular festival has continued to go from strength to strength. This years festival will see girls coming from all across Ireland to compete for the honour of becoming Miss Macra 2010 and taking over from the 2009 winner Edel Ronan from the Carbery region in Co Cork.

The festival committee have once again chosen the luxurious Dundrum House Hotel, which boasts a top quality golf course and leisure centre, as its venue. This oasis in the Golden Vale provides the perfect escape for those of you seeking relaxation and fun during this forthcoming August bank holiday weekend.

The committee send a huge ‘Thanks You‘ to all their sponsors, host families, local businesses and especially to Dundrum House Hotel, Michael’s Jewellers Thurles, The Nu Du Lounge, Clonoulty, and to Tipp Co-Op in Tipperary Town, to name but a few.

The festival will return to the heart of the community on Thursday 29th July with the annual traditional Ceilli and welcoming session, for the contestants in Clonoulty Community Hall. Here the contestants will meet with their host families, latter who accept them into the bosom of their families for the duration of the weekend festival. Host families are a very central part of this strong community based festival and and are made up solely of families who have long standing connections with the festival, assuring each contestant a warm welcome.

Friday sees the contestants rising early to partake in orienteering at “The Duck Pond“, Dundrum where they will get in touch with nature as they make their way through the woods looking for clues and hoping to make it first back to base. Lunch will be in The Venue, with host National President Michael Gowing, following the morning’s outing. Friday afternoon the girls are given the chance to visit the historical town of Cashel and one of Ireland’s most popular tourist sites, “The Rock of Cashel .” Then it’s on with the dancing shoes to dance the night away to the live music of band “Midnight Run” followed by a Disco in Dundrum’s popular nightclub, “ The Venue.”

Saturday morning, after this hectic night out, sees the girls rise early to begin the business part of the weekend, their interviews with the festival judges. Three judges are charged with the difficult task of selecting one girl from the twenty-one contestants. They are Declan Ryan, a previous Festival Chairperson and long standing member of Macra, Joan Pollard Carew, of Michael’s Jewellers in Thurles, published poet and well known in Art and Irish dancing circles, and finally Fiona Kennedy, manager of the Nu Du Hair and Beauty Lounge, Clonoulty Co.Tipperary. The contestants will later attend Mass celebrated in Rossmore Parish Church by Rev Fr.Fogarty, and the choir for this ceremony provided by club members and members of the local community. Then its back to Dundrum House Hotel where the girls get to display their many talents which this year will include singing, Irish dancing, and solo instrumental pieces. Once this is completed the contestants and their many supporters get down to dancing in true Macra fashion with DJ, Conor Quaid of Spin South West until the early hours.
Sunday morning brings a change from the glamour of Friday and Saturday, to basic runners and tracksuits, for the annual Miss Macra Sports Day in Clonoulty G.A.A grounds and this year in conjunction with Macra’s “Know Your Neighbour Campaign” they will be holding a family fun days with kids races. The girls will also be put through their paces with an obstacle course, girls versus committee sports, and much more, followed, weather permitting, with an on site barbecue.

Sunday night brings everyone together for the climax of the weekend, the International Miss Macra Gala Banquet, in Dundrum House Hotel. After five succulent courses, dancing and live music supplied by “Silver Dollar“will begin, until the golden hour of midnight, when temperatures will soar and all will go silent in anticipation of the announcing of the 2010 International Miss Macra winner.

It promises to be yet another great and well planned International Miss Macra festival to be remember for all who make the Trip to Tipp for this August Bank Holiday weekend.

If you require any further details about the weekend or if you have any questions, you may contact Mary Lyng, Festival Chairperson, Tel: 087 7861016, Elaine O Dwyer Festival Secretary, Tel: 087 646108 or Grace Dunne Festival Chairperson, Tel: 087 9819717 or for all the latest info why not check out www.clonoultyrossmoremacra.com or find us on Facebook.

Agriculture Commissioner Dacian Ciolos Could Visit Tipperary

George — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 20:42:31 +0000

Commissioner Dacian Cioloş

The Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers (ICMSA) said it would schedule a meeting of the European Milk Board (EMB) in Dublin to coincide with Agriculture Commissioner Dacian Cioloş‘ forthcoming visit.

Although the Commissioner’s travel arrangements have not been confirmed, it is expected he will arrive on the evening of September 30th and depart on October 1st, 2010, following scheduled meetings. However, a spokesperson for the EU Commission in Dublin said the arrangements were “very tentative” at the moment and were subject to change.

The farm body said it had proposed to the EMB that it hold its next conference in Dublin in October but would be prepared to move that date forward so that the Commissioner could be in attendance.

An ICMSA spokesman said the conference will will be attended by dairy farmers from all over the European Union.

It is understood that Commissioner Ciolos has expressed a wish to visit a farm while in Ireland depending on time constraints.

The ICMSA have proposed the farm of Mr Pat McCormack, Lisheen, Co Tipperary, to host the Commissioner’s anticipated farm visit. Mr McCormack’s is considered one of the best young farmers in the Munster region and his expertise has been recognised by his recent election to the ICMSA Dairy Committee to host the Commissioner’s much anticipated farm visit.

Staying on farming matters:-

Teagasc Forced To Consider Turning Away Agri Students

Hundreds of agricultural students are expected to be refused entry to Teagasc courses this Autumn, due to a massive surge in applications.

Although final numbers have yet to be confirmed, the education body is expected to record a 30% increase in student applications compared to last year, which in its own right was a record year.

Some 1,044 students secured places on Teagasc college courses last year, with a further 500 enrolled on courses at local Teagasc centres.

Head of education at Teagasc, Paddy Browne stated:-

“There was huge competition for places on courses beginning in September this year. Last year two colleges, Kildalton and Mountbellew, had to turn away students but this year we believe all colleges will have to do the same. Final numbers are not available yet because we are still analysing dual applications where students applied to more than one college.”

Mike Pearson, principal of Gurteen College, Ballingarry, Roscrea in Co Tipperary, said the college received 150 applications for 75 places on its Level 5 Certificate.

Application numbers for specialised advanced courses are also expected to be up on previous years.

Scoil Na mBriathre Tipperary Know Their Onions

George — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 13:40:56 +0000

The prize winning pupils in the Agri-Aware’s nationwide Incredible Edibles competition gathered in Dublin Zoo yesterday to receive prizes worth over €5,000 to help them develop school gardens.

Monastery Primary School (Scoil na mBriathre 3rd class) in Tipperary town was the nationwide winner out of thousands of primary schools which took part in the competition to grow their own potatoes, onions, baby carrots, lettuce, spinach and strawberries .

Agri Aware’s Mairead Lavery stated:

“The competition has given tens of thousands of children the thrill of growing their own food and understanding from whence their food is derived. They also understand how important it is for their health and the effort it takes to actually grow their own ‘five-a-day’.”

IFA Conference – Profitable Tillage Production

George — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 20:10:11 +0000

The IFA will hold a major tillage conference on the theme of “Returning to Profitability Tillage Production” next Thursday June 17th at 7.00pm in the Anner Hotel, Thurles. The conference is designed to guide tillage farmers and help them make the most of existing and new market opportunities.

The conference will provide the most up to date information, which will enable farmers to make informed decisions and extract the best price from the market.

The Conference will be opened by IFA President John Bryan and addressed by Grain Chairman Noel Delany and Executive Fintan Conway who will set out the market outlook and price prospects for the 2011 harvest.

David Neale of Masstock UK Arable will focus on producing for niche markets and de-risking grain production, while Farmers’ Journal tillage editor Andy Doyle will urge growers to think outside the box to regain profitability.

Practical advice on the rapidly growing area of farm to farm trading and using the iFarm trading platform will be covered in a special session.

IFA Alternative Land Use Chairman J.J. Kavanagh will describe the opportunities opening up in renewable energy for arable crops.

Irish farmers, similar to their EU counterparts, face huge challenges arising out of two very difficult harvests in 2008 and 2009 when prices hit historic lows.

To Register: Please contact IFA on 4500266.

Greenhouse Gas – Cost Or Opportunity

George — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 14:29:12 +0000

The question of whether the need to abate greenhouse gas emissions should be seen as a cost or an opportunity for Irish agriculture will be debated at this year’s Nuffield Ireland Conference which takes place at the Horse and Jockey Hotel, Thurles, on 17 June next.

With the theme ‘Carbon – a cost or opportunity for farming‘, it has attracted some of the country’s leading climate change experts.

Speakers will include Paud Evans, the chief principal officer at the Department of Agriculture, Owen Ryan from the climate change section of the Department of the Environment, Teagasc scientists Gary Lanigan, Johnstown Castle, Matthew Deighton and Laurence Shaloo, Moorepark; Thomas Ryan, IFA, and Justin McCarthy, Irish Farmers Journal.

The conference will be briefed on current and future Government policy on climate change, while the use of grass in various farming systems as a means of combating greenhouse gas emissions also will be discussed.

Attendace at this conference costs €30 (€35 after 11 June) and further details can be obtained from the IFA (Irish Farmers Association) Telephone: 00 353 (1) 4500266 Fax: 00 353 (1) 4551043.

Increase In North Tipperary Farmers Seeking State Support

George — Thu, 06 May 2010 23:15:58 +0000

New figures show that the number of farmers availing of the Farm Assist Social Welfare payment in North Tipperary has soared in the last year. There have been 190 claims awarded up to May of this year, in comparison to 152 for the whole of last year.
This substantial leap in payments highlight the ongoing financial hardship experienced by farmers throughout the County.

Up until May 5th of this year, there were 190 farm assist claims awarded in the Thurles Social Welfare Local Office, with a further 12 claims still awaiting decision. These figures also cover the Nenagh and Roscrea Branches.

The farm assist scheme was introduced into the Social Welfare Act, in 1999. It fairly addresses the situation of low-income farmers and helps provide them with a safety net. It benefits farm families with children and also provides increased payments to farming couples without children and to single farmers on low income.

While this means-tested payment is broadly similar to the Job Seekers Allowance Scheme, it has a more generous means test, which takes account of the specific nature of farming and unlike Job Seekers Allowance; farmers claiming this payment do not need to be available for work outside of the farm in order to qualify.

North Tipperary Fine Gael TD, Deputy Noel Coonan who recently raised this worrying issue through a parliamentary question he put to the Minister for Agriculture and Food and speaking to www.thurles.info , stated:

“I’m not surprised that so many farmers are calling out for assistance when IFA estimates state, that the national farm income in 2009 was down by approximately 28% on 2008. For many, applying for farm assist is an admission that their farming way of life may no longer be viable and the social welfare payment is needed to keep the family home afloat. This is not through any fault of the farmer but instead the blame lies on the doorstep of this Government which has incessantly imposed draconian cutbacks. The Government is clearly out of touch with farming communities and need to adapt their policies before it drives farming into the ground. I concurred with the IFA’s view that the main factors affecting farm incomes in 2009 have been the fall in product price in almost all of the main farming systems, Government cuts in farm schemes and continuing high input costs. The depreciation of sterling has also had a significant impact on producer prices, as the agri-food sector exports more than 40% of its output to the UK. We are only five months into this year and already almost 200 payments have been given which is an increase of 50 on the number of farm assist payments given in the whole 12 months of last year. In 2008 there were 110 payments and in 2007 there were 105. If this trend continues the numbers of payments awarded for the whole of this year will more than double last year’s figure.”

In order to qualify for Farm Assist, you must be a farmer, farming land in the State, aged between 18 and 66 and satisfy a means test. The means test takes account of virtually every form of income but assesses it in different ways and disregards various amounts. There are different rules applying to income from farming and other forms of self-employment, income from certain schemes, income from employment and income from property and capital.

Veterinary Products More Expensive In Tipperary

George — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 15:14:14 +0000

A study, which was carried out by the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association (ICMSA), suggests that farmers in the Republic of Ireland are paying up to 58% more for veterinary medicines each year, than their counterparts in the North.

The survey involved the price comparison for similar veterinary products in veterinary offices and farm shops in Tipperary and other counties, with those available in similar outlets in Coleraine and Fermanagh, in the six counties.

The survey demonstrates that a farmer in the Republic of Ireland, presently milking 70 cows, is paying up to €1,000 per year more for the same commonly used products.

This survey was conducted over a one week period in February last.

ICMSA vice president John Comer said:

“The massive mark-up on vet medicines is part of a professional monopoly, which the Government is not alone failing to address, but actually supports and condones. The high cost of these products and services in Ireland is a direct result of Government regulation, on one hand and Government failure to bring competition to the sector, on the other.”

Veterinary Ireland blamed the wholesale cost of pharmaceutical products supplied into the Irish retail market, varying considerably from that pertaining to other EU member states, including Northern Ireland.

CAP Conference At The Tipperary Institute

George — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 16:18:52 +0000

The Common Agricultural Policy is worth over €1 billion to the Irish economy in purely financial terms, but it is possibly three times that figure when the jobs created by this money are taken into account, stated Labour MEP Alan Kelly addressing the CAP Conference organised today at the Tipperary Institute.

He further stated:-
“The new CAP must ensure the competitiveness of Irish agriculture, seek to reduce regulation and be linked to job creation in rural areas. However, to achieve this we must start the debate now as it will be the major issue in European Union circles shortly.”

IFA President John Bryan said farmers expect the Government to strongly defend the record of the CAP, and insist on a fully-funded budget post-2013.

Mr Bryan stated:
“Price and income volatility in agriculture has increased greatly since the 2003 CAP reform, with the decoupling of payments from production, and greater exposure to an increasingly liberalised and unregulated world market. This is threatening the viability of the European family farm structure and must be addressed urgently. EU policymakers must learn from the experiences of the last few years and amend the CAP structures appropriately to counteract market volatility and protect farm families. EU food security can only be achieved through promoting policies that secure the production of sustainable, high-quality food produced in Europe for its consumers. The CAP provides 500 million European consumers with a guaranteed supply of food. The sector employs over 40 million people and production is carried out in a sustainable way that protects the land, the environment and animal welfare. While Irish and European food is renowned for its quality, food prices have actually lagged well behind general inflation, largely as a result of financial supports provided by CAP to farmers.”

He further stated that the CAP post 2013 must:

* Retain the Single Farm Payment at its current level;
* The Single Farm Payment must be directed at supporting active farmers, on a historical basis as currently operates;
* Rural Development Funding must remain a co-financing commitment;
* Separately funded and effective market support and management measures;
* Simplified payment and cross compliance systems.

Grow It Yourself And Organic Beef

George — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 00:08:02 +0000

Next meeting of GIY (Grow It Yourself) Thurles will be held on Thursday next, March 11th, at 7.00pm in the Thurles Library building, The Source, Cathedral Street, Thurles.

As we have now officially entered into Spring, it’s time to start thinking again about growing our own vegetables.
With St Patrick ’s Day approaching fast, don’t forget to set your early potatoes.

Tipperary Organic Food

The GIY networks team aim to take the ‘self’ out of ‘self-sufficiency’ by getting garden growers together on a regular basis to chat and learn the tips of the trade from one another.

Note: The meetings are free and open to people interested in food production at all levels, e.g. from growing a few herbs on the balcony to complete self-sufficiency for beginners as well as old hands.

For more information on the GIY Network visit www.giyireland.com

And talking about healthy food, congratulations to “Omega Beef Direct“ in Clonmel, Co Tipperary, who won an environmental award for its sustainable farming and production methods.

Joe and Eileen Condon’s organic farm is close to the Knockmealdown mountains here in Co Tipperary and they scooped their top prize in this years annual food awards presented by the Irish Food Writers Guild, Dublin.
This is the 16th year of the awards, which seek to promote the highest quality of produce, and craftsmanship.

All Financial Institutions And Property Developers Take Note

George — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 00:39:59 +0000

Michael Ryan bought a donkey from Tom Dunne, a Tipperary farmer, for €100. Rather than walk him the 7.5 miles of treacherous pot holed road home, Tom agreed to deliver the donkey the very next day, in his horse box.

Sure enough, the next day our Tom drove up the lane to Michael’s home, looking very distressed.

“Michael“, said he, “Sure I’m sorry, but I have some very bad news, plain truth is, your donkey’s dead.”

Michael shook his head, “Sure no harm done, it could be worse” said he ” Just give me my money back.”

Tom said, ” Well Michael you see that’s the problem, I can’t do that. Truth is, I’ve already spent it and my bank won’t give me a loan.”

Michael though for a moment and then said, “Listen don’t worry about it, just give me my dead donkey.”

Tom replied, “Sure no problem, but what use is a dead donkey, what do you plan to do with him?”

Michael said: “Begod, I’m going to raffle him off.”

Tom replied, “You can’t raffle a dead donkey!”

Michael replied, “Sure I can. Just watch me…..Sure I just won’t inform anybody he’s dead.”

A month passed, and Tom met up with Michael again at the calf sale in Thurles Mart.

“Michael do you mind telling me what happened afterwards with that unfortunate dead donkey I sold you?” asked Tom curiously.

Michael, with a rye grin, said, ” Sure I raffled him off. I sold 500 tickets at €2.00 a piece and made a profit of €898. Now that’s taking into account the €100 I lost in my foolish dealings with you.”

Tom was amazed , “But didn’t anyone complain?” said he.

“Sure they did, but it was only the guy who won. So to be fair and honest I gave him his two euros back.” said Michael, with a knowing nod of his head.

Speaking recently to Michael, Thurles.Info understands he is being headhunted for various positions on the Board’s of A.I.B., National Irish Bank, Bank Of Ireland, and NAMA. He admits he has already, after much thought and many sleepless nights, refused an offer to run for Fianna Fáil in the next Dublin South by-election.

Michael, however refused to be drawn further, when we attempted to link him with the names of ten very well known Irish property developers. Ah yes, but then our Michael is no ass.

By the way, please note, all characters named in this true story, are purely fictitious and any resemblance to living persons in Thurles, or indeed County Tipperary as a whole, are truly accidental.

Meanwhile, we ask the ever growing question, ” Are we as a country looking to solve our financial problems in the right way?”