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Irish Farm Managers Conference May 9th Next

The Irish Farm Managers Association (IFMA) Conference takes place in the Horse & Jockey, Thurles, Co.Tipperary on Wednesday May 9th, 2012.

With the theme “Practical Farm Management, Training Key To Achieving 2020 Food Harvest Targets,” the Conference starts at 10:00am sharp with Registration, during which time Tea & Coffee will be served.

IFMA Conference Programme Is As Follows

10.45amOfficial OpeningJerry Twomey, President, IFMA. Chairperson: Pat Dillon, Head of Animal & Grassland & Innovation Research Centre, Teagasc, Moorepark

11.00amFood Harvest 2020 Targets – The Potential : Speakers Jim Woulfe, Chief Executive Officer, Dairygold, Paul Nolan, Group Development Manager, Dawn Meats and Tom Kelly, Director, Knowledge Transfer Directorate, Teagasc.

12.30pm – Lunch.

1.45pmFood Harvest 2020 – Releasing the Potential. Chairperson: Jim Treacy, Chairman, IFMA
Role for Farm Partnerships/Joint Ventures. Speakers Ben Roche, Farm Structures Specialist, Teagasc and Noel Collins, Economic and Planning Division, DAFM
Equity/Management Arrangement. Speaker Tommy O’Riordan, Farm Manager.
Summary of Joint Ventures in Australia. Speaker Zich Zichy-Woinarski, Consultant, Australia.

3.15pmFood Harvest 2020 – Releasing the Potential. Chairperson: John O’Brien, Chairman Master Farmers Central Committee
Training and Career Paths for Farm Managers.
Professional Farm Managers Programme. Speaker Tony Pettit, Head, Curriculum Dev Standards, Teagasc
Example Career Paths/Cases. Speakers Aidan O’Leary, Farm Manager and Kevin Commins, Farm Manager

4.30pmClose of Conference – Speaker Professor Gerry Boyle, Director, Teagasc.

Note: Conference Fee (including morning tea/coffee and lunch) costs €20.

Thurles Native Heads Teagasc Pig Development

Thurles Native Ciaran Carroll

Teagasc, the agriculture and food development authority in Ireland, has appointed Mr Ciaran Carroll as Head of the Pig Development Department at Teagasc. He takes over from Mr Michael Martin, who has retired after a long and successful career at the agency.

A native of Thurles, County Tipperary, Mr Carroll, who holds a degree in Agricultural Science and a Masters in Animal Science from University College Dublin, has worked as a Specialist Pig Development Officer within Teagasc since 1993, and specialises in the areas of Pig Nutrition, Pig Reproduction, Planning and Integrated Pollution Prevention Control (IPPC) Licenses and Education.

During his career to date, Mr Carroll has also developed strong International links with North Carolina State University, University of Minnesota, Iowa State University, Alberta Pork, and with several other organisations in Australia, the Netherlands and Denmark.

Mr Carroll will be based at the Teagasc Animal and Grassland, Research and Innovation Centre, at Moorepark, Fermoy, Co. Cork.

Photo courtesy G.Willoughby

North Tipperary Vintage & Machinery Club

North Tipperary Vintage & Machinery Club

When it comes to local generosity and sheer fund raising ability, for both local and national charities, no single organisation can surpass the capability of North Tipperary Vintage and Machinery Club.

The organisation is pictured here presenting a cheque for €2,200, to M S Ireland‘s community worker Ms Carol Mackenize, in Corcoran’s Pub, Two-Mile-Borris, Thurles, Co.Tipperary.

John Dunne, the Club’s Chairman, was loud in his praise of, in particular, the local population who supported their fundraising events through the past year.

Carol Mackenize of M.S. Ireland stated that this funding would now be used to assist community work, currently being carried out in the Nenagh and Thurles area.

Photo courtesy G.Willoughby.

Christmas Comes Early To Irish Guide Dogs

Golden Vale Hunt Guide Dog Presentation

Christmas came early to the national charity Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind,” here in Thurles, when the organisation were presented with a cheque for €1,000 from members of the Golden Vale Hunt Club.

The money was raised by club members, following an organised charity ride, held recently, cross country from Drish to Moyne.

Presenting this funding, and picture here left are members of the Golden Vale Hunt Club named as follows:-
Front Row, L – R :- Pat Cantwell, Moyne; Eoin Mockler, (Whip) Upperchurch; Billy Shanahan, Thurles, (Irish Guide Dogs)  Michael Shanahan, (Whip) Rahealty; and Jim Russell, Two Mile Borris.
Back Row, L – R :- Diarmuid Molumby, Loughtagalla; Tony Cantwell, Moyne; and Donie O’Connell, Holycross.

Presenting the cheque, Golden Vale Hunt Club’s Michael Shanahan expressed sincere gratitude, on behalf of his organisation, to the many members of the local farming community, who supported this charity ride, by granting access through their property.

Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind are a national charity dedicated to helping persons who are blind or vision impaired and families of children with autism, to achieve improved mobility and independence.

Irish Guide Dogs receive over 85% of their income through voluntary donations and fundraising, through a network of volunteers across Ireland.  The remaining 15% is provided through statutory bodies and government agencies.  It will cost just over €4 million to run their organisation this year.
(Photo courtesy G.Willoughby)

Milk Supplies Slow Following Over Quota Warning

€30m Milk Super Levy Bill Warning

With a €30m Super Levy Bill looming, 5% of suppliers have already filled their quotas.

October milk supplies have crashed by 10% to 15% compared with the same week in 2010 as farmers begin reacting to over quota warnings.

The Irish Farmers Journal reports that some co-ops have seen volumes drop in October, by up to 18% per week, as farmers switch to once-a-day milking and dry off cows, having already filled their available quotas.

Latest figures from the Department of Agriculture show that the country was 2.41% over quota at the end of September.

This is a marginal improvement on the end of August position of 2.82% over and 3.76% over at the end of July. However, the country was 4.08% under quota at the end of September 2010, but still came in just 0.4% under quota at the end of the 2010/2011 milk quota year.

If the country finishes the year at the current level of over-supply, the potential Super Levy fine could exceed €30m.

Co-Op’s at Arrabawn, Centenary Thurles, Dairygold, Drinagh, Lisavaird, Tipperary and Wexford are all reporting October supplies down by between 10% and 15% week on week compared with last year, with Glanbia experiencing a slower decline in supplies, with their volumes down 8%.