leaving certificate 2017 (school name) agricultural science practical assessment · 2018-10-31 ·...
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AgriculturalSciencePracticalAssessment-LeavingCertificate2017
LeavingCertificate2017
(SchoolName)
AgriculturalSciencePracticalAssessment
Name:
ExamNumber:
NameofFarmer:
Address:
Livestock:DairyCattle
Crop1:Grassland
Crop2:Barley
(Pictureofyouonfarm)
AgriculturalSciencePracticalAssessment-LeavingCertificate2017
Chapter 1 – General Information on the farm
Farmdetails
Farmer’sName:
Address:
TypeofEnterprise:DairyCattle/Tillage
Totalacreageoffarm:500
Acreageowned:300
Acreagerented:200
Arableacreageundertillage:200
Arableacreageundergrass:300
Wasteland:Lessthan1%
Scrub:5%
Farmlayout
ThefarmissituatedjustofftheR683,regionalroad,whichconnectsWaterfordCitytothe
villageofPassageEast.ItissituatedsouthofKennelLaneandnorthofKillStNicholas.
AgriculturalSciencePracticalAssessment-LeavingCertificate2017
Thisisahuntingbirdthatiskeptonthefarmasatradition.
Thisisthefarmer’sdog.
Fencing
- Hightensilewirefencing
Hightensilewirefencingisusedthroughoutthefarm.Fourstrandsofstrongwiresrun
horizontallythroughinsulatorsthatareattachedtofenceposts.Thistypeoffencingwas
chosenasitissuitableforcattle(thelivestockonthefarm),itislonglastinganditiseasyto
install.Regularmonitoringofthefenceiscarriedouttoensurethatitiskeptingood
workingcondition.
AgriculturalSciencePracticalAssessment-LeavingCertificate2017
Hightensilewirefencingonthefarm.
Galvanisedgatesonthefarm.
Watersupply
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- Well
- Mains
Thefarm’swatersupplycomesfromawellandthemainsareusedasabackupshouldthe
wellbreakdown.
Drainagesystems
- Moledrainage
Amoledrainageisthedrainagesystemusedonthefarm.Amoleplowisusedtomakean
undergroundchanneltodraintheheavysoilsonthefarm.
MoleDrainageonthefarm.
Topographyoftheland
- Flat&sloping
Thefarm’slandisamixtureofflatandsloping.Theslopinglandisusedforgrazingforcattle
andtheflatlandisusedforthegrowingofcropsiebarley.Theflatlandisusedforgrowing
cropsasitiseasiertousethemachineryontheflatlandrathertheslopingland.
Aspect
- Thefarmisnorthfacing.Thisaffectsthesoiltemperature.Northfacingslopesare
colderthansouthfacingslopeswhichresultsincoldersoils.
Naturalshelterbelts(hedgerows)
- Hedgerows
AgriculturalSciencePracticalAssessment-LeavingCertificate2017
Hedgerowsrunaroundtheperimeterofthefarmdistinguishingthefarmer’slandandfields
fromneighbouringproperties.Thesenaturalshelterbeltshelptokeepthefarmer’s
livestockinandotherneighbouringlivestockout.
Hedgerowonthefarm.
Gates
- Galvanizedgates
10-16ftgalvanizedgatesareused.
AgriculturalSciencePracticalAssessment-LeavingCertificate2017
Galvanisedgatesonthefarm.
Powersource
- Mains
Thefarm’spowersourceisthemains(32KVA).
FarmBuildings
Listofbuildingsonthefarm:
- Slattedunits
- Dryarea
- Workshop
- Machinerystore
- Grainstore
- Milkingparlour
- Stables
Slattedunits
Thistypeofbuildingwaschosenasitcanaccommodateboththecowsandtheirwaste.The
cowsaregroupedaccordingtoage,bodyconditionandcalvingdate.Theslattedunitson
thefarmhaveafeedingareaandlyingdownarea.Althoughthistypeofhousingwas
expensivetobuildthefarmerfindsittobelesslabourintensivethancubiclehousingin
whichthedungpassagewayneedstobeclearedeveryday.Teagascrecommendsthateach
dairycowhave2.5-3metressquaredpercow.
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TheleafletincludedshowsTeagasc’sdrawingandplansofvariousbuildingthatcomplywith
theDepartmentofAgricultureandFoodspecificationsandHealthandSafetyprocedures
andrequirements.ThefarmerusedtheplansforBH4asshowninthedrawings.
Machinerystore
Themachineryisstoredinaopenplanshed.
Grainstore
Thereisaloosegrainstoreonthefarm.Therearenograindryingfacilitiesasallgrainis
boughtin.
Milkingparlour
Theparlouronthefarmisaherringboneparlour.Theparlourislaidoutsothatthereisa
holdingareaattheendnearthefarmyard.Cowsenteratthatendandlineupasshown
below.Theisacentreaislewherethefarmercanobserveatmilkingandthenthecowsare
directedout.
Adiagramoftheherringbonesystemthatisusedonthefarm.
Stables
Therearetwostableslocatedinthefarmyard.Althoughthereisnoneedforworkinghorses
onthefarm,horsesarestillkeptasapartofthefarmtraditionandalsoforleisure.
AgriculturalSciencePracticalAssessment-LeavingCertificate2017
Thestables.
Animalhousingonthefarm
Thetypeofhousingusedforthecattleisslattedunits.Someofthehousesarenewand
someareoldwiththemajoritybeingbuiltin1998.Theyarepermanent,purposebuilt
animalhouses.Ifnewhousesweretobebuiltthefarmerwouldlikemorecubiclesandslats
andlessdryarea.Thecattlearehousedfrommid-Novemberuntilmid-March.Thecalves
arekeptseparatefromthecowsandaregroupedwithothercalvesofsimilarage.The
housesarewellventilatedanddraughtfreeinordertopreventpneumoniaincalves.An
excellentstandardofhygieneismaintainedinordertopreventscour.Thisinvolvesfeeders
andtroughsbeingthoroughlyscrubbed,cleanedanddisinfectedonceamonth.Weanlings
arehousedindoorsforwinterswhentheyareroughlyninemonthsold.
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Thecattleshedsonthefarm
Cattlehandlingfacilities
Thecattlehandlingfacilitiesonthefarmarecrushareas,twopermanentandonemobile
andadraftingarea.Acrushareaholdsthecowinastallsafelywhentheyarebeing
examined,brandedorbeinggiventreatment.Acloselyfittedcrushensurestheanimalstand
stillforthesafetyoftheanimalandthepeoplearound.Awelldesigneddraftingareaallows
thefarmertoseparatethecowsfromoneanothershouldheneedto.
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Cattlehandlingarea.
Thecattlecrushonthefarm.
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Thecattleholdingyardatthebackofthemilkingparlour.
Storage
Forcropstoragethereisaloosefloorarea.Bothasilagepitandbaledsilageareusedonthe
farmbutmainlybaled.Thesilagepitislocatedclosetotheslattedunitforeaseofuse,and
therunofffromthepitgoesintotheslattedtank.Hayandstrawisstoredinaloosestore.
Machineryisstoredinaopenplanshed.
Grain
Thereisagrainstorebuttherearenograindryingfacilitiesasallgrainisboughtin.
Machinery
Themachineryusedisareversibleplough,asubsoiler,aseeddrill,afertiliserspreader,a
combineharvester,amower,arake,abaler,andadietfeeder.
Reversibleplough
Theploughisusedtoturnoverthetoplayerofsoilinthefields.Thisisdonesothatthe
nutrientsarebroughttothesurfacewhichallowsfortheplantuptakeofthem.Thesoil
aerationisalsoimproved.Theploughonthefarmisareversibleploughwhichmeansthere
aretwoploughsmountedtogetherandonlyoneisusedatatime.
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Subsoiler
Thefarmersubsoilsbeforeploughing.Hedoesthistobreakupanyhardpansorironpans
thereforeimprovingdrainageandaerationofthesoils.
Seeddrill
Thefarmerusesaseeddrillforseedestablishment.Heusestheseeddrilltosowseedsas
hecanplacefertiliseralongwiththeseed.
Fertiliserspreader
Thefarmerusesafertiliserspreadertospreadfertiliserontheestablishedcrop.The
fertiliserisspreadingranulatedform.
Combineharvester
Thefarmerusesacombineharvestertoharvestthebarleygrownonthefarm.Thecombine
harvesterisusedinsteadofaregularharvesterasitcombinesthethreepracticesofreaping
(cuttingthestalksofthegrain),Threshing(looseningthegrainseedsfromthestrawand
chaff),andwinnowing(separatingtheseedsfromthestrawandchaff)intoonecontinuous
action.
Mower
Themowerisusedtocutgrassforpreservationassilageforwinterfeed.
Rake
Therakeisusedtocreaterowsofgrassreadyforbalingassilage.
Baler
Thebalercreatesroundbalesofsilage.Thebaleronthefarmbalesandwrapsinone
operation.
Dietfeeder
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Thefarmerusesadietfeedersothathecanachieveauniformmixtureofsilageandand
concentrates.Therationismixedanddispensedevenly.
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Chapter 2 – Livestock
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NameofFarmer:
AddressofFarmer:
Typeofenterprise:Dairy
Timeofyearforcalving:Spring
Numberofcowsonfarm:130
Numberofcalvesproducedperyear:125
Breeds
- JerseyxHolsteinFriesian
JerseyXHolsteinFriesianisthebreedofcattleusedonthefarm.Thisbreedwaschosen
becauseitmakesuseofhybridvigour/heterosis(Acrossbredmaintainingthebest
characteristicsofbothbreeds).Profitishigherthanapurebredjerseyorholsteinfriesianas
althoughthiscrossbredproducesareducedmilkyield,milksolidsareincreasedtherefore
increasingprofitperlactation.Thiscrossbreedhasanincreaseinproductionefficiencydue
tohighergrassintakerelativetoitssize.Theaveragemilkyieldpercowperyearis5272kg.
TheCattle
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Thecows.
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Thecows.
Thecows.
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Acowandhercalf.
Stockbulls
- 4stockbulls
- AI
Fourstockbullsarekeptonthefarm,2holsteinfriesians,1jerseyand1aberdeenangusfor
matingwithreplacementheifers.Thesestockbullsarekeptonthefarminanattemptto
keepaclosedherdsothatthereislessriskofdisease.HoweversomeAIisusedasitismore
costeffective.AllAIthatisboughtinischeckedtoensureitisdiseasefree.AIisusedfor
cowsthatarenotsuccessfullymatedonthefirsttry.
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Stockbulls.
Stockbulls.
Replacementheifers
- 20%ayear
Eachyear20%ofcalvesarekeptforreplacement,andthesecalvesarechosenmainly
dependentontheirEBI.TheEBIistheEconomicBreedingIndex,itisdesignedtoproduce
profitablegeneticsthroughcowsthatgobackincalfquickly;thereforelastinglongerand
givinggreaterlifetimeproduction.
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AsectionfromtheEBI(economicbreedingindex).
Replacementheifersarebredandraisedonthefarminordertomaintainaclosedherdand
preventtheentranceofdisease.Heifersarematedat15monthsoncetheyreach60%of
theirmaturebodyweight.Atthisstagetheyshouldbeweighing295kgandhaveaBCSof
3.25toensuretheheiferiscycling(comingintooestrus).AIisusedonallreplacement
heifersandtheyarematedwithhighEBIsires.ThesiresusedareAberdeenAngustoensure
easycalving.
Management
Culling
AnimalswouldbeculledfromtheherdshouldtherebeabreakoutofTBoranyother
notifiabledisease.Cowsarecullediftheyarerepeating(comingintooestrousrepeatedly
aftermating)orshouldtheirhealthnotbeuptoscratchegmastitis,badfeet,badteat,
lamenessetc
Breeding
- AI
- Stockbulls
WhenAIisusedDoveaorGenoIrelandarethecompaniesused.Thebullchosenmustbe
diseasefree.Fourstockbullsarealsousedonthefarmandtheyareputoutongood
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pastureamonthbeforethematingseason.Tailpaintingisusedtotellwhenthecowhas
beenserviced.
Calving
- Indoorcalving
Calvingtakesplaceonstrawinoneofthetencalvingpenswhicharelocatedclosetothe
slattedunits.ThevetheusesshouldheneedassistancewhenacowiscalvingisCCW
(CarrickCrangily).Thecalvingfacilitiesshouldbekeptclean,well-bedded,havegood
lighting,haveasupplyoffreshwaterandbeequippedwithaself-lockingrestraininggate.
Calvingpensshouldneverbeusedtohousesickcattle.Straightafterbirththecowsnavalis
sprayedwithiodine,itsairwaysarecleared,itisfedcolostrumanditistagged.Thecowis
alsocheckedforasecondcalf.Thecalfisthenweanedat6-8weeks.
Calfrearing
- Reareduntilslaughter
- Weanedat3months
Calvesthatarenotbeingusedasreplacementheifersarereareduntilslaughter.Calvesare
startedoffoncolostrumthenarefednutsandthengrasswiththembeingweanedoffmilk
fullyat3monthsor100-110LWG(liveweightgain,whereforevery100-110kgoffood
consumedthecowproduces1litreofmilk).Theyarethenmovedouttograss,weather
dependent.Thepaddockforthecalvesischosenbasedonshelterandgoodgrass.IBR
(InfectiousBovineRhinotracheitis)isadiseasethathasbeenencounteredwiththecalves
onthefarm.Althoughitcanaffectoldercowsitmainlyaffectedthecalves.Itisahighly
contagious,infectiousrespiratorydisease.Anycalvesthattestedpositivewereculledandit
isnowbeingpreventedwithaninjectionprogramme.Itwasbroughtintothefarmbya
boughtinreplacementheiferandduetothethefarmernowmaintainsaclosedherdby
breedingfromwithinhisownherd.Calvesareallvaccinated2-3weeksbeforeweaning.
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Thecalves.
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Acalf.
AgriculturalSciencePracticalAssessment-LeavingCertificate2017
Acalf.
Calves.
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Milkingparlour
- Herringbone
ThetypeofmilkingparlourusedisaHerringboneandislocatedinthecentreofthefarmfor
easyaccess.20cowscanbemilkedatoncewiththewholeproceduretaking2hours
includingcleanup.Theparlouris5yearsoldandhasautomaticclusterremoversandso
onlytakes1persontocarryoutthemilkingprocesswhichtakesplaceat6:30amand
5:30pm.Theadvantageofaalmost12hourmilkingintervalisthatthereisanincreasedmilk
yield.Frequentlymilkingthecowencouragesthemilk-secretingcells(alveoli)toworkto
theirfullcapacity.12hoursistheoptimummilkingintervalfordairycows.Draftingand
crushfacilitiesarebothlocatedbesidetheparlourandthedraftingareaisusedforAIand
hoofcare.Glanbiacollectsthemilkeveryseconddayandtheycarryoutbutterfat,protein,
cellcountandbacteriatestsonthemilk.Thecowsaredriedoffstartingmid-Novemberfor
6weekstobuildconditionscoreforcalving.Inthedraftareaduringthedryingoffperioda
drycowtreatmentisgiventothecows.Itcontainsalong-lastingantibioticthattreatsand
preventsbacterialinfectionintheudder.Thisisdonesothatmastitiscanbeprevented
Themilkingparlour.
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Themilkingparlour.
Themilkingparlour.
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Themilkingparlour.
Milkingequipment.
TeatDipping
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Cowsareteatdippedattheendofeachmilkingsession.Thecow’steataredippedinateat
disinfectantwhichhelpstopreventmastitis.
Teatdipping.
Housing
Slattedshedsareused.Beforehousingallcowsarevaccinatedforfluandworms.While
beinghousedindoorsthecowsarefedsilageandacourseration.
Vaccinations.
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Injections.
Rations
Thefarmerhascomprisedadietthatincludesallofthefollowingnutrientswhichare
essentialinthedietofcows
- Carbohydrates(forenergyandfibre)
- Protein(forgrowthandrepairofcells,energy)
- Fat(forinsulationandenergy)
- Vitamins(forcontrolofmanymetabolicprocesses)
- Minerals(forboneandteethbuilding,energyproduction,milkproduction)
- Water(aidsintemperatureregulation,lactationandothermetabolicprocesses)
Therations.
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Thecowsgrazeoutduringsummerandduringwintertheyarefedindoorsonadietwhich
consistsofbulkyfeedsandconcentrates.Thefarmerfeedssilageasitishighinfibre.The
fibrehelpstodeveloptherumeninthecalvesandhelpsinthefunctioningoftherumenin
olderanimals.
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Silage.
BodyConditionScoring
ThefarmercheckstheBCSofthecattleevery6weeks.Hedoesthistoensuretheyhavea
BCSof3.5atcalving.
Bodyconditionscoring.
Thecowsarecheckedaroundthetailheadforafatpack.Thecowshownabovehadafat
packthatcanbeclearlyfelt.ThisindicatesaBCSof3.5
Bodyconditionscoring.
AgriculturalSciencePracticalAssessment-LeavingCertificate2017
Thecowabovehasonlyathinlayeroffataroundthetailhead.ThisindicatesaBCSof2.5
Bodyconditionscoring.
Thecowsarealsovisuallyassessedattheround.A“u”shapeasseenaboveindicatesaBCS
of3.5
Bodyconditionscoring.
AgriculturalSciencePracticalAssessment-LeavingCertificate2017
Ashapethatismorelikea“v”asshownabove,indicatesaBCSof2.5
Bodyconditionscoring.
Bodyconditionscoring.
AgriculturalSciencePracticalAssessment-LeavingCertificate2017
Bodyconditionscoring.
Bodyconditionscoring.
AgriculturalSciencePracticalAssessment-LeavingCertificate2017
CowwithaBCSof2.5.
CowwithaBCSof3.5.
AgriculturalSciencePracticalAssessment-LeavingCertificate2017
Chapter 3 – Crop 1 – Grassland
NameofFarmer:
AddressofFarmer:
No.ofacres:300
Varieties- PRG
- Clover
PRGwaschosenasthegrassspeciesforthegrassland.Itwaschosenbecausethesoilson
thefarmarewell-drainedandhaveapHofgreaterthan6.0.Itwaschosenforit’shigh
palatability,productivityanddisgestibility.Itwasalsochosenasithasalonggrowingseason
whichmeansthereisreducedcostsforwinterfeed.ThebrandthefarmerusesisAber
Magic.Hechosethisbrandasithasalatefloweringdateandit’sexceptionalquality.Itwas
firstsownin2008inonefieldandnowduetoit’ssuccessitissownthroughoutthewhole
farm.
Cloverisalsopresentinthesward.WhitecloverwassownwiththePRGbecauseit
fixesnitrogensothefarmerfoundtherewaslessneedforartificialfertiliserwhichinturn
reducedhiscosts.
ManagementRotation
- Allgrassisrotationallystripgrazed.
- 10percentofthegrasslandisreseededperyear
- 20-30acresarereseededatatime
- Ablendofseedmixturesisused(Abergain)
- Thefarmerreseedsinanattempttokeepawayweedgrasses
StripGrazingThefarmhas4paddockseachdividedinto7strips.Itisdesignedlikethissothatthecattle
willreturntothefirststriptheygrazed4weeksaftertheyfirstgrazedit.Thecattlegraze
eachstripfor24hours.Thefarmerusesanelectricfencetoseparatethestripsandhasa
AgriculturalSciencePracticalAssessment-LeavingCertificate2017
moveablewatertroughwhichneedstobemovedeachdayasthecattlemove.Althoughthe
farmerfindsthistypeofgrazingverylabourintensive,thereisnowasteofgrassandthereis
freshgrassavailabletothecowseachday.
Reseeding10%ofthelandundergrassisreseededeachyearwhichworksouttobebetween20-30
acresofgrasslandbeingreseededatatime.Thefarmerhasfoundthatthisistheoptimum
amountoflandtobereseededeachyearashecanaddclovertothepasturetherefore
increasingthelevelofproductivity,palatabilityanddigestibility.
ReasonsForReseeding- Toreduceweedinfestationbytheadditionofclover
- Increasedstockingdensity
- Improvesthegrassquality
- Extragrasscanbecutforsilagewhichbringsinextraincome
SeedMixturesForReseedingAllgrassisreseededwithanAberGainseedmixtureduetoit’sextremelyhighdigestibility
andpalatability.ThisseedmixtureusesPRGandwhiteclover.
Cultivationpractices
- Stitchingin
StitchinginSeedissownintooldgrassland.Thefarmerreseedsinspringasgrassgrowthisnotatit’s
highestrate.Nitrogenfertiliserissownwiththeseedtoencourageestablishment.
Benefitsofstitchingin- Noneedtoploughtheland
- Landdoesnothavetobetakenoutofuse
- Ifthenewseedfailstoestablishitself,theoldswardwillstillgrow
SeedEstablishment- Fertiliseruse
- WeedControl
Fertiliseruse- CAN10-10-20
300acresofthefarmlandisusedforgrazing.Soiltestsarecarriedoutevery5years.Limeis
applied to the land where needed and the farmer uses 5 bags of CAN 10-10-20 where
needed.Slurryandfarmyardmanurearealsoapplied.
Weedcontrol- Thistles
- Docks
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Mostcommonweedsarethistlesanddock.Theseareshownonthepageincluded.
Harvesting5AcresissavedashayanditisharvestedinJuly.Allhayharvestediskeptforfeed,andthe
averagebalesperacreis8
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ConservationThegrassisconservedassilageforwinterfeedforthecattle.
TherfermentationofcarbohydratesinthegrassproducesacidsthatlowerthepHof
thegrassandinhibitallmicrobialactivity.Properlyfermentedandpreservedsilagecanbe
storedforafewyears,althoughonthisfarmitisusedinthewinterasanimalfeed.
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Chapter 4 – Crop 2 - Barley FarmerName:
AddressofFarmer:No.ofacres:200
Varieties/EndUse
- Springbarley
- Feedingbarley
Feedingbarley isproducedon the farm foranimal feed,and thestraw isused foranimal
bedding.Saffron is thevarietyofbarleyusedon the farm.Allbarley is springbarley.This
varietywaschosenbecauseofits’diseaseresistanceandyield.
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WhyDidTheFarmerChooseBarleyThefarmerchosebarleybecausehefoundthatissuitedthecool,wetIrishclimatewell.He
also decided to grow barley as it is higher in protein and fibre and is therefore is more
valuabletohimasananimalfeed.
GeneralManagement- SowninFebruary
- HarvestedfromAugustonwards
As the barley is spring barley it is sown in February as it is not frost resistant. There is a
loweryieldduetoashortergrowingseason.Springbarleywaschosenastheendpurposeis
feedingbarley.
Certified seed is used on the farm as the germination rate is guaranteed and this
means there will be a higher yield. Certified seedmust pass identity and purity tests to
ensure they have a minimum germination rate of 85%, they must have undergone
treatmentwith fungicide/pesticideand theymustbe completely free fromwildoat seed.
Thisallensuresahigheryieldcanbeguaranteed.
Cultivation- Soils/climate
- Seedbedpreparation/sowing
- Fertilisers
- Weedcontrol
- Harvest/storage
Thesoilonthefarmisabrownearthsoilandthisissuitedtothegrowingoffeedingbarley.
ThegeneralpHofthesoilisbetween6and6.5.Thisischeckedeveryfiveyearandlimeis
addedtoraisethepHasneeded.AsthereisalotofraininIreland,springbarleyissuitedto
theclimateasthebarleyneedstobeharvested indryconditionsandthefarmerharvests
thespringbarleyaroundAugusteachyear.Theclimateinthesoutheastissuitedtobarley
growingduetothefactthatbarleyneedsmoisturetogrowandthisiswhythefarmerchose
togrowbarleyonthefarmoveranothercrop.
Thelandisploughedinautumnandthenitisharrowed.Thelandisthenrolled(after
sowingtheseed)tohelpwithseed-soilcontact.ThebarleyissowedinFebruaryeachyear.
Thefarmersowstheseedwithacombinedrillwhichsowstheseedatarateof200kg/ha
alongwithCAN10-10-20fertilser
Selectiveherbicidesareusedtocontroltheweedsonthefarmandstubblecleaning
isalsocarriedoutforweedcontrol
Thebarleyonthefarmisharvestedwithacombineharvester.Thefarmerknowsthe
cropisripewhentheearbendsoversandliesparalleltothestemandalsoitisidentifiedby
thefarmerbyitsgoldencolour.Thegrainsarestoredinlarge,ventilatedsheds.Thefrainis
treatedwithpropionicacid.Thispreventsthegrainfrombeingattackedbypests,fungiand
bacteriawhileinstorage.
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Rotation- Sowncontinuously
Asthebarleygrownonthefarmisusedforfeedingpurposes,itissowncontinuously.Thisis
becausesoil-bournepestsanddiseasesdonotaffectthebarleyonthisfarm.Howeverthey
canbepresentonotherfarms.
YieldTheaveragebarleyyieldonthefarmis6-7tonnesahalfacrewhichworksoutroughlytobe
2400-2800tonnestotalonthefarmperharvesteachyear.
DiseasesEncountered- Mildew
- Manganesedeficiency
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Mildew(asshownabove)Thefarmerhasencounteredproblemswithmildew.Itisafungaldiseasethathasaffected
hisgrasslandinthepast.Itisidentifiablebythewhitespotsontheleaves.
Thediseaseispreventedandcontrolledbyspreadingafungicidecalledlime-suflur.
ManganeseDeficiency(asshownabove)ThefarmerhasalsoencounteredproblemswithamanganeseDeficiency.Itwasidentified
bytheblack/brownspotsontheleaves.Itwasfoundtobepresentinasmallcornerofone
fieldwheretherewaspoordrainageduetoadownwardslope.Thiswasfixedbyputtingina
moledrainagesystem.
Chapter5-Technology
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Technologyisusedonthefarmtoenhancetheproductionefficiency,ensurelesswaste,and
overallmanagementonthefarm.Thereare3mainappsthatareusedforthesefunctions;
Moocall,Grass2MilkandfarmGRAZE.
MoocallThisisamobileapp,developedbyMoocall,whichisdesignedtoworkalongsidetheMoocall
device.It’sfunctionistoaidthemanagementoftheherdatcalvingseason.Eachindividual
cowisenteredintotheappanddataisgatheredaroundduedates,calvingeventsand
calvingtendenciesofthei)theherdandii)eachindividualcow.
AMoocallCalvingSensorisattachedtonearthetailheadofeachcowduringthe
calvingseason.Aringtoneissetwhichalertsustoacalvingevent.Theappuseswifiand
phonesignaltosentanalertaboutanimminentcalving,thisisanadvantageasthephone
signalisweakonthefarm.
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Eachcowhastheirownindividualprofile,includingtheirtagnumber,duedateandaphotosectionforidentification.
Eachcalvingisinsertedintotheapp,includingthetagnumber,date,time,gender,calvingdetailsandthecalve’sweight.
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Theappstoresinformationonallcowsandcalving.Thereisasectionformanagingthe
herd,wherehistoricherdcalvingdifficultiescanbeseenandthishelpstoensureavetison
standbyorequipmentsuchasacalvingjackisreadytobeusedifneeded.
Bysendinganalerttothephoneofthepersonclosesttotheherdatthetimeof
calving,itensuresthereispropermanagementatthetimeofcalving.Ithelpstoreducecalf
andcowmortalityandtheappandMoocallCalvingSensortogetherareausefulaidusedon
thefarmforthecalvingseason.
Grass2Milk
Thismobileapphelpsthefarmermakeinformeddecisionsaboutthefeedingoftheherd.It
helpstoplanthefeedallocationfortheday,andthefarmercanseehowmuchfeedis
requiredtoreachdailymilktargetsandbodyconditionscoretargets.
Informationisenteredabouttheherd;thenumberofcows,thebreed,theageandthebodyconditionscore.
Thedailyfeedisentered-whatpasture,cropsandsupplementstheherdisbeingfed.
AgriculturalSciencePracticalAssessment-LeavingCertificate2017
Oncetheherdandfeeddetailsareentered,theappcalculatesthetotalMEintakeand
comparesittotheMErequirements.
Eachparameteriscustomisedwhichensurestheresultsarespecifictotheherdand
thefarm.Oncethesesareentereditisusedtofindouthowmuchtofeedonadailybasis.
Asenergyisthemostlimitingcomponent,theappassistsusinidentifyingtheactualdaily
energyrequirementoftheherd.Theapprunswithoutwifiandphonesignalsoitcanbe
usedanywhereonthefarm.
farmGRAZEThisappisusedtosavemoneyonfeedandfertiliser.Grazingismeasuredandrecordedand
theappcanbeaccessedquickyfromanywhereonthefarm.
AgriculturalSciencePracticalAssessment-LeavingCertificate2017
Theswardheight/kilosofdrymatterperhectarearerecordedaswellasthebreed,typeofgrazingandsupplementaryfeeding.Asthefarmhasarisingplaymeterthevalueofthisisenteredaswell.
Aninstantcalculationonthelevelofgrazingandadviceonhowtomanageitissent.
AgriculturalSciencePracticalAssessment-LeavingCertificate2017
Theappsendsremindersandtipsofgrasslandmanagementstraighttothefarmer’sphone.
Grassmeasurementisrecordedandisrecalledwhenneededbyfieldnameanddate,these
recordsareexportedthroughemailandarethenprintedanddocumentedwiththefarm’s
filesandHACCAPrecords.
AgriculturalSciencePracticalAssessment-LeavingCertificate2017
References&AcknowledgementsReferencesused
- ReviseWiseAgriculturalSciencebyEdco
- BreakingGroundAgriculturalSciencebyEdco
Manythanksto-----forhistimeininformingmeabouthowherunshisfarmandshowing
meallthereistoknowandseeonthefarm,andtomyteacherforherguidance.
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