today's farm nov-dec 2009

Survey Shows the Charm of Farmers’ Markets

Limerick Dairy Leaders 10Mastitis Free in January 14Managing Cashflow 18 Claim Low Income Supplements 22Managing Winter Feed Costs 26Ewe Replacements 28Farm Education in Denmark 31Development in Ethiopia 32Combined Heat and Power 34Plus Botanic Gardens, Forestry and more….

NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2009 VOLUME 20 NUMBER 6

Limerick Dairy Leaders 10Mastitis Free in January 14Managing Cashflow 18 Claim Low Income Supplements 22Managing Winter Feed Costs 26Ewe Replacements 28Farm Education in Denmark 31Development in Ethiopia 32Combined Heat and Power 34Plus Botanic Gardens, Forestry and more….

10187 TEAG TODAYS FARM NOV DEC:Final Cover 20/10/2009 12:29

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29/10/0917:05

24 | Today’s farm | November/December 2009

environmentTo

day

’sfarm Don’t get confused

by cross-compliance

CROSS-COMPLIANCE checksaim to confirm that farmersare complying with the EUlegislation on public health,

animal andplant health, animalwelfare,and the environment, and also that landis beingmaintained in good agriculturaland environmental condition (GAEC).The majority of penalties result fromnon-compliance with ‘cattle identifica-tion and registration’ and ‘nitrates re-quirements’. Most common non-compliances found during 2008 DAFFinspections are:

Cattle* Half of all non-compliances found re-lated to cattle identification and regis-tration. Of these, half related to CMMSirregularities, i.e., failure to notifymovements, births and deaths to thedatabase.* 30% related to passport discrepancies,i.e., no passports, missing passports andsurplus passports.* 11% related to tagging irregularities,i.e., animals with both tags missing andanimals never tagged.* The final 9% relates to bovine herdregister discrepancies, i.e., no entries,missing entries and incorrect entries.

Nitrates* 26% of all non-compliances found re-lated to Nitrates.* Of these, 41% related to inadequatecollection of livestock manure, other or-ganic fertilizers, soiled water or silageeffluent.* 22% related to inadequate manage-mentof thestorage facilities forlivestockmanure, other organic fertilizers, soiledwater or silage effluent.* 8% related to clean water not beingdiverted to a clean water outfall, so as to

minimise soiled water generation.* 13% related to structural defects in thestorage facilities in use, leading to director indirect runoff to groundwater/sur-face water.* 2% related to farmyard manure beingstockpiled on land during a prohibitedspreading period.*2%related to insufficient emergence ofgreen cover within six weeks of the ap-plication of a non-selective herbicidebetween 1 July and 15 January.* There were small numbers of non-compliance in other areas also.

Sheep* 21% of all non-compliances found re-lated to non-compliance with sheepidentification and registration.* Of this, 42% related to flock registerdiscrepancies, i.e., movements of sheepon/off farm not recorded or incorrectlyrecorded or missing dockets.*34%related to failure to submita sheepcensus.* 24% related to tagging irregularities,i.e., incorrect tagging, animals nevertagged andmissing tags.

Non-compliances* Non-compliance in the areas of food,good agricultural and environmentalconditions, pesticides, groundwater andanimal welfare respectivelymade up 3%of the total non-compliances found dur-ing 2008.

Frequently asked questions

Are all cross-compliance inspectionsunannounced?

The inspector must check that the re-quirements of food, feed and animalwelfare are being met during an unan-nounced visit, however, he/she can thenreturnata laterdate tocomplete therestof the inspection (if the farmer sowishes), as long as the purpose of the in-spection is not jeopardised. Details ofthese arrangements are provided to thefarmer on arrival on the farm.

Are all these inspections carried outin one farm visit?

The policy of the Department is to mini-mise the number of inspection visits andto organise inspections, so that in mostcases, all eligibility and cross-compli-ance checks will be carried out during asingle farm visit to minimise inconveni-ence to farmers.More thanone farmvisitby DAFFmaybe necessary.

What records will the DAFF look forduring a Nitrates check?

Ifa farmerhasaninspectionduring2009,the farmer will be asked to produce fer-tilizer records for 2008.These recordsheets record the type, amount and dateof fertilizer purchases for 2008. If thefarmer imported/exported organic fer-tilizers than the other farmer’s signa-ture, date of movement, type andquantity of manures must be recorded.The total net area of the holding andcrop types are on the 2008 Single Farmpayment application.

Each farmer (may include REPS til-lage farm) must have an estimate doneeach year to calculate the fertilizer al-lowed for the calendar year based onstocking rate, crop type and concentrateusage. Stock numbers are also recordedin the Bovine and Sheep Herd register.Farmers must also keep a record of thetotal volume of concentrates, and num-bers of cattle, sheep, horses each year.REPSrecordswill suffice, if theycontainadditional information regarding con-centrates fed to grazing livestock.

What type of questions are in theNitrates records?

* The type, size and storage capacity offacilities for storing livestock manureand other organic fertilizers, soiledwater and effluent from dungsteads,farmyard manure pits or silage pits.* Do the storage facilities on the farmmeet the requirements of the NitratesRegulations?

1

The inspectormust check

that the requirementsof food, feed andanimal welfare arebeingmet duringanunannounced visit

Tim Hyde,Teagasc Athenry

29/10/0917:06

November/December 2009 | Today’s farm | 25

Today’s

farm

For an inspection carried out in 2009,this question applies to the winter of2009/2010.The farmer can adjust thefarming system (sell stock or have exclu-sive access/use of alternative storage fa-cilities), for the forthcoming winter.Farmers with an average livestock man-ure Nof <130kg /ha may reduce the sto-rage requirementsbyoutwintering stockat less than 1Lu/ha (of grassland).

The farmmay be re-inspected duringthe winter to ensure compliance.TheDAFFwill then check the average live-stock number over the winter period in2010, and calculate if therewas sufficientstorage facilities for livestock manureson the farm. If there is a shortfall therewill be a penalty.*Theresults of anysoil tests (if youare inREPS, these are part of your plan).* The location of any point on your farmwhere water for human consumption istaken from any borehole, spring or wellor surface watercourse.

Where do the records have to be sent?

Farmers only have to submit records fol-lowing an inspection by the DAFF to theCross Compliance Unit, DAFF, Por-tlaoise, Co Laois. All farmers must haveNitrates records completed by the 1stMarchyearlyandretain these records onfarm in case of inspection.

Further advice and clarification can besought from your local Teagasc Office.

2

3

Captions | in brief

Picture one — Nitrates requirementsfor the storage of FYM

* FYM stored in fieldsmust be land-spread by the 1Novembereach year* All rainfall and seepagemust be col-lectedand stored from FYM stored onconcrete (can’tbelandspread inwinter).* FYM stored on concrete can be cov-ered toreducetherainfall tobecollected(provided the rainfall and seepagearenot being collected in the same tank).* FYMcannot be stored on hardcore.

Picture two—Nitrates Requirementsfor clean/dirty yards

* Guttering and downpipesmust bemaintained to ensure cleanwater is notmixingwith slurry/soiled water* Concrete yard surfaceswhereno li-vestockhaveaccess;mustbekeptclean.* Yardsoran area that cattle cross areviewedas dirty yards.The solidmaterialcan be cleaned off dailyand stored in aseparate tank to the rainfall.Rainfall canbe classified as soiledwater, whichneeds 10 days storage.

Picture three — Nitratesrequirements for concrete aprons

* Keep clean.* Ensuretokeepconcreteyardscleanona regular basis.

*Source DAFFWebsite

29/10/0917:05


drystockTo

day

’sfarm Restrict foragewhen facing

ON somefarms,aquarterof thewinter fodder supply was fedin July and August and latesilage is likely to be of low

feeding value (58% to 62% DMD). As aresult, many farmers face a foragedeficit.

Where a careful forage budget indi-cates a shortfall, the best option in mostcases is to restrict the forage and feedconcentrates to make up the deficit.

With restricted silage or hay feeding,at least 40% roughage in the diet is re-commended.Table 2 shows the quanti-ties of silage and meals needed tomaintain condition on suckler cows andprovidea liveweightgainof0.3kg to0.4kgper day on weanlings and store cattle,where 40% and 75% of normal foragerequirements are available.

HowdoI judgewhat20kgor10kgof silagelooks like?Awell-compacted bale will weigh about700kg at 25% dry matter (DM), a drysuckler cow will eat about 36kg per dayand the bale will feed 19 cows for a day,(lighter or lower DM bales would feedfewer cows). Feeding 18kg silage per daymeans cutting the silage allowance by50%.

Pit silage ismore difficult tomeasure,unless you canweigh a blockor grab.Youcouldmeasure howmanyblocks or grabswould be eaten in a day on full silage in-takeandthenreducethisbyabouthalforyou could monitor the volume of silagebeingremoved fromthepitperweekandconvertthis toweightbyusing50cu ftpertonne of silage.

How quickly can I build up to 3kg to 4kgmeal feeding per day?Start with about 2kg per day for a coworheavy store and 1kg per day for a weanl-ing.They are likely to be getting this al-ready.You can increase by 1kg every fourdays, so thatafter eightto10daysyouareat 3kg to 4kg per day.

Howmuch feeding space do I need?All animals must be able to feed at thesame time. Adult cattle need aminimumof 600mm (2ft) trough space/head andweanlings 450mm (1.5ft).

Do I need to feed minerals?Yes, the meal should include about 2%minerals/vitamins or, alternatively, give20g minerals per 100kg liveweight,spread on the meal or silage.

Will I have calving problems with anoversupply of meal?Calving problems are mainly related tothe sire and the body condition score of

the cow. Substitutingmeal for silage willnot significantlyaffect calvingproblems.Underfeeding could result in aweak cowandhealthproblems for thecowandcalf.

Should I feed once or twice a day?You can feedup to 3kg to adult cattle andup to 2kg to weanlings in one feed.

Reducing the cost of concentrates

Smaller scale producers and those inmore remote areas can pay high pricesfor concentrates bought in bags.To re-duce costs:* Buy in bulk — normally loads fromfour tonnes and upwards are availablein bulk and involves a saving of overE40per tonnecompared tobaggedmeal.* Buy straights or simple mixes ratherthan compounds —when a ration has togo through a mill, it adds about E40 pertonne to the price.* Buy off-farm cereals — barley orbarley/wheat mixes can be boughtPat Cassidy with his adviser Conor O’Reilly.

Liam Fitzgerald,Beef Specialist,Teagasc, Athenry

29/10/0917:05


Today’s

farm

whole or rolled from cereal farmers anda protein balancer added if required.With good silage, rolled barley withadded minerals is adequate for storecattle and strong weanlings and tosupplement restricted silage to sucklercows. A further saving of E20 per tonnecouldbeexpectedoverbulkpurchasesofcompounds.* Calculate your needs early — so youhave time to shop around.*Feed to need — monitor the conditionof suckler cows, stores and weanlingsthrough the winter to see where savingscan be made.

Dry suckler cows in good conditioncan be separated from comrades thatneed concentrate supplementation.Weanlings and stores can have the mealallowance reduced or withdrawn forthree to six weeks before turnout tograss.* Make provision for early turnout inspring — this reduces overall concen-trate use.

adeficit Table1 | Relative value of forages (as fed) where rations costE165,E185 and E240/tonne

Forage Conc., Ration

E165 E185 E240

Grass silage 70% DMD, 20% DM, E / t. 22 24 34

Grass silage 65% DMD, 700kg bale, 25% DM 18 20 28

Maize silage 25% Starch, 28% DM, E / t. 36 40 55

Hay 4 x 4 bale, 240kg (E / bale) 18 20 28

Straw 4 x 4 bale, 150kg (E / bale) 8 9 14

Fodder Beet (E / t) 27 30 43

Values are as fed to the animal and don’t take account of delivery costs, losses in storage, at

feeding or tare.

Table 2 | Restricted silage feedingat 40% & 75% of diet

Type of Stock Kg Silage Kg Meal Kg Silage Kg Meal

@ 40% @ 75%

Suckler Cow (dry|) 18-20 2-3 32 1.0

Suckler Cow with Calf 20-22 5-6 34 4.0-4.5

Store 500kg. in-calf Heifer 18-20 3-4 30 2.0

Heavy Weanling 350kg 12-15 2.5-3.0 19 2.5

Light Weanling 220kg 7-8 2.0-2.5 10 2.0

If straw is the roughage source, feed it to appetite, increase the meal feeding rate by about 30%

over the above rates and feed an 18% crude protein ration rather than the normal 13% to 14%.

InexpensivestorageofbulkmealPat Cassidy has a suckler herd of 42 cowsproducing Belgian Blue cross weanlingsfor the live export trade. Pat farms 30ha oflowland and 65ha of Burren winteragenear Carron, Co Clare.

At a recent farm walk on his farm, Patshowed a very cheap homemade storagebin that he constructed himself, whichholds over four tonnes of bulk ration. Thebin is made up of 50mm thick plywoodsheeting on a frame of 50mm angle ironand carried on reinforced angle iron legs.It is placed inside the door of a shed andthe whole bin is braced with angle iron tothe shed stanchions.

The floor of the bin is sloped, so that

the ration flows towards the outlet at oneend.

Pat uses a garden rake to draw out thelast of the ration on the floor.

The materials cost E150 six years agoand it is still in good condition. Pat says itsaves him about E60 per tonne comparedwith buying ration in bags.

Other methods used by farmers tostore bulk ration include collecting it in aspare trailer from a merchant or co-op andthen storing the load under cover untilused up or a suitable storage becomesavailable. Some farmers have constructedsealed compartments with sheeting withina shed into which bulk loads can be blown.

Pat Cassidy taking ration fromahomemadebin.

Dry suckler cows needabout42kgwet silageor 36kgwilted baled silageper day.

29/10/0917:04


drystockTo

day

’sfarm

Ewe replacement strategy

can have a huge influence

on profitability

THE average sheep flock re-places one in five ewes eachyear. In the 2008 eProfit moni-tor, the average replacement

cost was estimated at E17.40 per ewe butthere is a huge range. Costs were loweston farms with the highest gross margin(top one-third) and highest in farmswiththe lowest gross margin per ewe (bottomone-third). SeeTable 1. Introducinghogget ewes into the breeding flock at 18months of age is common practice butthere is a trend towards breeding ewelambs in their first season, particularlyon farms breeding their own replace-ments.Table 2 looks at the costs asso-ciated with three replacement options.

Buying in replacementsThere is little difference in cost betweenpurchasing in hoggets or keeping ewelambs as dryhogget, whether purchasedor selected fromwithin the flock. Buyingin replacements can simplify flock man-agement and allow the flock owner toconcentrate on producing lambs forslaughter by using terminal sires only.

Buying in hoggets as replacementsallows the flock to be managed as oneunit making grassland and flock man-agement easier.This is particularly use-ful in flocks of under 150 eweswhere sub-flocks make grassland and general man-agement more difficult.

The big disadvantage is the huge dis-easeandbiosecurity risk, unless theyareknown to come from a reliable source.Also,where replacementswithunknownbackgrounds are bought in, the flockowner loses the option to select animals

with traits that could improve the prof-itability and overall management.

Dry hoggetsMany sheep farmers see this as a low la-bour option. Often, flock owners feelthat, with this system, theycan select thesmaller, slower growing animals later inthe season as theywill have time to growout during the dry hogget period.

Research shows, however, that slowgrowing animals that are undernour-ished pre-weaning are less prolific dur-ing their productive life time.Therefore,replacements should be selected atweaning from lambs with high growthratesandare theprogenyofparentswithgood maternal traits.

While this system can allow the ani-mal go through a store period on limited

rations, e.g. winter period, the aimshouldbe toavoid stuntinggrowthoveraprolonged period and achieve a hoggetmating weight of 65kg in September/October. Introducing teaser rams for twoweeks in October/early November willencourage ovulation during the firstwinter and can be beneficial in gettingdry hoggets to compact mate in the sec-ond season.

Breeding ewe lambsThe advantages of breeding ewe lambsare:* Research shows that it increases theewe’s lifetime production.* Hoggets are easier to manage in thesecond year.* It allows faster genetic gain whenselecting from within a closed flock.

Replacementoptions

Suckledhoggetsdonot

develop immunity toparasites and shouldbe treated in the samewayas new seasonlambs in a dosingprogramme

Michael McHughTeagasc SheepSpecialist

29/10/0917:04


Today’s

farm

* It will increase profits by reducingreplacement costs. Ewe lambs differfrom mature ewes in that they need tocontinue to grow throughout pregnancyand, at the same time, produce a viablehealthy lamb. This can only be achievedif they are treated and managed as aseparate flock from the time they aremated until they are remated the fol-lowing year as one and half year oldhoggets.

To ensure success, only breed fromewe lambs that are well grown� 45kgaverage weight and, ideally, 50 kg.Thereis a minimum weight below which ewelambs will not attain puberty duringtheir first year.This minimum weightdeclines as the season advances. Suffolkcrossewe lambsattainpubertyat 44kg inearly October, 40kg from early Novem-

ber and as lowas 33kg in late December.

Mating targetsAim to have 80% of ewe lambs put to theramin lambafter twocycles.Theaveragelitter size will be 1.25, giving a weaningpercentageofone lambperewe lambputto the ram.

Lambing ewe lambs is often put offuntil after the main flock. However, thisprolongs the lambing period and elimi-nates the possibilityof adopting twins ormultiples onto mature ewes.The ram ef-fect can be used to advance the breedingseason and compact mating. Keep re-placement ewe lambs out of sight, soundand smell of rams during September.

Introduce teaser rams in early Octo-ber and turn rams in 16 or 17 days later.Mateewelambsasaseparategroupfromthemain flock anduse one ramper 25/30ewe lambs.Withdraw rams after two cy-cles or by early December at the latest.

Pregnancy managementEwe lambs are more likely to suffer foe-tal loss if put on a poor diet aftermating.They should be kept on a good plane ofnutrition after mating and achieve 0.6kgliveweight gain per week during thesecond and third month of pregnancy.This can be achieved from winter graz-ing or good quality silage in early preg-nancy. After pregnancy scanning the

feeding programme should be based onlitter size. Feed meals to singles fromeight weeks pre lambing at 0.25kg/dayincreasing to 0.5kg /day for the last threeweeks of pregnancy.Where roughagequality is good, meal feeding can be de-layed until four weeks pre-lambing.Concentrate levels should be doubledfor twins and multiples. Frequent hand-ling to check on body condition and ad-just feed levels is advisable.

Post lambingSuckled hoggets should be managed se-paratelyafter turnout in spring.The aimis to have adequate thrive in the new-born lambs, so that weaning can takeplace at 12/13 weeks.This allowsweanedhoggets regain body condition andachieve target body weight of 65kg atmating.

Somefarmers feed0.5kgconcentratesdaily to the lambed hoggets for a fewweeks post turn out. Introduce creepfeed to hoggets’ lambs from turnout andfeed to a maximum of 0.5kg per headdaily up to weaning. Mixing and mana-ging lambedhoggetswith triplet rearingewes will increase the group size and fa-cilitate better grassland management.

Suckled hoggets do not develop im-munity to parasites and should be trea-ted in the samewayas new season lambsin a dosing programme.

for the ewe flock

Table 2 | Replacement costs

Hogget Purchased Dry Hogget Ewe Lamb Mated

Value of Ewe lamb E80.00 E80.00

Purchase value of hogget E130

Feed Costs:

Sep — Mid December (grass) E9.80* E9.80*

Mid Dec — Mid March (silage) E12.90* E12.90*

Concentrates pre lambing (25kg) E5.00

Concentrates post lambing (12kg) E2.50

Creep feed to lambs (25kg) E5.00

Mid March — 1st Sep (grass) E15.70* E18.40*

Veterinary Costs E2.50 E4.50 E9.00

Other Costs E2.00 E4.00 E6.00

Total Costs E134.50 E126.90 E148.60

Cull ewe value E47.00 E47.00 E47.00

Lamb value E70.00

Nett Replacement Cost E87.50 E79.90 E31.60

Annual replacement cost /ewe E17.50 E15.98 E6.32

*No land charge included.

Table1 |

Top one-third Average Bottom one-third

Lambs reared per ewe 1.61 1.45 1.26

Gross Margin per ewe E72 E40 E15

Replacement cost per ewe E6.44 E17.40 E21.40

Replacements should be selected atweaning from lambswith highgrowth rates and are the progenyofparentswith goodmaternal traits.

29/10/0917:03


forestryTo

day

’sfarm If you’re going

down to thewoods today...Be sure youhave the rightsafety equipment

John Casey & Marianne LyonsTeagasc Forestry

MORE andmore farmers aredoing some or all of thechainsaw work in the firstand subsequent thinning/

harvesting of their plantations.There are a number of reasons for

this increased farmer input � somesmall areas cannot be thinned econom-ically using machines; greater revenueto be made from firewood production,even from small forest areas, and great-er personal interest by farmers inmanaging their crop.

The safe use of a chainsaw is criticalboth to the operator personally and toensure efficient thinning. In 2008 alone,the Health and Safety Authority re-corded three fatalities due to fallingtrees or branches.

Even occasional chainsaw operatorsshould have specialised Personal Pro-tective Equipment (PPE).* Protective trousers that cover thefront of the body from the waist to theankles. Many of these trousers wraparound the leg and protect the calf areaas well.These trousers are made fromsynthetic fabrics that are designed toprevent a running saw chain from cut-ting through the material.*A properly fitted helmetprotects yourhead from injury due to falling limbs orother debris. Cracked or discolouredhelmets must be replaced.The helmetshould have eye protection in the formof a mesh visor to prevent injury fromflying wood chips, sawdust, or twigs.*Ear protectionmaybe attached to thehelmet for added convenience. Ear-muffswill have a decibel noise reductionrating � the higher, the better.* Gloves should be worn to protect

hands from abrasions, splinters andcuts. Special chainsaw gloves have slip-resistant palms and use the same fabricon the backs of the gloves that is used inthe chaps and leggings described above.* A pair of protective bootswith hightops will protect your ankles in case ofaccidental contact with the moving sawchain. Steel toes will help protect yourfeet from injury caused by falling limbsor logs, as well as from accidental con-tact with the moving chain. Safety shoesor boots should have a non-slip and re-inforced sole.For all work, wear safety footwear and

non-snag outer clothing.Wear a safetyhelmet whenever the work involves arisk of head injury� in particular, whentree felling and working among treeswhich may have been damaged, haverotten branches/tops, or which arewindblown.

Safe operation of a chainsaw requires

a degree of skill, an understanding ofsafety procedures and knowledge andtraining to carry out routine chainsawmaintenance.Teagasc Ballyhaise Agricultural Col-

lege runs chainsaw training geared to-wards farmers who want to learn how tosafely use chainsaws on their farms andmanage their own woodlands.The chainsaw course is divided into

two segments:* Level 1: Basic chainsawmaintenanceand safe use.* Level 2: Basic tree felling demonstra-tion.The two-day introduction to chainsaw

course is organised according todemand, with up to six participants.A certification of completion is pre-sented at the end of the second day. Anoptional third day FETAC componentcertification is also available, followingassessment.

Evenoccasional chainsawoperators should have specialised Personal Protective Equipment.

Arthur Kierans (demonstrating) at Teagasc staff training. Alsopictured: JohnWeldon,Grange; PatKane,Grange; AlexWaters, Johnstown; John PMurphy,Moorepark; Kieran Kelleher,Mooreparkand Brian Howe,Moorepark.

29/10/0917:03


educationTo

day’s

farm

Agricultural training:How the Danes do it

AGRICULTURAL educationcomes under the remit of theMinistry for Education and iscatered for in theVocational

Education and Training (VET) system.All vocational training involves a com-bination of formal course work andpractical work experience.

The Danish Government has set anambitious goal: 95% of the populationshould complete a formal training pro-gramme on completion of their second-level education.

The incentive for young farmers inDenmark to achieve agricultural educa-tion is thatonly farmerswhowill liveonafarm and have a basic agricultural edu-cation can buya farm of over 30ha. Farmworkers who have completed agricultur-al training are also paid a higher wagethan untrained workers.

The tradition and practice in Den-mark is that farms are sold to a son ordaughter or a farmworkerwhowishes tobuy out the retiring farmer.

Agricultural collegesAgricultural education isdeliveredby10independent agricultural colleges �down from20adecadeago, anda further

fall in numbers is expected. Many of theagricultural colleges provide other vo-cational and technical training outsidethe area of agriculture.

TheVETsystem is built on an ap-prenticeship model.The student’s em-ployer releases them to college forformal training blocks over a three tofour-year period.Together with the sys-tem of land transfer, this allows youngpeople who are not from a family farm tostart farming. Students canbe employedby their own family, but can only com-plete one period of work experience onthe home farm.

Pay during trainingFarmers pay their students during workexperience, and also during the trainingblocks at the agricultural colleges.Thefarmers, as employers, are subsidisedwhile their trainees are at college. Allemployers, private and public organisa-tions in Denmark pay into a nationalfund (AER) that is used to reimburseemployers when workers/students arebeing paid during training or schoolprogrammes.

Young farmer training starts with a20-week basic agricultural course at anagricultural college.This can be ex-tended in the caseof newentrants fromanon-farming background, who may ben-efit fromadditional skills training. Basictraining is followed by a 20-week workexperience period. Students complete afurther 16 weeks of more specialised (li-vestock/crops/pigs) coursework, fol-lowed by another 20 weeks of workexperience.

Students return to college for 16 to 20weeksof coursework, and then take theirfinal assessments and exams.

Further trainingHaving passed the programme, studentscancontinue theireducationandtrain tobecome farmmanagers.The system al-lows for progression andmovement fromvocational into higher-level training�for example, studying to become anagricultural economist or consultant.

There are currently 810 studentscompleting the basic agriculturalcourse.There are a total of 665 involved

in further education, 350 of whom arebeing trained in production manage-ment, 225 in farmmanagement and 90 inagro-economics. As in other countries,the numbers entering farmer trainingdeclined significantly up to 2007, but amajor promotion campaign and the eco-nomicdownturnhavedrivenupnumbersin 2009.

Figure1 shows the locations of all theagricultural training centres in Den-mark. There are 20 centres, 10 Agcolleges, five technical and five combi-nation centres.

FrankMurphyTeagasc KildaltonCollege

Table1 |Formatof vocational level traininginagriculture,horticultureandrelatededucationcourses, includedarethenumbersof students

Basic training Main training programme ProgressionAg college 20 weeks Work experience Ag college Work experience Ag college Farm management or

(can be extended for 20 weeks 16 weeks 20 weeks 16 weeks higher education

certain new entrants)

810 students 665 students

DANISH FARMING| in brief

* Denmark is about half the size of theisland of Ireland, but has a similar po-pulation at 5.5 million people.Denmarkexports two-thirds of its agriculturalproduce.As in Ireland,Danish farminghasundergonemajor changesin the last40 years.Thenumberof farmers hasdecreased from192,000 to just 44,000farmers today.Danish farmsare largerandmore specialised than Irish farms,and just over half specialise in arablefarming.Danishmilk production ac-counts for 30%of totalproductionvalue.There are over 13 million pigs in thecountry, with 75% on farms that havemore than 2,000 pigs.Theaverage farmsize is 57haand less

than 2% of theworkforce are employedinagriculture.Farmers in Denmark haveheavy borrowings, and the current fi-nancial crisis is hitting themhard, parti-cularly in gettingaccess to adequateworking capital.

The incentivefor young

farmers in Denmark isthat only farmers whowill live on a farm andhave a basicagricultural educationcan buya farm ofover30ha

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overseas developmentTo

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’sfarm Knowledgeand

innovation— Key to agricultural development in Africa

Larry O’Loughlin,Teagasc areaunitmanager, Limerick, and director Vita andTadele Girma.

THE volatility of food prices overthe last year has shaken theglobal food system. Govern-ments and the International

Development Community have re-sponded but the question remainswhether the right actions are being pur-sued to sustainably develop food defi-cient areas such as sub-Saharan Africa.The food crisis has helped to highlightthe importance of agriculture in thesecountries’development.

Over thepastquarterofa century, lessthan 5% of international aid has beentargeted at Agricultural Development.

According to JoachinVon Braim fromthe International Food Policy ResearchInstitute (IFFRI), the current crisismust trigger a responsewhich addressesthe immediate foodneeds of poor peoplepriced out of food markets and begin tocorrect previous failures in agriculturalpolicy by investing in agriculture andfood production in these countries.

Vita, formerly RefugeeTrust Inter-national, an Irish NGO (Non-Govern-mental Organisation) working inEthiopia, Erithria and Kenya, has put

sustainable agricultural developmentand food security at the centre of its de-velopment rural programmes in one ofthe poorest areas in the world.

Vita are just one of many Irish NGOsworking in sub-Saharan Africa. Othersinclude Self Help Africa, Bo¤ thar, Con-cern, Gorta and Tro¤ caire.They are allworking to achieve the Millennium De-velopment Goal (MDG) of reducing, byhalf, thenumberofpeoplesuffering fromhunger by 2015.

TheVitamission is toenablepoorandmarginalised communities in Ethiopiato improve their livelihoods in ways that

Factfile | Ethiopia versus Ireland

Ethiopia Ireland

GDP at Purchasing Power Parity (2008) $68bn $188.4bn

Labour Force

(2007) 37.9ml 2.2 ml

Population 47 ml 4.15 ml

GDP/capita $800 $45,300

Agriculture 80.2% 5%

Industry 6.6% 46%

Services 13.2% 49%Land area 1,104,300km2 70,200km2

At the nursery in Shamawhere fruit stock is grown for small farmers are: Ale-mita Golda,Vita Highland development co-ordinator; Dr Seamus Cross,Tea-gasc & projects committee,Vita; Larry O’Loughlin and Tadele Girma,agricultural extensionofficer,Vita.

Master farmer MrMelessawith his two children and two of his fivesheep. In the backgroundon thehill side, the rest of his sheep flockgraze.

Bothmaps created by theSpatial Analysis Unit,RERC,Teagasc,Kinsealy.Data courtestyof ESRI.

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Today’s

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are innovative, gender focused, familysupportive and environmentally sus-tainable.They do this by empowermentand partnership among within ruralcommunities.

On a recent visit to Ethiopia,Teagascstaff members, Larry O’Loughlin andSeamus Cross saw at first-hand howcommunities are being improvedthrough knowledge and innovation todevelop agriculture and alternative en-terprises.

They also met with the Irish ambas-sador to Ethiopia, Sile Maguire, who isthe acting head of Irish Aid in thatcountry (Irish Aid is the developmentsection of the Department of ForeignAffairs with responsibility for develop-ment projects in programme countriesand funding for Irish NGOs working inthese countries).

The ambassador’s message was clear� empowerment through knowledgeand innovation is key to the long-termsustainability of these poor commu-nities. Sheemphasised theneed for localparticipative research and the use offarmer discussion groups to transferknowledge.

In many respects, this isTeagasc’sapproach towards our own agriculturaldevelopment. Indeed, the concept of theTeagasc innovative BETTER farm pro-gramme has as much relevance in sub-Saharan Africa in achieving food secur-ity as it has in Ireland towards maximis-ing farm income potential.

While food security is the first prior-ity, long-term improvement in liveli-hoods can only be achieved by thedevelopment of markets.

For many years, there has been mis-guided criticism of European Agricul-

tural Policy as being an impediment totrade development in these countries.The reality is that African farmers mustexplore the opportunities of their ownmarkets by producing what marketswant.

According to Dr AzageTegegne fromIFORI in Addis Ababa, African farm fa-milies must have enough to eat, not pro-duce enough to eat.

In other words, what they producemust be based on market opportunitiesandcashincomeand, in thisway, theycaneither produce or buy what they want toeat as well as having enough money leftover for improved family livelihoods.

To achieve this food security and in-come generation, Dr Azage said thattechnical knowledge and innovationwith stock and crop mix, varieties andbreeds was essential.

Case studyOne of the projects implemented byVitais the Food Security and Income Gen-eration Project for landless and smallholder farmers in the Shama Kebele(equivalent to a parish in Ireland) in theSouthWest Highlands, about 2,500mabove sea level.

The overall goal is to improve foodsecurity and income among the 700farmers and landless families throughagriculture and alternative enterprisetraining programmes, increased pro-ductivity, off-farm options and improvedmarket access.

Four hundred of these families aresmall farmers with an average of 0.5hectares each (i.e. 1.25 acres).Theiragricultural improvement programme isbased on providing small animals, fruitand vegetable stock, improved soil and

watermanagement and improvedaccessto markets.The knowledge transfer pro-grammeintheproject isbasedontheuseof master farmers and demonstrationsites. Mr Melesse is one of these masterfarmers. As well as his fruit crop enter-prise, Mr Melesse is developing a sheepenterprise, he received two ewes and aram from theVita project in 2008.

He now has five sheep as two lambswereborn thisyear.Hewill sell one lambfor 300 BIRR (about €16) and the otherwill be used for food or breeding.

His wife also works on the farm andwith the women’s section of the projectwhich has established a women’s busi-ness group and provides training andextension support.

There is also an environmental car-bon reduction programme through theuseofmoreefficientwoodburningstovesin their houses.

The Irish CountryWomen’s Associa-tion (ICA) has adapted this developmentin association withVita. Master farmerMrMelesse and his wife have two smallchildren for whom, like all family parti-cipants in the project, they hope to pro-vide an improved standard of living withadequate food, and a good educationfrom excess income generation.

TheMelessas, like hundreds of otherfamilies in Shama, can look forward to abetter lifestyle for their children andgrandchildren, and not the poverty andhunger experienced by their own par-ents and grand parents in the past.

Ambassador Maguire said at ourmeeting prior to our visit, the templatedeveloped in projects like this one inShamacanbereplicatedacrossEthiopiaand Africa to eventually rid this conti-nentof thetragedyofhungerandfamine.

Larry O’Loughlin, Ambassador Sile Maguireand Seamus Cross.

Thismaphas been re-projected usinga Behrmann Equal Area Projectionto allow forarea comparisons between the two countries; shapes,distances and direction are slightly distorted from true.

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tillageTo

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’sfarm Combinedheat

andpower

GENERATING electricity is aninefficient process � only40% or less of the fuel energyis converted into electricity.

Conventional power stations release theremainder in a by-product � steam�which is cooled in huge towers wasting,the heat. Combined Heat and Power(CHP) plants capture the heat and re-direct it to provide warmth for schoolsoffices or homes.

CHP plants can be powered with bio-mass (plant material, vegetation, oragricultural waste) or biogas (methaneproduced by the anaerobic digestion ofbiomass).With volatile fossil fuel prices,agricultural residuals or tree thinningsmight provide the best economics for aproject while allowing it to qualify foradditional incentives due to the sustain-abilityandenvironmentalbenefitsof thefuel source.

Sizing a CHP systemThe size of the electrical and thermal(heat) output will determine the overallefficiency of a project. CHP systems aremost viable when they have the greatestpossible annual running time in heatprovision� aminimum of 5,000 hours isusually needed to gain the full economicand environmental benefits.

Biomass CHP in IrelandGraingers sawmills in Enniskeane, CoCork have installed a 1.8 MWe and 4MWthermal CHPandMunster Joinery lo-cated at Ballydesmond, Co Cork have

installed a 2.8 MWe. For anaerobic di-gestion (AD), the Dublin sewage treat-ment works operates a 4MWe but thereare AD CHP in Dundalk, Drogheda,Swords, Clonmel, Greystones and Tulla-more sewage treatmentworks.There arealso some water treatment AD CHPplants around the country.

In theanaerobicdigestionprocess forCHPgrantaidevaluationSEIhave threeAD CHPapplications � 180 kWe, a 150kWe and a 500 kWe.Whether these pro-jects go ahead or not is, as yet, unknown.There are some other biomass CHPandAD CHP projects under discussion.

Suitable buildings for CHPA report completed byTom Bruton(Bioxl) and Fred Tottenham on behalf oftheWestern Development Commissionin September 2008 (Biomass CHPMar-ket Potential in theWestern Region)found that with commercially availabletechnologiesbiomassCHPispossible foruserswith a continuous heat load of over600 kWth (thermal).

The most suitable buildings are thewood processing industry, such as sawmills. Hotels with over 150 bedrooms,leisure centres, hospitals and shoppingcentres are likely to have a significantheat load greater than 600 kWth. Dairyco-ops and feedmills also have veryhighpower and heat requirements andwouldbe very suitable to CHPapplications.

Fuel requirementsThe fuel required for a biomass CHPsystem will be determined by the num-ber of operating hours.The typical run-ning time would be 6,570 hours per yearfor small scale biomass CHP. Due tomaintenance and downtime, no plantwill operate 100% of the time.

The calorific value of wood chip at50%moisture is 2,210 kWh/tonne or 2.21MWh/tonne.

Example: 3MWe biomass CHPA 3MWe biomass CHP unit running atmaximum output of 6,570 hours per yearwith an overall efficiencywill produce (3x 0.8 x 6,570) 15,768 MWh/year of electri-city.The heat output at 4:1 (heat : elec-tricity) is 63,072 MWh/year.

The combined heat and power outputis 78,840 MWh/year.The fuel input tomeet this demand is (78,840/2.21) 35,674tonnes of chip (50%moisture) per year.This would require approximately 900hectares of willow per year growing on atwo-year rotation; therefore, a totalcropped area of 1,800 hectares of willow

to meet the demands of this 3MWe CHPapplication.

Carbon savingsBased on the average emission factorsfor Ireland (SEI, www.sei.ie/Publications/Statistics_Publications/Emission_Factors) heat at 63,072 MWh x 0.257 t/MWh (assumingkerosene at 0.257kgCO2per kWh) saves 16,209 tonnes of CO2 peryear and on the electricity side it’s asaving of 15,768 x 0.5428 t/MWh (assum-

Barry Caslin,Teagasc Oak Park

Table1 |Outputs of 3MWebiomassCHPunit

Electrical output 15,768 MWh/year

Heat Output 63,072 MWh/year

Combined Output 78,840 MWh/year

Input 35,674 tonnes of

chip per year1

Jobs Created Eight in fuel supply;

Two in operation

and maintenance

CO2 savings 24,768 tonnes

1 Wood chip has not been dried 55%

moisture contentThe fuelrequired fora

biomass CHPsystemwill be determined bythe numberofoperatinghours

29/10/0917:02


Today’s

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ingelectricityat 0.5428kgCO2perkWhofelectricity) saves 8,559 tonnes of CO2.Therefore, the total saving with this3MWelectrical CHP is 24,768 tonnes ofCO2 per annum.

EconomicsA 3MWe CHP unit would cost approxi-mately E 16m on a greenfield site. TheSEI CHP grant is currently capped at E1.5m, reducing the cost to E 13.5m. Table

2 indicates the savings based on thecurrent REFIT price of E 120 MWh forelectricity and the price of heat origi-nating from a medium fuel oil boilerbased on SEI values.

The simple payback for the CHP unitis approximately (E 16m/E 3.16m) fiveyears when compared with heat from anoil fuelled system and power from thenational grid. The biggest problem inmost cases is getting project finance.The payback period will decrease as the

cost of fossil fuel oil or gas increases.You can also put a value on the carbon

for a large energy user who is part of theEUemissions trading scheme. If youcould trade the carbon at a current ap-proximate value of E 20 per tonne(www.pointcarbon.com), the installerswould have an approximate additionalsaving ofE 495,360 per annum. The priceof carbon is expected to rise in the futureas more sectors will become part of theEU Emissions Trading Scheme after theCopenhagen agreement later this year.

IssuesIf biomass CHP is to be seriously con-sidered, the barriers to district heatingmust be reduced.There are currently nodirect supports for district heating in-frastructure; therefore, a parallel sup-port for district heating should beconsidered.

The 30% capital support from SEI’sbiomassCHPprogramme is a significantsupport to the industry. However, theduration is questionable as all projectshave to be completed by 2010 in order toavail of grant support.Grantaidof40%isavailable for CHP feasibility studies.

Table 2 |

Annual income and savings:

Sale of electricity @ 120/MWh E 1.89m

Saving from heat (replacing oil costing E 73.20/MWh E 4.62m

Total Savings E 6.51m

Annual costs:

Woodchip @ E 80 per tonne1 including delivery E 2.85m

Operation & maintenance E 0.5m

Total costs E 3.35m

Annual savings: E 3.16m

1 Wood chip has not been dried 55% moisture content

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diversificationTo

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’sfarm

Paul McCarthy (left),Teagasc Rural Business Specialist, Ann O’Connor of Secret Valley Adventure Farmand PeterYoung, Irish Farmers Journal.

Enter theDragonTeagasc and the ‘JFC Innovation Awards for Rural Business’ could be

just the boost your business idea needs

Paul McCarthy,Teagasc Rural Business Specialist.

WITH commodity prices lowand off-farm jobs scarce, abusiness start-up offers aroute to additional in-

come. If you’re the right sort of person,you’ll win, even in a bad economy.

A good time to start a recession-proofbusiness is during a recession, so don’tlet the current economy stop you� useit to your advantage.

That’s where the JFC InnovationAwards for Rural Business can help.Take Brian Phelan of Glenfin Ducks, CoMonaghan. Last year, when he entered,all he had was 26 ducks and an idea tosupply duck eggs. He is now expandingto 2,500 ducks and delivering to outletsnationwide.Winning a JFC Rural Inno-vation award really helped him on hisway.

The competition is open to thosewithnew ideas or rural businesses whichhave been trading for less than fiveyears.You’ll have an opportunity to talk

through your idea with the judging pa-nel.You’ll gain invaluable feedback andpossibly advice on how you can developyour idea further, secure grant aid or fi-nance from the bank.

The overall winner will receive aprize valued at €15,000, consisting ofequal amounts of cash, mentoring andadvertising.The total prizefund is va-lued at €40,000. Some of the previousentrants to the awards were selected forRTE’sHigher Ground, including BrianPhelan, Ann O’Connor of Secret ValleyAdventure Farm and Shane Houston ofChic-Hens.ie.

I have an idea, whatdo you I do next?* Get the idea down on paper in yourown words.* Explain why you believe there is amarket for your product or service, andwhy customers will buy from you.* Identify competitors, as competitorsmean there is a market.* Point out what sets you apart fromthem.

* Think about how and where you aregoing to distribute as this is a key areafor a rural business.* You will also need to outline basiccosts, pricing and volume of sales.

Producing a good business plan ispossibly the hardest work you will everdo and, if you can work through the keyareas above, that is what you will have.All too often, people start up newenterprises without having it workedout on paper first. This is the biggestmistake that can be made and the resultcan be financial disaster.*The message is simple — if the projectis not working out on paper first, don’ttouch it.

The deadline for entries and entry is11 December. Forms are available fromTeagasc Athenry,Tel 091-845200 or theycan be downloaded from www.teagas-c.ie/startingyourownbusiness

The JFC Innovation Awards for Rur-al Business are sponsored by JFCMan-ufacturing in association withTeagasc,DARDNI, Comhar Leader na hEireannand the Irish Farmers Journal.

The ideal Present ThisChristmas!

The ideal Present ThisChristmas!

‘GROWING KNOWLEDGE’ – ORDER FORM

Growing Knowledge is priced at €30 plus €7p&pFor Teagasc clients the price is €15 plus €7p&p

Send a cheque to Alison Maloney,Publications,Teagasc Oak ParkCarlow or Contact Alison Tel: 059 9183409

Name

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Please send me copy/ Copies @ €30 plus €7 p&p

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29/10/0917:00


botanic gardensTo

day

’sfarm

Themanybenefitsofanediblehedge

FOOD from the wild might be anovel idea these days, but ourancestors relied heavily onhedgerows, and scrub wood-

land before that, as a valuable source ofnutrition. Many useful fruits and nutscan be grown in your garden and, withsome careful planning, need not take upvaluable space.

If you don’t have a hedgerow to plantinto, why not establish a native hedgealong a boundary and intersperse fruitand nut trees. Don’t forget to includesomewild rose for rosehips and keep theinvasive blackthorn under control.

Damson, pears, wild cherry and crabapple will grow happily, provided com-peting growth is kept in check until theyare well-established. A good organicmulch added after planting will be mostbeneficial.Wild cherry is vigorous, butself -sterile, so plant two trees to obtainfruit. Many cultivated varieties, such asStella, do not need a pollinator, anddwarfing rootstocks mean that a com-pact growth form can be achievedwherespace isanissue.Crabapple is tolerantofpruning, which makes it ideal in ahedgerow. Pears flower early, so choose awarm sheltered spot. Conference is one

of the few partially fertile varieties, butan appropriate pollinator will improveyield.

Hazel nuts and filberts are closely re-lated, and are commonly grouped to-gether as they have similar growingrequirements. Filberts yield longer,narrower, nuts. Hazel nuts are easy togrow, tolerating most well-drained soils.Highly fertile soilwill produceabundantgrowth at the expense of nuts. Hazel tol-erates shade,butbetter cropsofnutswillbe produced in sunny, sheltered loca-tions.

Hazel flowers early, so avoid frostpockets. Better quality nuts are pro-duced on cultivated varieties, Di Giffoniis a good compact varietywith large nutsof excellent flavour. Hazels need a polli-nator, so plant a compatible variety if

there arenowildhazels close by.KentishCob is the most widely planted filbert,and reliably yields a good crop with ex-cellent flavour.

Hazel can be grown in a hedge, asmulti-stemmed shrubs, as in nature.Coppiceout (cuttingdowntoa few inchesoff the ground) larger stems on a rota-tional basis, to keep them at a manage-able height.These attractive stems canbe used for rustic fencing, or as supportsfor other edibles such as nasturtiums,beans and peas.

Raspberries, currants, gooseberriesand other interesting berries such asjostaberries can be planted together toform a new hedge, where they will getadequate light.This hedge can be grownclose to a boundary or used to screen acompost heap. If youhave awell-drainedacidic soil,whynottrya lineof blueberrybushes; it is well worth the bother. Un-der-plant your hedges with the shadetolerant wild strawberry.

Thornless blackberries and logan-berries available nowmake for ease ofpickingandtraining.Tayberry isperhapsthe best value of all hybrid berries interm of quality fruit, but does have a fewthorns.

Choose a sunny spot and plant ontheir own on a trellis for maximum ben-efit,. Otherwise make sure they are notoverwhelmed within the hedge.Why notcoverabarewallwithquince,andchoosea fig for that shelteredsunnycorner,yourgarden is full of possibilities.

Enjoy the spoils!

An occasional series by expertsat theTeagasc college at

the National Botanic gardensaimed at adding to the

appearance and value ofyour farm

Dorothy Hayden,Teagasc BotanicGardens

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