It smacks of elitism and privilege while sounding like something beyond the bounds of ordinary people. So-called business schools internationally have hijacked it as a product only they can deliver to students at exorbitant costs. It needs to be overhauled and made accessible in a different way.

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The weather continues to be a major factor in stock management. Despite the fact that we are half way through May for some grazing conditions are very difficult.

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Speaking at the launch of the results in Dublin last week (Tuesday, 14 May), Dr Thia Hennessy, Head of the Teagasc National Farm Survey said: “While agricultural commodity prices remained relatively favourable in 2012, the inclement weather adversely affected production costs and crop yields. In particular, dairy farms were impacted by the wet summer and direct costs of production increased by 21 per cent.” She also stressed that “many farmers depleted their stock of winter fodder early last autumn and this is likely to have further negative implications for income this year.”

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Most farmers faced a new and unpleasant experience this spring. They never thought that feeding minimum grass and other forage with concentrates would be a major topic in April.

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A small ad on a Saturday in March saw sustained interest in a 40-acre holding on the outskirts of Clonakilty, Co Cork, so much so that the land is now sold.

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Animal Health Ireland (AHI) is to introduce a voluntary control programme for Johne's disease in Ireland this year.

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Two out of three ain't bad, according to Meatloaf's song. The Galway U21 footballers, with their second crown in the past three years, and beef finishers who see steer and bull prices edge up in the right direction will certainly agree.

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Finished animals, whether they are prime cattle or cull cows, continued to sell well at the marts over the past week. Cows were making as high as €2.30/kg. Quality fleshed continental steers and heifers were generally making from €2.20 to €2.60/kg. Plainer types made €1.85-2.10/kg.

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The seventh annual Burren Slow Food Festival takes place in Lisdoonvarna, Co. Clare, this weekend (17-19 May).

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Sourcing cows or younger heifers from disease-free herds should be the number one priority for all new entrants to dairying or farmers intending to expand, Teagasc expert James O'Loughlin warned.

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The scarcity of quality feed has cost farmers €1.5m in cattle returns so far in 2013.

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The country’s biggest one-day rural show at Tullamore will have a new layout for its 2013 event at Butterfield Estate on Aug 11.

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Beef finishers who are killing cattle at local factories should take a close look at their remittance advice and check that all the cattle they kill have been paid in line with expectations.

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The board of directors approved the conversion of 20% of the 30.1m Kerry plc shares held by the co-op in recognition of the desperate situation many Kerry milk suppliers currently find themselves in.

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With the deadline for the 2103 SFP quickly approaching on 15 May, Peter Young asked the Department what queries they are getting in.

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OVER 40,000 farmers have yet to submit their 2013 Single Farm Payment (SFP) form with the deadline less than a week away.

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Farmers have voiced their disappointment at the lack of guidance for farmers on the Schmallenberg virus.

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Despite allegations to the contrary, print media does not print just bad news. I’m sure many of us were pleasantly surprised to read in Tuesday’s Irish Examiner that the black or shadow economy was not as bad as many of us thought.

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It is feared that porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS, also known as Blue Ear) will be the last straw for some Irish pig farms, many of which are believed to have sows testing positive for PRRS.

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It seems that 2013 decided to skip spring! It’s amazing how quickly grass growth takes off when air and soil temperatures rise.

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SOME 12,500 farmers who hold shares in Kerry Co-op are in line for a windfall of shares worth on average more than €21,000 this summer.

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Breeding replacement heifers is an important part of any suckler enterprise.

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Single Farm Payment entitlements trading has stepped up a gear in recent days as the closing date of May 15 looms.

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Pressure is mounting on Minister for Agriculture Simon Coveney to extend his €1m transport subsidy scheme to include marts and other businesses importing fodder during the ongoing crisis.

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Lions coach Warren Gatland choose carefully before he announced his panel to travel to Australia.

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The Irish Dairy Board, IFA, and agri-businesses launched more than €3m of extra fodder aid for farmers this week.

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Animal husbandry can be just as profitable with the use of algae and other alternative feeds and the exclusion of antibiotic growth promoters in feed, say leading scientists.

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We're all familiar with the mobile chip shop, but you'd have to go to Tipp to find the mobile clip shop.

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An informal meeting of EU trade ministers takes place in Dublin last week.

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The European Parliament's CAP negotiating team is moving towards backing a minimum per hectare single farm payment (SFP).

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IFA National Sheep Committee Chairman James Murphy said hogget supplies are disappearing fast and both retailers and factories need to make the change over to Spring Lamb.

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The Emerald Expo 2013 saw a record entry of cows and young stock despite the difficult weather conditions this spring. The Holstein, Irish Pure Friesian, Shorthorn and Jersey breeds were all well represented and competing for a record prize fund of €25K. IHFA are very thank-ful to all the sponsors in particular the major sponsor Alltech.

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Formally unveiled yesterday, this latest fund follows recent fodder initiatives such as Irish Dairy Board’s €2m emergency fodder fund, Glanbia’s €1m rebate scheme, and the one-week extension of the Government’s €1m fodder transport subsidy.

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A blade sheep shearing training course will be held on Saturday 11 May in Donard, county Wicklow.

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With the deadline for the 2103 SFP quickly approaching on 15 May, Peter Young asked the Department what queries they are getting inthis year.

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Animal scientist Donagh Berry has been presented with a prestigious award for his work in animal genetics.

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The weather was really taking its toll at the marts around the country last week as plain cattle probably met with their toughest trade so far this year.

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The Irish Farmers Association (IFA) has warned the main supermarket chains that higher returns to chicken and egg producers were urgently needed if local units were to survive.

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The horse meat scandal has changed the buying habits of over half (54%) of British shoppers and has reduced consumer confidence in supermarkets.

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The Microsoft Food Industry event on 28th May will feature presentations and integrated demonstrations from 3 leading Irish software vendors, each with their own specialist area of expertise and software systems to help Food Producers manage different aspects of their businesses.

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Minister for Agriculture Simon Coveney has this week announced the opening of the application period for the new Beef Data Programme.

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The 5% cut imposed on Ireland’s 2013 CAP allocation will be retained in 2014, under transitional arrangements announced by the European Commission yesterday.

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Irish cattlemen are being warned that special care is required this spring to avoid the knock of effects of a difficult forage year and a poor winter into spring and summer.

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Almost 100 food judges are preparing to taste the very best food and drink produced in Ireland as Great Taste 2013 comes to a boil in Dublin.

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Government departments should do more to promote organic food options on their canteen menus, the food lobby group, Organic Trust, has said.

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Animals must be fed properly — no matter what.

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Deluges of rain in 2012 on the heavy, slow-draining soils in north west Co Cork have left farmers unable to ease their fodder crisis.

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Over a 19-month period between August 2009 and February 2011, 34 confirmed cases and one probable case of Salmonella Typhimurium DT8 were detected in Ireland, all of which had an MLVA pattern 2-10-NA-12-212 or a closely related pattern.

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With the hogget kill down 3%on last week's numbers, factories are trying to hold base quotes at €5.20/kg to remain in control of the market.

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Some months ago when the troika bailed out Cyprus it was suggested and agreed, among the powers that be, to delve into the accounts of ordinary depositors in the banks to help make up the shortfall in required funds.

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Those in charge of the mammoth administrative task of buying, paying for, and tracing 7.5m head of livestock per year in Ireland have emerged intact from the horse burger controversy.

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The livestock sector received a major boost this week with the news that Dillon Livestock are assembling a second consignment of bulls for live export to Libya.

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As from this Wednesday, Irish pig producers will contribute a 40% higher statutory pigmeat levy to the Irish Food Board (Bord Bia).

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On Saturday 4th of April, world renowned animal welfare expert Dr. Temple Grandin Ph.D, officially approved and opened the new state-of-the-art lairage facility at ABP Clones

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In a typical year, April and May is the harvest period for livestock farmers.

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Simon Zebo and Rory Best have not made Warren Gatland's 37-man Lions squad but Tommy Bowe, Conor Murray and Jamie Heaslip will be on the plane.

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Denis Lehane talks to Noel Fitzpatrick who says the CAP is anti-competitive and farmers must call for real reform.

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The cost of a bad CAP deal for the beef and sheep sector, and indeed the national economy, is now clear.

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A Saudi-based investment consortium (UFHC) has tabled an all-cash offer (36 pence per share) for Continental Farmers Group (CFG), the London and Irish publicly listed group that specialises in crop production in Northern Poland and western Ukraine.

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Agriculture Minister Simon Coveney revealed that files will be sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) by the Gardai, the Food Safety Authority and his own department's Special Investigations Unit (SIU).

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