We had a panel with us on the programme tonight. Joining us was Michael Somers, Forestry Adviser with Teagasc; Clare Bambrick, a lecturer in agriculture at Kildalton College and William Trousdell of Alltech.
Michael spoke with us about an upcoming threshing even at Coon on October 6th. He also spoke very passionately about the issues affecting forestry, specifically around a decision needs to be made on whether the sector is one and of itself or merely a component of the diary sector, especially around the whole area of carbon sequestration.
Clare spoke about upcoming open days at Kildalton College and the emerging opportunities and courses in the education sector generally.
William spoke about the interesting work being undertaken by Alltech in relation to the significant improvements being achieved as regards livestock productivity.
Grain price are in the news again and sees a significant drop in price when compared to last year. Matt spoke with Tim O’Donovan of Seedtech about their research and development in the areas of hybrid barley and the implication for the sector. Matt also spoke with Eugene Ryan, a grain farmer based in Portlaoise about the recent harvest and his observations on high yields and low prices (the full interview in posted below). We did seek a response from Glanbia on this matter but none were available at the time of broadcast. We will return to this issue in future programmes.
George Candler was in studio to deliver the Kilkenny Mart report and Eric Driver gave an update on Tullow Mart sales prices.