MED member Marty Lenehan hosted a farm walk for suckler farmers on his farm in Ballinfull, near Grange, Co. Sligo on Tuesday the 11th of September. Over 1,300 farmers attended the event. The walk was organised as part of the Teagasc/Irish Farmers Journal BETTER farm programme. Marty’s family farm, which he runs with his wife Fiona and sons Conor and Evan is a good benchmark for farms in the north west, and is indicative of what can be achieved with foward thinking. Marty is very supportive of the MED AI cattle improvement scheme and the philosophy behind it.
As Marty himself says on the necessity to implement a ruthless culling policy to improve breeding performance; “When you buy a cow you don’t marry her. You buy a cow to make you money and if she doesn’t do that she shouldn’t be there” (Irish Farmer’s Journal P14 – 15/09/2012)
He further states regarding his breed of choice for cows: “It doesn’t matter what colour she is; what’s important is that she has milk” (Irish Farmer’s Journal P14 – 15/09/2012)
A full report on the Farm Walk event is available on page 14 of the Irish Farmers Journal, Saturday 15/09/2012, Vol.65 No.38)