My Farming Week – Francis Barron

My name is Francis Barron and my family farms between Ballintra and Ballyshannon, Co. Donegal. 

This year we got our first cut of silage in late June.  As the weather wasn’t great we had to make the best of a few good days and got local contractors Ronan and Clint to cut the grass and they ensured it was saved in nick of time.  The weather has not improved since then, but we managed to get around 30 bales off a field in Rossnowlagh.   I helped by bale lifting with the tractor. The rest of the second cut will be saved if the weather ever improves.

Every August we attend the Ballyshannon Agricultural Show.   This year my brother Joseph and I decided to enter two calves. They had to be led by a local youth in the show and so we started the halter breaking two weeks before the show. This short timeframe was not ideal but the internet proved an invaluable tool as we watched videos on YouTube for advice and instruction on breaking in the calves.

We began by getting the calves used to our presence.  We brought them into the shed, put them down the crush and relaxed them by stroking their backs and working around them for several short sessions each day.

As they got used to us, we were able to slip on the halter.  First we would tie them low to a post and let them pull on the rope for most of the morning. We then let them out to their mothers dragging the halter around with them.  After a few days they eventually trusted us to lead them and we were soon able to walk them around the farmyard.

We invested a lot of time in getting the calves cleaned and groomed for show day and as a result they performed well getting a 2^nd and 3^rd rosette.  We were pleased with the return on our hard work.  We found that training two calves together is far easier than one on it’s own as they settle better. We hope to enter calves in next year’s show and benefit from the learning gained this year.

We also entered two cows with calves in the un-haltered section of the show and won two second prizes. 

I helped out earlier this month when we were re-seeding a field by tilling it and harrowing after the sower.  My brother and I spent some time this week picking stones – a lovely job! 

It will be back to school this week to catch up with my friends and hear about their activities over the summer including all the local farming news!