Niall Canning farms under the shadow of Benbulben, in the scenic surroundings of Cregg Connell, Rosses Point, Co. Sligo. He states that:
His Farm: “Part-time pedigree Charolais breeder with 20 acres, five of which are rented.”
His Family: “Father Brendan, mother Anne and three sisters – Elaine, Aine and Nicola.”
Number of Cows: “Five breeding females which include the French ‘La Roche Sur Yon’ calf champion 2006 and the Irish female calf champion 2009. My father bought his first Charolais heifer from the famous Omer Van Landeghem of the Skidoo herd in 1989. Shortly afterwards, the herd name ‘Sagesse’ was formed, funnily enough named after a local convent run by the Sisters of Sagesse. To this day one of the nuns, Sister Joseph, names all our calves!”
Herd Feeding: “Each year I buy in fodder as we haven’t got enough ground to cut silage. Although grass was scarce I turned out stock a lot earlier in an attempt to reduce costs. Unfortunately, the cows have been grazing poorer quality grass covers in comparison to previous years – subsequently having knock-on effects.”
Breeding: “The lack of winter feed coupled with the shortage of grass, means that breeding has become extremely difficult this season. Silent heats have been the main problem. I have kept the cows in good condition but with the difficult weather and poor temperatures persisting, it hasn’t been easy to detect heat and get cows back in calf. For the first year ever, we have started flushing cows. Angus-Friesian cross heifers have become the recipients of embryos taken from our best French cow.”
Shows: “At the age of seven I won my first rosette and since then I have achieved national titles at Junior and Senior Stockmanship. My proudest moment was wining the stockman at the last RDS Show which was held at Goffs. I still enjoy the buzz of partaking in the competitions. The Connacht Spring Show took place two weeks ago and although being youngest in his class, our calf came away with first prize – Champion Male Charolais Calf for 2013.”
Quotable quote: “Through showing cattle I have met many people and made many friends for life.”
(Source – Irish Farmer’s Journal – John Greaney – 01/06/2013)
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