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00:00 This is your morning update for Thursday 23rd May 2024.
00:08 Brought to you by Farming Life, Horse Week, Sunshines on start of Laurelviews summer 2024
00:19 Dressage League, Competitors shown in the sunlight to impress judges, Martina McKinley
00:27 and Ivor Harper.
00:30 Congratulations to Donnie Doyle who has been named TGASC FBD Student of the Year for 2023.
00:41 The awards were presented by the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie
00:47 McConnell-Ogg.
00:48 TD in Coalawi on Tuesday 21st May.
00:56 It's time for targets in law to protect nature, says RSPB at Stormont.
01:03 The event, which was sponsored by John Blair MLA and attended by Assembly members and industry
01:09 professionals was chaired by the charity with Ruth Chambers OBE and DARA Minister Andrew
01:16 Muir as keynote speakers.
01:19 Ruth Chambers OBE, a senior fellow with environmental think tank Green Alliance, played a key role
01:27 in the environmental coalition Greener UK, which was at the heart of the environmental
01:35 community's response to Brexit.
01:40 Young handlers put their best foot forward for the Sheep Young Handlers competition at
01:45 Balmoral Show.
01:47 The growing popularity of the event, sponsored by the Livestock and Meat Commission, LMC,
01:55 saw this year's competition subdivided into three age categories, 8, 9 year olds, 10,
02:04 11 year olds and 12, 14 year olds.
02:11 Limousin Heifer is tapped out as the Beef Champion of Champions at Balmoral Show.
02:18 The strongly contested line-up of individual breed champions took to the cattle lawns on
02:24 Friday afternoon for the ever popular Beef Champion of Champions competition, sponsored
02:31 by the Livestock and Meat Commission, LMC.
02:36 M&S Select Farm Award winners at Balmoral Show.
02:41 Steve Maclean, Head of Agriculture and Fisheries at M&S said, "These awards are a celebration
02:49 of the innovation and dedication shown by our select farmers.
02:54 They go the extra mile to deliver fantastic quality products which our customers love.
03:02 Our Northern Ireland suppliers punch well above their weight in terms of their contribution
03:07 to our supply chain and we're delighted that we can bring their superb ingredients to stores
03:14 not only in Northern Ireland but also in the Republic of Ireland and across the water.
03:20 My heartfelt congratulations to all the winners announced at this year's Balmoral Show."
03:29 In June of 2023, James Robinson's Clogger family farm established an egg enterprise
03:36 comprising of two barns, stocking 32,000 free-range hens and tootles.
03:44 James, now 23, has been pivotal in this development since the project started in the summer of
03:51 2022, working tirelessly to make it a reality and is now managing his first flock of laying
03:58 hens.
04:00 I've always had an interest in farming and after graduating from university I knew I
04:06 wanted to become involved in the family farm and we thought an egg laying unit would work
04:12 well alongside the existing dairy farm, Commons James.
04:18 With a number of small modifications, I can now pretty much do everything to run both
04:24 hen houses successfully.
04:27 Moving forward, we plan on adding additional egg laying units.
04:32 David Irwin from Dervack Farms, in partnership with his mother and father, milked 250 pedigree
04:40 Holstein Friesian cows at his 400 acre farm in Ballymoney and his family were founding
04:47 members of the NA Regional M&S Milk Pool 24 years ago.
04:54 The milk pool is committed to delivering industry leading animal health and welfare, farm standards
05:01 and low carbon milk production in return for a fair, transparent and stable price for farmers.
05:09 It is great to be involved in a group of lake minded farmers who have animal welfare at
05:15 the top of their priorities and the fact that we are the only RSPCA assured milk pool is
05:23 a testament to that vision, comments David.
05:27 Our focus is not limited to welfare, however, we have recently started using a new methane
05:34 inhibitor to help improve the sustainability of the pool and other priorities include reduction
05:41 in antibiotic use and elimination of soya feed.
05:47 David Giesoeb from Antrim recently established a Wagyu finishing enterprise after visiting
05:53 fellow M&S supplier Stephen Thompson and was impressed by their temperament.
05:58 Together with his wife Cathy and father Barry, they agreed a move into Wagyu presented an
06:05 exciting opportunity for the family farm.
06:10 David has displayed precision management through the meticulous weighing and tracking of his
06:16 Wagyu cattle to understand how they are performing in addition to the analysis of his salage,
06:24 comments Keith Williamson, supply chain manager at ABP Linden.
06:29 This process has helped him to both drive carbon reduction on his farm as well as decrease
06:36 antibiotic usage.
06:39 I don't like the half measures approach if I don't aim to produce the highest quality
06:44 beef that I can then why am I doing it, comments David.
06:50 Care and love for the animal and being meticulous over the small details is rewarding.
06:57 Kingsley Bell, whose On a Clough farm comprises of 16,000 free range hens and 17,000 organic
07:06 hens across eight barns in addition to a herd of suckler cows and sheep has embraced a low
07:13 impact farming ethos.
07:16 We have undertaken extensive tree planting around the barns which not only sequester
07:23 carbon and provide a habitat for local wildlife but also provide shelter and encourage roaming
07:30 of our hens, he comments.
07:33 We have also installed solar panels to help power our operation with renewable energy.
07:41 I am delighted to win this award but I wouldn't be in this position without the support of
07:46 my family who are integral to our farm success, he adds.
07:52 I would also like to thank Scea Eggs for nominating me.
07:57 In addition to being an M&S award winner Kingsley has been selected as one of seven farmers
08:04 to take part in M&S's Farm of the Future programme which sees the retailer collaborate with suppliers
08:11 industry and farmers to deliver rapid decarbonisation of livestock production as part of its Plan
08:19 A roadmap to net zero by 2040.
08:23 Julie Mullin who manages a 140 acre mixed farm in Stewartstone which includes wagyu
08:31 beef, suckler cows, sheep, poultry and more alongside her husband Geoffrey has hosted
08:38 groups of school children from local primary schools educating them on rearing livestock.
08:45 We provide pupils with a tour of our farm and teach them a variety of topics including
08:52 calf health and rearing and give them the opportunity to feed some of the calves, comments
08:58 Julie.
08:59 ABP Linden invited a vet and a feed specialist to take part and they share what they do in
09:07 their jobs to help the children understand the various roles needed to rear calves to
09:13 highest standard.
09:15 Our decision to open the farm up in this way comes from a belief that it is important for
09:21 children to learn where their food comes from.
09:25 Yet not every child gets that opportunity.
09:28 My sons are fortunate enough to grow up on a farm and we want to share at least some
09:34 of that experience with their classmates.
09:38 Julie Mullin exemplifies the values we hold dear at the Royal Countryside Fund said Keith
09:45 Halstead Executive Director.
09:48 Her commitment to educating young minds in her locality about farming underscores the
09:55 importance of community engagement in agriculture.
10:00 Balmoral Show was busy for the team at Smithsdale Side who were on hand to congratulate some
10:07 winners.
10:08 Check out our pictures here.
10:12 Judge Meg Black from Fife, Scotland was impressed with the stock presented to him at the opening
10:17 day of Balmoral.
10:19 Judge Meg Black from Fife, Scotland was impressed with the stock presented to him at the opening
10:26 day of Balmoral and certainly had tough decisions to make in each of the classes.
10:35 For more news go to farminglife.com and for more videos check out ShotsTV.com
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