The Farmers Journal team of farmer writes journalists from Ireland, New Zealand, the UK and beyond are dedicated to providing local farming news, comment and opinion across the dairy, beef & tillage sectors.

LATEST ARTICLES
News
A new year and a fresh start
Karen McCabe
It’s important to leave 2024 behind you and look forward into the new farming year, writes Karen McCabe.
1 January 2025 Farmer Writes
Would I plant beans in April again? No
Gerald Potterton takes a look back at the year that was 2024 in the tillage fields.
1 January 2025 Northern Ireland
Scanning result is nothing to brag about
Derek Robinson had hoped his flock might have produced a scanning result closer to 200%.
Succession plan knocked back by IHT change
The proposed reforms of UK inheritance tax could have big implications for our farm, writes John Egerton.
23 December 2024 Farmer Writes
Farmer Writes: A slatted shed like Trigger's broom
Tommy Moyles recently replaced slats in his oldest slatted house. The building and some of the materials in it have witnessed a lot of local history in their time.
23 December 2024 Farmer Writes
Farmer Writes: cows housed based on calving dates
We have the cows now separated out into the three cubicle sheds according to their calving dates.
23 December 2024 Farmer Writes
Farmer Writes: inheritance tax change a looming disaster
Labour leader Keir Starmer is obviously a very intelligent man but has a total lack of charisma and judgement, writes Joe Collingborn.
21 December 2024 Farmer Writes
Farmer Writes: a battle with front loader
Karen McCabe walked slap bang into the edge of the scoop on the front loader where she learned that head wounds do indeed bleed rather profusely.
18 December 2024 Farmer Writes
Hedging my bets with dairy-bred bullocks
TB has had an impact on my dairy heifer-rearing enterprise, writes Derek Robinson.
18 December 2024 Farmer Writes
Little doubt that dogs are our best friends
As it’s Christmas, I thought we’d have a little crazy fun and let Billy the Jack Russell have his view on the year that was.
18 December 2024 Farmer Writes
Farmer Writes: disappointing empty rates
It seems to have been an extra hard year on heifers as I hear empty rates are a lot higher than normal on most farms, writes Padraig Callanan.
11 December 2024 Farmer Writes
Pros outweigh the cons of three-way cross
Thoughts have turned again to breeding of our autumn-calving herd, writes Castlederg dairy farmer, Jessica Pollock
11 December 2024 Northern Ireland