Andrew Ward is a recent entrant to beef farming from Carrickmacross, Co. Monaghan and is the winner of the AgriLand / Norbrook Closamectin Pour On competition.
Ward farms approximately 20ac on a part-time basis, where he brings 15-20 store cattle to finish each year under a store to beef system.
Speaking about his production system, Ward said: “I purchase store cattle in March and April and bring them to slaughter later in the year.
I don’t have winter housing facilities, so the cattle are slaughtered off grass.
“This is my third year carrying out the enterprise and I am still building up numbers on the 20ac of grazing ground around home.”
Ward explained that he was nervous starting out and had no previous experience of injecting cattle to control worms and fluke.
“Safety was always a concern to me, as I didn’t want to get hurt while injecting or working with cattle. Our handling facilities are a little bit old, so I was always cautious about injecting cattle in the crush.
It was through word of mouth that I heard about Closamectin Pour On and, since I began using it, it has given me great peace of mind that my cattle are dosed correctly.
“It may be a little bit more expensive than the injection, but I don’t have to worry about getting hurt or bringing in extra help to get the job done in the simplest and safest way,” he added.
Ward also touched on winning the AgriLand / Norbrook Closamectin Pour On competition, saying: “It was a great surprise to win the competition.”
As part of the competition, Ward had to explain why he uses Closamectin Pour On. He provided the following answer:
“As a young, part-time beef farmer, Closamectin Pour On allows me to administer an efficient, effective dose to each animal.
“The pour–on solution is quick to apply single-handed and is among the simplest and safest way of administering a fluke and work treatment.”
For winning the competition, Ward was presented with a €750 prize by Kieran Quilter, territory manager for Norbrook Laboratories Ireland Ltd.