The Deasy family from Aherla in Co. Cork have been named the overall winners in this year’s Dairygold malting barley competition.
They were presented with their award during the Dairygold tillage conference which was held yesterday (Friday, January 13) at Corrin Event Centre, Fermoy, Co. Cork.
The farmers were crowned as the mid-Cork regional winners in the annual competition a number of weeks ago.
The three-generation family forage crops alongside a significant area of cereals all in the rotational way that sees them achieve high yields and quality on a regular basis.
Competition
The judges commended the Deasy family for their sustainable farming practices and efforts to replace the use of chemical fertiliser on their crops.
Chair of Dairygold, Sean O’Brien paid tribute to the winners and all those who took part in the competition.
“I would firstly like to congratulate the Deasy family on their achievement here today and also to comment on the huge effort from all four finalists during the competition.
“It is very important that all tillage growers get the opportunity to showcase the sustainability credentials, the standards they achieve in husbandry and the vital contribution they make to our business.
“Tillage growers are a very important part of Dairygold’s business and we remain committed to supporting and developing this part of the business into the future,” he said.
The other finalists in this year’s Dairygold malting barley competition were Frank and Mary Quinlan, Tipperary, Cyrus and Colin Buttimer, Cork and Richard Sweetnam, Cork.
There was a strong attendance at the first in-person tillage conference held by Dairygold in three years due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Growers and traders heard from a number of specialist speakers, including Ciaran Collins of Teagasc, John Geraghty from the South Eastern Technological University (SETU) and Jim McCarthy, the owner of a tillage enterprise in eastern Romania.
One of the main topics up for discussion was the importance of soil health for future sustainable production.