Nine commercial Northern Ireland dairy farms have been selected to showcase how technology could solve common farm problems and boost industry profitability.
The CAFRE Technology Demonstration Farms Network will give farmers the opportunity to see innovations they could adopt on their own farms.
Over the past year, the College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE) organised a series of more than 100 mostly online training events at technology demonstration farms across Northern Ireland.
New dairy technology demonstration farms
The nine new dairy technology demonstration farms will operate under three themes:
Feed Efficiency
- Chris Catherwood – Newtownards, Co. Down;
- Philip Kyle – Aughnacloy, Co. Tyrone;
- Stewart Watson – Cookstown, Co. Tyrone;
- Robert Bryson – Loughbrickland, Co. Down.
Genetic Selection and Fertility Management
- David Irwin – Benburb, Co. Tyrone;
- Ashley Fleming – Downpatrick, Co. Down;
- Conor Casey – Cloughmills, Co. Antrim.
Heifer Replacement Rearing
- Rex Wilson – Cookstown, Co. Tyrone;
- Tom Craig – Limavady.
It brings the total number of technology demonstration farms appointed in Northern Ireland to 31. CAFRE is also hoping to appoint two additional Crop and six additional Environmental farms in the very near future.
The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) and the European Union are funding the establishment of this network of Technology Demonstration Farms across Northern Ireland as part of the Rural Development Programme under the Innovation Technology Evaluation Demonstration (ITED) Scheme.
Details of all the TDFs and how to book a visit are available on the CAFRE website: www.cafre.ac.uk/industry-support/technology-demonstration-farms/.