The “absolutely mental demand” for straw at the moment was captured in a recent video posted on social media by a farmer in Co. Mayo.
Jarlath Colleran is a part-time tillage and beef farmer based in Hollymount, Co. Mayo. Last Thursday (July 19), he cut his field of winter barley located just outside the village and then baled it the following day.
“We baled about 600 small square bales and 60 round bales,” he told AgriLand.
A video posted on Facebook by Jarlath shows just how eager farmers are to secure supplies of straw ahead of next winter.
“There is an absolutely mental demand for straw,” he said.
Customers arrived on the day of baling to secure their straw requirements for the upcoming winter.
Jarlath outlined that most of his customers – who are all locals from within a six-mile radius of his farm – are farmers using straw for bedding suckler cows during the calving season.
Image source: Jarlath Colleran
The Mayo farmer added that he has spring barley sown and he expects that he will begin cutting that crop in approximately one month’s time.
Jarlath’s father, Patrick Colleran, is a beef and sheep farmer and also runs a contracting enterprise – which Jarlath helps out with.