When identifying an excellent furrow, its linearity and absence of emerging grass are key tells, according to Gerry Reilly, gesturing towards a newly tilled patch of land. “Consistent, even scrapes are a must. Each one needs to appear uniform. All dimensions need to be on point,” he explained.
At 68, Mr Reilly was a participant in a horse-drawn ploughing game during the second phase of the National Ploughing Championships in Ratheniska, Co Laois. Following his father’s legacy, Mr Reilly, a native of Claregalway, commenced ploughing in the renowned fixture around the mid-1980s.
While camaraderie is a major draw, everyone secretly covets a victory, he remarked. Whilst the intense sunrays made the manual labours more tolerable during the initial two days of the championship, the hardening land “places pressure on the horses,” as per Reilly’s observations.
The attendance for the inaugural day of the ploughing carnival rose by 9,250 from the previous year, amassing over 75,000 visitors in spite of the debilitating impact of heavy rainfall on the previous opener. The makeshift avenues dotted with stalls, demonstrations, and food booths were besieged by spectators, encompassing large groups of high-school students. Attendees lined up to try whipped ice creams, biscuits, and to participate in the Lidl Farm venture hunting for the “quickest milker in Ireland”.
Some tranquillity could be experienced in the expansive ploughing fields. According to Mr Reilly, the audiences for horse ploughing events have dwindled over the years, however, a decent crowd can still be seen. “Children are thrilled to see horses tilling the land, but it isn’t as favourite pastime now as it used to be. If the younger generation does not partake, it will eventually fade away,” he opined.
In different localities, agriculturists have highlighted financial difficulties, including the increasing costs of production and the added strain of minimising fertiliser use . James Taylor, a sheep and suckler breeder aged 32, in Wexford believes that the price of lamb and beef, though reasonably good in the early part of the year, are incapable of keeping up with inflated input costs. Even as prices climb, the financial benefit to farmers has not seen an uptick, making farming tough, says Mr Taylor, who is also concurrently employed as a marketing executive.
Meanwhile, 72-year-old Michael Carroll echoes similar concerns. The elderly farmer, who resides in Camross, Co Laois, fears the monetary implications his son may face when inheriting the family farm due to its hefty property gains tax of up to €80,000. He hopes for future administrations to abolish such taxes on agricultural land as his son struggles to earn from farming. Mr Carroll nostalgically recalls making profits from drystock farming when expenses were low, unlike these harsher times.
John Connell, a pedigree and suckler cattle breeder at County Meath, looks forward to budget incentives intended to revive sustainable suckler farming practices, as the recent boom in dairy farming has overshadowed the needs of suckler farmers. The 49-year-old farmer has watched worryingly as costs double, with an increased outlay for everything from fodder to plastic wrappings for silage. He laments that these challenges have been steadily mounting over the past five years and feels that all odds are against today’s breeders.