Paula Hynes: The key to a good relationship

This time, she had the added bonus of bringing home a silver cup for the success, and she went on to take second place in the hotly contested Super Calf class, too.

I too got to put on my show whites as we had our VG87 two-year-old Jersey with us for the Super Cow class sponsored by Tirlan.

It’s not often I get to show alongside Georgie, so when I do it’s a moment to be savoured. Not only was Kasey the only heifer in milk in the class, she was also the only Jersey so I was delighted to see her finish in third place.

With the cup safely on the trophy cabinet, we had a little more to celebrate this week, as it was a week full of milestones. Our VG88 two-year-old Acclaim surpassed 12,000 litres of milk production in her first lactation; she will have almost 1,000kg of milk solids produced by the time she is dried off shortly for a well-deserved maternity break. To put that in context for our non-farming readers, the average milk production per cow in Ireland is 5,648 litres a year!

If we mind her well enough, Acclaim should easily produce 15,000 litres per lactation as a mature cow.

This year is my tenth year farming alongside Pete, which is another milestone I had forgotten about. I’m not sure where that decade has gone, but it sure was a fast one and a huge learning curve.

Perhaps the biggest milestone of all this week is that myself and Pete are together 30 years. We actually only hooked up as a young couple because we had a common passion for animals; we knew each other for a brief time before love blossomed, but the first night we started going out, we chatted until 3am in the morning, and we quickly became inseparable.

Looking back, I wonder how many of those close to us would have thought we would last thirty years together.

Any couple that has been together that long will probably agree — it wasn’t always plain sailing. There were good times and bad, celebrations and heartache, and loved ones lost.

We’ve watched three young daughters grow up confident and successful, never forgetting the fourth daughter who didn’t quite make it into the world.

We’ve laughed and cried together, fought and made up, but most importantly, we’ve always had each other’s backs and made amazing memories together. I think we both agree that on the rollercoaster of life, we’re stronger together than ever before, and we always take the opportunity to celebrate milestones with a little date night.

The key to any good relationship is honesty and trust. I think we as farmers need to be honest with ourselves, as we have lost trust in the Minister for Agriculture.

That may sound harsh, but let’s be clear, in that he failed farmers with the reduction on the nitrates derogation, and he was slow to deal with the fodder situation this spring.

That said, I also believe the IFA president is lacking in facing up to a potential fodder crisis this winter as I watched his interview from the Energy Farm and Diversification Show, and he believes there will be enough straw in the country and that it’s early in the year and there may yet be enough fodder in the country.

Perhaps the association’s president hasn’t tried to source straw in the last two months, and all indications are that there is a shortage of fodder as farmers have been buffer feeding during the summer.

The reality is the minister has made a last-minute decision to suspend the straw incorporation scheme; tillage farmers have signed up for it, he still must await approval from the EU and combines are already cutting, and tillage farmers aren’t sure whether to chop or not, any consultation with the farm organizations would have further delayed any decision.

What an absolute nightmare for us farmers when our minister can’t make a decision on time, without consultation with farm orgs and without the EU’s blessing and also failed to consult junior ministers.

Agriculture needs a minister who can stand strong, communicate, lead in times of hardship and do what is best for all agri sectors.

The tillage sector likes the straw incorporation scheme, which is why over 70,000 hectares are included. Those farmers are entitled to that payment. 

Likewise, we livestock farmers need a secure supply of straw this winter and the minister should have guaranteed tillage farmers their payment and asked them to turn off choppers and bale all suitable straw while he fought tooth and nail to seek a derogation from the EU to ensure no tillage farmer would be penalised for baling in 2024.

The stupidity and absolute lack of thinking that has unfolded last week are exactly why European farmers protested so heavily earlier this year. We are simply fed up with red tape and of decisions that do not work for the agri sector.

With our first 30 years together out of the way, we’ll give the next 30 years a bash and that kicks of with the FBD National YMA Finals in Kilkenny. Becky is home after weeks away clipping and has just enough time to pack a bag for the show, back a bag for the UK and also get the final clip on the heifers we are taking.

We have six heifers for the finals, one heifer is having her first big outing as the girls are using her for the clipping competition. We will take five of the heifers up and meet the sixth heifer at the show.

It is like a military operation travelling away to a show for three days, clothes to be packed, multiple sets of show whites, feed for all the heifers along with all the show equipment.

It is quite handy that Cork has reached an all-Ireland final this year, as Cork flags and bunting are easily sourced, which makes the task of decorating the Cork YMA stand a little easier.

The girls had a hugely successful Nationals last year and it will be hard to repeat that but they know what it’s like to compete at top level, they’ll give it their best shot and hopefully we will have a little success. Cork YMA won club of the year last year, so hopefully, a strong team effort will see them regain that title.