Living with climate change
Stand in the Gap
Kathleen Duffy
The rain is spoiling the second half of October, while the temperature is unnaturally good at this time of year. The deciduous trees with their beautiful colours of brown, bronze and orange were giving of their last for this season before they face the winter and the wind blows the swirling leaves to create blocked drains and carpets of mush. The incessant rain is not helping extended grazing. Some flowers including the roses were still blooming, even though they are being pelted with heavy rain and winds.
We have a nice crop of apples, however the blasted crows and magpies insist on taking one peck out of each one, then move on to the next. I would buy one of those bangers, but I think their sound would be drowned out by the constant traffic on the N3. We will need the Weidemann to get to the tops of the apple trees to pick the last of them. Ned has just bought a safety cage, so I am hoping it will be used for picking the apples and cleaning the gutters.
We might try to make some apple butter with a new recipe. Marie and Mary made chutney in the Show Centre this week and along with the strawberry and raspberry jams and Mary's own honey, we have the start of our table for the Christmas Fair on Saturday, December 3.
We invite all farmers and rural foodies and craft people to take part. We can put a few people together to share a stand. Community groups, colleges and fundraisers also take part and by the way, there will be a mini tractor run with the kids. For the school kids, next week means Halloween break from school so let’s hope the weather improves. There is a Halloween Children’s’ party in the Centre on Friday, October 28 at 3pm and it is free!
John Keats' poem Autumn starts with “Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness, Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun”.
And so it is this autumn, the abundance of sloes, haws, elderberries, crab apples and berries on the trees and bushes will provide the birds with plenty of food. There is an old saying that when there is an abundance of food it will be a hard winter, but the unusually warm days with the sunshine breaking means that the fruits of the trees got a better chance to grow. It was beautiful to watch the cows meandering home and out again with the dog slowly pacing back and forward behind them, but the rain has spoiled this pleasure.
Farming
The winter housing is almost ready on lots of farms. Power washing is finishing, mats are being installed or moved round. The cows are having a great finish to the extended grazing year with the flush of grass. The yield is doing well with the fresh grass in the spring calving herds. There has been an increase in butterfat and protein at end of lactation.
The fertiliser and slurry spreading is finished for 2022. It is great that Lakeland held the milk price for September, though we got used to increases, with higher milk solids at this time of year. We are delighted with the milk price this year and while we know the input costs have gone sky high, it does show how much would be spent in the local economy when prices are good in farming.
Climate change
Lord but this subject is contentious. According to Professor Seamus O’Mahony of UCC, dairy is Ireland’s largest indigenous industry, worth €16 billion and providing 85,000 jobs. So while there has to be new initiatives to reduce emissions from the dairy sector, can it be done while growing the business? If it becomes stagnant or reduces output then it will harm future development and jobs unless all these scientists find a way round it.
Beef and lamb are doing well in the markets and it seems a pity to have to change direction because of climate change, but we are legally bound by law and there is no point being climate deniers.
The EPA reports a rise in Green House Gas (GHG) from agriculture. With an emissions increase of 3% in 2021, we're going in the wrong direction. We, in agriculture are required to reduce by 25% by 2030, only eight years away and the responsibility lies with every single farmer.
Transport and energy are also behind and look as though they will stay that way. The pressure will come on soon to do more and the farming organisations may be ready for a battle royale. There are still problems with water quality, but there are solutions.
Let’s hope when the crunch time comes, farmers won’t be the scapegoats for transport and energy.