The quarterly meeting of Northern Bank’s agricultural team took place last week when thirty Agribusiness Managers and Advisors visited CAFRE’s Greenmount Campus at Antrim.

These meetings are led by John Henning, Head of Agriculture at Northern Bank to assist the Banks’ dedicated agri bankers to update their knowledge on the agricultural sector and see at first hand some key aspects of the industry in Northern Ireland. All of these Agribusiness Managers, who are based throughout Northern Ireland, are empowered to make decisions locally and value the opportunity to assess new business propositions, usually on farm, so that they are better placed to make informed credit assessments.

A series of internal meetings and workshops took place during the morning in the Manor Suite prior to lunch in the Manor Restaurant following which the team met with CAFRE personnel for a series of industry briefings. The team was also accompanied throughout the day by Stephen Bloomfield, Regional General Manager, Northern Bank who participated in all the sessions, including these industry briefings.

Firstly Ian McCluggage, Head of Dairy, Pigs and Business, CAFRE, updated those present on a number of topical issues. These included trends in performance levels in dairying; rising farm input costs; the Farm Nutrient Management Scheme; the EU Nitrates Directive; the Rural Development Programme and the recently suspended New Entrants Scheme. These insights will be invaluable to the bankers as they meet farming customers and non-customers in the course of their work in the coming days.

The group then visited the CREAM herd which was established at Greenmount in 1994 with the purchase of 20 in-calf heifers. This project - Co-operative for Real Education in Agricultural Management [CREAM] - is a unique and exciting educational experience which Greenmount Campus has integrated into its Higher Education Agriculture courses. The concept is that students on these courses manage a high genetic merit dairy herd, giving them real responsibility and the opportunity to make real decisions.

This unique project was established with financial support from several organisations, including Northern Bank, and those present were delighted to hear how the CREAM herd of thirty Holstein cows has developed since 1994. Today the rolling herd average is 9,682 litres / cow at 3.91percent butterfat and 3.09 percent protein with a Margin over Concentrates of £1,682 per cow.

The tour was led by Dr Stephanie Woods, Dairy Lecturer, CAFRE who has day to day responsibility for the CREAM project. Her presentation gave the bankers a great insight into the performance of a high yielding dairy herd and how the project is used to educate students both technically, and personally, through ‘learning by doing’. The visitors also saw the Future herd at Greenmount and heard of the exciting plans for dairying there over the next few years.

This visit generated good debate and lots of questions from the assembled group which was made all the more enjoyable by the wonderful sunshine which has been such a rare commodity in recent weeks.

At the end of the day everyone agreed that this had been another informative and educational visit which gave the bankers a better understanding of some of the current challenges facing agriculture and how the CREAM project is being used in the education of the next generation of dairy farmers. All those present from Northern Bank were privileged to have been given this fascinating insight into the CREAM herd and see how the banks financial support had been put to good use for the benefit of Northern Ireland agriculture.

Dr Stephanie Woods, Dairy Lecturer, CAFRE, pictured centre with Stephen Bloomfield, Regional General Manager and John Henning, Head of Agriculture during the Northern Bank visit to the CREAM herd at Greenmount Campus

Dr Stephanie Woods, Dairy Lecturer, CAFRE, pictured centre with Stephen Bloomfield, Regional General Manager and John Henning, Head of Agriculture during the Northern Bank visit to the CREAM herd at Greenmount Campus

A number of Northern Banks Senior Agribusiness Managers pictured with Dr Stephanie Woods during the visit to the CREAM Herd at Greenmount Campus including Trevor Johnston, Enniskillen; George Templeton, Coleraine; John Flynn, Newry; Jim O’Rorke, Limavady and Sean McAllister, Omagh

A number of Northern Banks Senior Agribusiness Managers pictured with Dr Stephanie Woods during the visit to the CREAM Herd at Greenmount Campus including Trevor Johnston, Enniskillen; George Templeton, Coleraine; John Flynn, Newry; Jim O’Rorke, Limavady and Sean McAllister, Omagh

The Northern Bank group which visited the CREAM herd at Greenmount Campus included John Turner, Agribusiness Manager, Limavady; Adrian Adams, Agribusiness Advisor, Enniskillen; Billy O’Malley, Agribusiness Manager, Enniskillen and Edmund Lowe, Agribusiness Manager, Dungannon who are pictured with CAFRE’s Dairy  Lecturer Dr Stephanie Woods.  

The Northern Bank group which visited the CREAM herd at Greenmount Campus included John Turner, Agribusiness Manager, Limavady; Adrian Adams, Agribusiness Advisor, Enniskillen; Billy O’Malley, Agribusiness Manager, Enniskillen and Edmund Lowe, Agribusiness Manager, Dungannon who are pictured with CAFRE’s Dairy Lecturer Dr Stephanie Woods.