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By Adrian Quinn, PRO Greenmount AssociationAfter the committee members planned the Autumn Farm Walk for 21 October they might well have thought that they would need their umbrellas at the ready, as the day before was a bit of a wash out. Luckily however, the day itself was blessed with blue skies and light winds, a perfect day for a stroll in the Co. Down countryside. Just over 50 people turned out to visit the Carson family farm near Downpatrick and to get a tour of the processing plant of Crossgar meats. Following registration and a refreshing cup of tea and scones, Celine Loughlin (Association President) welcomed everyone to the event before handing over to John Carson who gave a brief introduction to the farm. This was followed by a presentation by CAFRE’s Paul McHenry on some of the issues relating to farm Benchmarking. The farm business itself encompasses 136ha, and is farmed by the father and son team John and Jonathan. It entered the Organic Scheme in 2006 and was fully converted in Early 2009. 12 ha of cereals are grown on the farm for feeding cattle. As the group started the farm tour Jonathan, along with advisor Michael Doherty, highlighted that the farm uses a range of reseeding and sward improvement methods to improve grass and clover quality. Indeed grassland management was really the key to making this farm business so successful. The Carson’s have an 80 cow suckler to beef system. What was apparent was that cattle performance has been improving each year as grassland quality improves. Jonathan pointed out that grazing management varies throughout year depending on grass supply, weather conditions and silage stocks. Paddocks are closed from mid October in rotation with the aim to get back to grass in late February / early March weather permitting. The stocking rate of these paddocks is matched to grass height and grazing days ahead. All silage is made on farm as round bales. First cut is targeted for early May to avoid dry May/June conditions, thus slowing down regrowth. The red clover/hybrid silage swards have high feed value, with clover being a significant component with regard to feed quality. Whole crop silage is normally under sown with red clover, with “stitching” of swards carried out as needed to keep clover content high. When the farm tour concluded it was back to the farm yard where a sumptuous barbeque was provided. This was kindly sponsored by Crossgar Meats. The group then proceeded to Down Business Park. The afternoon visit was very different, but equally informative and interesting. Crossgar meats, through its network of established local producers, offer a premium quality range of meat with full traceability from farm to fork. Committed local producers are vital to the business of Crossgar Meats and long-term partnerships are developed with producers who farm to the highest standards. A new market for Crossgar Meats is their exclusive Dexter Beef range. In partnership with The Dexter Producer Group the company believe the pedigree Dexter breed will complement their existing meat range. On the day the Association heard about the background to this innovative and successful company and also received a tour of the factory facilities, including a very informative and impressive butchery demonstration. The Greenmount Association would like to thank the sponsors of the barbeque, Crossgar Meats, the ladies of Ballyrenan Farm who cooked lunch and both businesses for their inputs before and on the day. The Association would also like to wish the Carson family and Crossgar meats every success in the future.
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