Curators' Blog

Hi I’m Helen,  I am the Curator of Domestic and Cultural life here at  Black Country Living Museum. You may have wondered why  we were closed for two weeks at the beginning of January. 

Well each year that  two week close period gives our Maintenance Team time to carry out a programme of annual repairs and preservation work and for myself __with  the rest of the Collections Team and the support  of our demonstrators, it gives us  a chance to deep clean our buildings. We carry out a deep clean from  top to bottom sweeping away  cobwebs  from nooks and crannies  of over 60 buildings which includes our houses, shops, brew house and not forgetting all of our  vehicle collection too.

One of the harder tasks is in Gregory's General Store and Doo’s Chemist, __with so many boxes and bottles that make up the historic collection, each are taken off the shelves and are individually assessed, dusted, cleaned  and put back in the same spot. One of the delights is that whilst we are closed, we’re able to use 'modern equipment' to help with  washing curtains and vacuuming furniture which we would never  be able to do when we are set in the Victorian and Edwardian era.

So hopefully now we are open for the year ahead, you'll come along to visit us and spot a lovely clean sparkle as you walk around our shops and houses.  

Government’s Rural Action Plan is ‘short on specifics’

The Rural Action Plan launched by the Government yesterday is short of specifics, Independent TD, Michael Fitzmaurice, has said.

For instance, no figure has been put on what the size of the grants will be for the renovation of houses in rural areas mentioned in the plan, he said.

“On the question of transport and infrastructure there is no specific mention of the plans to upgrade the N4 and N5 roads which are an ongoing concern in this region.

“Very few of the commitments in this 70-page plan are costed.”

We __have seen a multiplicity of these plans being unveiled over the years and they __have never been followed through and the people of rural Ireland have been left high and dry as these plans gather dust.

“It is time that we had real action on the re- development of rural Ireland and not a constant re-hashing of plans that have been announced before several times.”

Fitzmaurice said that that the launch of the Realising Our Rural Potential Plan is welcome and any measures that will aid the development of rural Ireland are certainly most welcome but many of the commitments that are in the plan have been announced before and some of the measures have been announced a number of times.

“There are some glaring omissions too and the figure of €60m extra to be spent on the plan over three years seems a very small figure.”

There are some aspects of the plan which I welcome but a lot of what is included in today plans have been announced in the past.

“Commitments with regard to Leader, CAP, Job Schemes, Broadband, Mobile Phone Coverage, Flooding, Rates Relief and many others too have been made in the past and were included in the negotiations in the programme for Government of which I was a part of.”

‘Action plan needs to be full resourced with a dedicated budget’

Also reacting to the report was Macra na Feirme President, Sean Finan, who said that this action plan needs to be full resourced with a dedicated budget to ensure that the full potential of rural Ireland can be realised.

He said that Ireland has had rural plans developed before like the Commission for Economic Development in Rural Areas Report (CEDRA) which have achieved little.

Rural Ireland in spite of negative commentary by some is very much alive with agricultural activity at its core.

“Sustainable rural development is necessary to ensure young people who want to live and work in rural areas can do so.

“After false dawns in the past, we need this plan to deliver for our young people so they can live, work and contribute to rural Ireland,” Finan said.

‘Recent upturn in the economy has not been felt in rural Ireland’

Commenting on the Rural Action Plan, IFA President Joe Healy said that it must be resourced with sufficient funding that can arrest the decline of rural areas, particularly those areas that are peripheral.

“The recent upturn in the economy has not been felt in rural Ireland. IFA believes that with a well-funded plan, significant inroads can be made.

“It’s an important step towards delivering on the commitment to rural-proof Government policy and revitalise rural Ireland.”

Joe Healy said it was important that the Government report recognised the threat posed by Brexit, which has serious ramifications for the farming and food sectors.

“This report accepts many of the proposals set out in IFA’s rural affairs strategy document A Policy Charter for Rural Ireland. However, action is now required and I am calling on Government to set out specific timelines for the delivery of each one of the measures proposed and the publication of a progress report in 90 days.”

Healy said that agriculture is the backbone of the rural economy and the jobs that flow from a vibrant farming sector, both directly and indirectly, cannot be underestimated in the Government’s rural plan.

“The food and drinks industry as well as the wider agri-industry adds value to what farmers produce.”

The IFA President said rural areas must be made more attractive to live and invest in.

“The report contains some significant proposals, particularly around areas such as rural banking and vacant properties, which have the scope to really revitalise rural Ireland.

“Many areas need a good infrastructure including the provision of a fast broadband service. This will help the strong entrepreneurial spirit that exists in rural Ireland. The roll out of the national broadband network to all areas must be a priority.”

A farmer busy with lambing and calving to feature on Ear to the Ground

This week’s episode of Ear to the Ground will meet one of the many farmers in the country busy with calving and lambing.

Tonight’s episode will also feature a man who has been training sheepdogs for decades as well as a chef trying to convince cattle farmers to change from beef to a vegetarian option.

Helen Carroll travels to the Doran farm on the border of counties Roscommon and Galway, near the town of Ballinasloe, to see twin lambs being born.

Enda Doran is just one of the farmers who is very busy this spring in Ireland, where over 2m cows are set to calve and as many sheep are expected to lamb.

Spring is the busiest time of the year for Irish farmers and Doran is no different, with 200 ewes to lamb and over 100 cows to calve and milk.

He also runs a busy machinery contracting business and has some barley and oats to sow.

Meanwhile, approximately 30km away in Four Roads in Co. Roscommon, Ella McSweeney will meet with another Moran, Dan, who has been training sheep dogs for decades.

The sheepdog trainer is still going strong at 98-years-old and he reckons he has trained several hundred sheep dogs.

Ella Mc Sweeney travelled to Four Roads to spend the day out on the farm with Moran in order to find out more about what makes him so good at what he does.

However, Ella also sets up a a competition between Dan’s Border Collie, Dell, and a €2,000 drone to see which one can herd sheep the best.

Darragh McCullough made the journey to Carnew Mart in Co. Wicklow, where Ear to the Ground challenged vegan chef James de Burca to prepare a meat free meal for the farmers attending the mart.

In recent months, former President Mary Robinson and TD Mick Wallace __have called for people to reduce their consumption of meat in order to reduce the impact of climate change and carbon footprint.

Darragh investigates beef producers role in climate change and asks should we cut down on our carnivorous appetites to reduce the impact of climate change.

Ear to the Ground will be aired on RTE 1 at 8.30pm tonight and will also being repeated on Sunday.

Women’s roles in farming organisations to feature on Ear to the Ground

Women’s roles within farming organisations, such as the IFA, is set to feature on this week’s Ear to the Ground.

An infestation of aggressive species of shellfish in the River Shannon and a bookshop in Co. Mayo will also be examined on tonight’s episode.

Tonight, Helen Carroll will meet with a number of women who feel that the age of male domination over the Irish agriculture sector is coming to an end.

At ground level, there are many thousands of women either running their own farming enterprises or actively involved in the family farm.

Despite this women are underrepresented when it comes to positions of influence with any of the main farming lobbies.

For example of the 53 members of National Executive of the IFA, only one is a woman.

Helen speaks with women to find out whether they think a change in attitude or policy is needed to allow for a better gender representation in Irish farm organisations.

Meanwhile, Darragh McCullough will travel to Lanesboro in Co. Longford to see how an infestation of Asian Clams threatens to damage the delicate ecosystem of the River Shannon and its lakes.

The clams are an aggressive species of shellfish, with a single clam having the potential to produce up to 70,000 offspring in a single year.

These foreign invaders are filter feeders and __have the potential to take all of the available nutrients from the freshwater fishing grounds, leaving nothing for the fish, or indeed, the fishermen.

Darragh visited Lanesboro to see first hand how the clams are impacting on the local coarse fishing areas, while he will also meet with competitors in the World Pike Fishing Championships.

Ella Mc Sweeney will make the journey to Louisburgh in Co. Mayo to see how a local project aims to rejuvenate the main street of the town.

The Co. Mayo town has opened up the country’s first community run bookshop, which is breathing life back into this town.

The bookshop has been embraced by everyone in the community, from school children to adults, becoming a social hub of the community in the process.

Ear to the Ground will be aired on RTE 1 at 8.30pm tonight and will also being repeated on Sunday

Top 200 EBI herds in the country revealed

The top 200 EBI (Economic Breeding Index) herds in the country __have been revealed by the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation

This is the first listing to be released since the EBI base change was carried out last year.

Remaining in pole position for a third consecutive run is the herd belonging to Kieran Hearne from Carrick-on-Suir in Co. Waterford.

Hearne has an average herd EBI of €182, which is up €9 from the top figure in September, with €52 coming from the milk sub-index and €93 coming from the fertility sub-index.

In second position was Timothy Fitzgerald from Portlaoise, Co. Laois with an EBI of €171, with €38 coming from the milk sub-index and €95 coming from the fertility sub-index.

With an EBI of €170, made up of €52 from the milk sub-index and €85 coming from the fertility sub-index, was David Fitzgerald from Mallow, Co. Cork who came third on the list.

Kevin Downing, Whitechurch, Co. Cork has climbed two positions to fourth with an EBI of €164, while Vincent O’Connor from Killarney, Co. Kerry is in fifth position with an EBI of €162.

Recording the biggest jump of this evaluation was Thomas Supple from Ballyheigue, Co. Kerry, with his average EBI rising from €120 to €132, an average jump of €12, figures show.

The latest ICBF figures show there are 19 herds with an EBI of €150 or more, an increase of 12 herds from the previous evaluation.

This top 200 list, which is available on the ICBF website, saw 20 herds making the list for the first time, with 72 herds climbing up the ranks.

Figures show that the average EBI of the Top 200 herds is €130 with €37 coming from the Milk Sub-Index and €57 from the Fertility Sub-Index. This compares with a national average of €67, the ICBF show.

Source: ICBF

What Is EBI?

EBI is a single figure profit index aimed at helping farmers identify the most profitable bulls and cows for breeding dairy herd replacements.

It comprises of information on seven sub-indexes related to profitable milk production. These are; (i) Milk production, (ii) Fertility, (iii) Calving performance, (iv) Beef carcass (v) Maintenance (vi) Health and (vii) Cow Management.

Farmer and haulier convicted and fined on animal welfare charge

A farmer and a haulier were recently convicted at Armagh Magistrates’ Court on a charge connected with the transportation of an animal.

Farmer, Patrick McParland from Brootally Road, Co. Armagh,was convicted at Armagh Magistrates’ Court on one charge of causing a bovine animal to be transported in a way likely to cause injury or unnecessary suffering to it.

Stephen Smyth, a haulier from Madden Road, Keady, Co. Armagh, was also convicted on one charge of transporting a bovine animal in a way which was likely to cause injury or unnecessary suffering.

Both men were fined £500 (€582) each as well as a £15 (€17.40) offender levy.

Smyth was transporting an animal belonging to McParland to an abattoir in Northern Ireland.

The Official Veterinarian (OV) at the abattoir noticed that the animal was almost completely non-weight bearing on its front right leg which was massively swollen.

In the opinion of the OV the animal had been caused unnecessary suffering by being transported.

Farmer who polluted a waterway fined over €1,750

Meanwhile, a farmer who polluted a waterway in Co. Down was fined £1,500 (€1,740) as well as a £15 (€17.40) offender levy in court recently.

The farmer, David James (Jay) Warden from Gransha Road, Bangor, was fined at Newtownards Magistrates’ Court for polluting around 3.5km of a waterway in Co. Down.

On July 11 in 2015, Water Quality Inspectors (WQI) acting on behalf of the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) investigated a pollution incident.

The pollution was caused by farm yard effluent being discharged to a tributary of the Cotton River, Bangor in Co. Down.

The inspectors discovered the waterway was covered in sewage fungus immediately downstream and discoloured as far as Ballyholme Beach where the Ballyholme River meets Belfast Lough.

Inspectors entered the farm at Gransha Road and observed silage effluent discharging from a storm pipe to an open water course adjacent to the farm yard.

The stream smelled strongly of silage effluent and was impacted by sewage fungus from the silage effluent tank actively discharging to the waterway adjacent to the farm yard, according to the inspectors.

In accordance with procedures a statutory sample of the effluent was collected.

This was a serious polluting offence allowing farm effluent to enter a waterway which flows to Ballyholme Beach, a local amenity and ‘Blue Flag’ beach.

‘Battle of the contractors’ to take place in Cork tomorrow

Following a farm-related accident last year and the response of West Cork Rapid Response (WCRR), a group of agri-related people will host a fund-raiser for the organisation tomorrow, January 21.

Dr. Jason van der Velde and the WCRR team respond to accidents and emergencies as a volunteer paramedic with his own jeep and equipment and __have saved numerous lives in west cork over recent years including numerous work-related accidents.

A group of contractors, employees, friends and colleagues came up with the novel idea of hosting a battle of the contractors event (without the tractors) at the karting centre in Watergrasshill, Co. Cork in order to raise funds and give back to Rapid Response as well as help educate people on health and safety and the dangers around machinery.

On the night 23 teams, comprising five members each, will battle it out on the track to be crowned champions.

This event will take place in Kartworld in Watergrasshill from 4pm and promises to be a highly entertaining night. Due to overwhelming support, the Race Card for the night is full.

Sumo wrestling, a raffle and competitions to predict the race results on the night will also feature.

All spectators and supporters are welcome on the night. All proceeds from the night are in aid of Dr. Jason van der Velde and West Cork Rapid Response. Anyone who cannot attend can donate to the cause on Go Fund Me.

In addition, Dr. Jason will be on site during the event giving safety demonstrations in relation to common workplace accidents in farming.

WCRR is an entirely voluntary group working in partnership with and supporting the existing HSE Emergency Medical services.

The Rapid Response Vehicle and volunteers are declared National Ambulance Service assets based in and serving all of West Cork.

‘Top-down approach for Dublin-Galway Greenway has been a failure’

The top-down approach for the Dublin-Galway Greenway which ignores the feelings of local landowners and local communities has been a failure, ICSA General Secretary, Eddie Punch, has said.

Punch was speaking yesterday following a meeting, organised by Independent TD Michael Fitzmaurice, between landowners and the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Shane Ross and Minister of State Patrick O’Donovan.

The meeting was scheduled to discuss a pathway forward for the Athlone to Galway portion of the National Cycle Network (the greenway).

Punch said that ICSA has had numerous meetings in Galway and Roscommon on this issue.

“What was presented to the Minister does not involve expensive consultant reports. In fact, using a consultative process where the solution includes more use of public lands and infrastructure will turn out to be a much lower cost solution.”

The delegation, which also included members of the Galway Cycling campaign group, argued for a complete rethink of the strategy for developing the cycle route.

ICSA Galway representative Adrian Kelly said that the group got a really good hearing and the Ministers __have agreed the only way forward is to __have a proper consultation process.

The case for an agreed route was made very strongly. The cycleway could include a mixture of secondary public roads and other public lands rather than just cutting across family farms.

“The group made a strong case for a consultative committee involving the local stakeholders and insisted that the threat of compulsory purchase orders (CPOs) must be taken off the table. All of this was taken on board by the Ministers,” he said.

Work on parts of the Athlone to Galway section of the greenway stalled last year after farmers objected to the route going through their lands.

Speaking in November last year, Minister Ross said that he understands the problems for landowners and the fact that they feel threatened by the possibility of compulsory purchase orders.

“If I see an opportunity for ministerial intervention which would do some good, I will certainly act accordingly.

“In the meantime, the previous Minister put this project on pause and talks are hopefully going to go ahead which will resolve this problem.”

‘Highly prolific flock’ of 200 ewes to be sold in dispersal sale

A flock of 200 Texel Belclare cross ewes is set to go under the hammer in a dispersal sale in Tullow Mart, Co. Carlow on Tuesday, February 7.

This outdoor lambing flock has consistently scanned an average of 2.2 lambs per ewe for the past few years, according to owner Tom Nolan.

Nolan has taken the decision to offload 200 ewes from his ‘highly prolific flock’ due to a number of other off-farm commitments.

The entire flock was brought onto the farm as ewe lambs and they are all in top class condition, Nolan said.

In September 2015 all ewes were vaccinated for Toxoplasmosis and Enzootic abortion, while the entire flock was dosed with Twin Plus prior to joining the ram in 2016.

The ewes went to the ram on November 9, meaning the flock will begin lambing at the end of March or early April, Nolan said.

tullow sheep 1

tullow sheep 2

tullow sheep 3

tullow sheep 4

tullow sheep 5

The flock was joined with Charollais rams, which will not be up for sale at the sale.

The next big date is scanning, we will scan the entire flock on Tuesday, January 31, the mart manager came out recently and he said they are a smashing group of sheep.

The flock is situated close to the mart and will be transported loosely in large trailers with a minimal ramp to the sale to minimise the stress on the ewes, he added.

Taking place on Tuesday, February 7, the dispersal sale will take place in conjunction with the general sheep sale at Tullow Mart, which takes place every Tuesday.

Since being advertised on Donedeal, the dispersal sale ad has been viewed over 2,500 times.

Market for in-lamb ewes

There are plenty of customers around for in-lamb ewes, up to a price, according to Tullow Mart Manager Eric Driver.

“80 good Suffolk Cheviot cross ewes, known as Tullow ewes, scanned with two lambs each sold for €205/head. 

“That was the highlight of the year so far and it will take a big sale to beat that,” Driver said.

Nolan’s flock is a fine example of the Texel Belclare cross ewe and the Tullow Mart Manager expects plenty of interest from far and wide once the ewes scan results are confirmed.

There has been a good turnout of ewes with lambs at foot over the last three weeks in Tullow mart, he added.

Four-year-old ewes with twin lambs at foot recently sold for €222 each recently, while ewes with single lambs made €175 each.

“There are plenty of people interested in sheep, but they don’t want the hardship of lambing, meaning ewes with lambs at foot are a popular choice,” he said.

Underground North-South Interconnector ‘may be the cheapest option’

Members of the North East Pylon Group (NEPP) are claiming that it will be cheaper to put the North-South Interconnector underground than it would be to push forward the pylon option.

We now know that it cost €2.2m/km to put the 34km stretch of the East-West Interconnector from Rush in Co Dublin to Batterstown in Co. Meath, said NEPP committee member Padraig O’Reilly.

“This figure was made public quite recently. On this basis, the cost of putting the North-South Interconnector in place on that basis would work out at some €200m. So the €600m figure made public by EirGrid is totally erroneous.”

O’Reilly said that, when it comes to the overground option of using pylons, EirGrid is under shooting the total cost.

“They take no account, whatsoever, of devaluation and delay costs. This is a totally untenable position to take. Delay costs __have been independently estimated at €240m with devaluation costs coming in at €250m.

“EirGrid has estimated the construction costs associated with the pylon option at €280m. So, on the basis of this figure and factoring in the delay and devaluation figures, the cost of an over ground interconnector is greater than those associated with the underground alternative.”

NEPP is actively campaigning for the Irish Government to opt for the underground version of the North-South Interconnector.

Approximately 750 people turned out for an NEPP meeting, held recently in Kells, Co Meath. It is estimated that farmers and landowners made up half of those in attendance.

“The option of seeking a judicial review in response to the decision taken by An Board Pleanala is certainly an option for the future,” said NEPP chairperson Amy Treacy.

“We __have until February 22 to make our mind up on this matter. It will be a priority to secure legal advice on this crucial issue over the coming days.”

Video: Group of cyclists help farmers to deliver calf

A group of cyclists in Spain stopped in the middle of their journey to help some farmers with a cow who was having some difficulties calving.

It was believed that the cow had been in labour for up to five hours without the farmers being able to deliver the calf successfully.

The group of cyclists stopped to lend a hand to the farmers, with one member of the group, named Jose Faraldo, stripping down to his waist and taking charge of the situation.

Faraldo delvers the calf without a calving jack after just a few minutes, with only a few ropes close at hand.

Both the dairy cow and calf were in obvious distress following the birth, with the farmers acting quickly to make sure the calf was alive and moving.

Once the calf was born and seemed to be alive and well it was placed beside its mother, who had recovered slightly having collapsed during the final moments of the birth.

The entire procedure was captured on camera and was uploaded to Facebook and Youtube recently, where it has amassed over 200,000 views.

Some of the cyclists later returned to the farm to check on the cow and calf, who were reportedly doing fine.

This isn’t the first time this cycling has stopped to help people in need, according to the club’s Facebook page.

In the past they __have helped to pull a car from a ditch, helped people who were lost in the mountains, assisted in putting out a small fire as well as releasing an animal from a barbed wire fence.

Farmer seeing treble as cow calves

A farmer in Ireland was surprised when one of the cows in his dairy herd gave birth to triplets, something he has never seen on his farm.

Shane Fitzgerald, from Portlaw, Co. Waterford, arrived out to his shed on January 9 to the surprise of triplet Holstein Friesian calves, two bulls and a heifer.

The chances of a cow having triplets is in the region of 1 in 100,000.

I’m in a farm partnership with my father and he’s never seen triplets either. He couldn’t believe it when I told him.

“The cow calved them herself and she was 11 days before her time – she wasn’t due until January 20,” he said.

Long Lost Cat Discovered ‘Living in the Past’ at BCLM

Museum regular 16 year old Tiger the cat has been harbouring a rather purr-plexing secret: fourteen years ago he ran away from his owner to join our very own Maintenance Team! A recent trip to the vets blew his cover however as we quickly found out that Tiger, or Snitch as he was appropriately known, was once the much-beloved pet of local Rachel Wells who’s a veterinary nurse at White Cross Vets in Wolverhampton.

Rachel spend months desperately searching for him to no avail, and eventually resigned herself to having lost him forever. Meanwhile the fraudulent feline was seeking a new life here, cosying up to Roger Colbourne on the Maintenance Team. The pair have been inseparable ever since and Roger has been feeding him every day for over a decade, __with Tiger waiting for him at the gates each morning.

Roger Colbourne, 70, said: “I was astounded to learn about Tiger’s past. I have grown extremely close to him over the years and can’t imagine life without his companionship. I see him almost every day and the maintenance team all have a special bond __with him – someone’s always fussing him or treating him. I lost my dog Rose over Christmas but seeing Tiger every day really helped me through that – he’s such an affectionate and loving cat. Still, we can’t help but feel duped – I thought someone had abandoned him when the truth was he had run away from a perfectly good home and loving owner.”

Rachel Wells, 34, said: “Tiger was 18 months old when he went to play out 14 years ago but he never returned.  I spent months putting up posters and trying to find him but it proved fruitless.  However working as a veterinary nurse means I’ve seen a number of pets reunited with their owners after long periods of time so I never gave up hope and each time I moved house I always updated my contact details on his microchip, on the off-chance he ever turned up. 

“When he finally reappeared after all these years I couldn’t believe it and especially because he’s now living so close to me.  It’s a huge relief to know that he’s safe, well and is being so well looked after by Roger and the Black Country Living Museum.”

Tigers chip will be officially renamed to Roger – so keep a look out for him around the Museum where he’ll spend his days snoozing, meowing at Roger to be picked up and catching the odd mouse to earn his keep.

£129k Grant Will Bring Racecourse Colliery to Life

Great news – today we found out we’ve been awarded a grant totalling £128,490 towards the restoration of our racecourse colliery! The donation has been awarded by the DCMS/Wolfson Museums and Galleries Improvement Fund and will complete our ongoing fundraising efforts for the area, which has seen financial support from 82 generous individual sponsors via our Big Give campaign  as well as donations from Arts Council England, the Owen Family Trust, EJ Thompson Memorial Fund, Friends of the Black Country Museum and Purcell UK.

The assessment panel mentioned that they were “particularly impressed” by the our visitor numbers, and agreed that the planned renovations would genuinely increase the amount of time visitors spent on site and improve flow around the Museum for those visitors.

The completion of fundraising will allow us to start work from February 2017, __with an expected completion date of February 2018. The area, which sits on top of an original mine shaft, will focus on “life on the surface”, aiming to immerse visitors in the everyday life of colliery workers through a number of restoration projects. Restoration work will include a repair to the tub tramway so that coal can be transferred by pit pony; installation of atmospheric lighting; the restoration of a pit cage that shows how miners were lowered into the shaft as well as a host of brand new costumed characters to tell the real stories of those who once worked there.

Jonathan Wilson, Deputy Chief Executive – Collections, Learning & Research at BCLM comments: “We are delighted to have received so much support from the public for the restoration of our Racecourse Colliery. The completion of this project will mean the Museum is able to provide an immersive and thought-provoking experience of this important Black Country industry for our visitors, and give them a real sense of what day-to-day life was like for the people and animals working above a Black Country mine. Thanks to this generous donation, we’re able to start doing that straight away.”

We've Received a £129k Grant for the Racecourse Colliery Restoration

Great news – today we found out we’ve been awarded a grant totalling £128,490 towards the restoration of our racecourse colliery! The donation has been awarded by the DCMS/Wolfson Museums and Galleries Improvement Fund and will complete our ongoing fundraising efforts for the area, which has seen financial support from 82 generous individual sponsors via our Big Give campaign  as well as donations from Arts Council England, the Owen Family Trust, EJ Thompson Memorial Fund, Friends of the Black Country Museum and Purcell UK.

The assessment panel mentioned that they were “particularly impressed” by the our visitor numbers, and agreed that the planned renovations would genuinely increase the amount of time visitors spent on site and improve flow around the Museum for those visitors.

The completion of fundraising will allow us to start work from February 2017, __with an expected completion date of February 2018. The area, which sits on top of an original mine shaft, will focus on “life on the surface”, aiming to immerse visitors in the everyday life of colliery workers through a number of restoration projects. Restoration work will include a repair to the tub tramway so that coal can be transferred by pit pony; installation of atmospheric lighting; the restoration of a pit cage that shows how miners were lowered into the shaft as well as a host of brand new costumed characters to tell the real stories of those who once worked there.

Jonathan Wilson, Deputy Chief Executive – Collections, Learning & Research at BCLM comments: “We are delighted to have received so much support from the public for the restoration of our Racecourse Colliery. The completion of this project will mean the Museum is able to provide an immersive and thought-provoking experience of this important Black Country industry for our visitors, and give them a real sense of what day-to-day life was like for the people and animals working above a Black Country mine. Thanks to this generous donation, we’re able to start doing that straight away.”

Arrabawn Co-op increases December milk price

Arrabawn Co-op has increased milk price by 1c/L for December supplies, a spokesperson for the co-op has confirmed to Agriland.

This increase brings the base milk price to 30.75c/L for December.

Arrabawn is the third co-op to set a milk price for December milk supplies, with Glanbia and Lakeland Dairies setting milk prices last week.

Glanbia announced that it will pay its suppliers 30c/L including VAT for December manufacturing milk supplies.

Glanbia Ingredients Ireland (GII) has increased its base price for December by 1c/L to 30c/L including VAT for manufacturing milk at 3.6% fat and 3.3% protein.

In light of this decision, there will be no Glanbia Co-operative Society support payment to members this month.

Glanbia Chairman Henry Corbally said that the strong recovery in Glanbia’s milk price in the past six months has resulted in a positive conclusion to a very challenging year for the dairy sector.

Last week, Lakeland increased the milk price paid for December supplies to 30.28c/L including VAT.

The decision to increase the December price by 1c/L follows on from last month’s decision to increase the November milk price by 2c/L to over 29c/L including VAT.

Last week, it was announced that the Ornua PPI (Purchase Price Index) increased for a sixth consecutive time in December, reflecting higher market returns in the month across all products, Ornua announced.

The monthly indicator of market returns on dairy products purchased by Ornua (typically butter, cheese, whole milk powder and protein products) for December increased to 103.8 points.

This latest figure is up from the 99.4 points for November returns.

The PPI can provide a reference as to how the general dairy market is performing, and may help to guide expectations around likely returns for dairy products and the milk used in their manufacture.

Romantic sheep farmer pulls off unique marriage proposal

A romantic sheep farmer in the UK pulled off a unique, farming inspired marriage proposal over the Christmas period.

Stephen Boow who farms approximately 230ac of land got down on one knee on Christmas day. 

Farming near the village of Bootle, Cumbria, in the UK, Boow was delighted when his girlfriend, 27-year-old Sandra Woodend, agreed to become his wife.

The farmer, who is 41-years-old, keeps close to 700 sheep on his farm, which is named Corney Hall farm.

Woodend, who’s family farm runs a mixture of dairy young stock and beef cattle, also works on a neighbouring dairy farm. 

She also owns a number of ewes, which she keeps at Boow’s farm with the rest of his flock.

The bride-to-be had left to go milking early on Christmas morning when Boow put his marriage proposal plans into motion.

Using the sheep as part of his master plan, Boow spray painted his proposal on some of his girlfriends sheep.

The sheep are at his farm. On Christmas day, I went to milk on another farm where I work and he sent me a text saying one of my sheep was poorly.

“So when I came home he said you better go and __have a look at it and then I saw them all,” she said.

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Farming themed wedding proposal.

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Farming themed wedding proposal.

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Farming themed wedding proposal.

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Farming themed wedding proposal.

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Farming themed wedding proposal.

The happy couple, who grew up in the same area and __have known each other for years, are now busy with the flock as the lambing season gets underway. 

Boow has certainly raised the expectation level for any farmer planning a farming themed marriage proposal in 2017.

Video: Four hedgecutters that would stand out on any farm

At the controls of a Noremat VSV.

Hedgecutting is not always the most comfortable of tasks. Too often, the tractor’s cab pillars are in just the wrong place, making it hard to see the flail head. Contractors and operators might well yearn for a ‘bells and whistles’ self-propelled machine, if money was no object.

Cue the Noremat VSV; a striking machine that might just be a show-stopper.

The cab, arm and engine are positioned to provide the right balance between stability and visibility. The 4-cylinder Perkins engine sits directly across from the flail head (or other attachment) to act as a ballast, without adding unnecessary weight.

Equal-sized wheels

The main pivot for the arm/boom is located between the two axles. Stability is improved further by placing each of the four equal-size wheels at the extreme corners of the machine.

The machine has enough capacity to drive multiple attachments; typically a boom-mounted flail head on one side and another at the front.

The Noremat VSV: The ultimate hedgecutter?

Yet another self-propelled option is Spearhead’s (Energreen’s) Twiga SPV 2. Its key feature is a rotating cab, which allows 90 degrees of rotation from transport to work position.

In transport position, the operator looks directly over the front of the machine at the road ahead. In work position, the cab is rotated and the operator looks directly over the flail head, using the machine in a forward and back motion.

Spearhead also offers SPV 3 and SPV Trax variants, offering greater reach and, in the case of the latter, a tracked undercarriage.

Not be outdone, machinery giant Claas has kitted out one of its Xerions with a plethora of booms/arms to create a hedgecutter of truly monstrous proportions. Affectionately named the Octopus, one can only marvel at the operator’s dexterity.

The Xerion is Claas’ specialist high-capacity systems tractor. Interestingly, a couple of contractors in Northern Ireland run Xerions, primarily as power units for triple mowers.

Irish innovation

If the budget is more modest, you might consider mounting an off-the-shelf hedge-cutter on a second-hand self-propelled power unit. The video below shows an Irish designed and built Arbo-Cut 2000, which has been grafted onto an old John Deere 5830 forage harvester. The 5830 was a reasonably popular forager here in Ireland back in the 1980s and 1990s. It was affectionately known as the ‘coffin box’, due to the auger-box (running underneath the cab) ‘occasionally’ jamming up with grass.

Arbo-Cut, based in County Waterford, manufactures a range of different hedgecutter models. Some are equipped with flails heads; others are equipped with saws.

While the outfit below might be overkill in terms of horsepower (and possibly fuel consumption), the high driving position certainly does provide a commanding view.

John Deere ‘opens’ up at FTMTA Farm Machinery Show

The new F441R baler from John Deere.

John Deere has confirmed that it will debut some new products, amongst its varied display at next month’s FTMTA Farm Machinery Show in Punchestown.

Irish debut

New on the stand is the F441R fixed-chamber round baler. This machine makes its Irish debut at the show. Aimed at contractors, it features a wider bale chamber, up from 1.17 to 1.21m, which means heavier bales. It also incorporates an extra 18th roller. There is a choice of 2m or 2.2m pick-ups. The MaxiCut HC chopper can __have 13 or 25 knives.

John Deere’s product engineers __have focused on improving durability, when re-designing the F441 series balers. The pick-ups are now reinforced by wear-resistant Hardox steel plates, stronger drive-chains, upgraded roller material, larger bearings and improved sealing protection.

R series revamp

An interesting tractor development concerns the new B-post ‘split door’ option, for the 6R series. This development harks back to previous cab designs, presumably in response to customers who didn’t warm to the current R series door (which stretches the full length of the cab). According to John Deere, demand for this was mainly from livestock farmers, who move in and out of the cab all day.

The ‘split door’ option will be showcased on a 6130R tractor.

A John Deere 6130R tractor with the B-post door option.

Also new at next month’s show is the 5125R tractor. Based on the previous 5R models, the revamped series continues with a full-length frame design.

The frame facilitates easy front loader installation, says the company. Claimed turning radius is just 3.75m, even when fitted with a loader.

The new 90hp 5090R, 100hp 5100R, 115hp 5115R and 125hp 5125R models are equipped with Stage IIIB/iT4 compliant 4-cylinder, 4.5-litre John Deere engines, which don’t require AdBlue. They deliver an extra boost (10hp) for transport applications.

The new John Deere 5125R tractor and 543R front loader.

Three transmissions are available. These include the entry-level 16/16 CommandQuad manual transmission, which features four ranges and four powershiftable gears within each range, the 16/16 CommandQuad and the 32/16 Command8, with eight powershiftable gears and an ECO mode that enables a top speed of 40kph at 1759rpm.

While all these transmissions offer a fully automatic clutch, individual start-up gears, individually settable speeds and an electric park lock, the premium level 32/16 Command8 also features automatic shifting as standard. The latter feature is also optional on the 16/16 CommandQuad transmission.

Front axle suspension, with independent arms and adjustment of +/-45mm, is available. Mechanical cab suspension is optional.

Also on the stand will be an 8500 self-propelled forage harvester. Tractors on display will include a large-frame 6R series model, a 6155M, a 6115MC and a 5100M.

Other equipment at the exhibit will include an M740 trailed sprayer and a Gator utility vehicle.

Two candidates declare their intention to run for Macra Presidency

Two candidates __have declared their intention to run for the position of Macra na Feirme President, Agriland has learned.

Odile Evans, the current Vice President and National Treasurer of the young farmers organisation declared her intention to run at a meeting in Co. Wicklow last night.

Evans, a graduate of Food and Agribusiness Management from UCD, hails from a dairy farm on the outskirts of Gorey, Co. Wexford and is well known in farming circles from her work as a journalist.

Meanwhile, Corkman James Healy has also declared his intention to run for one of the top jobs in Macra na Feirme.

At a Donoughmore Macra meeting last Friday, Healy declared his intention to run for the Macra Presidency after giving the role much consideration over the Christmas period.

Healy is an Associate Member on the Macra na Feirme National Council and has previously held the position of Cork County Chair.

Hailing from a small holding in Co. Cork, the well-known Corkman is employed as a production supervisor with an electronics company.

Sean Finan current holds the top position within the young farmers organisation, but his two year tenure is set to come to an end this spring.

This opens the way for the election of a new President in early April.

It is also understood that a number of candidates are set to express an interest in the three Vice-President roles in the coming days.

Opening dates for slurry spreading are ‘unworkable’

The Department of Agriculture has been called on by the Irish Cattle and Sheep Association (ICSA) to adopt a more common sense approach to slurry spreading dates.

The call comes as the slurry spreading ban ended on January 12 this week for counties in parts of the south and east of the country.

ICSA Rural Development Chairman Seamus Sherlock said that calendar farming restrictions for slurry spreading are proving unworkable and unrealistic and most frustrating for farmers.

Farmers in Zone A can commence spreading from today, with farmers in Zones B and C permitted to commence after January 15 and January 31 respectively.

Focusing on this week’s inclement weather Sherlock said that many parts of the country are experiencing weather conditions which are completely incompatible to slurry spreading.

“It may be weeks before conditions improve by which time many important farming schedules will __have been delayed.”

On the contrary, the milder and dryer weather over the last number of weeks would __have been ideal, yet our hands were tied.

Sherlock said that at all times, farmers are working and planning with a close eye on the weather and ground conditions in order to comply with best farming practice in terms of efficiency, animal welfare and environmental concerns.

“Fixed artificial deadlines at the beginning and end of the slurry spreading season goes against all that, and the legislators must surely recognise the wisdom in being more flexible on this issue.”

In order to comply with the EU’s Nitrates Directive, slurry, farmyard manure, and chemical fertilisers are prohibited from being spread over the winter in Ireland.

The aim of the closed period is to protect ground and surface water, including drinking water.

The regulations also prohibit the spreading of slurry at any time of the year when the ground is frozen, waterlogged or heavy rain is forecast in order to prevent slurry running off into waterways.

Pics: The show goes on despite snow on Irish farms

Mount Stuart, Co. Waterford

Farmers in parts of the country arrived out to a snow-covered yards and fields this morning, as temperatures dropped last night and wintry showers hit.

This morning it was quite chilly, with snowfall seen across different parts of the country.

Both status yellow and orange weather warnings were in place this week for wintry conditions, but these are set to be lifted later on this evening.

The weather is set to return to a mixture of scattered showers and dry spells this weekend, according to Met Eireann.

Many farmers sent in photos of their farms to us on Snapchat, with Edmond Donovan sending us this great shot of his cattle on Mount Stuart, Aglish, Co. Waterford.

This high ground didn’t escape the snow, but Donovan believes the cattle are still happier here,1,000ft above sea level, than in a shed.

Mount Stuart, Co. Waterford

Connacht didn’t escape the wintry showers this morning, as parts of Co. Leitrim were turned into a winter wonderland this morning.

Christine from Manorhamilton, sent us in this scenic snap while she was feeding the sheep.

Newborn lambs getting their first taste of snow.

One animal that doesn’t look too pleased to be left out in the cold and would much prefer to be in beside the fire is Patrick McDermott’s rodent controller.

From Co. Galway, McDermott’s farmyard was covered in a light dusting.

This feline doesn’t look like it’s enjoying the snow.

Meanwhile, these cattle were happy to get their breakfast in the shed this morning as wintry showers hit Castleblaney, Co. Monaghan.

On the same beef farm, these two brave little farmers weren’t going to let a little snowfall get in the way of their work.

Ryan and Nadine, from Castleblayney in Co. Monaghan, wrapped up well with jackets and hats.

As other farmers were out and about early this morning, they managed to send us in their snowy snaps.

Chris McLaughlin was out and about this morning in Shrove, Inishowen, Co. Donegal, sending in some snaps of snow-covered countryside.

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Inishowen in Co. Donegal covered in snow.

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Scenic snow snap from Co. Donegal.

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Snow in Co. Armagh this morning.

The remainder of today is forecast to be cold with afternoon temperatures of just 4 or 5 degrees.

Winds will be fresh and gusty northwesterly and will back westerly through the afternoon, easing later.

Met Eireann has said that there’ll be good sunshine and scattered showers, wintry at times mostly over high ground.

They look set to occur most often in the west and northwest but are likely anywhere.

Innovative farming ideas a hit at BT Young Scientist Exhibition 2017

Farming was a popular theme for students who entered the 2017 BT Young Scientist and Technology exhibition.

Over 4,500 students will display their 550 projects at the 53rd annual exhibition which is taking place this week in the RDS in Dublin.

The event has a mixture of projects in areas including science, engineering, maths and technology.

Farming is a key theme which is being explored by some of the students at the event, with projects examining farm safety, energy sources, hygiene on a farm, animal husbandry and innovative ideas to help farmers.

The projects on display at the event highlighted the teamwork and clever ideas of students from right across the country, according to Minister of State for Food, Forestry and Horticulture, Andrew Doyle.

The Minister spoke with some of the masterminds behind the projects, including a group of students from Co. Wicklow who designed two products to help with feeding and watering livestock.

Self-cleaning water trough

Oisin Cullen, Dylan Symes and Sam Ireland developed both a self-cleaning water trough and a funnel-style system for transferring feed ration from bulk storage to a bag.

They say the best ideas are always the simple ones, if you take the challenges of trying to clean out a dirty water drinker and you had a simple way of making sure it was clean you would use it.

“The same goes for the meal hopper for transferring meal. A lot of meal now buy their meal ration in half tonne bags from bulk.

“They are three young men who __have actually come up and worked together and shown what a little bit of joined up thinking can do,” Minister Doyle said.

Farm safety

Farm safety was also high on the agenda of many students at the event. Jack Nagle from Killorglin Co. Kerry developed a device called ‘Tractor Safe Lock’.

The student’s device is designed to pull the handbrake on a tractor if the operator forgets to do so while getting down from the machine, an idea that came to Nagle following an accident involving his grandfather.

“One day my grandfather was getting off his tractor and he forgot to pull the handbrake.

So when he was on the step the tractor started to roll a and he went in under the wheel and he had a heart attack.

Slurry gases

The closed period for slurry spreading came to an end this week in parts of the country and students from Co. Limerick examined a method to deal with dangerous slurry gases. 

Mickey Byrnes and Michael Kelly created a fan style system to extract slurry gases from a shed when agitating.

“When you agitate slurry it releases the gases and when the fumes come up we __have the fan to draw them out.

“The gases could kill you in 10 seconds, just one lungful of it,” Byrnes said.

Other farming related projects at the event saw students investigating the energy value of rushes as well as different types of livestock manure.

The best Snapchats Agriland received this year – did your photo make the cut?

Having launched our Snapchat account earlier this year we __have been inundated with photos sent into us through the popular social media app.

Thousands of people from all around the country and abroad are now following Agriland on Snapchat.

Close to six months on from launching our Snapchat account we __have decided to take a look back at some of the best entries we have received this year.

First House in the Village

One of the most popular entries so far this year was a snap taken of an address on a cattle identity card.

Credit to An Post for continuing to deliver to this address, you would only hope that there is only one way into ‘the village’.

It’s More Fun On This Side of the Barrier

With cattle being housed for the winter, this is a problem faced by most suckler farmers, especially those with autumn calving herds.

The farmer might make an effort to re-pen the offenders on their first few breakouts, but will then eventually give up as the calves sheer determination to grow up on the wrong side of the feeding barrier wins out.

Tanker for Sale

Coming up to the slurry spreading deadline can be a stressful time for farmers as they try and make sure there is enough of room in the tank to make it through the winter.

This farmers’ brave attempt at spreading on soft ground didn’t quite work out, so they decided to cut their losses. We wonder did they get any offers?

Chick Magnet

Sheep and chickens are not animals you would necessarily think would make good companions on the farm, but this ram seems to be getting on just fine with his new found friends.

You would just hope the ram took care of the rest of his ‘business’ this autumn without any trouble.

Huns Would Do Anything To Be Tagged In Pictures These Days

The social media craze has grown to huge proportions in the last few years, now even dairy cattle are desperate to get in a photo opportunity.

With cattle tagging being such a hot topic of conversation this autumn, most farmers will appreciate the brilliant use of a pun in this snap.

Well at least those on social media will.

It’s Stressful being a Beef Farmer

Sometimes farmers need to just take a minute and assess a stressful situation. Most farmers will choose to take a seat on a couch or at the kitchen table with a nice mug of tea.

But this farmer decided to the make the most of where he was and take a quick rest in a cattle trough.

Well that can’t be fixed, said no farmer ever

Whether it’s a gate, a few yards of dodgy fencing or a phone charger, farmers will always try their best to fix it.

However, a piece of baling twine or a handful of staples couldn’t be used for this slightly more delicate operation.

Instead the insulating tape was found to ensure this charger was kept in full working order!