With fertile soils, a temperate climate and abundant rain water, Ireland has enviable natural advantages for farming the land to produce food, fibre and fuel. Aided by the moderating influence of the Gulf Stream, Ireland’s climate is particularly suited for the growth of ryegrass, an excellent and inexpensive feed for livestock. This simple competitive advantage is the basis for much of Ireland’s farming today.
The country also has a rich tradition of stockmanship and crop husbandry, with farming skills handed down through at least 200 generations.
The agri-food sector is one of Ireland’s most important indigenous manufacturing sectors, accounting for employment of around 150,000 people. It includes approximately 600 food and drinks firms throughout the country that export 85% of our food and seafood to more than 160 countries worldwide. Research has shown that Ireland’s investment in agriculture produces a far bigger return than investment in other sectors. That is because agriculture sources 71% of raw materials and services from Irish suppliers, compared to 44% for all manufacturing companies.
But before all this, the raw materials have to be sown, grown and harvested and for this month’s edition if Irish Tractor & Agri, we profile a farm in Donegal that has been supplying grain and other crops for many decades now.
Drumbuoy Farm is located in Newtowncunningham, which is in the north east of the county, close to the Northern Ireland border.
The story of this farm is one of hard work and endeavour that started back in 1954 when a farm labourer called Eugene Robb decided that he wanted to farm his own land.
Eugene started out working on Inch Island on a mixed farm, but he then started renting a few acres where he began growing potatoes.
Having moved back to Newtowncunningham, Eugene increased acreage and in 1962 when he acquired a land commission farm in Kildrum Carrigans.
For the next 20 years, Eugene worked incredibly hard to make a living from the farm. The fruits of his labour were borne in 1982 when he purchased a plot of land in Drumbuoy, just across the road from the family farm.
However, tragedy struck the Robb family when a short time later, Eugene passed away suddenly and it was left to his son Liam to continue what his father had worked so hard to establish.
These days, Liam and his younger brother Cieran now grow a variety of winter and spring barley, wheat, oats, potatoes and oilseed rape. Liam grows oilseed rape for Donegal Rapeseed Oil Company which is cold pressed to produce a very high quality cooking oil which has won numerous food awards.
Liam Robb Agricultural Services is a well-established business based in east of County Donegal. With over 35 years’ experience the business provides an extensive range of agricultural services, including full farm contracts. Crop husbandry operations include Crop spraying, fertiliser spreading and slug pellet application on cereals – potatoes -grass. Arable operations include ploughing, harrowing, cultivation, drilling, rolling, sowing, harvesting and baling. Potato Operations include seedbed cultivation, bedforming, destoning, planting and harvesting. Work is carried out with hi-tech modern equipment to make the most of the short weather windows they get in the North West of Ireland.
“We have tried to continue what our father built up and we have expanded the farm by means of share and contact farming which is all managed as a single farm unit,” said Liam.
Liam and Cieran have the same philosophy in that they run a fleet of modern machinery in order to carry out work to the highest standard. Over the years, they have done business with various machinery dealers where service and support are very important.
“There is a vast array of machinery here which is needed for us to carry out the work as quickly and efficiently as possible. We would do a lot of the routine maintenance work ourselves, but any of the machinery that requires major work is carried out by the main dealer.
The weather plays an important part in timeliness of work and Liam revealed that the majority of 2014 had been ideal for them.
“It was a very good summer and you can get through a great deal of work when there is fine weather, but we had a spell of showery weather up here in August which delayed the harvest a bit.”
Drumbuoy Farm supply many local farmers with grain, hay, haylage, and straw amongst other crops.
Liam and Cieran have been busy with the winter crops and are now in the middle of potato harvest operations for Doherty Potatoes Ltd.
“Obviously summer is the real busy time for us, but we are kept going throughout the year as there is always something to do. We are happy enough with our operations at the moment and although we have no plans to expand, we would always keep our options open.”
You can see videos of our operations on our youtube channel ‘liamrobbagri’ or on our Facebook page ‘Drumbuoy Farm’.
Drumbuoy Farm
Drumbuoy,
Newtowncunningham,
Co. Donegal
Tel: 074 9156294
Fax: 074 9156294
Email: [email protected]
Taken from Irish Tractor & Agri magazine Vol 3 No 1, January/February 2015
