Paula Hynes: A visit to CUH with Becky
Rosstemple Robin Evelyn Red VG85 recently purchased by the Hynes family at the IHFA Premier sale
This week has been so hectic keeping the farm running. I had to take Becky into CUH late on Tuesday evening, and after many tests including a CT scan, the doctors and surgeons agreed her appendix needed to be removed so she was quickly admitted to a ward with three other women.
She was taken straight down to theatre early on the Thursday morning and at 10:30am we got a phone call from the surgeon to say all had gone well and that it was lucky she had been admitted so quickly as she most definitely had appendicitis.
Through my time in the hospital, I got chatting to a wonderful woman from Crookhaven who was in the ward with Becky. We spent many a summer in Crookhaven so it was lovely to hear all the news from that part of West Cork, she also kept Becky well entertained with many a chat.
Thankfully, Becky is back home now and on the road to recovery, there’ll be no farm work for her in the near future and certainly only light duties when she does get out and about to ensure she makes it back to 100% fitness for the show season.
Becky's trip to CUH also clashed with the IHFA Premier Bull and Heifer sale, which took place on Wednesday in Kilmallock mart. The auctioneers for the sale were Denis Barrett along with Harrison and Hetherington, Glyn Lucas flew over from Carlisle to take the rostrum, like Denis, Glyn is a top class auctioneer with a wealth of knowledge on pedigrees and a great judge of dairy stock.
We’ve always lucky with the stock we have purchased through Denis Barrett, we purchased our EX94 Capital Gain cow through him last year along with our Papoose heifer in 2023 who went on to win numerous classes and has calved down very nicely for us with a topclass heifer calf and the very first heifer we bought through Denis was a Zandra heifer calf who went on to take Georgie to YMA National Finals the very first time.
We had our eye on lot 19 at the IHFA sale, Rosstemple Robin Evelyn Red VG85 bred by John Curtin, who we know through the show circuit.
Robin, as we now call her, was the first heifer into the sales ring, Pete was busy watching the sale online in between farm work and as Glyn Lucas was about to close the bidding on her, Pete placed one bid and ensured Robin was Cork bound for Rathard Holsteins.
The panic was on now however as with me and Becky inside in CUH, Pete trying to keep the farm running and Robin at Kilmallock mart, a quick phonecall to IHFA CEO Laurence Feeny who took charge and liased with John Curtin to ensure Robin returned home with him to allow Pete collect her later that night.
The Rosstemple herd is a superb herd of cows all milked through a Lely robot, and John breeds topclass heifers. he told Pete that Robin had produced 36L a day for the previous day. As Robin settled in quickly at home, John was spot on with her production as she produced 36L the following day and 37L the following day. Although life was a little too hectic to be buying a new heifer online, I’m so glad Pete did as she is a lovely quiet, sweet heifer who just adapted to her new surroundings straight away and certainly will make a super cow.
This fine spell of weather makes work life easier but also increases the amount of field work and we are very lucky to have two great contractors who take care of most of the tractor work on farm, Cantys sprayed off 17 acres for us this week in preparation for ploughing and while Pete headed to Limerick to collect Robin, they were in with slurry tankers ensuring all the recently grazed ground received slurry.
With the mayhem of the week, Pete forgot to ring Deasys about spreading farm yard manure, but they always provide a reliable efficient service and with a last minute phonecall, Jim was down in the yard loading dung and spreading it on paddocks prior to ploughing.
At times, we hear people moaning and whining about tractors on the road, well the reality is, these tractors on the road, these contractors are a crucial part of food production and a crucial part of our economy, the provide rural employment, spend vast amounts of money on machinery, fuel and insurance.
Perhaps the next time you are stuck behind a tractor on a road or giving out about the massive size of a machine they are driving down a narrow road and you have no room to pass, rather than give out, perhaps think I probably wouldn’t have food on my table without them and they are a crucial part of the agri industry that provides 8% of Irelands GDP and 7% of Irelands employment which is over double the amount of jobs provided by the pharmaceutical industry in Ireland.
