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2020 Grassland Farmer of the Year competition launches with €30,000 prize fund

The Grassland Farmer of the Year competition for 2020, which carries a prize-fund of €30,000, is open for applications.

The competition was officially launched by the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Dara Calleary, T.D at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine in Dublin this week.

It will recognise and acknowledge those farmers who are achieving high levels of grass utilisation in a sustainable manner.

The objective of the Grassland Farmer of the Year competition is to promote excellence in grassland management among all livestock farmers, dairy, beef, and sheep producers, according to organisers.

7 categories 

The Grassland Farmer of the Year competition is being run as part of the Teagasc Grass10 grassland campaign.

The focus of Grass 10 is on encouraging grassland farmers to grow and utilise more grass in the animal’s diet. The aim is to help farmers utilise 10 tonnes grass dry matter per hectare per annum, with 10 grazings per paddock per year.

The competition has seven categories; enterprise awards include dairy, sheep, beef suckling and non-suckling categories.

Other categories include disadvantaged land winner, sustainable farming winner and a young farmer (under 30 years) category winner.

The young farmer category can include entrants that are farm managers or farming in a collaborative arrangement.

‘A cost advantage’

Speaking at the launch, Minister Dara Calleary said: “This competition highlights the critical role that grass plays in sustainable livestock0based food production systems.”

“Grass gives the Irish livestock sector a cost advantage in the form of an environmentally sustainable feed source.”

Coordinator of the Teagasc Grass10 Campaign, John Maher said: “We want to encourage farmers, across the country and across enterprises to optimise the use of the valuable resource that grass is on Irish farms.”

“We urge livestock farmers to enter the Grassland Farmer of the Year competition, to test their grass growing skills against the best in the country.”

Apply

Entry forms for the competition and from local Teagasc advisory offices, from – [email protected] – or by phoning 025-42457. Completed application forms should be submitted on, or before Monday, August 31st, 2020.

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