DVD Launch with Minister Coughlan

"Profit from Production - the complete beef and suckler guide" was launched on Wednesday, 8 August in the AIB Bank Centre. Below from left are, Dónal Forde, Managing Director AIB Ireland (AIB sponsors), Justin McCarthy, Livestock Editor with the Irish Farmers Journal, Minister for Agriculture Mary Coughlan T.D., Michael Dowling, Head of Agri Strategy AIB, and Matt Dempsey, Chief Executive and Editor, Irish Farmers Journal.

DVD final edit and front cover

The final editing has being completed on the DVD and we'll soon be putting more clips online. Below is pic of the DVD cover.

DVD to be launched at Tullamore 2007

The DVD will be launched at Tullamore 2007. Justin will be present to talk to any farmers interested in beef industry and suckler cattle... more about the launch later...

The Italian job by Justin McCarthy

From Meath to Milan - through the windscreen of a cattle truck
Last week I left Co Meath with a convoy of three cattle trucks carrying 190 Irish weanlings destined for feedlots in Verona, 300km south of Milan. In this article he reports on his road trip

Last Saturday I left Athenry at 4.30 am and travelled up to James Mallon's export yard in Co Meath. Despite having arrived in the yard at around 7.30am, it was a hive of activity with four lads sorting and batching weanlings into groups... click here to read full article on Farmers Journal website

Mellett Farm

The second shoot on the Mellett Farm in Shrule, County Mayo, went very well. We covered Grassland Management, including meal feeding at grass, picking animals for slaughter, buying in cattle and we also looked at the Bord Bia Quality Assurance scheme.

Shrule and then France and Italty

So it's off to Shrule in County Mayo tomorrow to finish off grassland management. We'll also be looking at selecting cattle for slaughter, buying in cattle and we'll look at the Bord bia Quality Assurance scheme.

The DVD team then head on a mammoth trip to France and Italy following a lorry load of calves from Meath destined for the Italian market. Pics and commentary on trip to follow.

Clip of Grassland Management Section

Here's a short clip of the Grassland Management section. Hope you enjoy but remember it's only a rough cut and final version is more polished.

What we've filmed so far

So far we've filmed a number of sections of the DVD including parts of Calving the Cow, Grassland Management and Breeding.

You can read Justin McCarthy's beef and suckler articles every week in the Farmers Journal. They are available online here.

Use the Issue Navigator to go back through past editions of Beef / Suckler related articles.

Below is a pic of Justin doing an interview in Gigginstown Stud about "Calving the Cow".

What is this The Farmers Journal Suckler and Beef DVD about?

The Farmers Journal is creating a Suckler and Beef DVD which we hope will be compulsive viewing. Jusin McCarthy, Beef Editor of the Farmers Journal, will present and script the DVD. Agtel, makers of RTÉ's Ear to the Ground, will produce and direct. In the coming weeks and months we intend posting sample clips from the DVD and your comments will be welcome.