Tipperary tillage farmer John Murphy from Garryroe, Ardfinnan in County Tipperary has been announced the overall winner of this year’s Dairygold Malting Barley competition.
The Murphy’s are located in one of the best farming regions in the country. John’s years of experience growing barley and his attention to detail have helped him deliver an excellent sample of barley to Dairygold with very high bushel, exceptionally low screenings, good moisture and malting standard protein levels.
Crop rotation of fodder beet, malting barley, winter barley and winter oats are used to optimise crop yield. John also uses rotational hedge cutting and cover crops to allow nature to prosper on his farm.
The judges praised John for his attention to detail as well as his planning, technical knowledge and excellent record keeping.
Speaking about John’s win, Dairygold’s Head of Commercial Agri Business Seamus O’Mahony said: “John’s wealth of experience and knowledge of the tillage and malting industries were key factors in his success in this year’s competition.”
The other finalists in the competition were Gordon and John Bryan in the south/mid-Cork region, John and Mary Jones in north Cork and Declan Kennally in the east Cork region.
Dairygold Chairman, John O’Gorman, congratulated John on his achievement and thanked all four finalists on their efforts throughout the year.
“It is very important that all tillage growers get the opportunity to showcase their sustainability credentials, the standards they achieve in husbandry and the contribution that they make to our business. Tillage growers are a very important part of Dairygold’s business, and we remain committed to supporting and developing this part of our business into the future.”
