Top tillage farmer Jeremiah Dineen was announced the overall winner of this year’s Dairygold Malting Barley competition at the recent Tillage conference at the Corrin Event.
Consistently producing excellent quality grain and prioritising the environment by protecting water quality and embracing biodiversity has earned Jeremiah the prestigious title, according to judges Jimmy O’Mahony, Crops and Horticulture Specialist, Teagasc and Ciara Donovan, Farm Sustainability Advisor, Dairygold.
“His attention to detail is obvious and commendable. His planning, technical and machinery expertise as well as record keeping is very impressive. His wealth of experience and knowledge of tillage and malting industries has stood by him in this year’s competition,” explained judge Jimmy.
“He has embraced environmental schemes and has developed an impressive knowledge of catch crops and conservation tillage techniques,” according to Ciara.
“Located on the banks of the Bride, water protection was embraced, and biodiversity was encouraged particularly by managing excellent hedgerow throughout the farm.
“In addition, his balance as regards taking care of the environment confirms our view that he is the overall winner of the 2019 Dairygold Malting Barley Competition – he excelled in all scores,” she said.
Jeremiah farms with his wife Patricia on 80ha of tillage ground in Ovens, located 12km west of Cork city. He is a firm believer of crop rotation, religiously rotating Oil Seed Rape, Winter Wheat, Winter Barley and Spring Barley.
The free draining soil lends itself well to producing top quality malting barley, enabling him to grow the highest quality on the outskirts of the city. The self-contained grower uses Gate Keeper, regularly spread Cereal boost with Wolf Trax and embraces new technologies where possible.
Speaking about the competition Dairygold Tillage and Beef Business Manager Liam Leahy said it is a great opportunity to showcase the standard of grain produced by the co-operative’s growers.
“The diversity of the contestants was impressive varying from large specialist tillage farmers to relatively small mixed livestock tillage farms. All were committed to excellence. The traceability and authenticity of Dairygold’s Malting Barley augers well for the future sustainability of the product,” he said.
