Green party

Vegeta

Cool the one the girl is holding must be a male or something as its way bigger than the one in Fota wildlife park. Their colouring is even different.

They cant be too concerned with Hare numbers if they are introducing this fella.

As long as they don't have a big impact on sheep farming then I'd love to see them here.

Vegeta

thelurcher wrote:

Bollocks talk - I'd give anything to be a farmer - what an idyllic life for anyone into field sports and the outdoors in general - I worked on farms from 12 years old to when I was finished college - that wasn't on a casual basis I was a paid farm labourer.

Don't forget they are running a business - it's up to them to manage their business properly - lots of the lads I hunt with in the winter are dairy farmers and they're out 4 or more days a week all season - they wouldn't trade in what they have for anything.

A lot of these moaning bastard farmers are the ones that haven't the intelligence to diversify or manage efficiently what they have - so they go looking for handouts - what else in the private sector would get away with that kind of crap so often :mad:

I have to say I don't agree with this point of view at all. I would not choose to be a farmer even though I am very interested in field sports.

Clare gunner

The golden eagle,the somwhat smaller cousin of the sea eagle.Is well capable of taking a fully grown adult fox.There was a magnificant photo in a German hunting mag a few years ago of a eagle and fox battling in the snow.One of those split second shots of the eagle just about to strike at the fox and the fox turning on the eagle.In the Uk post foxhunting with hounds.Eagles have been used to hunt down the driven fox. In Central Russia there is one type of eagle called the Berkut, about the size of the sea eagle.it is used for hunting wolves!:eek: By and large they are carrion and small game eaters.So lets wait and see what comes around .

Farming life;born ,bred ,raised on a farm,degree in ag science.Wouldnt work in that sector for love nor money anymore.It can be the most christless thankless occupation known to mankind.You are on call 24/7/365.A holiday is a major undertaking,and even then you cant chill,as you are worried is the relif help doing the job properly.Cows need to be milked Xmas day as every other day.You are most of the time too knackerd to do anything in your very little free time least of all anything like fieldsports.The bank owns your ass big time for loans on equipment ,and even getting in next years crop.
The only people who make money in farming are huge operations of 500 plus acres,with multi million euro investments and grants aplenty.
The day of the small family farm is ending.By being eaten by property development or other large farms.Unless you are going into self suffiency,and joining the open toed wellie and bearded women brigade:D and dedicating your entite life to building yurts and raising lentils.You might have abit of time to go hunting.But with that mindset you will more likely be an anti.:D

Vegeta

said it better than I could

fits

lol!
Our family farm is going to be eaten up soon I'm afraid
Its all so stupid, the globalisation of agriculture is so short-sighted and downright dangerous. Europe really should be thinking in terms of food security, rather than competition.
Agriculture will come back in this country soon though, it will have to.

Anyway, thats a whole other subject matter. You wouldnt catch me dairy farming, no way!

thelurcher

It can be the most christless thankless occupation known to mankind.You are on call 24/7/365.A holiday is a major undertaking,and even then you cant chill,as you are worried is the relif help doing the job properly.

Come on - that describes most every job I know :rolleyes: As I said they are running a business - I did a lot of contract work for years for my own company and know exactly what it's like - the banks own everyone - farmers aren't unique in that regard. They do have a lot more in the way of assets behind them that most every other profession - land isn't cheap anymore!
There's not half the money tied up in machinery that their used to be either especially in dairy - not one farm around my area do their own silage anymore for example.

I'd agree it's hard to make a lot of money out of traditional farming but that's part of my point - most of my friends have moved into other areas to suppliment it - point-to-pointers - dog kennels - pet farms - ice-cream etc etc - they're not out to become multi-millionaires - although they all have that option if things get too much for them i.e. only get out hunting 3 days a week.

Vegeta

thelurcher wrote:

Come on - that describes most every job I know :rolleyes:

am monday to friday 9 to 5.30 in an office is what I work. 2 days a week off and 27 paid holidays a year where I don't have to worry about a thing bar where to go on my next holiday

Don't like my actual work but love the hours. Much easier than being a farmer and I could go shooting 7 days a week if i wanted (in the dark after work in winter but that's what lamping is for)

thelurcher

I was talking about people with their own businesses
I have it even better than you Vageta now - flexi time - half day every Friday as well but I still don't get out as much as my farmer friends - and if my line of work becomes out of date or uneconomical for whatever reason I'll loose my job in an instant and get a paltry redundancy - that's normal business and I won't go moaning to the powers that be - it's happened to me before. I won't be able to sell my 100 odd acres for 20 or 30 million :rolleyes:

johngalway

thelurcher wrote:

A lot of these moaning bastard farmers are the ones that haven't the intelligence to diversify or manage efficiently what they have - so they go looking for handouts - what else in the private sector would get away with that kind of crap so often :mad:

Good luck to you with that attitude in life, I hope none of your so called farmer friends read what you've put up here.

Getting back to the letter in the Indo, it was very well rebuked today

BryanL

forget about hunting for a minute i want to know was Rovi searching for sweedish chicks or birds when he found that photo!!!!!!!
yes a great letter today in the Indo. nice to see a few letters going against the nut bars.
some farmers have it nice some don't.
Bryan

Rovi

johngalway wrote:

Getting back to the letter in the Indo, it was very well rebuked today

Here it is (http://www.independent.ie/opinion/letters/eagle-eye-on-the-farmers-real-worth-798139.html)-

Eagle eye on the farmer's real worth

Wednesday June 27 2007

I have to reply to John Tierney (Letters, June 22) and his accusations against farmers. He said farmers were against the reintroduction of the White-tailed Eagle. I saw the TV report and I saw farmers saying it would affect their income which they are entitled to do.

I am sure if Mr Tierney's income was being endangered, for what ever reason, he would speak out.

Farmers are guardians of the countryside whether he agrees with this or not. These are the facts. As a farmer in our area I can see more wildlife on my farm today than I ever have, so I think his remarks about the countryside being devoid of wildlife simply does not add up.

He spoke of hunts. I have seen hunts go through our farm for many years and I can honestly say I never heard of them catching a fox. So maybe there is some truth in the saying as clever as a fox.

The fox is classed as vermin as are mice and rats, so perhaps Mr Tierney should call on people to stop killing these also and see how the urban dweller would like them crawling all over their property.

His accusation that a farmer is in the paper every week for cruelty is complete rubbish. Very few such cases are ever seen in the papers. It is in our interest to have healthy animals on the farm because they are the food, fully traceable, that consumers are putting on their tables.

I read in the paper that hunt saboteurs put broken glass down where greyhounds were going to run. That sounds cruel to me.

Mr Tierney said that anyone can comment on farming regardless of his or her address. Of course they can but they should do their best to be accurate, which Mr Tierney was not.

Does this man travel on the road by car? If he does the chances are that he is killing small animals crossing our roads. Maybe he should travel by bicycle.

My advise to him is to stay in bed. Then he could not kill any animal. Or ccould he sleep in peace if he saw a fly caught in a spider web in the corner of his room? Ah well, perhaps he should keep his eyes shut because he surely has them already shut when he can't see the great work many farmers are doing in preserving the countryside and putting healthy food on our tables, even Mr Tierney's table I would guess.

MICHAEL FLYNN, RATHGORMACK, CO WATERFORD

sidneyreilly

good man Michael Flynn:D

Clare gunner

[

QUOTE=thelurcher]Come on - that describes most every job I know :rolleyes: As I said they are running a business - I did a lot of contract work for years for my own company and know exactly what it's like - the banks own everyone - farmers aren't unique in that regard. They do have a lot more in the way of assets behind them that most every other profession - land isn't cheap anymore!

Yeah! try selling it as agricultural land without planning permission!The bank will have you for the whole lot.It is a quater value of zoned/PP land.

Iam self employed in my own company and know exactly where you are coming from. Assetts,really?Where do you think they get the money to pay for 250K worth of machinery?Not from flogging a few cows.

There's not half the money tied up in machinery that their used to be either especially in dairy - not one farm around my area do their own silage anymore for example.

Err right...but you have the problem of H&S upgrades,machinery upgrades etc etc.It isnt a awy of making millions true,and the things you mentioned are just side incomes.Not main incomes,plus the unsociable hours.Where anyone else would demand time and a half,even self employed in a different profession you can set your unsociable hour rates.Cant do that in farming.

Sparks

Lads, I'm trying real hard, but I'm not seeing how whether or not farming is the ideal career is related to the shooting sports or sport shooting, especially the way the thread's going... wander back towards the forum's topic, would ye?