Kildare man to feature on Ear To The Ground TV programme next week

RTÉ’s popular farming and rural affairs programme, Ear to the Ground, continues its groundbreaking 30

th Season on Thursday, November 24, at 7pm on RTÉ One.

In Episode 3, Helen attends a Farm sale in Kilkenny, the largest in over 30 years. Darragh speaks with

an Animal Inseminator in Cavan and Ella is in Kildare with a Farmer who farms under biodynamic

principals.

Trevor Harris runs a mixed farm in Co.Kildare, with salad crops, cereals, sheep and cattle. He is certified organic, but due to how his land was used previously he was concerned with the quality of his soil. So he started spraying his land with 'biodynamic' preparations made from cow manure buried in cow horns on his land. Ella McSweeney joined Trevor as he harvested kale and cos lettuce produced under 'biodynamic'

The decision to sell the family farm is not one easily made, but sometimes it is the only option.

In October, Joe Cutogno who was born and raised in the United States came to Ireland to oversee the sale of

the farm that his mother grew up near Thomastown in Co. Kilkenny.

On the morning of the sale, Helen Carroll met him at the farm, to learn more about the history of the family

before heading to the auction in Castlecomer, that afternoon.

The sale, which was one of the largest in Kilkenny in over 30 years, attracted huge attention and a large

attendance, but would the price exceed expectations, and indeed would the farm sell at all?

Robert Smullen is Dublin born and bred, but a love of farming brought him back to his mother’s farm in Co.

Cavan, where he now breeds pedigree cattle while also working full time as an Animal Inseminator.

Robert spends his days negotiating the highways and byways of the North West, visiting dairy and beef farms,

using AI to inseminate cattle for farmers.

His days are busy as Robert AI’s about 4,000 animals a year. It’s a short but busy season of about 10 weeks

and once a cow looks like she’s ready for inseminating, there is only a small window in which to get it done.

Darragh Mc Cullough joined him for a day to gain a better understanding of the growing importance of animal

technology in modern farming.

This season we continue to explore the issues, challenges and opportunities facing Irish farmers and rural

dwellers. Ear to the Ground is produced by indiepics for RTÉ and is broadcast from November through

until March.

For more information contact Production Manager, Sylvia Lynch. [email protected] / 01 708 8188