Ag Science Farm Visit
Two of the 5th Year Agricultural Science classes along with their teachers Mr. Dolan and Miss. Brennan visited two local farms as part of their studies in Ag Science.
The first farm the students visited was owned by local farmer Mr. John McCabe. Here John spoke to students about his ever growing business in fertility testing bulls and bovine scanning services all over Ireland. Students were lucky enough to see John in action where he scanned a number of in calf and barren heifers so that students could see exactly what the growing calf looked like inside the cow at various different stages of gestation and also the anatomy of the female bovine reproductive system. They also observed John fertility testing a Hereford bull.
The next farm visited was FH Farming Ltd in Kilkelly Co. Mayo which is a commercial suckler herd. The farm manager Mr. Keiran Flatley shared his vast knowledge and expertise on the various different breeds of cattle on the farm, the vaccination programme that has been put in place and also the process of embryo transfer in cattle which is becoming more and more popular. He also spoke with students in terms of the nutritional requirements of cattle and the importance of treating the land with the best quality natural and artificial fertilisers to get the most from their farming. This was of huge benefit to students as it related directly to their IIS project which is worth 25% of their Leaving Certificate grade.
We would like to sincerely thank Mr. John McCabe and Mr. Keiran Flatley for taking time out of their busy schedules to provide our students with such invaluable and insightful experiences and expertise which will no doubt benefit them hugely going forward.
