FARMING

Talmhaiochta

 Barney Trearty Making Round Bails of Silage 10/7/04

Creeslough is a rural town. In the past it was mainly the centre of business for all the surrounding people, on small farms - rearing sheep, cattle, pigs and chickens. Growing corn and potatoes. Most families were self-sufficient with their own garden of vegetables, cabbage, carrots, onions, lettuce, turnips, etc. with their own milk, butter and jam. And of course the turf saved by the family in summer was the main way or cooking and heating. The main items to be bought in the shop were tea, sugar, flour and salt. The biggest outlay for the year was paying the rent. The horse was still the main stay or "Work Horse" on the farm.

Before Ireland joined the European Economic Community (EEC). The farms were still small each farmer kept four or five cows and still grew corn and potatoes some people grew seed potatoes the tractor was starting to come in to replace the horse.

After joining the EEC in 1973 Farming became more intensive they started to keep more stock sheep and cattle as the grant from the EEC were paid on the numbers. While the number of farmers dropped the farms grew bigger with less tillage and more grass and a lot of land was reclaimed. The main emphases were on suckler and milking herds also sheep. As for tractors each farmer has two or three and still requires contractors to do big jobs such as making silage.

Now in 2005 The European Union (EU) as it is now called is bring in the "Single Payment Scheme" to farmers, which is one single payment, which will be made to farmers on a bases on average of the grants received in the reference year’s 2000,2001 &2002. And will be decoupled from production no longer be based on the number of animals held. The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is under pressure how long this will last or what effect it will have on long term farming in any bodies guess.

  Nora Finnegan helping with the cow and calf.