News Archives
Fane Valley Feeds customer wins “Tidy Farm of the Year” award
24th October 2011
Caption L-R Keeping the farmyard tidy at the Kee's farm near Trillick are Norman, Gareth, Sharon, eight-month-old Harrison and May.
Busy farmers often tend to overlook the appearance of their farmyards and buildings but the opposite appears to be the case for the Kee family from Trillick.
They have just triumphed in this year's FBD National Awards for 2011 following on from the success of winning the Ulster regional title two years ago.
Father and son, Norman and Gareth Kee run a herd of 120 cows on their farm, Castlemervyn Demesne, 63 Castlehill Road, Trillick.
Their work running the business extends to carrying out virtually all the farming operations themselves, including silage cutting, slurry spreading and hedge-cutting. This helps them keep the farmyard in the way they want but they also go the extra mile by painting gates and sheds every couple of years and making sure the machinery is maintained as well as regularly washing the yard.
"Having won the Ulster Farmyard Award in 2009, Gareth decided to enter the All-Ireland competition on his father's behalf, acknowledging all the hard work his father, Norman has put into the farm over the last six decades," a spokesman for the family said.
"Norman and Gareth work endlessly at Castlemervyn Demesne to maintain a tidy and safe farmyard and all their work work has paid off having received the high recognition of the All Ireland dairy winner."
This year's format of the competition, run in conjunction with the Irish Farmers' Journal was amended and the awards were not run on the basis of geographical location, but on the basis of farm type.
The judges were Tommy Tuite of FBD; Katherine O'Leary of the Irish Farmers' Journal and Tom Ryan, of Teagasc. The judging criteria included farmyard design, farmyard appearance/tidiness/maintenance, health and safety, landscaping/shelter belt/biodiversity and overall impression.
The judges praised the high standard of cleanliness and tidiness in the farmyard and in their importance of a safe working environment for both animals and staff.
Gareth, who joined his father on the farm full-time after graduating in a degree in animal science at Edinburgh University, says they put the welfare of their animals a top priority and have improved animal comfort. by providing mats in the cubicle accommodation.
The Kees' award was a cheque for 3,000 euros and the FBD award they received at the National Ploughing Championships in Athy recently.