Five decades of memories February 2024

In this article from 1996, Matt Ryan, who is our current Management Hints maestro, wrote about an issue that was familiar to many dairy farmers back then as they produced more milk than their quotas allowed. “Yet again, we are asking dairy farmers to do what is almost impossible – do not send milk to the creamery during February or March’ and there was the ‘ominous possibility of a super levy bill of €20m for farmers’ he wrote. In this piece, Matt has some solutions for farmers who were in this predicament, one of which involved reducing meal levels ‘if they are to make any significant reduction in milk sales’.

In 2000, Matt O'Keeffe, now our editor, was writing about the benefits of sexed semen for farmers. The advantages are obvious, he wrote: “No more unwanted Friesian bull calves. Ditto unwanted or unprofitable beef heifer calves […] A proliferation of bull calves from suckler herds entering the beef system will increase production significantly. There is no guarantee of a market for this extra beef.”

In this article from almost 30 years ago, attendees of a conference in Wexford were told that ‘farmers in the future will be expected to care for the environment as part of EU payments conditions’.

In 1997, Ralph Riegel wrote that the ‘fabled Greenhouse effect is beginning to move from myth into serious reality’. “There is little doubt that farming patterns will be radically altered by a change in the nature of the seasons,” he said. Back then, winter temperatures were rising, and there was record rainfall. The Met Office admitted, he wrote, that in the 15-20 years before this article's publication, the contrast between the seasons had eroded.

In February 1995, we drew attention to a striking ad campaign involving  supermodel, Naomi Campbell promoting milk and sporting a milk 'tache that Magnum PI would be proud of. "The American equivalent of the NDC  is spending millions of dollars to urge their good citizens to drink more milk," we wrote. A picture, as they say, paints a thousand words! It was a different time.

This article featured in our Home Farm section of the magazine – now Rural Life – and told the positive tale of how Mary quit the ‘fags’ with encouragement and support from her children, and became a finalist in a smoking-cessation competition! From a language perspective, it is interesting to see the topic of smoking being written about in this style. The subject matter and tone would be treated quite differently today but back then the language and personal experience shared in this story would have been very relatable to any smoker at that time.

A cool graphic advert from Bridgestone, celebrating 60 years.

A partner promotion piece from 1996 providing information on calf milk replacer.