Trevor takes chairman's role

He was elected at the recent annual meeting when the new vice-chairman, John Egerton, a suckler farmer from Rosslea was also elected.

Trevor succeeds Robert Graham, a beef farmer from Tempo, who has held the post for the past 12 months.

The annual meeting of the club was attended by a large attendance who voted for a new committee and heard guest speaker, David Wright, IFJ, talk about the various agricultural sectors and the likely implications of Brexit on Northern Ireland agriculture.

David Wright (left) Northern Ireland editor of the Irish Farmers Journal, and guest speaker at Fermanagh Grassland Club, with outgoing club chairman Robert Graham (centre) and Philip Clarke, treasurer.

The election of officers was conducted by Mr Wright as follows:

Chairman - Trevor Dunn; Vice-Chairman - John Egerton; Secretary - William Johnston; Treasurer - Philip Clarke.

Committee (with further members to be co-opted) - main office bearers and David Brown, Albert Foster, Nigel Graham, James Murphy, Barry Read and Alan Warnock.

Robert Graham, in his chairman’s report, thanked the members for giving him the opportunity to lead the club in what was an exceptionally busy year with excellent speakers and outings. He particularly thanked the Secretary and Treasurer, whom he described as the cornerstone of the Club.

Mr Wright referred to the state of the various sectors pointing out how milk prices had improved significantly since early summer, mainly due to a drop in supply.

Beef prices had also improved and the sheep sector had enjoyed a reasonably good year helped by reduced supplies from New Zealand.

Farmers can look ahead in 2017 to the new Environment Farming Scheme opening in February, compensation for PI calves but will see an end to the Areas of Natural Constraint in 2018.

Issues on Brexit were also discussed.

At the November meeting of the Club, the speaker was James Taylor, a young farmer from a large mixed beef and arable farm near Portrush with 490 acres in grass and 95 acres in cereals. He runs 100 Stabiliser spring calving suckler cows with all male and surplus heifers taken to beef. Last year he also purchased stores for finishing.

He is a participating farmer in the Northern Ireland Suckler Beef Programme and is a former student of Harper Adams University. He said he has found the Stabiliser breed to be a good choice for his farm.