I must have given the commentator’s curse to one of the agricultural shows in my last blog when I mentioned which ones were taking place for the coming weekend. Organisers of The Gorey Agricultural Show were forced to postpone the event, due to bad weather. Unusually, they made the decision on the 11th June, four days before the show was due to take place.

The show organisers took to social media to make the announcement. On their website and Facebook page they wrote “The Committee of Gorey Agricultural Show have had to make the very difficult decision to postpone our 2024 show due to difficult ground conditions and a worsening weather forecast. In the interest of health and safety and out of respect for our landowners it would be irresponsible to continue with preparations”.

Two days after announcing the postponement of the show there was heavy rainfall. This would have made it difficult to erect tents and exhibition stands and would have left the field in a bad state. The landowner would not have been best pleased. It proved to be the right decision in the end.

Any exhibitors that have already paid for or put a deposit on a stand will be refunded in the event that the show cannot be rescheduled.

The postponement of the Gorey Agricultural Show clearly demonstrates just how bad the summer has been so far. It is very worrying for farmers and growers who are wondering if their crops are going to produce descent yields or not.

I am glad to report that one event scheduled for last weekend wasn’t cancelled because of the weather. It was an open day held last Saturday at the Salesian Agricultural College in Pallaskenry, Co. Limerick. The college gave prospective students an overview of the courses it has to offer. Some of the courses listed included the Level 6 Advanced Certificate in Agriculture (Mechanisation) and the Higher Certificate in Agricultural Mechanisation. The latter course is widely recognised within the industry as a practical hands-on course. It is Ireland’s first manufacture-led technical qualification programme and is supported by AGCO in partnership with the Salesian College and the Technical University of Shannon (TUS).

Students receive a Level 6 Higher Certificate in Engineering in Agriculture Mechanisation from TUS. Sixteen students took part in the first course, which began in September 2023. The course is spread out over two years. In year two Students complete 30 weeks of work placement in agricultural dealerships/garages, fabricators, and large contractors. The placement will give students the opportunity to put into practice what they have learned in college.

Having such courses available is good for our industry. There are other mechanical courses available around the country. You can visit the Teagasc website www.teagasc.ie/agriculture-courses to find what courses are on offer. I am mentioning about these courses this week as now is a good time to apply for enrolment in September. Perhaps you have an up and coming staff member employed in the workshop that would benefit from formal training? Having such trained staff in your workforce will do no harm to your business.