Latest news with #DarrenAllen
Irish Examiner
25-06-2025
- Business
- Irish Examiner
Ballymaloe Farm hosts ‘Managing Soils to Grow Profit' farm walk
The 'Managing Soils to Grow Profit' tillage farm walk was recently hosted on Ballymaloe Farm in Cork. The farm walk was facilitated and hosted by Dairygold Agri Business in collaboration with Teagasc. The event brought together farmers from across the region to share knowledge and best practices and soil health management, crop establishment techniques and nutrition, with some of Munster's leading soil health and tillage advisers speaking at the event. Host of the event and Teagasc Signpost farmer Darren Allen, has been part of the Teagasc Signpost programme for four years and has embraced the opportunities and challenges that have come along with it. 'As a farmer, I have to challenge how I do things every day, not just to reduce our environmental impact, but to remain viable as a food producer. Margins have tightened so much that yield alone is no longer a reliable measure of success. It is now about the margin per hectare. That shift in thinking is essential if we're to have a sustainable future in tillage,' he said. Teagasc's Signpost programme has been running similar farm walks across the country in recent months aimed at highlighting the work of tillage farmers. Speaking at the event, Teagasc Signpost programme adviser John Mahon praised the commitment of host farmer Darren Allen, saying: 'The Allen Family, like other tillage Signpost farmers, are constantly developing new practices on farms, often to demonstrate the practices and the advantages of such actions. "Some practices don't work out, but their commitment to continuous improvement and follow-up by sharing their experiences with others is what really matters. These farmers are ambassadors for a sector that continues to evolve and improve, and we in Teagasc are grateful for their contribution to advancing best practice across the industry.' Also speaking at the event, Liam Leahy, Dairygold beef and tillage business manager said: 'Tillage farmers are showing a strong willingness to learn, adapt and evolve. Events like this highlight both the challenges and the rewards that lie ahead.'
Irish Examiner
23-05-2025
- Climate
- Irish Examiner
Signpost: All we need is a bit of rain for the crops
We are after a great spring in comparison to last year. The weather gave us ample opportunities for cultivating, setting and spraying. As a result, crops are looking extremely well. We did run into a small bit of trouble with one field of spring barley that got heavily infected with leather jackets. With all chemical control options now gone due to the increasing loss of chemistry in the EU, our only option was to give that field a roll with a flat roller, which thankfully stopped any further loss of plants. All we need now is a bit of rain to keep things moving on. Crops are generally looking very well, and I am very happy with them. All crops have received herbicide for weed control. The barley received Zypar at 1L/ha. As I write, fungicides are the next big task. The spring barley is due its T1 within the coming days. I intend to apply Comet 200 at 0.5L/ha plus Xynteo at 0.8L/ha. The winter wheat will be receiving its T2 flag leaf spray. We must switch chemistry to avoid resistance build-up so it will be sprayed with Revystar XL at 1.5L/ha plus Arizona at 1.5L/ha. Thankfully, I haven't seen yellow rust at this stage, which seems to be very prevalent in some varieties this year around the country, for whatever reason. This will be followed by the final head spray on the winter oats, which will be Elatus Era at 0.8L/ha. The peas and beans are due to get 0.6L/ha of Signum. We have also taken the opportunity to plant our wild bird cover for the environmental scheme in great conditions, so now all we await is rainfall for its germination. The other day, along with my Teagasc adviser and in preparation for a joint Signpost/Dairygold farm walk we are hosting in June, we carried out a procedure for the national 'GroundTruth' project aimed at checking our soil health. It is called "the underwear degradation test" but most will call it the "underpants test". All you need to do is dig a hole to three inches deep, place a pair of cotton underpants into it and refill the hole. Leave them there for a certain number of weeks before digging them back up. The cotton is a source of food and carbon which will be eaten by bugs and microbes if they are present in the soil. This won't give you a scientific result, but it will give you an indication of whether the decisions you are making are helping your soil or not. We have buried two underpants, one in a field that is under a plough-based establishment system and the second in a min till system to see if we notice any differences. The Teagasc/Dairygold Signpost Tillage Evening will take place on Wednesday the June 18, starting at 6:30pm. The theme of the event is 'Managing Soils to grow Profit'. Topics on the evening will include soil health, crop establishment systems, crop nutrient, along with intercropping legumes and water quality. All are welcome and we look forward to welcoming you to Ballymaloe for what promises to be a very informative and enjoyable evening. Darren Allen is a Signpost tillage farmer based at Ballymaloe Farm, Ballymaloe, Shanagarry, Co Cork.
Yahoo
29-01-2025
- Yahoo
Court system launches scam prevention webpage
The Administrative Office of the Courts is working to help people avoid being taken by scammers, with the launch of a new fraud and scam alert webpage on the court system's website. The state court system launched its scams resources page Monday. The page can be found at The webpage includes information on how to identify a scam and important tips so people can protect their finances and personal information. The website will also be updated with the latest scam alerts reported to the AOC. Darren Allen, a retired Kentucky State Police detective who worked with the AOC on the initiative, said while the AOC doesn't receive daily scam reports, there are reports of people taken in jury duty scams. In a jury duty scam, the scammer calls, emails or even mails the victim, claiming they missed jury duty and now have a warrant out for their arrest. The scammer then demands an immediate payment, or else threatens to arrest the victim. 'These are very frustrating cases to work, and you feel sorry for the victims,' Allen said Monday. The webpage is 'a preventative measure' which will hopefully help people avoid being scammed, Allen said. 'There's not a lot of these that happen, but one is too many,' he said. Allen said the courts and law enforcement will never call or email and demand money or else face arrest. Neither will the courts or law enforcement ask for personal information over the phone or email, such as Social Security number, banking information, passwords or PINs. 'The courts are very protective of (private) information' and won't request it over the phone, Allen said. Allen ssaid scammers commonly pressure people to make a payment quickly, before they can think. Scammers target the elderly, Allen said. 'Our elderly are law-abiding citizens. They are responsible and they want to keep their bills paid,' Allen said. When a person calls claiming to be from a specific agency such as the court, Allen said people should ask questions and write down the answers. Scammers will often try to avoid answering questions, give excuses or will become angry. A legitimate organization, Allen said, won't mind answering your questions, and will give you information you can verify. 'Take a breath, grab a notepad and a pen and say, 'now, tell me who you are and who you are with,' ' Allen said. 'That's the way to protect yourself, by asking questions. 'If they don't want to answer your questions or say, 'the written documentation is not out yet,' that's an immediate red flag,' Allen said. 'Just hang up the phone.' The easiest way to verify if you have a warrant or missed jury duty is to call your county Circuit Clerk's office, Allen said. If a person missed jury duty, or has any court related matter, the Circuit Clerk's office will be able to answer. The state Attorney General's Office and the FBI investigate scams, as do local law enforcement agencies. Allen, who did a video to promote the courts' anti-scam efforts, said he hopes people will be able to use the webpage to protect themselves. 'I'm glad I could participate' in the creation of the page, Allen said. 'I hope it's well-received.'
