News|Business February 15th, 2023

Latest Laois News: Three growers from Laois Tirlán Quality Grain Award Winners

Three Laois growers among 13 top grain suppliers honoured for their top-class crops

Three Laois-based growers are among the top award recipients. They include Robert & Paul Young from The Heath who took the Malting Barley award. Portlaoise-based Mark Onions was honoured with the Seed Wheat top prize and the Green Oilseed Rape category winner was Edward Mulhall from Emo.

Paul Young farms a mixed tillage and sheep farm with his parents, Robert and Catherine, at The Heath near Portlaoise. The Youngs grow both winter and spring crops using a plough-based system of crop establishment. The farm operates a diverse rotation which includes fodder beet, spring beans and oilseed rape as break crops.

Malting Barley category winners Robert & Paul Young The Heath, Co Laois. Pictured at the Awards, left to right, were Tirlán Vice Chairman, Brendan Hayes with Robert and Catherine Young, Dr Michelle Collins, R&D Director, and the Youngs Tirlán agronomist, Tim Scott.

The main cereals grown are spring malting barley, winter barley (for seed) and gluten free oats. The sheep enterprise is comprised of both early and mid-season lambing flocks. Catch crops and beet tops are grazed by the sheep over winter. Their Tirlán agronomist is Tim Scott.

Mark Onions operates a mixed tillage and suckler beef farm, also outside Portlaoise. The main cereals grown on the farm are spring malting barley, winter wheat and winter barley, preferably for seed whenever possible. Mark generally rents out some of his land for potato growing in order to generate the rotation break required to grow seed crops. Mark’s Tirlán agronomist is Tim Scott.

Seed Wheat category winner in the Tirlán Quality Grain Awards 2022, Mark Onions, Portlaoise, Co. Laois, pictured with Tirlán Vice Chairman, Pat Murphy; xx Onions, Dr Lisa Koep, Chief ESG Officer in Tirlán and the Onions’ Tirlán agronomist, Tim Scott.

The third and final Laois category winner is Edward Mulhall. He runs a mixed tillage, dairy and beef farm along with his son James and their wives Kathleen and Grace in New Inn, Emo, Co Laois. The tillage enterprise is a large scale, highly intensive operation, growing over 700 acres in total. The rotation comprises a diverse range of crops including winter barley, winter wheat, oilseed rape (HEAR), fodder beet, gluten free oats and spring malting barley. The Mulhalls are strong believers in crop nutrition and soil sample regularly which allows them to follow a fertiliser plan to best utilise nutrients and get the most from each crop. The Mulhall’s Tirlán agronomist is Barry Purcell.