Irish Farmers Journal podcasts

Martin Merrick chats to beef farm manager Stephen Frend on all things suckler, as well as Stephen’s background in farming.

Full time beef farm managers roles are like hen’s teeth, with only a handful of larger farms in the country able to justify such. Competition for such roles is stiff, so how did a fresh-faced new grad bag such a role to be the farm manager for one of the country’s most well-known commercial suckler herds?

This week’s Youngstock podcast features Stephen Frend, farm manager at Newford Herd, formally based in Athenry and now relocated to Atleague. We talk about Stephen’s background in farming at home in Toomevara, his college days in Waterford IT as well as the recent move for the herd to Roscommon. Stephen also talks about the importance of grass measuring, the genetics of the herd and how the finishing cattle have been performing of late