Our Jenny Curran down on the farm
FARMERS divide opinion like no other profession. The fact that they feed us and are custodians of our countryside carries little weight with those who think they survive on handouts from Europe.
A mission to find out what's the beef with agricultural issues
With the focus firmly on agriculture in the wake of last month's snow blizzards and the fact it is Love Beef Week, I figured it was time I spent a day on the farm. Lucky for me I stumbled across a man who not only meets this requirement but his animals have also starred in Game of Thrones and even hung out with Gary Lineker - I haven't just found a farmer I found famous one!
Peeling the curtains back at 5am and witnessing the thunderous sky I questioned my sanity in living a day in the life of a farmer. All of a sudden it dawned on me that these guys have to head to field regardless of the weather. Wearing almost every item of clothing I own - including an old mountaineering jacket of my mothers - I set off for Forthill Farm and Shop in Tandragee.
As I careered up the Ballymore Road I turned the corner into Forthill to be greeted by the owner of this fine establishment Kenny Gracie.
Gloves
My mentor for the day had practically a tropical outfit on in comparison to me. While he stretched out his work hardened hand I cautiously slipped my 'never- done-a-day' ones out of their gloves. This was going to be a learning curve.
With a hefty day in store we went to the kitchen for breakfast, "Some days I go and I hardly eat, I don't even realise," he said, "but I usually start the day off with a couple of rounds of toast and a cuppa."
Gone are my presumptions of the traditional three square meals loaded with meat and spuds. It's more of a grab and go affair. Grub sorted time for the real work to begin, not only does Kenny own cattle but also saddle back pigs, a deer, a donkey, several horses and sheep, ah yes and a collection of Jack Russells. All of whom need looking after.
So first up feeding the two calves. Luckily real life farmer's wife Jennifer drew the short straw and was allocated the task of clearing out the pens while we got the bottles ready for Annie and the newly named Jenny.
In two shakes of a calf's tail we were done. From baby on to supersize, we clambered into the tractor to sort out the bulls and cows. Beef zone hit like a slap in the face!
It is slurry season and boy is there no mistaking that. Drenched with fear that I would have to be involved in such a job Kenny was on hand with words of comfort, "I was out slurrying yesterday but it's far too wet to go out today, half of it would end out on the roads and on the public's cars.
"Like your wee motor you rolled up in would be covered in cow muck so we can't do it today." I never thought I would say this but I love the rain! Well until I tried to sling a 50kg bag of feed onto my shoulder.
There are some things the occasional squat in the gym can't prepare you for and this is one of them. Kenny has several sheds of cows that he looks after. No wonder he has the glow of a pregnant woman in his cheeks with all this fresh air and exercise.
The entire herd is around 80-100 cattle and this is quite the change as Kenny was used to dealing with a far bigger collection, "Up until a lock of years ago I had 800 at a time and I was supplying out to supermarkets. Now I have the rare breed cattle and I rear them all free range, no antibiotics, no growth promoters or hormones.
"We provide an affordable way for families to eat real meat, as nature intended." This rare breed Kenny speaks of is the Longhorn Cattle- hence the startling looking headwear they're sporting. Several hours later the feeding of all the animals was completed, now it was our turn.
Having been told their Saddleback pig tastes unendingly different from the packaged bacon I am used to I was looking forward to proving this with a taste test - buttie style. Results are in, A* bap!
"There's always work to be done, repairs on sheds, animals to be fed, illnesses to sort out. Then we would run the odd day, last week we brought the country to the city and filled Ormeau Park with animals and on June 23/24th we're having open days here at the farm."
Back in the tractor we spent the day driving around fixing bits and pieces. We even had to implement a Houdini-style escape on a bull that was caught between the rungs of a gate after it tried to sniff out a female!
Grabbing a huge log we levered the iron bar out of the way to allow the bull to get free. All in a day's work, eh? One unique part of Forthill is the farm shop/butchery. I spent an hour here, where I got put through my paces including the initial meet and greet with the carcasses!
Every piece of meat that is sold here has been farmed free range and cared for by Kenny, it is then sold right on sight. The only other part of the process to bravely go where I had never gone before was the abattoir.
The abattoir surprised me. I had conceptions of how it would be and in all honesty it was nowhere near as bad as I had imagined and a natural part of the process. In an odd sense of irony that was me, finished up and heading home with two rib eye steaks tucked under my arm. I just hope Annie and Jenny didn't notice me. Under Kenny's instruction I sealed them first and then fried them off for four minutes each side. My goodness me, is there a difference! Times a billion.
Talk about a last supper, well if I've just decided mine. Order in at Forthill Farm please for one more of the juiciest hunks of meat I've ever had the pleasure of scoffing!