Clement wins Farmer of the Year award

Sarah Slevin

Offaly’s Clement King has been named Farmer of the year 2021 by Irish Hereford Prime.

“It started from last summer when I had an audit with Bord Bia and Hereford Prime and they came out and I didn’t know anything more about it until I found out in December,” Clement, who has been farming over 30 years, said.

He got quite a surprise when he was told he was the overall winner recently.

“I wasn’t even aware of it until I was told in December, they were out looking at the stock and I didn’t think, they rang a week later to tell me I was in the running with ten other farmers for Farmer of the year. It was all news to me, it was a surprise,” Clement from Riverstown, Birr, said.

He had been in the suckler business for thirty years, but in recent years made a switch which has been a great success for him.

“I wasn’t looking for anything or to achieve anything, I had just changed from suckler to the calf to beef scheme, and was doing that for the last five years,” Clement explained.

On reflecting on the surprise achievement, Clement was gracious and modest and does not think he does anything “special” - just good work.

“Every day was same as normal. From day one I was just cautious of what I was buying in calves and getting it right,” he said.

Clement does not work totally alone and is delighted to have the help and support of his two sons and wife.

“Eoin and Peter are still in secondary school and in fairness, they’re a great help. And my wife Deirdre does help out as well,” Clement said.

Clement is kept busy with the farm as well as working full-time in grain and agricultural merchant, Liffey Mills.

“I am working full-time, I’m the manager at the local branch of Liffey Mills and it’s good to have a great relationship with the farming here, and what’s happening underground and what people are looking for with stock,” Clement said.

Clement shared some of his practices and secrets and said it does come down to not sparing anything and doing things right.

“I started the calves on a good milk replacer which is 25% protein which we have really focused on here in Liffey Mills over the last few years. I do find that is a great element to a start, along with a Calf 18 ration here. I’d have calves going out very good, very healthy,” Clement said.

“I do vaccinate them when I buy them in, it’s a key secret as well I have to say,” he advised.

Irish Hereford Prime, who award the Farmer of the Year is a producer group in Ireland. It is the biggest farmer-owner, farmer-led producer group in Ireland, as well as being the biggest Hereford producer group in Europe.