A Kilkenny farmer proved to be outstanding in his field, as he claimed the coveted Tirlán Quality Grain Supplier of the Year Award for 2022, amid strong competition from across the country following a record harvest. Scroll down to read about the winning grain and click through to see lots more photographs from the awards. Bennettsbridge-based Green Feed Wheat grower Thomas Butler and his wife, Annabel, were delighted to accept the award from Tirlán chairman John Murphy at a ceremony in the Newpark Hotel, on Monday. From feed beans to food grade oats, the annual Quality Grain Awards programme recognises the excellence of the top-class Irish crops delivered by Tirlán’s 1,100 growers each year. The Butlers’ were among 13 top quality suppliers honoured for their dedication and attention to detail in grain production. Thomas and Annabel, and their two children, run the family farm at Scatorish, near scenic Bennettsbridge. It comprises of 250 acres of tillage along with grassland and woodland - 120 acres of grassland and 60 acres of woodland. Stand-out winnerThere is a strong focus on soil fertility and rotations on the 2022 Quality Grain Award-winning Butler family farm. Thomas and Annabel run a diversified farming operation .On the tillage side, 90% of crops are established using a plough while about 10% are direct drilled. In addition to operating a varied rotation of crops, including winter feed barley, spring malting barley, food grade peas, feed beans, and winter or spring oats, they also have a keen interest in heritage wheat varieties. These are used in a local flour milling operation. It is the wide range of break crops grown on the farm that helped them deliver the perfect conditions for a bumper crop of Green Feed Wheat.The winning crop averaged a specific weight of 80.8 kph and 11.0% protein at a moisture of 14.1% across 310 tonnes.

placeholder image — A Kilkenny farmer proved to be outstanding in his field, as he claimed the coveted Tirlán Quality Grain Supplier of the Year Award for 2022, amid strong competition from across the country following a record harvest. Scroll down to read about the winning grain and click through to see lots more photographs from the awards. Bennettsbridge-based Green Feed Wheat grower Thomas Butler and his wife, Annabel, were delighted to accept the award from Tirlán chairman John Murphy at a ceremony in the Newpark Hotel, on Monday. From feed beans to food grade oats, the annual Quality Grain Awards programme recognises the excellence of the top-class Irish crops delivered by Tirlán’s 1,100 growers each year. The Butlers’ were among 13 top quality suppliers honoured for their dedication and attention to detail in grain production. Thomas and Annabel, and their two children, run the family farm at Scatorish, near scenic Bennettsbridge. It comprises of 250 acres of tillage along with grassland and woodland - 120 acres of grassland and 60 acres of woodland. Stand-out winnerThere is a strong focus on soil fertility and rotations on the 2022 Quality Grain Award-winning Butler family farm. Thomas and Annabel run a diversified farming operation .On the tillage side, 90% of crops are established using a plough while about 10% are direct drilled. In addition to operating a varied rotation of crops, including winter feed barley, spring malting barley, food grade peas, feed beans, and winter or spring oats, they also have a keen interest in heritage wheat varieties. These are used in a local flour milling operation. It is the wide range of break crops grown on the farm that helped them deliver the perfect conditions for a bumper crop of Green Feed Wheat.The winning crop averaged a specific weight of 80.8 kph and 11.0% protein at a moisture of 14.1% across 310 tonnes.

Bennettsbridge farmer named Tirlán Quality Grain Supplier of the Year

Reporter

Published 18th Feb 2023, 09:57 GMT

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Thomas Butler and his wife, Annabel, have claimed the coveted Tirlán Quality Grain Supplier of the Year Award for 2022, amid strong competition from across the country following a record harvest. Also included, Tirlán Chairman, John Murphy, and Aoife Murphy, Director of Ingredients at Tirlán Tirlán Chairman, John Murphy, said choosing an overall winner from among the 13 high calibre entrants was extremely difficult in a harvest year that was blessed with great weather, exceptional quality and high yields.“The excellence of our suppliers is something we in Tirlán never take for granted. Generations of commitment, knowledge and expertise are what set us apart from growers all over the world. We’re passionate about what we do and it shows in the high-quality produce that comes from our family farms. “Our standard-setting growers are the cream of the crop. We commend them on the exceptionally high standards they have set and for their continued dedication to quality, best practice and sustainability and their commitment to the sector. “In Harvest 2022, we took in our highest ever volume of premium grains and delivered an additional €3 million in bonus payments to growers of these premium crops. We remain firmly focused on adding value to our premium grains portfolio through our investment in innovation,” said John Murphy. “There has been a significant investment in cutting edge technology in our Innovation Centre, our team of Commercial, R&D, market insights and nutrition specialists, who work with our product management and marketing divisions to continuously develop our plant-based offering,” said Aoife Murphy, Director of Ingredients at Tirlán. “Our high-quality, oat-based ingredients can now be found in a wide variety of food applications such as bars and snacks as well as plant-based alternatives; including drinks, ice cream and chocolate.Expanding Portfolio“We’re continuing to expand our portfolio, build our expertise and evolve our offerings for the future in line with

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Green Feed Oats category winner James French Loughgerald, Enniscorthy, Co Wexford (centre) pictured with Tirlán Vice Chairman, Pat Murphy, and Dr Lisa Koep, Chief ESG Officer.

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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.

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Laois grower, Edward Mulhall, second from left, receives his award in the Green Oilseed Rape category from Tirlán Vice Chairman, Pat Murphy. Also included are his son, James Mulhall, Dr Lisa Koep, Chief ESG Officer at Tirlán and the Mulhall's Tirlán agronomist, Barry Purcell.

Tirlan

Bennettsbridge farmer named Tirlán Quality Grain Supplier of the Year

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