Updates & Upcoming Events from Macra na Feirme

It’s Not Too Late to Get Involved!
	Know Your Neighbour Weekend with Calor is taking place across the country this weekend, the 25th and 26th July. It’s not too late to check out what’s happening in your area or to organise your own event! Check here for events listings or here to register your event. It doesn’t take long to organise a BBQ on your local green or a coffee morning for your local charity so why not make the most of the summer spirit. Macra’s Know Your Neighbour initiative, supported by Calor, is in its tenth year with events taking place countrywide. The initiative aims to encourage more interaction between neighbours. Macra na Feirme National President, Seán Finan, said, “Macra and Calor have played major roles in Irish Communities for decades. This is our chance to build strong friendships with our neighbours and have some summer fun. I am encouraging everyone to get involved and make sure to register your event on knowyourneighbour.ie.” Calor, along with Freemount Macra, hosted a family fun day in Freemount, Co. Cork last Saturday featuring a BBQ cooking demo with TV chef, Catherine Fulvio. This was a free event for the whole family and over 140 people attended. It was a great way to kick off the initiative. Special thanks to Freemount Macra for hosting the event. Calor CEO, Tom O’Carroll, added, “Events like the National Family Fun Day are what the initiative is all about. We would like to wish everyone the best of luck with their ‘Know Your Neighbour’ events this weekend, and throughout the rest of the summer.”
€22,000 Worth of Prizes Up for Grabs
	The FBD National Farmyard Awards, brought to you by the Irish Farmers Journal are back by popular demand for 2015. The competition is open to all farmers across Ireland who keep tidy, well-maintained and safe farmyards. This year’s competition is split into three main categories: - Livestock (Beef & Sheep) - Dairy - All other farm enterprises (e.g. Tillage, Horticulture, Equine, Pigs, Poultry or Mushroom) The overall national winner will receive €5,000 while the category winners will receive €3,000 each. The competition also aims to award special merit prizes of €500 for areas such as kitchen gardens, preservation of heritage or traditional features and excellence in farm safety practice. For queries, email farmyard@farmersjournal.ie or contact 01-4199578. Closing date for entries is August 7 2015.