US farmers fact-finding in Meath

A delegation of leading US farmers and agriculture officials are on a fact-finding visit to agricultural enterprises in county Meath this week following an initiative by the Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Meath East TD, Shane McEntee. Plans for the visit were first discussed during a visit by the minister to the United States earlier this year to promote tourism links between Kansas City and county Meath. The delegation includes Kent Allen, Farm Services Director with the US Department of Agriculture in the state of Missouri, Leroy Shatto, a dairy farmer whose company Shatto Milk is one of the main suppliers of bottled milk to Kansas City, and two beef farmers from Missouri, Chris Broderick and Dan O'Connor. Minister of State McEntee said: 'Our visitors are leading figures in agriculture in the mid-West of the United States. They've heard of our reputation as a leading food producer. They are keen to exchange ideas with people involved in Irish farming and to see what they can learn from us.' The delegation's agricultural itinerary includes Christy Reynolds' farm at Garlow Cross, near Navan; the Teagasc Grange Farm, Dunsany; Martin O'Brien's suckler farm in Syddan, and Eddie Downey's tillage and poultry farm on 140 acres at Monknewtown, near Slane. They will also visit the Dáil, the National Museum, the world heritage site at Newgrange, the Ledwidge Museum in Slane and Slane Castle.