The main discussion point for crowds gathered at the opening day in Balmoral Show on Wednesday morning was the weather and would the rain stay away.

It was also striking to see so many cars from south of the border in the car park, reflecting just how accessible this superb venue is to visitors from across the island of Ireland. The Irish Farmers Journal team will be there in force this week along with our northern colleagues and there is extensive coverage of results online and on our social media sites throughout the show, with a full summary report in print next week.

In the meantime, call into the Irish Farmers Journal stand alongside the cattle lawn and we will look forward to hearing your views on the Irish Farmers Journal and wider farming issues north and south of the border.