'As kids, we’d get the price of the first lamb as a thank you for our help'

Woodville Farm in Ballydoogan, Co Sligo, has been in our family for about seven generations. I’ve an older sister and a younger brother and we all have the interest in farming; but I’ve been the one from two years old in the front seat, telling mum and dad what to do!

We have 300 ewes, 600 free-range hens and we calve about 25 suckler cows. We also open the farm to group tours during the summer months.

My parents, Richard and Linda, were always very encouraging of our interest in the farm. Growing up, when we sent the first group of lambs to the factory, we’d always get the price of the first lamb each as a thank you for our help.

I still co-work alongside mum and dad and I’d have a big input, especially with the sheep.

But the way agriculture is at the minute, splitting your enterprise is the way forward. For example, we find that the poultry are a constant income and they’re niche to the area.

It’s a small unit as poultry goes, but it’s still a free-range unit, and we can sell all our eggs within 10 km of the farm.

Australia and ag

After my Leaving Cert, I knew that I wanted to do agriculture, but I decided to defer my course for a year because I wanted to see a bit of the world first; plus I’d had enough of study, to be honest!

I worked at home and in a café in town until April and then I headed off to Australia to a beef unit in the middle of the outback. If you put any Irish cattle out where these cattle were, they wouldn’t survive a day.

They called the area by the house where the cattle were most of the time the ‘fattening paddock’, but there wasn’t a blade of grass on it. It was just a totally different perspective.

I’m now in my final year of animal science at UCD.

I couldn’t recommend the degree more. Last year was a big year as we had our work placement. I was in Germany for nine weeks on a pig and dairy farm, I was in Teagasc in Grange and in Athenry and I was also in Manor Farm in Cavan dealing with poultry.

I also did two weeks with Aurivo, where I went around as a rep to farms, and after graduation, one option I might explore is the animal nutrition side of things. Though I have not ruled out going on to do my H Dip to teach, or to travel again, as I’d love to go to New Zealand to see another perspective.

But I still go to Sligo every weekend to work and I do see myself ending up at home in the future; just not straight away.

Rugby and ag soc

Aside from studying, I’m also part of the UCD women’s rugby team. I’d been involved in football and soccer and athletics before going to college, but I just wanted to try something different in first year and when I went to the sports expo, it jumped out at me.

Another advantage was that we didn’t have to commit to weekends. We train Mondays and Wednesdays and matches are also mid-week, whether they are home or away.

In all team sports, you need a work ethic and a team ethic, but rugby is a game where nobody can hide

I play full back – number 15 – and one of the highlights every year is the Colours Tournament, which is UCD v Trinity. It’s the end of our season and there’s obviously a massive rivalry. But it’s such a great group to be involved with, and something away from the books. And team sports help with so many things, like leadership and group work.

A lot of the other girls on the team are also from a farming background. In all team sports, you need a work ethic and a team ethic, but rugby is a game where nobody can hide. Everybody has their position and growing up on a farm you’re always involved and you’re always willing to do things; so maybe that helps?

This year I’m also involved in the AgSoc committee, as part of the team running the tea shop. ‘Tea and a snack for a Euro’ is a very common term around college! It raises money for charity, but it also really helps with the camaraderie between everybody, from first to fourth year. We’re all so close. Ag really is a family course at the end of the day.