This week the Irish Farmers Journal caught up with Hannah O’Connor, Amy Reynolds and Ruby Duane to hear about their success in the Westmeath finals of the Student Enterprise Programme 2026.
The girls began back in September with their design and have spent long hours every week designing and shaping their business. Success came when they won the overall award at the Westmeath County Final on 3 March with their business design GreenYard.
The objective of the business is to create a sustainable product that can be implemented on any farm around the country, whether it's dairy or drystock. The product is a simple, but highly effective, bag-holding stand.
The students said: “We set out back in September to create a business that would help improve farmers sustainability practices on farm, we don’t process or dispose of the bags; what our company does is make a bag-holding stand that will allow farmers easily store meal bags once opened and encourage farmers to reuse these bags where possible, as they will all be located in one spot.
Portable
"The stand is simple and portable, so farmers can easily move it or relocate the stand, if need be. The bags will always remain clean and tidy when stored on the stand.”
Left to right: Hannah O'Connor, Amy Reynolds and Ruby Duane.
The girls said they had made multiple sales to local farmers and will make their stand to order if anyone is interested.
“Check out our social media sites on Instagram. We go as greenyard_0 and on Facebook people can search GreenYard and they will find us.”
Focus for the trio now turns to the All-Ireland finals which are on in the Mullingar Park Hotel on 7 May where they will represent their school Our Ladies Bower Secondary School, Athlone.
This week the Irish Farmers Journal caught up with Hannah O’Connor, Amy Reynolds and Ruby Duane to hear about their success in the Westmeath finals of the Student Enterprise Programme 2026.
The girls began back in September with their design and have spent long hours every week designing and shaping their business. Success came when they won the overall award at the Westmeath County Final on 3 March with their business design GreenYard.
The objective of the business is to create a sustainable product that can be implemented on any farm around the country, whether it's dairy or drystock. The product is a simple, but highly effective, bag-holding stand.
The students said: “We set out back in September to create a business that would help improve farmers sustainability practices on farm, we don’t process or dispose of the bags; what our company does is make a bag-holding stand that will allow farmers easily store meal bags once opened and encourage farmers to reuse these bags where possible, as they will all be located in one spot.
Portable
"The stand is simple and portable, so farmers can easily move it or relocate the stand, if need be. The bags will always remain clean and tidy when stored on the stand.”
Left to right: Hannah O'Connor, Amy Reynolds and Ruby Duane.
The girls said they had made multiple sales to local farmers and will make their stand to order if anyone is interested.
“Check out our social media sites on Instagram. We go as greenyard_0 and on Facebook people can search GreenYard and they will find us.”
Focus for the trio now turns to the All-Ireland finals which are on in the Mullingar Park Hotel on 7 May where they will represent their school Our Ladies Bower Secondary School, Athlone.
SHARING OPTIONS