Throughout the 2020-2021 school year, the Irish Farmers Journal will be releasing videos from each of our case study farmers where they will give us an update on their on-farm progress.
By the end of the school year in 2021, each student who signs up to this year’s study guides will have access to five sector-by-sector mini case studies.
Below is an introduction to each of our farmers. You can visit www.farmersjournal.ie/agsci for full details on how to sign up to this year’s programme.
Shaun Diver – beef sectorPersonal details
Farm manager on Irish Farmers Journal beef and sheep demonstration farm in Tullamore, Co Offaly.Shaun grew up on a suckler and sheep farm on the Inishowen Peninsula in Co Donegal. The love of livestock, the land and Irish farming has been imprinted in Shaun since a young age.Shaun considers working in the agricultural field is one of the most fulfilling and rewarding sectors to be working in, in terms of job satisfaction.After finishing Gurteen Agricultural College, he took up a job at a suckler and sheep farm in Tipperary and four years later took over as farm manager at the Irish Farmers Journal farm. Size of farm
The Irish Farmers Journal demonstration farm is a 200-acre farm that runs a mixed grazing system with 100 spring calves and suckler cows and 250 mid-season lambing ewes.
Did you study ag? Any qualifications?
Shaun completed the ag science leaving certificate in secondary school and then went to Ballyhaise Agricultural College. He then transferred to Gurteen Agricultural College in Co Tipperary where he studied drystock management.
What do you love about farming?
Shaun loves working with the animals and being out on the land.
Biggest challenges in farming
Currently, the biggest challenge at this time for the Irish beef sector is the Mercosur trade deal. It is a huge threat, because Mercosur countries will be exporting their beef into Europe, which will belittle the great grass-based Irish beef product that Ireland and its farmers produce.
The other major challenge at the moment is Brexit. It is another large threat because we rely heavily on the UK for an export market and keeping a healthy relationship between the two nations is vital.
Farmers also sometimes feel victimised and targeted when it comes to climate change argument in terms of contributing a large amount of emissions towards climate change.
However, Irish farmers are resilient and will continue to move forward and farm more sustainability into the future, while also being more mindful of the environment.
What do you wish you knew earlier? Got any tips or advice?
Agriculture is not just solely being out on the land farming, but it is a whole range of different aspects in terms of aspects, markets and branding and a vast sector to pursue a career in.
What does the future hold for the farm?
Shaun hopes to try to improve the genetics of the farm, as well as increase the ewe flock and continue to grow lots more of the wonderful green grass.
Alan Jagoe – dairy sectorPersonal details
Chair of Agri Aware.Farming on the coast in Nohoval, Co Cork. Alan farms in a family farm partnership with his brother George and father Ed. This allows for some flexibility in terms of a work-life balance. Size of farm
Primarily a dairy farm, but Alan also has a small tillage enterprise where he grows malting barley (used for Guinness and Irish whiskey), feed barley, wheat, sugar beet and maize, which is all used for the cows diet. However, grass is the main part of the diet for the cows.
The herd is mostly made up of Holstein Friesian cows and some crossbreeds.
Alan farms nearly 400 acres, most of which is owned but some is in a long-term lease.
Did you study ag? Any qualifications?
Alan studied at Clonakilty Agricultural College and Cork Institute of Technology where he received a diploma in agriculture.
What do you love about farming?
“What I am doing as a dairy farmer, is producing a very sustainable, nutritious and healthy product."
What do you wish you knew earlier? Got any tips or advice?
The importance and responsibility as a farmer to produce a top-quality, sustainable product, but also in terms of feeding a growing world population, we are contributing to feeding people here in Ireland as well as around the world.
What does the future hold for the farm?
Alan has three young girls that all want to follow in his footsteps and he would love to hand on the farm to them in the future, just as Alan’s dad passed on the farm to him and Ed’s father before him. "That’s what sustainability is all about.”
Joanne Devaney – sheep sectorPersonal details
Joanne is 22 years of age, entering second year at UCD. She is a sheep shearer on her home farm in Co Sligo.After living and working in America for a few years, Joanne’s grandfather moved back to Ireland and bought 65 acres under Benbulben Mountain and 120 acres of the commonage on Benbulben itself. Even though her grandfather used to milk cattle, Joanne’s father was more interested in the sheep side of things and, just like her dad, she also became interested in sheep as well. Size of farm
On their farm, they have hill sheep - Mayo Blackface ewes and also a small number of lowland sheep - Mayo Blackface ewes mixed with Cheviot. They never venture too far from the first cross of a Mayo Blackface, as they lamb outdoors and like the sheep to be nice and hardy.
Did you study ag? Any qualifications?
Studying ag science at UCD, majoring in animal and crop production.
What do you love about farming?
Joanne’s favourite time of year is lambing, because she thinks there is something special about bringing new life into the world.
Biggest challenges in farming
The biggest challenges on the farm would be the weather. Particularly because they lamb outdoors, they are pretty weather-dependent. No two years are the same, but they do their very best to adapt.
What do you wish you knew earlier? Got any tips or advice?
Joanne’s advice is to travel. She spent eight months in Australia sheep shearing and loved to see how they do things differently there.
What does the future hold for the farm?
After graduating from UCD, Joanne plans to get her own flock number and get use out of her degree by finding a job in the agricultural industry. She also wants to hill farm her own sheep, as she has a love of hill farming.
Shane McAuliffe– pig sectorPersonal details
While Shane predominantly farms pigs, he is also a beef, tillage and forestry farmer in Co Kerry. Shane is a member and shareholder of the Truly Irish group.He used to work off the farm for Animal Health Ireland and then Interchem Ireland. Most recently, he works part-time for EasyFix Ireland as the international swine business manager. Size of farm
One of their pig farms has a 1,000-sow unit, farrow to finish, meaning that the breeding and rearing of pigs is done all on one site.
They have three other modern, high-welfare pig farms and produce around 50,000 pigs a year.
Did you study ag? Any qualifications?
Shane developed a love for agriculture when he started ag science in secondary school. After secondary school, he went to Cork Institute of Technology and studied agriculture there for three years, followed by an honours degree at Waterford IT. He then continued on with his studies by completing a post graduate in livestock sciences at the University of Wales and, since then, has obtained a masters degree in pig health and production in Royal Vet College in London.
What do you love about farming?
Shane loves knowing that he produces a sustainable, healthy and nutritious product for consumers both here in Ireland and abroad. There is a great sense of pride and achievement in this because there is a huge need for healthy, nutritious meat in the world.
Biggest challenges in farming
Profitability is one of the biggest challenges in farming. It is always hard to make money in farming due to various reasons such as price of pigmeat and cost of feed.
What do you wish you knew earlier? Got any tips or advice?
Shane envisions that they will continually improve pig health and pig welfare, as well as invest in the farm by adding other technologies that improves its sustainability overall.
Kevin Nolan – tillage sectorPersonal details
Farming in Grangeford, Co Carlow. Size of farm
Large-scale tillage operation. Land is predominately owned, with some on a long-term lease.
Grow winter wheat, winter barley and winter oats. In the spring, Kevin grows beans, spring barley and spring wheat. Kevin also grows maize, which is good for the crop rotation on the farm.
Did you study ag? Any qualifications?
He has a green certification from Teagasc. After receiving his green cert, Kevin has done a few other courses over the years including tillage crop management.
He always makes a point to go to farm meetings and farm tours because there is always something to learn from them.
What do you love about farming?
Kevin loves the ever-changing technology in farming. He likes going out to the field planting a crop and nurturing it to its very best.
Kevin is an early adapter of technology and was one of the first farmers to use auto-steer in a tractor.
“You are your own boss. The hours can be long at times, but there is a bit of flexibility in it.”
Biggest challenges in farming
The weather! “Over the past five to seven years, we have seen a lot more orange weather warnings. These come at certain key times of the year when we don’t need them. Two extremes would be too wet and too dry or hot.”
What do you wish you knew earlier? Got any tips or advice?
Kevin’s advice is to go traveling and get out from your norm. Throw yourself out into the world, whether that be going to America, Australia or England to see how they harvest.
What does the future hold for the farm?
Kevin has looked into different renewable options and started a new solar project on the farm and is also looking into bio-gas.
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