No land is no barrier to milking cows

There are a number of pathways that will allow people to develop their own dairy farming business, and owning land is not a necessity.

This was the key message at the Irish Farm Managers Association (IFMA) Dairy Forum, held in the Horse and Jockey, Co Tipperary on Tuesday.

Two award-winning farmers, Noel McCall from Wicklow and Pat Ryan from Waterford spoke about how they have developed successful dairy businesses through joint venture arrangements, such as leasing and partnerships.

McCall milks 90 cows in Co Wicklow and farms on all leased land. He has no family farming and developed a love for farming as a teenager. After a time in New Zealand honing his farming skills, he developed a relationship with an existing dairy farmer looking to retire and leased the farm in 2005.

McCall told attendees he believes similar ventures will be much more likely in the future, now milk quotas are gone and with the increasing number of older farmers.

Pat Ryan from Lauragh in Co Waterford milks 450 cows on his home farm and is involved in Captal Farms Partnerships, with a number of dairy units. He outlined the huge benefits he has found in creating a large-scale farming business through partnerships, as there are a number of people working towards a common goal.

After the forum, the IFMA held their AGM where Jerry Twomey, farm manager at Lismore Castle Estate, was elected chairman, replacing the long-serving John Fitzgerald. The organisation aims to represent people managing farms and those involved in new farming joint ventures. Potential members can contact the IFMA at ifma2020@gmail.com.