The theme for this year’s Women and Agriculture Conference, which will take place on 27 October at the Knightsbrook Hotel in Trim, Co Meath, is Farming Through the Generations.
A shining example of a farm family taking this theme to heart are the Connellys from Tuam, Co Galway.
Parents Austin and Yvonne, together with their daughters Ava, Anna, Jane and Kate, took on the challenge of converting their farm from sheep and sucklers to dairy just four years ago. Today, they are the National Dairy Council’s (NDC) Quality Milk Award winners for 2022.
The Connelly's put a lot of work into converting their sheep and suckler farm to dairy in 2018.
Yvonne will be joining us at the Women & Agriculture conference this year to chat about how things are going since their big win, as well as how they farm together as a family and their approach to farm succession.
Making the switch
In 2018, the Connellys made the decision to convert to dairy farming, though with their background in sheep and suckler farming, they weren’t sure how this would work. They took a calculated risk: sheds had to be altered, a new milking parlour had to be built – any conversion requires investment, and this was no exception to the rule. Perhaps the biggest learning curve for the family, Yvonne says, was developing a dairy skill-set.
Yvonne and Austin share the farm work with their four daughters: Ava, Anna, Jane and Kate.
“We’re good farmers, but we still had to learn [about dairying],” she explains. “We got great help from local farmers here in Tuam, and from Teagasc. We met good people along the way who got us going. We learned that you have to take advice on board, but also do what works well for you on the farm.”
While winning the Quality Milk Award has, in many ways, solidified the fact that the Connellys made the right decision to convert their farm to dairy, they are equally delighted with the switch for several other reasons, saying they only wish they had done it sooner.
“It just suits us,” Yvonne laughs. “We have a block of land all together and the routine of dairy - compared to sheep - suits us much better. When Austin first said he wanted to convert, we thought he had lost his marbles. But we did our research, went around to other dairy farms and gathered all the info. Every day, then, was like a family boardroom meeting while having dinner together. We started talking the talk, so we realised then we just needed to start doing it.”
Working as a team
This is truly a family who works as a team, and part of what impressed the QMA judges is the fact that each of Yvonne and Austin’s daughters have a particular area of interest in the farm (grass measuring, calf care, or breeding, for example). The girls enjoy learning about dairy best practise and seek out ways to make their farm more efficient and productive.
Yvonne says it was a calculated risk to become dairy farmers, but it really suits their lifestyle and they now wonder why they didn't convert sooner.
Yvonne says their kindness is a serious business asset as they can see where they are needed and what exactly they need to do to help keep things running smoothly.
“They want to help us - they’ll often come home and say, ‘I’ll go milking,’ because they can see if you’re tired,” she says. “The girls being involved with the farm is not abnormal or in any way strange to us; it’s just what we do. [You might see some farms] where it’s always ?the man talking and the wife or daughters might be helping, but they wouldn’t get the credit. I don’t see Austin as a man - we just work together. It wasn’t always easy, either - we’ll just put that bit in!”
Challenging old ideas
She says their daughters deserve equal credit because they put the work in. Yvonne challenges the traditional ideas of what a farmer should be or look like. She doesn’t believe in making extreme sacrifices for work or the farm and will often encourage her daughters or female friends to “be nice to yourself.”
“If you work hard, you should reward yourself. I often hear people say, ‘Make sure you take holidays,’ but I think it’s even more important to do small things for yourself on a daily basis,” she says.
Equally, once-taboo conversations around succession are also commonplace around the Connellys’ dinner table.
“Succession isn’t one bit sensitive around here,” Yvonne laughs. “The girls joke about it every day. It’s common knowledge that the farm is left equally between the four of them. We’re not always going to have good days, we’re going to have challenges and things will go wrong. You have to make some provision; that’s just reality. We have faced up to that. We have a farm and a beautiful business, and we’d like to keep it that way.”
Read more
Women only groups not for you? Great! but check your privilege before judging
Editorial:Taking plans off paper and into reality more important than the launch
The theme for this year’s Women and Agriculture Conference, which will take place on 27 October at the Knightsbrook Hotel in Trim, Co Meath, is Farming Through the Generations.
A shining example of a farm family taking this theme to heart are the Connellys from Tuam, Co Galway.
Parents Austin and Yvonne, together with their daughters Ava, Anna, Jane and Kate, took on the challenge of converting their farm from sheep and sucklers to dairy just four years ago. Today, they are the National Dairy Council’s (NDC) Quality Milk Award winners for 2022.
The Connelly's put a lot of work into converting their sheep and suckler farm to dairy in 2018.
Yvonne will be joining us at the Women & Agriculture conference this year to chat about how things are going since their big win, as well as how they farm together as a family and their approach to farm succession.
Making the switch
In 2018, the Connellys made the decision to convert to dairy farming, though with their background in sheep and suckler farming, they weren’t sure how this would work. They took a calculated risk: sheds had to be altered, a new milking parlour had to be built – any conversion requires investment, and this was no exception to the rule. Perhaps the biggest learning curve for the family, Yvonne says, was developing a dairy skill-set.
Yvonne and Austin share the farm work with their four daughters: Ava, Anna, Jane and Kate.
“We’re good farmers, but we still had to learn [about dairying],” she explains. “We got great help from local farmers here in Tuam, and from Teagasc. We met good people along the way who got us going. We learned that you have to take advice on board, but also do what works well for you on the farm.”
While winning the Quality Milk Award has, in many ways, solidified the fact that the Connellys made the right decision to convert their farm to dairy, they are equally delighted with the switch for several other reasons, saying they only wish they had done it sooner.
“It just suits us,” Yvonne laughs. “We have a block of land all together and the routine of dairy - compared to sheep - suits us much better. When Austin first said he wanted to convert, we thought he had lost his marbles. But we did our research, went around to other dairy farms and gathered all the info. Every day, then, was like a family boardroom meeting while having dinner together. We started talking the talk, so we realised then we just needed to start doing it.”
Working as a team
This is truly a family who works as a team, and part of what impressed the QMA judges is the fact that each of Yvonne and Austin’s daughters have a particular area of interest in the farm (grass measuring, calf care, or breeding, for example). The girls enjoy learning about dairy best practise and seek out ways to make their farm more efficient and productive.
Yvonne says it was a calculated risk to become dairy farmers, but it really suits their lifestyle and they now wonder why they didn't convert sooner.
Yvonne says their kindness is a serious business asset as they can see where they are needed and what exactly they need to do to help keep things running smoothly.
“They want to help us - they’ll often come home and say, ‘I’ll go milking,’ because they can see if you’re tired,” she says. “The girls being involved with the farm is not abnormal or in any way strange to us; it’s just what we do. [You might see some farms] where it’s always ?the man talking and the wife or daughters might be helping, but they wouldn’t get the credit. I don’t see Austin as a man - we just work together. It wasn’t always easy, either - we’ll just put that bit in!”
Challenging old ideas
She says their daughters deserve equal credit because they put the work in. Yvonne challenges the traditional ideas of what a farmer should be or look like. She doesn’t believe in making extreme sacrifices for work or the farm and will often encourage her daughters or female friends to “be nice to yourself.”
“If you work hard, you should reward yourself. I often hear people say, ‘Make sure you take holidays,’ but I think it’s even more important to do small things for yourself on a daily basis,” she says.
Equally, once-taboo conversations around succession are also commonplace around the Connellys’ dinner table.
“Succession isn’t one bit sensitive around here,” Yvonne laughs. “The girls joke about it every day. It’s common knowledge that the farm is left equally between the four of them. We’re not always going to have good days, we’re going to have challenges and things will go wrong. You have to make some provision; that’s just reality. We have faced up to that. We have a farm and a beautiful business, and we’d like to keep it that way.”
Read more
Women only groups not for you? Great! but check your privilege before judging
Editorial:Taking plans off paper and into reality more important than the launch
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