Conor McPadden grew up in the rural town of Drumkeeran, Co Leitrim.

In 2009, at the age of 18, he established his own herd number and took over the family farm just outside Carrick-on-Shannon, Co Roscommon.

He then went on to complete a degree in agribusiness, which led to him owning and running his own butcher shops for over 10 years.

Home farm

Earlier this year, he took a massive leap and moved to France to buy and set up his own farm.

“Back home, I had a suckler and sheep farm - I was very limited on land at home, with most of the cattle being fed on rented ground up the midlands," he explained.

"At home, I only owned 60 acres and was depending on rented land. I was renting land at €180 to €220 per acre. Then, all of a sudden, the land jumped up to €300 to €400 per acre, which was totally out of the question.”

Conor quickly realised there was no future for a young man in that situation, so he started looking at alternative options.

He first looked at farms in Ireland, but they were just too expensive. He then turned his attention to France, which had always been in the back of his mind.

Difficult beginning

“At first, it was very difficult to get a response from French land agents. I finally arranged to view a farm with an agent, but at the last minute the agent cancelled the viewing.

"I knew the area the farm was in, so I took a gamble and found the sheds on Google Maps. I found a couple of farmers there and started speaking with them.

"I brought them out for lunch and they gave me a great education about farming in France and the way farms were sold there.

"This actually ended up being the farm I eventually purchased. Without meeting those two farmers, I don't think I would have succeeded in buying a farm in France.”

The type of grassland on the farm.

Based in the Limousin region in the southwest of France, the farm Conor bought consists of 425 acres, a number of large cattle sheds and a nice four-bedroom house along with a gite.

The land is ideal for grazing cattle and produces high quantities of grass during the grazing period.

Plans for the future

The plan is to build a large herd of suckler cows, with 120 pedigree Limousin heifers purchased in the summer.

All these heifers have been served and will commence calving from April onward.

“I intend to steadily grow to 200 cows in the next two to three years,” he said.

One of the Limousin heifers purchased in the summer.

“It was a big decision to buy a farm and move to France. I am a single man, so I only had to think about myself, rather than having to relocate a wife and children.

"I am 33 years old now. These are the best working years of my life. Fellow expats which are here years tell me that the first few years are the worst, but no more than if you’re farming in Ireland, it’s never plain sailing.”

A full story on Conor’s move to France will be in the Irish Farmers Journal in the coming weeks.