Busloads of Green Cert students attended the attended Newford Farm National Open Day.
Students came from Ballyhaise, Clonakilty, Mountbellew, Gurteen, Pllaskenry and Kildaton agricultural colleges.
The Irish Farmers Journal spoke to Green Cert students from across the country to see how confident they are about the agricultural industry at present.
Sheep and dairy farmer from Co Cavan who is studying for his Green Cert in Mountbellew and planning to go full-time farming when he finishes his course.
Emmet Brady.
How confident are you about the agricultural industry? “It’s hard to know the way things are these days. When you look at the figures from suckler farming there’s not a great outlook for the next few years. There is a better hope with dairy farming because at least you are guaranteed your price.
“With sucklers you don’t know what way prices will go from year to year and month to month. We have a dairy farm at home and I am confident enough but I don’t know about sucklers. The plan is to go home to full-time farm. We are set up with a new parlour. I won’t have to do any changes to secure the farm short-term anyway.”
Suckler and dairy farmer from Roscommon who hopes to go full-time farming at home when he finishes his Green Cert in Mountbellew.
Sean Farrell.
How confident are you about the agricultural industry? “It’s not looking great but it can’t get any worse. You can only hope it will get better.
“Before we got into dairying, we were in sucklers and sheep. We saw no future in it. We had organic sucklers which wasn’t any good and there was no more for the organic lambs.We said we would pull the pin and go for the organic milk route. We will probably get rid of the suckler cows in the next year or two. We only have 30 of them left.
“We only got into organic dairying this year. We got a secondhand parlour and we will have to put up a shed for more cows but other than that we have good enough infrastructure.
“We are milking about 60 cows. In organic dairying we cannot use chemical fertiliser, you have to bed your cows on straw, but you are getting a better price for your milk. Milk goes to Aurivo, 48c/l all year round.”
Suckler farmer from the west of Ireland who is almost finished his Green Cert in Mountbellew Agricultural College.
Kevin Glynn.
How confident are you about the agricultural industry? “The way farming is going I won’t be going full-time farming when I finish my Green Cert. You would want a fairly good job alongside it to try keep things going in the west of Ireland, especially with the acreage we have – it’s fairly small.
“We have 45-50 acres and keep 10 cows. I would probably try rent a bit of land and go up to 15 cows, alongside a good job to try keep the family farm going. I would need a second income to survive.
“Farmers are at rock bottom. It seems to be getting worse every year with weather and prices.
“I would love to stay farming. I would probably like to bring a sheep enterprise into the farm in the future but we will have to see how things are going.”
Sheep and suckler farmer from Creggs in Co Galway who is studying for her Green Cert in Mountbellew Agricultural College.
Althea Whyte.
How confident are about the agricultural industry? “There is not much profit from it this weather. You always have to be thinking ahead.
“When I finish my Green Cert I probably won’t go full-time farming straight away. I might wait for a few years. I will need a second job to sustain my income alongside farming.
“I couldn’t see myself getting into dairy farming. I will stick at sucklers and sheep.
“I think Brexit is the main worry. We will have to see what the main outcome from that will be.”
Rachael & Chantelle Dixon
Sheep and suckler farmers from Co Donegal studying for their Green Cert in Mountbellew Agricultural College.
Rachel and Chantell Dixon.
How confident are you about the agricultural industry? “We are not that far from the border so Brexit will probably affect a lot of farmers in Donegal.
“When we finish our Green Cert we will hopefully stay on in Mountbellew and do the agribusiness degree course.
“When we finish we will probably get jobs within the agricultural sector and do some part-time farming in the evenings. We won’t go full-time farming just yet.
“Probably in the future we will look at running a pedigree herd alongside the commercial herd.”
Tillage and beef farmer from Co Laois who is studying for his Green Cert in Pallaskenry Agricultural College and plans to go full-time farming when he finishes.
Josh Brennan.
How confident are you about the agricultural industry? “At home we have a beef and tillage farm.
“I don’t see much of a future if prices stay going the way they are going. In years to come I may have to get a second off-farm income. The price of beef would definitely want to go up.”
A dairy farmer from Co Kerry who plans on going full-time farming after he finishes his Green Cert in Pallaskenry.
Billy Kissane.
How confident are you with the agricultural industry? “Hopefully things will pick up because if it drops any more I don’t know what’s going to happen.
“There are a lot of people sitting on the fence, thinking about getting in and getting out of farming. I know someone who has just gotten into dairy and they are considering getting back out of it now.
“On the farm at home we have started doing more grass measuring and have started taking grass management more seriously.
“In the future I hope there will be enough money to make and not get an off-farm job. If things come to that then there is nothing I can do about it. That’s just it.
“I am confident enough things will pick up. Things have to get better from here.”
From Co Kildare, he is studying advanced drystock management in Kildalton Agricultural College and is not from a farming background.
Karl Clarke.
How confident are you about the agricultural industry? “I am not from a farming background. I did Ag Science for my Leaving Cert and I really enjoyed it so I came to Kildalton.
“I have worked on different farms through work experience. I hope to get my Green Cert and head to Waterford Institute of Technology to do a level 7.
“Down the line I would like to work with Teagasc or Bord Bia to promote Irish agriculture.
“Looking at other farms it would interest me to own my own farm down the line.
“Because I am from a non-farming background, I could decide what industry I would like to go into if I was going full-time farming. I am just going to take it one step at a time.”
Read more
EU payments account for over half of Ireland’s farm incomes
Farmer Writes: a successful co-op at last
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Tensions run high at Sligo CAP reform meeting
Busloads of Green Cert students attended the attended Newford Farm National Open Day.
Students came from Ballyhaise, Clonakilty, Mountbellew, Gurteen, Pllaskenry and Kildaton agricultural colleges.
The Irish Farmers Journal spoke to Green Cert students from across the country to see how confident they are about the agricultural industry at present.
Sheep and dairy farmer from Co Cavan who is studying for his Green Cert in Mountbellew and planning to go full-time farming when he finishes his course.
Emmet Brady.
How confident are you about the agricultural industry? “It’s hard to know the way things are these days. When you look at the figures from suckler farming there’s not a great outlook for the next few years. There is a better hope with dairy farming because at least you are guaranteed your price.
“With sucklers you don’t know what way prices will go from year to year and month to month. We have a dairy farm at home and I am confident enough but I don’t know about sucklers. The plan is to go home to full-time farm. We are set up with a new parlour. I won’t have to do any changes to secure the farm short-term anyway.”
Suckler and dairy farmer from Roscommon who hopes to go full-time farming at home when he finishes his Green Cert in Mountbellew.
Sean Farrell.
How confident are you about the agricultural industry? “It’s not looking great but it can’t get any worse. You can only hope it will get better.
“Before we got into dairying, we were in sucklers and sheep. We saw no future in it. We had organic sucklers which wasn’t any good and there was no more for the organic lambs.We said we would pull the pin and go for the organic milk route. We will probably get rid of the suckler cows in the next year or two. We only have 30 of them left.
“We only got into organic dairying this year. We got a secondhand parlour and we will have to put up a shed for more cows but other than that we have good enough infrastructure.
“We are milking about 60 cows. In organic dairying we cannot use chemical fertiliser, you have to bed your cows on straw, but you are getting a better price for your milk. Milk goes to Aurivo, 48c/l all year round.”
Suckler farmer from the west of Ireland who is almost finished his Green Cert in Mountbellew Agricultural College.
Kevin Glynn.
How confident are you about the agricultural industry? “The way farming is going I won’t be going full-time farming when I finish my Green Cert. You would want a fairly good job alongside it to try keep things going in the west of Ireland, especially with the acreage we have – it’s fairly small.
“We have 45-50 acres and keep 10 cows. I would probably try rent a bit of land and go up to 15 cows, alongside a good job to try keep the family farm going. I would need a second income to survive.
“Farmers are at rock bottom. It seems to be getting worse every year with weather and prices.
“I would love to stay farming. I would probably like to bring a sheep enterprise into the farm in the future but we will have to see how things are going.”
Sheep and suckler farmer from Creggs in Co Galway who is studying for her Green Cert in Mountbellew Agricultural College.
Althea Whyte.
How confident are about the agricultural industry? “There is not much profit from it this weather. You always have to be thinking ahead.
“When I finish my Green Cert I probably won’t go full-time farming straight away. I might wait for a few years. I will need a second job to sustain my income alongside farming.
“I couldn’t see myself getting into dairy farming. I will stick at sucklers and sheep.
“I think Brexit is the main worry. We will have to see what the main outcome from that will be.”
Rachael & Chantelle Dixon
Sheep and suckler farmers from Co Donegal studying for their Green Cert in Mountbellew Agricultural College.
Rachel and Chantell Dixon.
How confident are you about the agricultural industry? “We are not that far from the border so Brexit will probably affect a lot of farmers in Donegal.
“When we finish our Green Cert we will hopefully stay on in Mountbellew and do the agribusiness degree course.
“When we finish we will probably get jobs within the agricultural sector and do some part-time farming in the evenings. We won’t go full-time farming just yet.
“Probably in the future we will look at running a pedigree herd alongside the commercial herd.”
Tillage and beef farmer from Co Laois who is studying for his Green Cert in Pallaskenry Agricultural College and plans to go full-time farming when he finishes.
Josh Brennan.
How confident are you about the agricultural industry? “At home we have a beef and tillage farm.
“I don’t see much of a future if prices stay going the way they are going. In years to come I may have to get a second off-farm income. The price of beef would definitely want to go up.”
A dairy farmer from Co Kerry who plans on going full-time farming after he finishes his Green Cert in Pallaskenry.
Billy Kissane.
How confident are you with the agricultural industry? “Hopefully things will pick up because if it drops any more I don’t know what’s going to happen.
“There are a lot of people sitting on the fence, thinking about getting in and getting out of farming. I know someone who has just gotten into dairy and they are considering getting back out of it now.
“On the farm at home we have started doing more grass measuring and have started taking grass management more seriously.
“In the future I hope there will be enough money to make and not get an off-farm job. If things come to that then there is nothing I can do about it. That’s just it.
“I am confident enough things will pick up. Things have to get better from here.”
From Co Kildare, he is studying advanced drystock management in Kildalton Agricultural College and is not from a farming background.
Karl Clarke.
How confident are you about the agricultural industry? “I am not from a farming background. I did Ag Science for my Leaving Cert and I really enjoyed it so I came to Kildalton.
“I have worked on different farms through work experience. I hope to get my Green Cert and head to Waterford Institute of Technology to do a level 7.
“Down the line I would like to work with Teagasc or Bord Bia to promote Irish agriculture.
“Looking at other farms it would interest me to own my own farm down the line.
“Because I am from a non-farming background, I could decide what industry I would like to go into if I was going full-time farming. I am just going to take it one step at a time.”
Read more
EU payments account for over half of Ireland’s farm incomes
Farmer Writes: a successful co-op at last
Irish dairy to be hit by Trump tariff
Tensions run high at Sligo CAP reform meeting
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