Young voices from the field – dairy farmer Conor

Conor: “I don’t come directly from a farming background, even though my grandfather was a farmer. His farm was sold due to a lack of a successor. But already from a young age, I had ‘grá’ – ‘love’ in Irish – for all things farming. After leaving school at 16, I started working on dairy, tillage, and dry stock farms, building my knowledge and skills. In 2020, I decided to get my ‘Green Cert’ – my agricultural certifications – at Kildalton Agricultural College, specialising in dairy herd management. I then completed my professional diploma in dairy farm management at the Teagasc Animal and Grassland Research and Innovation Centre, Moorepark, where, by some miracle, I graduated as student of the year in 2024.

I had started covering milking shifts and assisting at a local dairy farm after leaving school and continued all the way through college. When that farmer decided to scale back, without a successor, I saw this as an opportunity. I approached him with a proposal, and we agreed I would start leasing the farm in January 2025, at age 22. The land, the cows, the milking parlour, sheds and machinery are all included in the lease, which is for seven years only. The reason for starting with such a short period is to avoid being locked into a 20-year lease if it would turn out in four or five years’ time that this actually isn’t for me. We will review after two years. 

Before starting the lease, I had to put in a lot of effort trying to juggle college, part-time jobs, and overall life, combined with having to call advisors, banks, solicitors and so on. But overall, things have gone relatively smoothly, although I am still learning every day. I have a good relationship with the farm owner. Having worked together for a number of years beforehand has helped in the overall process. The end goal is to buy my own land. I believe that this is the way I’m going to be able to do that.”

Conor: “The two greatest challenges that I have faced so far are access to credit and support from banks, and access to land to further grow my business and make it sustainable and future-proof. For someone in my situation, increased regulations and a lack of labour on farms also pose big challenges. Look at Ireland’s Nitrates Derogation, for instance. While ensuring water quality is very important, we are now working under increasing pressure to put extra measures in place on the farm. These come at a significant cost, even with grant aid. There is a lot of uncertainty ahead of us, making long-term investments without any guarantees, if conditions change.”

Conor: “We have an ageing population of dairy farmers in this country, many of them without a successor. At the same time, we also have a rising number of young people with drive and ambition, who may not come from a farm background or who may be looking to branch out into partnerships or leasing to enter the dairy industry. Linking the two needs to come from partnerships or leases that are built on trust and like-mindedness. If both parties have completely different ideas for a business, then that will never work. Trust is not gained overnight; it can take years, and this is where some people may run into issues. You need to grant the time for the farmer or landowner to build a relationship and gain their trust.”

Conor: “Growing up, my grandfather used to tell me inspiring stories of years gone by, and the way farm work used to be done. Second, the local farmers, who took me under their wings from a young age when they saw I had an interest in farming, and didn’t see me any differently because I didn’t come from a farm. Last, but most importantly, my biggest influence was my mother. She nurtured my love for farming from a young age, letting me chase tractors, taking me on walks through fields, or going to see the new batch of cattle that someone had brought home from the market. She never let anyone get in the way of what I was interested in, and pushed me to do what I wanted.”

Conor: “I think my favourite part of what I do is working with animals and with the different seasons. Even though both of these can sometimes make you want to pull your hair out in frustration, there are far more good days than bad ones.”

Conor: “I’m not sure if I’m in a position to already offer advice to young people. I could probably do with a few more years under my belt myself. However, from what I’ve learnt and seen so far on my own journey, if farming is what you want to do and you don’t come from a farming background, you’ll need to work hard, without excuses. It may take a while before you even get the scent of an opportunity. It’s also important to approach every person the same way. You never know what opportunity the person you meet could bring in years to come.”

Conor’s perspective was featured in the 12^th edition of Agrinnovation magazine, which spotlights generational renewal.