Young people are the “bedrock” of the agri-food sector and the pioneers that will take Ireland into the next decade.
Those were the sentiments of Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Charlie McConalogue, as he spoke at the Macra conference on Saturday (October 29). At the event, he also pledged to financially support the next generation of farmers over the course of the next Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).
However, more people are now running multiple careers, as they try to balance an off-farm job with helping on the family farm. This raises the question, why do young people nowadays choose a career in farming?
Speaking to Agriland, Macra president John Keane said that one of the reasons he often hears from Macra members, is the flexibility that farm life can offer.
He said that the ability choose your own hours, be your own boss and choose what you do each day is becoming increasingly desired among young couples looking to raise a family. He said:
“The older cohort of Macra members, we hear them saying the farm is a fantastic place and a fantastic environment for bringing children up, as opposed to the hustle and bustle of a large town or city.
“It’s just a different pace of life and that the community in rural areas is something which is really valued by young families. To be near their parents and have their relatives close is a big things for them.”
One young farmer and Macra member, Clare McLernon from Co. Meath, told Agriland about her path into farming. The 28-year-old is running her own stock farm, working full-time on a nearby dairy farm and helps out on her boyfriend’s 300-ewe sheep farm. All while looking for another full-time job.
Clare’s parents were not farmers themselves, her dad was an engineer and her mam a secretary, but they did let their kids spend a lot of time on Clare’s grandad’s tillage farm.
“Farming wasn’t something pushed growing up but it was always in the back of my mind.
“Every weekend I was staying in my granny and grandad’s, every evening after school we’d be going over, every holiday I’d be in theirs as well, so it kind of grew from there.”
The tillage farm later transitioned into a stock enterprise and some years after Clare’s grandad passed away, she took over its management. Clare always had an interest in working in farming, but there was an element of obligation in her decision.
“It was definitely playing on my mind because I saw the farm was going to rack and ruin and I saw that other family members didn’t have a huge interest. So, I just got involved.”
Speaking about the pressures and obligations that can be placed on young people when it comes to carrying on the family farm, Keane said “there is no doubt a certain amount of pressure and expectation exists in some parts”. However, he believes that the older generation has recognised that young people must be allowed to explore other opportunities.
“I think it may have been something in the past that is still there a small bit, but seeing the amount of young people that are accessing third-level education is heartening to see.”
Whatever pressures Clare may have felt, there is no doubt she loves farming and the routine that comes with it. She said:
“I absolutely love the lifestyle of farming, I was looking at a few lab jobs and they were saying it would be shift work and that was turning me off because I was thinking awh no, when will I get to farm?”
She also mentioned the flexibility aspect that Keane discussed, explaining that it is nice to have some control over what tasks are completed when. She said:
“I love the fact that I go milking in the morning, I finish around 9:30a.m and then I have the day to do what I want with my cattle or go to my boyfriend’s and work with the sheep there.”
While she may have some degree of flexibility within her job, Clare said it doesn’t extend into her downtime, which is in short supply.
“I don’t get time off work, if I want the day off I’ll say it to the lads can I have it and they’ll say ‘yeah no problem’ but I would never get sick pay, or holiday pay.
“It’s very rare that a farm will do that for you which is hard, you’re just constantly going, going, going. Breaks are important but it’s hard to find time for them.”
Is this an element that puts young people off a job in farming? Sometimes, said Clare.
She added that when she went to college to study agricultural science, most of her classmates were “mad into farming”, but when they found off-farm jobs offering a good salary, annual leave and more structured hours, the plan to farm full-time was sidelined.
“A lot of young people are initially mad about it and then they get a feel for that full-time job and the benefits it has. It’s a tough one, I can understand both sides.”
Another, perhaps growing cohort of people are not choosing either side, but instead working both on and off farm. Something Keane said he often notices, as many people “just want to be farming”.
“We see a mix. A lot of people would say that farming is their ‘me time’, they love coming home in the evening and doing a bit of work on the farm, it’s like a break from their full-time job.”
“A lot of our members, they have a graw for being outdoors, they have a graw for farming and it’s just a passion and lifestyle that they love,” he concluded.