Beef farmer Dave Moloney from Co. Cork who won 2021 Teagasc/FBD Student of the Year, has encouraged people to consider completing an agricultural education course.
Moloney, who comes from a family farm going back more than three generations, completed the Level 6 Specific Purpose Certificate in Farming over the past two and a half years.
He said he never had an interest in education but since taking part in the course, he has realised how important it is for his future in farming. Speaking at the awards ceremony today (April 21), he said:
“I would never have been one for education. I left school at 17, didn’t think about college, just went away to work. To come back to education and now to get this award is amazing.”
Moloney said he would now encourage others who want to skip education to consider the different courses out there, as it opens up so many more opportunities:
“Without it [his qualification], I couldn’t take over a farm, you’d have nothing behind you, so I opted for this part time course and everything just fell into place.”
Moloney said that completing the course enticed him to continue his education and he went on to take a second one in livestock haulage at Kildalton Agricultural College in Kilkenny.
“The first course enticed me to keep going with education, for someone who wasn’t into it at all, that’s big, it’s a big achievement for me” he finished.
Student of the year awards
The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine presented 18 finalists with awards today, before congratulating one winner from each category of Dairy; Drystock; and Other Land Uses.
Maria Keane, who farms with her husband in Co. Offaly was the winner of the Dairy category, she won the award upon completion of the Specific Purpose Certificate in Farming at Gurteen Agricultural College.
Prior to winning the overall student of the year award, Dave Moloney first received the Drystock Student Category Award. Moloney’s family farm operates a beef system which he has been heavily involved in for the past number of years.
Finally, Dominic White, from Co. Limerick, who studied the level 6 Advanced certificate in Equine Breeding /Stud Management in Kildalton College, received the Land based Enterprises Category Award.
Speaking to Agriland after the event, the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Charlie McConalogue congratulated all the finalists and said being at the event is a well deserved recognition of the work they all put in.
“It’s really heartening for the sector too, to see so many young people choosing to enter the sector and to see so many female farmers as well, it’s really encouraging. My message to them all would be that there is a really strong future in Irish agriculture.
“The education that all of them have received, their ideas, initiative and the enterprise that they’re showing are going to be really important in relation to driving the sector forward and achieving its potential,” the minister said.
The minister also commented that the importance of the family farm appeared to be a very strong part of the identity and career choice among those present at the event, and said it’s clear that these enterprises must be valued and protected.