Calling all successful new entrants to farming, and those who have diversified their farm business: the Teagasc Newbie new entrant competition for 2021 is now open for entries.
The competition is open to newcomers to farming, successors and farmers who have diversified their enterprise.
The Newbie network is an EU-funded Horizon 2020 project that features the dissemination of new business models and new entry models, to all potential new entrants.
The project is a network of: new entrants; successors; advisors; researchers; important regional and national actors; and relevant stakeholders convened on a national level to deal specifically with regional issues of concern to new entrants.
A cohort of new entrants is crucial for the agricultural sector. New entrants bring innovation, increased vigour and practical skills to the sector.
However, many new entrants face considerable challenges when starting a career in agriculture, such as access to land, access to finance, etc. The Newbie network addresses the main challenges faced by new entrants when establishing sustainable farm businesses in Europe, providing inspiration for future new entrants.
Newbie project
New entrants are defined in the Newbie network as anyone who starts a new farm business or becomes involved in an existing farm business. They comprise a wide range of agricultural experience, ages and access to resources.
Newcomers and successors can enter farming or diversify their business at any stage in their working lives and is not limited to ‘young farmers’. All new entrants face similar barriers: access to land; labour; capital; housing; markets; knowledge; and the networks to assist in overcoming these barriers.
The aim of the Newbie project is to:
- Create and engage with a network of new entrants. Please register on the network by clicking here;
- Develop case studies featuring successful examples of new entrants;
- Develop a practical set of tools (Newbie toolkit) featuring recommendations and guidelines targeted at new entrants and stakeholders;
- Discuss barriers and solutions with new entrants nationally in a series of discussion circles;
- Engage with national stakeholders in Newbie National Steering Groups.
2020 Newbie competition winner
Kylie Magner (pictured above) of Magner’s Farm in Moyglass, Co. Tipperary, was the overall winner of the 2020 Irish Newbie competition. Kylie and her husband Billy purchased a 20ac holding while working in Australia. Upon returning to Ireland, Kylie set about farming the land, producing free range eggs.
The farm has evolved, introducing a rotational grazing system, adding cattle and sheep to compliment the hens and introducing new products such as chicken broth.
Kylie is a licenced egg packer, enabling her to pack her own eggs – and for other producers which could offer an additional revenue stream.
To read more about Kylie’s story, click here.
John Lalor: A case study
John Lalor is an organic beef and tillage farmer from Co. Westmeath, farming 121ha alongside his parents with half in grassland and half in tillage. The grassland is used to finish 200 beef cattle and the tillage ground is used to supply organic oats.
The family run Kilbeggan Organic Foods producing a range of organic oat based products such as porridge, bread mix and cookies.
2021 Newbie competition
The Newbie competition is a great opportunity for successful new entrants to gain recognition of their work and to promote their business. The prize includes a €500 contribution to training or a foreign study trip, a plaque for display on-farm and the development of a video featuring the winning farmer.
For further information and to enter, click here.
