The winner of the 2024 Macra Mr. Personality contest has spoken of his concerns over the “part-time farmer scene” in Ireland and the possibility that this may be lost.
Mark Riordan from Kenmare Macra in Co. Kerry took home the top prize at the Mr. Personality Festival, which took place on April 5 and 6 at the Talbot Hotel in Clonmel, Co. Tipperary.
Riordan beat out competition from 25 other contestants, including Stephen Murray from Scotstown Macra in Co. Monaghan, who came in second place, and Micheál Kilheeny from Mountmellick Marca in Co. Laois, who came in third place.
He farms in Kenmare where he has a herd of 40 Limousin-Charolais cross cows with his father.
Speaking to Agriland, he said: “I suppose the way the scene has gone I took up a job as well…I took up a role in Dairygold in 2022 in the graduate programme there, so I covered a role in logistics and quality roles, whereas now I’d be working in the grain operation with the different intakes, liaising with growers across Munster.
Riordan joined Macra in 2017, having had two cousins in the organisation already. He went on to take up roles as a young farmer representative at both club and county level.
“So it was just a bit of slow progression really, I got the roles I did, but with Macra it’s a great chance to develop your people skills and communication skills and interpersonal skills. It’s a great organisation on that front,” he said.
Riordan spoke about the importance of the part-time farmer, and the challenges those farmers face. He said the issue has been his “big thing, forever and always”.
“I think the part-time farming scene is so important and we’re in danger of losing it.”
During his time in Macra, the Kerry man has organised farm walks on his own farm as a way to showcase part-time farming.
“Not that we’re an example farm or anything, but I wanted to show people what worked for us and [that they] might be able to take home a few pointers,” he said.
“What I used to do is open the farm for farm walks to different clubs around Kerry…and then, coming outside of Macra, I’ve had school tours come down to the farm. It’s just a platform I use to discuss the suckler farming, and the part-time farming and the benefits of it,” Riordan added.
“I think it’s very important that we’re all in it together. It’s nice to see other people and what they’re doing out there. I think that’s how you learn best.”
The 24-year-old went on to say that the Macra Mr. Personality title is “whatever you want it to be”.
“I think it’s too good of a title and it’s too good of a platform not to do something with it. Especially with the spring gone, it’s very hard out there at the moment. I know well through my own jobs that morale can be quite low on the farms at the moment, just with the way the weather is,” Riordan said.
He added: “It’s very uncertain times and it’s very disheartening for farmers out there at the moment.
“We face tough times and we seem to be facing them a lot more persistently now. We are all on the same boat. These things do tend to pass but there is always means out there to reach out and there’s always ways to help each other.”
According to Riordan, Macra should also look at educating young people below their target membership of 17 and older, so that those teenagers already see Macra as an attractive organisation prior to reaching the age of 17.
“Macra is an organisation for 17 to 35 year-olds, but I think it can be quite daunting as a 17-year-old to try and join a Macra club, especially if you don’t have someone in it already. What I’m hoping to do is, over the next two months is, if we can start targeting that age group from 13 to 16, if we can teach them what Macra can do for them and what they can do for Macra,” he said.
“We’re an organisation for urban and rural people who want a bit of a sense of community, a sense of belonging. We do so many different things, something is bound to tick the box, and it can really give you a great purpose,” Riordan added.
In terms of his own future, the young farmer said that his “passion and role” will always be in the agri-industry.
“I would like to progress my career a bit further, but I’m interested in farmer welfare…It’s getting increasingly hard, and a bit disincentivising for some farmers, with all the paperwork and different schemes at the moment, it becomes quite daunting,” he said.
Riordan thanked Kenmare Macra and Co. Kerry Macra for their support in his Mr. Personality bid, as well as Kilkenny Macra for organising the festival this year, which he said was a “brilliant weekend from start to finish”.