Donegal woman Catherine Grier has overcome the challenges presented by being deaf to become the first female to receive the Irish Holstein Friesian Association (HFA) grant.

The 21-year-old dedicated the award to her late grandfather, Ivan Grier. The judges were impressed by her detailed knowledge and in-depth understanding of dairy farming.

Catherine, from Ramelton, graduated from Gurteen agricultural college in Co. Tipperary in May 2021, with an advanced certificate in dairy herd management.

She is currently a student at Letterkenny Institute of Technology (LYIT), studying for an honours degree in agricultural science, specialising in animal and crop production. She is at present on placement in Killygorden, where she works in the raw milk and microbiology labs.

A busy life

It’s a busy life for Catherine, who helps milk 50 mainly pedigree Holstein cows on the 200ac family farm, all owned, 50 of which is the dairy grazing platform and the rest is for silage and youngstock grazing.

“Roughly 70% of the herd is calved down in spring and the remaining 30% [will calve] in autumn. All heifers are kept and reared some will stay as replacements and others will be sold in the future when the herd size is increased,” said Catherine.

“My ideal cow type would be a medium-sized robust cow with a lot of dairy strength, with good feet and legs. My father, Alastair, runs the farm and I help him out when I’m not in college in LYIT.

“I studied in Gurteen agricultural college from September 2019 to May 2021 and throughout that time I have brought back a lot of knowledge and implemented it onto the home farm,” Catherine continued.

“The biggest learning curve was the grassland management, putting cows in at the correct covers and working out how far down the field to strip graze.

“With this tool and other dairy management tasks, we have gained 160kg of milk solids to the herd average in one year, with the same number of cows. This is a big achievement for us.”

IHFA bursary

“I was absolutely delighted to have received a bursary from the Irish Holstein Friesian Association for my project that I have completed in my time in Gurteen and the interview that was held on March 4, for the judging panel to see the knowledge I have for dairy farming,” the Donegal woman said.

“I know this bursary award would have made my grandad very proud as he also was a student in Gurteen College back in the day along with the current dairy lecturer who is there, Richard Hamilton.

“Grandad Ivan would have been well known in Donegal as he was one of the founders of the Donegal Friesian breeders’ club, and he held the position of the secretary of the club for nearly 40 years.

“He was also recognised as a high calibre judge and judged stock all round the country. I hope to carry my grandad’s legacy some day.”

Catherine always helped out on one farm or another, she said.

“Growing up I was fortunate enough to have a choice of three farms; my grandad Ivan’s dairy farm, my father’s suckler farm or my other grandad Andy’s suckler and sheep farm,” explained Catherine.

“It was a hands-on experience learning the different enterprises at a young age, but my love for dairy farming grew from there,” she said.

“From milking cows to spreading slurry, rearing calves to sowing fertiliser, you could find me in the tractor or on the ground working with livestock anywhere on the farm – but when it’s milking time, you will definitely find me in the parlour.

“When I was 17, I completed the three-day DIY AI [artificial inesmination] course in Manorhamilton with Dovea Genetics. It was a great experience to learn as I now work with my father doing the AI and breeding at home,” said Catherine.

“I have two younger brothers, Adam (17) and Andrew (12), and Andrew shows a lot of interest in the farm too.”

Catherine aims to finish her studies at LYIT, going for an honours degree in animal and crop production agriculture science.

“I may come home and work alongside my father and increase the herd to 65-70 cows,” she said.

Growing up deaf and farming

While being deaf meant she had to overcome obstacles, she has always kept busy.

“Growing up being deaf and wearing two hearing aids definitely affected me in farming, from a farm safety point of view, as I couldn’t hear where the tractors or cars were coming from in the yard and I had to be more visually aware of my surroundings,” explained Catherine.

“I couldn’t hear my father call my name as I was always relying on lip reading.

“I found it difficult to do my job as I couldn’t hear the clusters being knocked off in the milking parlour and I couldn’t hear the slurry tanker revving-up when it was full.

“It was also difficult to socialise with other farmers at the mart or in the co-op as lip-reading a Donegal farmer wasn’t easy. Covid-19 really knocked my confidence. When everyone started wearing masks I couldn’t communicate with anyone.”

‘I could hear the cows munching’

In April 2021, Catherine’s hearing changed for the better as she underwent an operation for a cochlear implant. A cochlear implant is a small device that electrically stimulates the cochlear nerve, which is the nerve for hearing.

“The first thing I did after the implant was switched on was go out to the cows in the field as they were grazing and listen,” said Catherine.

“I could hear the cows munching the grass, the birds chirping and a tractor in the distance. These are things I never heard before.

“Now it makes my job so much easier as I can hear slurry tanker when it’s finished filling, I can hear the cluster fall off in the parlour. I have gained so much confidence since I got the implant.

“I have started taking phone calls with people I know that can speak clearly, something I have never been able to do before,” said Catherine.

When she’s not farming, Catherine enjoys sport, for which she has numerous achievements.

“The most recent ones before Covid-19 were in Switzerland for the World Deaf Finals with the Irish deaf women’s futsal team. Finishing ninth place in the world was an achievement in itself and also winning player of the match against Spain,” said Catherine.

“In January 2019 I played with Doncaster Deaf Football Club in the European Deaf Champions League in Germany and came second in that tournament after a tough final.

“I was playing in the national women’s league with Donegal in under-17 and under-19 level. I am now playing at club level with Lagan Harps competing for the FAI [Football Association of Ireland] Intermediate Cup.”