Farmers are being sought to take part in a new project aimed at fostering farm succession discussion and action within the Irish industry.
The Renewal in Agriculture through Intergenerational Support and Empowerment (RAISE) project is being led by the Irish Co-operative Organisation Society (ICOS), along with many partners across the industry.
Interestingly, the pilot project will see farmers being paid up to €300 to participate in training and knowledge transfer modules.
Billy Goldburn from ICOS told the Irish Farmers Journal about the new project, but in describing it, he avoided using the word ‘succession’ because he contends that older farmers feel that term suggests they are being replaced and made redundant.
Legacy
His preference, and that of the RAISE project, is to talk about older farmers passing on their legacy to the next generation through a mentorship programme driven by co-ops they know and trust.
RAISE is in the process of developing a digital platform and a series of three programmes that will help farmers develop the so-called soft skills that are essential to both embarking on and stepping away from day-to-day farming.
“Farmers don’t need advice on how to farm, they are experts, but they might need to develop skills such as negotiating with stakeholders, entrepreneurial skills, social skills,” Goldburn explained.
A consultation process is about to open which will hone in on the exact training required.
A target of 150 farmer participants has been set by the RAISE team, and each of those will be funnelled towards an initial training programme.
The first programme is for young farmers, which will take place in person or online, and for which they will receive a participation payment of €300 per person on completion.
RAISE hopes to attract 100 older or experienced farmers for their own ‘legacy’ training programme, which also offers €300 payment
on completion.
Billy Goodburn, head of learning and development, ICOS Skillnet
A separate programme is planned to train professionals working in co-ops to be able to have “legacy discussions” with farmers as they occur in day-to-day farming.
As Goldburn explains, this training would equip local co-op store managers, milk quality advisers and others with the skills needed to talk to farmers about supports available if they are thinking of their farm’s succession process.
RAISE plans to also connect young and experienced farmers for a mentorship programme, through which each can learn.
The target is to recruit 15 mentors and 15 mentees each year for two years.
“The idea is that the mentors and mentees meet up to share their knowledge, discuss whatever challenges they face and plan actions to take,” explained Goldburn.
“For example, if you have a 22-year-old who wants to get into farming and is struggling with how to access land, perhaps a more experienced farmer can give them advice,” he said.
“The challenges could also be more technical, like grant applications.”
The aim is to connect highly intelligent and experienced farmers who have dealt with many challenges, with young farmers and would-be farmers who may be highly qualified but have no access to land.
“Mentorship works both ways,” Goldburn pointed out, adding that ICOS wants the project to help bring new people into farming, while at the same time helping farmers who may want to keep their farm in their family name but step back from the day-to-day operations.
“Co-ops can help to build relationships, because farmers already know them and they trust them,” he said.
If farmers who have taken part in the RAISE mentorship process go on to seek advice on setting up new farming structures such as a partnership, the project offers a grant of €500 per person up to a maximum of 30 people.
If a collaborative farming partnership is set up, there is a further grant available of €2,100 per partner in the partnership,
Goldburn outlined.
It is envisioned that of the target 300 people trained through the new programmes, some 60 may go on to take part in the mentorship process, and 30 seek advice on setting up a collaboration.
Ultimately ICOS predicts that five to 10 partnerships could grow out of the original 300 trained farmers.
Project partners
ICOS is joined in the RAISE project by Teagasc, Aurivo, Dairygold, Lakeland, Tirlán, UCC and Macra Agricultural Skillnet. The EIP project is co-funded by the European Union and the Department of Agriculture to the tune of €600,000.
Coming up next in the succession series:
Over the coming weeks, the Irish Farmers Journal will cover all angles on farm succession, including:
We look at how the Government’s definition of an active farmer could pose a threat to farm inheritance tax reliefs. How young Italian farmers get a 100% mortage to buy land and why France gives preference to new entrants in land sales.What financial supports are available to young farmers to draw down today.Changing trends in collaborative farming arrangements in Ireland.Most common problems found on young farmer scheme inspections.
Farmers are being sought to take part in a new project aimed at fostering farm succession discussion and action within the Irish industry.
The Renewal in Agriculture through Intergenerational Support and Empowerment (RAISE) project is being led by the Irish Co-operative Organisation Society (ICOS), along with many partners across the industry.
Interestingly, the pilot project will see farmers being paid up to €300 to participate in training and knowledge transfer modules.
Billy Goldburn from ICOS told the Irish Farmers Journal about the new project, but in describing it, he avoided using the word ‘succession’ because he contends that older farmers feel that term suggests they are being replaced and made redundant.
Legacy
His preference, and that of the RAISE project, is to talk about older farmers passing on their legacy to the next generation through a mentorship programme driven by co-ops they know and trust.
RAISE is in the process of developing a digital platform and a series of three programmes that will help farmers develop the so-called soft skills that are essential to both embarking on and stepping away from day-to-day farming.
“Farmers don’t need advice on how to farm, they are experts, but they might need to develop skills such as negotiating with stakeholders, entrepreneurial skills, social skills,” Goldburn explained.
A consultation process is about to open which will hone in on the exact training required.
A target of 150 farmer participants has been set by the RAISE team, and each of those will be funnelled towards an initial training programme.
The first programme is for young farmers, which will take place in person or online, and for which they will receive a participation payment of €300 per person on completion.
RAISE hopes to attract 100 older or experienced farmers for their own ‘legacy’ training programme, which also offers €300 payment
on completion.
Billy Goodburn, head of learning and development, ICOS Skillnet
A separate programme is planned to train professionals working in co-ops to be able to have “legacy discussions” with farmers as they occur in day-to-day farming.
As Goldburn explains, this training would equip local co-op store managers, milk quality advisers and others with the skills needed to talk to farmers about supports available if they are thinking of their farm’s succession process.
RAISE plans to also connect young and experienced farmers for a mentorship programme, through which each can learn.
The target is to recruit 15 mentors and 15 mentees each year for two years.
“The idea is that the mentors and mentees meet up to share their knowledge, discuss whatever challenges they face and plan actions to take,” explained Goldburn.
“For example, if you have a 22-year-old who wants to get into farming and is struggling with how to access land, perhaps a more experienced farmer can give them advice,” he said.
“The challenges could also be more technical, like grant applications.”
The aim is to connect highly intelligent and experienced farmers who have dealt with many challenges, with young farmers and would-be farmers who may be highly qualified but have no access to land.
“Mentorship works both ways,” Goldburn pointed out, adding that ICOS wants the project to help bring new people into farming, while at the same time helping farmers who may want to keep their farm in their family name but step back from the day-to-day operations.
“Co-ops can help to build relationships, because farmers already know them and they trust them,” he said.
If farmers who have taken part in the RAISE mentorship process go on to seek advice on setting up new farming structures such as a partnership, the project offers a grant of €500 per person up to a maximum of 30 people.
If a collaborative farming partnership is set up, there is a further grant available of €2,100 per partner in the partnership,
Goldburn outlined.
It is envisioned that of the target 300 people trained through the new programmes, some 60 may go on to take part in the mentorship process, and 30 seek advice on setting up a collaboration.
Ultimately ICOS predicts that five to 10 partnerships could grow out of the original 300 trained farmers.
Project partners
ICOS is joined in the RAISE project by Teagasc, Aurivo, Dairygold, Lakeland, Tirlán, UCC and Macra Agricultural Skillnet. The EIP project is co-funded by the European Union and the Department of Agriculture to the tune of €600,000.
Coming up next in the succession series:
Over the coming weeks, the Irish Farmers Journal will cover all angles on farm succession, including:
We look at how the Government’s definition of an active farmer could pose a threat to farm inheritance tax reliefs. How young Italian farmers get a 100% mortage to buy land and why France gives preference to new entrants in land sales.What financial supports are available to young farmers to draw down today.Changing trends in collaborative farming arrangements in Ireland.Most common problems found on young farmer scheme inspections. 
SHARING OPTIONS