Creating a successor doesn’t happen by chance. It is a combination of nurturing, education and a positive attitude towards agriculture. A career in farming is not just a job: it is a way of life.

There is no better way to bring up a family. It changes with the seasons and provides constant stimulation. No two years are the same. It is flexible. You can collect your children from school. You can be there at important times in their lives. You can decide your own start and finishing time.

In short, you are your own boss. In what other business can you write a plan to double your net worth in 10 years? You can do this for farming, but it is a long-term strategy and it does demand commitment to change and an obligation to continued personal development.

No teenager will want to stay at home on the family farm if there is an attitude of negativity. If you talk farming down and complain, then is it any surprise that the younger person doesn’t want to follow in your footsteps?

KEEP THE FARM ALIVE

Progressive farmers will keep the family farm alive by keeping up with the developments in the industry by attending conferences, being part of discussion groups and responding to new research.

This shows the younger generation that there is a network of peers and experts that can be used to support a developing career. It also keeps you moving with the times and up to date.

Do not be blinkered. Be proactive about creating and identifying a successor. It is hard to know if you are doing that or not when the children are small. If you are progressive about farming and positive about the seasons, your attitude will resonate with them. You will open their minds to the possibility of choosing it as a career.

Sometimes young people don’t want to start farming immediately. They may want to work away from home for a while or travel. Be open to all possibilities and be patient. Your relationship with your sons or daughters is key to having that successor. You must be able to work with each other –and that demands mutual respect.

Once a successor is identified, it is important to invest in that successor through education. We need smart farmers.

Colm chose to do a degree in Dairy Business in University College Dublin. He draws on it regularly and builds on it continually. His level of expertise is evident in technical knowledge. With Tim’s experience and Colm’s youth, enthusiasm and education, they are now a formidable team.

FAMILY INVOLVEMENT

Today, Tim and I regard ourselves extremely fortunate to have Colm, our youngest son, at home farming full-time. In hindsight, when they were growing up, we were open to one or both of them farming.

Philip chose an army career, yet he remains a committed farmer in his spare time. I see him come home in the evenings, grab a bite to eat, shed the uniform and head for the yard without delay. It’s in his pores. He is a huge backup to Colm.

Meanwhile, Diarmuid, our eldest son, has his role on the farm too. When Diarmuid was born with Down syndrome, our farming life meant that there would always be a place for him. It was a source of solace for me from the start. Farming has allowed him to be the best he can be in a protected environment.

He has his own jobs. In winter he beds the sheds. He milks the cows with Tim or Colm six times a week. He and Tim do the grass walk every week together. Diarmuid carries the weighing scales and bag, while Tim does the clipping. When Colm goes to the heifer-rearing leased ground, Diarmuid is along to open the gates and generally help out.

That extra pair of hands, guided by his dad and his brothers, is valued. It also means that Diarmuid is protected while being part of the team.

Right up until they were teenagers, their grandfather Denis was also a source of inspiration for them. He was very much a machinery man, and at times I see their grandfather in all of them.

That longevity in farming is very special. It gives a history and context to families, communities and countries. Farmers have been – and will always be – custodians of the countryside. It is a role that is oftentimes forgotten. We should be proud of it.

THREE YEARS ON

Colm has been at home now for three years, and I can honestly say that we are in a very secure place from a relationship point of view.

Looking back, we were always positive about farming. There is a picture up on the wall taken of the boys when they were very young. One is in a green overall and the other in a red one, under a banner proclaiming “We want to be farmers”.

It was one that I made for some farming protest. The boys were always on board with us, giving them ownership and participation in the community of farmers.

Julie, despite her physical disability, was always in the thick of it too. Now married to her farming partner David, she is at home in her role as a young farmer’s wife.

The last three years have not all been plain sailing, and I will explore the ups and downs of that another day. I remain convinced that where there is a will, there is a way.

The relationship is key and the succession plan is essential. We continue to learn from each other and both young and mature farmers are enjoying it. CL