Throughout the 2020-2021 school year, the Irish Farmers Journal will be releasing an update video from one of our case study farmers each week documenting their on-farm progress.

By the end of the school year in 2021, each student who signs up to this year’s study guides will have access to five sector-by-sector mini-case studies.

Beef sector

Shaun Diver: Shaun is the farm manager on the Irish Farmers Journal beef and sheep demonstration farm in Tullamore, Co Offaly.

The farm is a 200-acre farm, running a mixed grazing system, with 100 spring calves and suckler cows and 250 mid-season lambing ewes.

Dairy sector

Alan Jagoe: Alan operates a 400-acre dairy farm on the coast in Nohoval, Co Cork, with a tillage enterprise where he grows malting barley (used for Guinness and Irish whiskey), feed barley, wheat, sugar beet and maize, which is all used for the cows’ diet.

Sheep sector

Joanne Devaney: A 22-year-old sheep shearer, studying ag science in UCD and majoring in animal and crop production. Joanne works on her family sheep farm in Sligo, where they operate with mainly hill sheep and a small number of lowland sheep.

Tillage sector

Kevin Nolan: Kevin is a tillage farmer from Grangeford, Co Carlow. Kevin owns a large-scale tillage operation and has embraced technology on his farm. They are growing winter wheat, winter barley, winter oats, beans, spring barley, spring wheat and maze, with a big emphasis on sustainability and renewables.

Pig sector

Shane McAuliffe: Shane is a pig, beef, tillage and forestry farmer from Co Kerry. Shane operates a 1,000-sow unit, with three other modern high-welfare pig farms producing about 50,000 pigs per year. Shane is a member and shareholder of the Truly Irish group, with a masters in pig health and production from the Royal Vet College in London.

Next week, we’ll be releasing our meet the farmer videos. Each video will be no more than four minutes long.

Each farmer will talk to students about:

  • Their sector.
  • Farming background and education.
  • What they love about farming.
  • The biggest challenges in farming.
  • What they wish they knew about farming earlier.
  • What the future holds for them and their farm.

    • Visit www.farmersjournal.ie/agsci for full details on how to sign up to this year’s programme.