I’m off on another flight – number 14 of my Nuffield travels so far if my count is right. This time I’m heading for the USA and Canada to investigate my Nuffield study topic: “Farmer driven animal welfare”.
This trip is part one of my personal travel for Nuffield.
In March I travelled to the Netherlands for the Contemporary Scholars Conference (CSC). Before departing, past scholars told me that the CSC and Global Focus Programme (GFP) would be life-changing.
Although I nodded along, I naïvely thought that I was already well-travelled and worldly enough so as not to have my life changed by a 'mere' seven-week trip.
I was genuinely surprised by the impact of the (still-ongoing) Nuffield journey.
I’ve had the opportunity to attend similar events before but nothing comes close to Nuffield.
What Nuffield did better than any of these organisations was get the participants to move beyond small talk on the very first day
In 2015 I took part in a week-long Rural Youth Europe Autumn Seminar in Denmark. In 2010 and 2013, I travelled with a group of volunteers from UCD to Nicaragua for a month.
Last year, I was luckily included in an EU delegation to China for two weeks. What Nuffield did better than any of these organisations was get the participants to move beyond small talk on the very first day.
The CSC was facilitated by two previous Irish scholars, Karen Brosnan and Roberta McDonald, and they had us sharing everything with complete strangers.
The Africa GFP group on a pasture-raised beef farm in Oregon, USA.
Simple exercises in listening had people baring their souls, struggles and dreams. The week-long conference was intense and invigorating. I’ve never made so many friends in such a short time. I remember thinking during the week that if Nuffield was a church I would be there every Sunday.
Africa GFP group
With eight other farmers from Scotland, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, I flew from Amsterdam to Oregon in the US.
Our group was the Africa GFP, with an itinerary to travel to the US, Czech Republic, Ukraine, Kenya and South Africa.
In the airport bathrooms we changed into our suits and straightened our Nuffield ties. One of the Aussies ran ahead to pick up the minivan. Within an hour of landing at the airport we were at our first meeting with the Oregon Department of Agriculture.
That’ll give you an idea of what Nuffield is about - intensity. Boots on the ground and straight to the top for the low-down on farming in this part of the world.
Beyond the daily visits we were constantly learning from each other, dissecting each visit on the bus afterward - the Australians typically not holding back and decrying a farm to be banjaxed only to have a diplomatic Kiwi point out some redeeming features and key take-home lessons
For the next few days we drove ourselves around Oregon, sometimes with hosts and sometimes without, meeting all sorts of farmers and agribusinesses. Dairy farms, oyster growers, hazelnut packers and growers, wheat exporters, marine researchers, a cheese factory and a beef farmer to name a few. Most days we had two or three meetings to get to.
Beyond the daily visits we were constantly learning from each other, dissecting each visit on the bus afterward - the Australians typically not holding back and decrying a farm to be banjaxed only to have a diplomatic Kiwi point out some redeeming features and key take-home lessons.
We discussed each other’s businesses at length and when we started to run out of material the Scot asked when we had been most afraid in our lives.
A simple question that once again took our relationships deeper and brought us closer as a group.
Needless to say there was a lot of laughter and lots of discussions too. Some might think the discussions were arguments but they were always about what was right or wrong, not who.
Translating Trump
After Oregon we flew on to Washington DC where we met up with two of the other GFPs. With so many interested and highly motivated individuals it was hard to get a word in edgeways. Three highlights of the visit to DC for me were;
Being hosted at the New Zealand Embassy and meeting staff from the Irish Embassy. This gave us a real insider’s view to the political system. Hearing the contradiction and 'translation' of what the president really means from Washington civil servants. Standing in the Lincoln Memorial and reading the Gettysburg Address. From the US, we headed to Czech Republic, Ukraine, Kenya and South Africa.
Each country was an incredible learning experience - from meeting those at the cutting edge of technological innovation to those practicing subsistence agriculture, we were constantly challenged with a new perspective.
Corruption
Hearing stories of corruption and war in Ukraine would make you really value Ireland’s stable political environment and starkly shows what a folly Brexit is in the grand scheme of things.
Despite these challenges there is money and a life to be made there. In order to protect themselves from corruption and theft, farmers we met were trying to make themselves important to local communities by providing well-paid jobs.
Wildlife challenges
Africa was simply incredible. Sitting on the roof of an old Land Rover spotting cheetahs in the underground was my idea of paradise. Wildebeests, giraffes, zebras and antelopes were a common sight and I never tired of trying to distinguish the different species.
An African farmer with his pedigree Boran cattle. A calf had been taken the night before by hyenas.
Farming alongside this wildlife brings both challenges and opportunity for African farmers.
Wildebeest can spread disease to cattle, lions and hyenas will attack herds forcing farmers to watch them throughout the night.
Kenya has banned all hunting of wildlife, creating a poaching black market and denying farmers the ability to manage overgrazing on their land.
South Africa allows farmers harvest the wildlife however the extreme drought and social inequality are major challenges for the whole country.
Some of the most innovative and passionate farmers I’ve met were in Africa. Despite the serious hardships they face the average African farmer was far more optimistic than the average American. Unfortunately, I didn’t see any wild elephants, lions or hyenas. I guess I’ll just have to go back.
I’m off on another flight – number 14 of my Nuffield travels so far if my count is right. This time I’m heading for the USA and Canada to investigate my Nuffield study topic: “Farmer driven animal welfare”.
This trip is part one of my personal travel for Nuffield.
In March I travelled to the Netherlands for the Contemporary Scholars Conference (CSC). Before departing, past scholars told me that the CSC and Global Focus Programme (GFP) would be life-changing.
Although I nodded along, I naïvely thought that I was already well-travelled and worldly enough so as not to have my life changed by a 'mere' seven-week trip.
I was genuinely surprised by the impact of the (still-ongoing) Nuffield journey.
I’ve had the opportunity to attend similar events before but nothing comes close to Nuffield.
What Nuffield did better than any of these organisations was get the participants to move beyond small talk on the very first day
In 2015 I took part in a week-long Rural Youth Europe Autumn Seminar in Denmark. In 2010 and 2013, I travelled with a group of volunteers from UCD to Nicaragua for a month.
Last year, I was luckily included in an EU delegation to China for two weeks. What Nuffield did better than any of these organisations was get the participants to move beyond small talk on the very first day.
The CSC was facilitated by two previous Irish scholars, Karen Brosnan and Roberta McDonald, and they had us sharing everything with complete strangers.
The Africa GFP group on a pasture-raised beef farm in Oregon, USA.
Simple exercises in listening had people baring their souls, struggles and dreams. The week-long conference was intense and invigorating. I’ve never made so many friends in such a short time. I remember thinking during the week that if Nuffield was a church I would be there every Sunday.
Africa GFP group
With eight other farmers from Scotland, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, I flew from Amsterdam to Oregon in the US.
Our group was the Africa GFP, with an itinerary to travel to the US, Czech Republic, Ukraine, Kenya and South Africa.
In the airport bathrooms we changed into our suits and straightened our Nuffield ties. One of the Aussies ran ahead to pick up the minivan. Within an hour of landing at the airport we were at our first meeting with the Oregon Department of Agriculture.
That’ll give you an idea of what Nuffield is about - intensity. Boots on the ground and straight to the top for the low-down on farming in this part of the world.
Beyond the daily visits we were constantly learning from each other, dissecting each visit on the bus afterward - the Australians typically not holding back and decrying a farm to be banjaxed only to have a diplomatic Kiwi point out some redeeming features and key take-home lessons
For the next few days we drove ourselves around Oregon, sometimes with hosts and sometimes without, meeting all sorts of farmers and agribusinesses. Dairy farms, oyster growers, hazelnut packers and growers, wheat exporters, marine researchers, a cheese factory and a beef farmer to name a few. Most days we had two or three meetings to get to.
Beyond the daily visits we were constantly learning from each other, dissecting each visit on the bus afterward - the Australians typically not holding back and decrying a farm to be banjaxed only to have a diplomatic Kiwi point out some redeeming features and key take-home lessons.
We discussed each other’s businesses at length and when we started to run out of material the Scot asked when we had been most afraid in our lives.
A simple question that once again took our relationships deeper and brought us closer as a group.
Needless to say there was a lot of laughter and lots of discussions too. Some might think the discussions were arguments but they were always about what was right or wrong, not who.
Translating Trump
After Oregon we flew on to Washington DC where we met up with two of the other GFPs. With so many interested and highly motivated individuals it was hard to get a word in edgeways. Three highlights of the visit to DC for me were;
Being hosted at the New Zealand Embassy and meeting staff from the Irish Embassy. This gave us a real insider’s view to the political system. Hearing the contradiction and 'translation' of what the president really means from Washington civil servants. Standing in the Lincoln Memorial and reading the Gettysburg Address. From the US, we headed to Czech Republic, Ukraine, Kenya and South Africa.
Each country was an incredible learning experience - from meeting those at the cutting edge of technological innovation to those practicing subsistence agriculture, we were constantly challenged with a new perspective.
Corruption
Hearing stories of corruption and war in Ukraine would make you really value Ireland’s stable political environment and starkly shows what a folly Brexit is in the grand scheme of things.
Despite these challenges there is money and a life to be made there. In order to protect themselves from corruption and theft, farmers we met were trying to make themselves important to local communities by providing well-paid jobs.
Wildlife challenges
Africa was simply incredible. Sitting on the roof of an old Land Rover spotting cheetahs in the underground was my idea of paradise. Wildebeests, giraffes, zebras and antelopes were a common sight and I never tired of trying to distinguish the different species.
An African farmer with his pedigree Boran cattle. A calf had been taken the night before by hyenas.
Farming alongside this wildlife brings both challenges and opportunity for African farmers.
Wildebeest can spread disease to cattle, lions and hyenas will attack herds forcing farmers to watch them throughout the night.
Kenya has banned all hunting of wildlife, creating a poaching black market and denying farmers the ability to manage overgrazing on their land.
South Africa allows farmers harvest the wildlife however the extreme drought and social inequality are major challenges for the whole country.
Some of the most innovative and passionate farmers I’ve met were in Africa. Despite the serious hardships they face the average African farmer was far more optimistic than the average American. Unfortunately, I didn’t see any wild elephants, lions or hyenas. I guess I’ll just have to go back.
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