‘If anything, ever happened me, at least her legs are under the table. I can’t take it with me.” That’s the view of Co Cork beef farmer, Joe Barrett when it comes to getting the next generation involved. Later this year, he will officially form a farm partnership with his daughter, Aoife on their farm at Oughtiherra, Rylane.
“Her life is starting and at least she has a foothold now. She can do something and we can work together. Hopefully, she’ll bring the modern way and I’ll wind down and she’ll wind up. You don’t know what could happen in the morning and I want her secure and that’s the only way to do it, bring her in with me.”
The idea didn’t come as a surprise to Aoife when it was floated with her.
“He was younger than me when he got the farm.”
Joe hadn’t yet turned 20 his parents transferred the farm to him. It was the same with his brother a few years later: “I was always told by my parents that if a family stick together, they’ll thrive. On the way home from the solicitors, my father said: ‘If you want, work it and we’ll work it with you but if you want to squander it, you’ll do it on your own, but that’s all you’re getting.”
The idea has been in Joe’s head with a while and Aoife starting the agricultural science course in Munster Technological University (MTU) was the catalyst for him.
“I said to her, as soon as you get the green cert we’re starting a farm partnership. She has three years done now and will graduate later in the year so we’ll do it then.”
In the meantime, Joe set the ball rolling and did some of the foundation work with Teagasc, his solicitor and accountant. Aoife always showed an interest in farming and that’s what led her to the course and a decision to take the partnership route. That decision has been Aoife’s lifetime in the making.
“Every time I go buying calves, Aoife always goes with me,” said Joe. “She’s a good judge of stock and she’ll cop things I wouldn’t. Four eyes are always better than two.”
Interested
You’ll know in a young person’s first 20 years whether they’re interested in farming or not, said Joe. “If they’re not interested, don’t force them, but if they like it, you encourage it and when they’re at it then, it’s up to them to do what they want. It’s their turn. She’ll make some mistakes but that’s alright, I did that myself too. You learn as you go.”
Quizzed on the pros and cons of going into partnership, Aoife said:
“For pros, we get along, and have similar minds. We’re both focused on cattle a lot. I feel like he can do everything, so I can learn so much from that. I couldn’t really see any cons to be honest. I’m looking forward to it, I think it will be a good opportunity, at least, then I can have a proper say.”
Joe is equally complimentary: “The pros are, she’s very easy to work with, she does all the computer work and all the banking and it relieves an awful lot of simple technology things away from me which I am no good at.
“Cons of working with her? She’s too fast. I can’t catch up to her.”
“That’s a pro too,” chips in Aoife. “Whenever there are cattle out, it’s, ‘Aoife, go’.”
Both are confident that there should be no flashpoints.
“I don’t think we’d have anything we’d disagree on,” Aoife says, with Joe in agreement.
“We’d both have different ways of doing thing,” he said, “but if she comes up with an idea and I disagree, then there’s a happy medium between everything so rather than argue about it, let’s find out where that is and what’s the modern way of doing this. That’s the way we’ll run it.”
On advice to other young people looking to enter a farm partnership, Aoife said: “You have to ask yourself whether you enjoy it or not because if you don’t enjoy farming, you’re not going to stay at it and you’re not going to do it properly.
“It’s a great safety net with the partnership, no one can make big decisions without the other one knowing.”
Encouraging
Encouraging young people and giving them a chance is Joe’s advice to farming parents looking to get next generation involved.
“You’ll know in your own family whether they’re interested or not.
“If they’re interested, it’s time to hand some of the reins and responsibility to them and let them make their mistakes and let them do what they want to do.
“They’ll modernise a biteen more and without young blood you’re finished. It’s winding down. What’s the point holding it until they’re 40 or 45? Their life is half over at that stage.”
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