Despite the uncertainty caused by Brexit, and the anti-farming agenda of some in mainstream media, the President of the Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU), Ivor Ferguson, delivered an upbeat message to students graduating at CAFRE’s Greenmount campus last week.
He told students not to listen to the “prophets of doom” around issues such as ammonia or carbon emissions, insisting that the industry will be able to find solutions.
“There are plenty of challenges, but there will always be lots of opportunities for young people. There will always be a need to produce high-quality, wholesome food,” he said.
During his presentation, he also reflected on his own farming career, and some of the advice he was given along the way.
Having bought an initial 35 acres, he started into pig production. While he didn’t have a significant land base, he said that he did have one advantage over other young farmers in that he was his own boss.
“I see too often people working away on farms for many years, while the older generation still hold on to the reins,” said Ferguson.
Over time, he grew the business and kept up to 200 sows. He once told a friend about his plan to expand to 300 sows, only to be reminded that there is an optimum size for any business.
“It is something I never forgot. How many farms with 100 cows can’t get to 200 or 300 quick enough?” he asked.
Instead, his advice is to concentrate on the bottom line of profit, keep up to speed with new developments in the sector and listen and learn from others who have been successful in business.
He also believes that it is possible for a young person starting out in farming with few assets (as he did himself) to forge a successful career in the industry.
“The farming ladder is still there, although the bottom rungs might be a bit higher than they were,” he suggested.
At the Greenmount awards ceremony last week, over 230 students graduated across a range of full- and part-time courses.
Read more
In pictures: simple handling unit for an outside block
Young beef farmers feeling the pain of current prices
Despite the uncertainty caused by Brexit, and the anti-farming agenda of some in mainstream media, the President of the Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU), Ivor Ferguson, delivered an upbeat message to students graduating at CAFRE’s Greenmount campus last week.
He told students not to listen to the “prophets of doom” around issues such as ammonia or carbon emissions, insisting that the industry will be able to find solutions.
“There are plenty of challenges, but there will always be lots of opportunities for young people. There will always be a need to produce high-quality, wholesome food,” he said.
During his presentation, he also reflected on his own farming career, and some of the advice he was given along the way.
Having bought an initial 35 acres, he started into pig production. While he didn’t have a significant land base, he said that he did have one advantage over other young farmers in that he was his own boss.
“I see too often people working away on farms for many years, while the older generation still hold on to the reins,” said Ferguson.
Over time, he grew the business and kept up to 200 sows. He once told a friend about his plan to expand to 300 sows, only to be reminded that there is an optimum size for any business.
“It is something I never forgot. How many farms with 100 cows can’t get to 200 or 300 quick enough?” he asked.
Instead, his advice is to concentrate on the bottom line of profit, keep up to speed with new developments in the sector and listen and learn from others who have been successful in business.
He also believes that it is possible for a young person starting out in farming with few assets (as he did himself) to forge a successful career in the industry.
“The farming ladder is still there, although the bottom rungs might be a bit higher than they were,” he suggested.
At the Greenmount awards ceremony last week, over 230 students graduated across a range of full- and part-time courses.
Read more
In pictures: simple handling unit for an outside block
Young beef farmers feeling the pain of current prices
SHARING OPTIONS