Succession: ‘it’s a fine balancing act – farm, family, work and hobbies’

For Eoin Wynne, farming was never part of a carefully mapped-out career plan.

Growing up in Galway, he spent weekends on the family farm before moving back to his father’s homeplace in Annaghdown, Co Galway, when he was 12.

“The land was a constant, but the farming wasn’t a constant,” Eoin says.

The eldest son, he showed the most interest in farming, but never necessarily saw himself becoming a farmer.

“I wouldn’t say that there was ever any point that I thought, ‘I’ll be a farmer when I grow up.’ That kind of came a lot later,” Eoin says.

Instead, he followed an academic and professional path that would take him away from agriculture. He studied earth and ocean sciences at University of Galway before completing a master’s in hydrogeology, which is the study of groundwater under the Earth’s surface. He then spent two years working in Australia in hydrogeology and now works in geohydrology, with a particular focus on rivers.

His route into farming also shows that a career in agriculture does not necessarily have to begin with an agricultural degree. Eoin’s education and professional experience has given him a different perspective on the land, particularly through his understanding of water, rivers and the environment.

Outside influences

His career outside agriculture has also influenced the way he approaches farming.

“I think farming is very enjoyable when you have time, but when you’re doing it under pressure, it’s different,” Eoin says.

For him, some of the biggest rewards of farming come from enjoying nature.

“There are many aspects of farming that I enjoy, like being in the outdoors, being surrounded by nature, and in my case, being surrounded by a lot of trees, which I think are really good for your mental health,” Eoin says.

He also enjoys the animal husbandry aspect of looking after his Dexter suckler herd. “You know, to have a herd of cows that you kind of have a bond with and that you get to know, that’s rewarding, if you have time to immerse yourself in it.”

Trees have always been part of Eoin’s relationship with the farm. There is a large ash wood on the land, while Eoin also developed an interest in trees and shrubs during summers spent working in a garden centre while at university.

That interest eventually influenced one of the biggest decisions he has made about the farm. As his other work and commitments increased, maintaining the whole farm became difficult.

“The farm [40ac] was too big for me to keep going,” Eoin says.

Different interests

Rather than giving up farming altogether, Eoin looked at how he could change the farm to make it work in his life.

“I could either do that by getting out of [farming], by renting some of it, or by planting it,” adds Eoin.

He ultimately planted around 20ac as part of the FT1 Native Forestry Scheme. The land is now under permanent forestry cover, with broadleaf trees like oak, birch, and Scot’s pine, while Eoin continues to farm the remaining 20ac.

The decision was partly financial, but it was also about finding a sustainable way to manage the farm.

“It was a financial decision in the sense that I thought it was a good way of maximising the farm at the scale I was able to operate at,” Eoin adds.

Forestry also reduced the physical workload, removing some of the ongoing demands associated with maintaining fields, walls, hay and silage.

However, Eoin stresses that forestry cannot simply be viewed as an alternative income stream.

“You have to value trees for something aside from the money, I think, to sign up to a scheme like I did,” Eoin says.

Farming is just one part of a much wider working life for Eoin: “For me, farming is incredibly important” but alongside his work, Eoin is also a semi-professional musician.

“I also play a lot of music. That’s my true passion,” Eoin says.

Balancing those different interests, along with family life and work, is central to the way Eoin farms.

“Getting it right between family, work and hobbies, the farm, you know, it’s a fine balancing act,” observes Eoin.

Family support is also crucial to making the whole arrangement work.

“My farm model totally relies on having family help,” Eoin concludes.