Conor Hogan, Teagasc’s People in Dairy Programme Manager, joins Stuart Childs on this week’s Dairy Edge to discuss share farming as an option for generational renewal.

Conor discusses the importance of managing time to keep the length of the working day in check and also the importance of getting time off or away from the farm also. This can be helped by being structured in the way work is approached.

This element of work organisation and the potential that it has to create a good working environment is critical to attracting the next generation of farmers into the fold.

Generational renewal is a big ticket item now with people looking at their options and it can no longer be taken as a given that there is a natural successor that will be interested in taking over the farm. 

On the other hand there may also be people out there that are looking to farm but have no access to land. This creates opportunity and Conor goes on to discuss the idea of share farming as a solution to generational renewal in the absence of a natural successor.

Conor says these arrangements can be win-win for both parties but that they are built on trust and communication. 

Conor highlights the importance of farms being well maintained ahead of the owner potentially stepping back in order to ensure there isn’t a mountain to climb in terms of investment in the business when the decision is made to take the next step.  

This can be a significant handicap to the young person coming in as it will undermine the technical efficiency of the business in the early years which is critical to driving the financial success of the arrangement.

Finally, Conor says that people should try to get time off in the next few weeks and then look to the future in terms of what they can do on their own farms to reduce the hours that they have to work and what they need to put in place to facilitate them taking as much time off as they want or as they feel is necessary to allow them have a good balance in their own lives.

The preliminary National Farm Survey report for 2024 can be accessing at:

https://teagasc.ie/wp-content/uploads/uploads/NFS-Preliminary-Report-2024.pdf   

For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at:

https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/

The Dairy Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.com