FARMING, LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT! KEVIN MORAN. INTRODUCTION KEVIN MORAN 22 YEARS OLD FROM CLAREMORRIS, CO MAYO. ONE OF 11 CHILDREN COMPLETED A CERTIFICATE.

FARMING, LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT!

KEVIN MORAN

INTRODUCTION• KEVIN MORAN

• 22 YEARS OLD

• FROM CLAREMORRIS, CO MAYO.

• ONE OF 11 CHILDREN

• COMPLETED A CERTIFICATE IN AGRICULTURE IN MOUNTBELLEW

• LEASED A 36HA BLOCK FROM MY UNCLE IN 2013

• AFTER BEING REFUSED CREDIT FROM BANKS 9 TIME I FINALLY GOT SANCTIONED

• 2013 TEAGASC/FBD STUDENT OF THE YEAR

• I AM A 2015 NUFFIELD SCHOLAR

MY JOURNEY• IN 2013 I MILKED 72 COWS

• IN 2014 I GOT HEIFERS CONTRACT REARED

• THIS ENABLED ME TO MILK 100 COWS

• I WAS GOING TO BE A DAIRY FARMER AND NOTHING WAS GOING TO STOP ME!

• I WANTED TO BE INDEPENDENT FROM A YOUNG AGE

• I WAS BORN IN A RUSH

• LEASING 48 MORE HA FROM JANUARY

• CALVING DOWN 210 COWS NEXT SPRING

• GROW ORGANICALLY TO 270 COWS

4 KEY AREASON MY FIRST DAY OF MILKING, I STUCK A WATERPROOF SHEET ON THE DAIRY WALL.

IT OUTLINED THE 4 KEY ASPECTS OF THE FARM

MY DAY TO DAY ROUTINE FOCUSED AROUND THE KEY AREAS WHICH WERE MY DUTY

EVERYTIME I PASSED IT THE JOB I WAS DOING SHOULD COME UNDER AT LEAST ONE OF THE HEADINGS

I ALWAYS MAKE A PLAN FOR THE WEEK AHEAD ON SUNDAY EVENING

IT FOCUSES AROUND THIS SHEET AND MY RESPONSIBILITY IS TO ENSURE NOTHING WITHIN THE 4 AREAS IS NEGLECTED

I MAINTAIN A WORK/LIFE BALANCE

• A WISE MAN ADVISED ME ‘IRON WILL WEAR AMOCK’• JUST BECAUSE YOU ARE FINISHED AT 5:30PM DOES NOT MEAN YOU

ARE NOT WORKING HARD• FARMERS GUILT IS A FALLACY• SET ASIDE TIME FOR SELF DEVELOPMENT/EDUCATION• YOU NEED TO BE PSHYCOLOGICALLY FIT• READ BOOKS, TRAVEL, SOCIALISE, PLAY SPORT ETC.• NUFFIELD HAS BEEN INVALUABLE IN THIS REGARD

TANGIBLE ACHIEVEMENTS

Challenges/opportunities

• Access to land and credit are the first 2 barriers we all think of.• If you think access to land is an issue, in my opinion you are not

looking in the right places• Massive opportunity over the next number of years• Our Minister and farm organisations have done great work on tax free

land leasing incentives • Access to credit as a young farmer expanding via leasing is an issue!• Staff is the other big issue• Good management can overcome all other issues

FOOD HARVEST 2020

WHO WILL DELIVER THESE OBJECTIVES?• IT IS THOSE WHO HAVE

20PLUS YEARS OF A CAREER AHEAD WHO WILL PROVIDE MOST OF THIS GROWTH BECAUSE OF THE EXTRA WORKLOAD AND CAPITAL REQUIRED

• EXPANSION IS A YOUNG MANS GAME

FOOD HARVEST 2020

• PEOPLE THINK IT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF OUR POLITICIANS TO SEE TO IT THESE TARGETS ARE MET• ITS NOT, IT IS OURS!• IT IS THE POLITICIANS JOB TO ENSURE WE HAVE THE TOOLS WE NEED

TO ACHIEVE THEM

WHAT TOOLS DO WE NEED?

• WE NEED MORE ACCESS TO CAPITAL WITHOUT HAVING TO JUMP THROUGH HOOPS FOR BANKS e.g 70% loan to value• WE NEED MORE INNOVATION FROM OUR BANKS• WE NEED INCREASED LEVELS OF PRIVATE FUNDING• ACCESS TO EIB FUNDS UNDER FI COMPASS• WE NEED BETTER EDUCATION STRUCTURES AND KNOWLEDGE

TRANSFER AROUND CO2 EMISSIONS TO OUR YOUNG FARMERS IF WE ARE TO UNDERGO ‘SUSTAINABLE INTENSIFICATION’

Thank you