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 AREAS ON 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