Doing Green Cert with no access to own active farm nor work on another farm

Chemical Byrne

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Hi,

Not wanting to derail this thread, http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showt...p?t=2057504147 I made my own.

Basically I am 29 and I want to do the green cert with a view to possibly taking up farming on the family farm at some future date.

Now, I work full time as a civil engineer and the online course would have suited me to do part time. I'd have no problem paying the fee and covering the theory course work I'm in complete bind with respect to the practical placement element.

Problem is the family farm is let out to a neighbour on a long lease so there's no go there. Anyhow, as I work full time in Cork I'm in no position, nor do I have any desire to, work on another farm part time. I've enough to be doing.

What I want to know is am I effectively debarred from doing a green cert? Or is there some other route for someone who doesn't have access to a working farm and is working in a career full time?

I wonder would it be possible to have a friendly neighbour write a letter for you or sign your forms or whatever to say you work with him and then just submit a correct and believable but fictional body of coursework?
Surely this sort of stuff goes on all the time with a wink and a nod from the course leaders?

Thanks.

2smiggy

think you can just use the facts and figures from your farm that your family have let out. like acres, stocking numbers , cash flow etc. The cash figures could be estimated if your neighbor was not comfortable giving them out. Nothing too exact about it. If asked you can say you help out on it from time to time.

Just for your own benefit , there are a lot less figures and filling in of projects if you pick beef rather than dairy.

Chemical Byrne

I see. Is there any cross check of names, herd No. etc that I could get caught out on or is there any requirement for the leasee to sign anything? Like could I just estimate everything and pass it off no bother or could I be caught out with it in some way.

Farm at home is part tillage and part drystock. Could I just go with whichever portion of it involved the least paperwork and ignore the rest? Which would require less input?

Does it really matter at the end of the day? Or is it simply a matter of ticking the box and submitting something for the college, even if it's a load of contrived waffle?

barnaman

Chemical I am currently on it. I farm full time so its easy for me but do not worry about practical placement. You need access to an active farm and the financial figures for that farm. You keep a weekly diary of what is going on on the farm. Cattle bought/sold, crops planted etc and you need to know what it costs to do stuff. Once you can get the info you do not really even need access to farm. Try the lad renting land to he might be iffy giving out the money details. If he is have you a relatives farm you could use? No prob doing course but takes more time then lads think with course work etc and need be able to take off 25 days to do it. No holidays for a year!

barnaman

Meant to add no cross checking etc but difficult to make this stuff up and if it all seems wrong; they might cross check then. Was told that happen last year when lad's figures did not add up.

Chemical Byrne

Thanks for all the info lads. I could ask the fella renting I suppose, he's approachable and we know him with years.
Tbh, with regards to time input, I'd only have the appetite to put in the bare minimum in order to secure a pass. Are they fairly lenient?

I suppose one could get/buy a placement diary from someone who has already completed the course? Do people normally keep a copy?
Would anyone be willing to provide one that a current student could copy and retitle?

Surely a lecturer would hang someone who is paying good money for a cert! It would be terrible publicity too. Not to mention what lecturer wants the hassle of challenges and appeals as long as something reasonably coherent and believable is handed in.

barnaman

Diary is no that bad and trust me not kill you with work comleting it. All the coursework including diary looked at by an external examiner and you do record name of farmer where you are doing the placement. My Fetac Diary level 5 has been collected and being examined bo idea if I get it back. All I know is that another more detailed diary needed for level 6. Approacg lad land rented to just tell him need some basic figures like fertiliser costs, meal etc

ganmo

is a requirement to be from a farm to do a green cert?
surely if ya told them you were going to be using a neighbours farm i doubt they'd have a problem with it

barnaman

They would have no bother. The only hassle is you need to draw up a business plan as part of course so you need to know what the reference farm is making, and doubt neighbour keen to tell you that!

Chemical Byrne

Could just make it up too. As long as the figures look some way half reasonable and not completely off the wall shouldn't it be grand?

My ideal solution would be to just get my hands on a copy of someone elses coursework from a previous year and rework it a bit. I'd be willing to pay money if someone had it handy and was willing to part with a scan/photocopy. If that was based on an actual farm and passed it should be grand.

2smiggy

it's not that hard, once you get started in the projects near the end of it. It would be as much hassle getting another project and trying to make changes to make it look different.

I was dreading doing the projects, but once you know where to start they are fine. They are fairly lenient , and the exams are handy out. Once you show up to most of the course days they seemed happy out. I does take up all your holidays thou as someone said. For me it was every 3rd Friday pretty much for nearly 18 months. I could have done it years ago when friends of mine did it, only took 2 weeks together during the summer when I would have been off from college. Really regretted not doing that at the time !!

Chemical Byrne

Is there any way of distance learning it without having to go to regular things? Except ecams of course?

I want to get the qual but don't want to waste my time going to lectures. Could I "hire" someone to go instead of me under my name?

Maybe someone one the dole looking for a handy few extra quid of a Friday?

ZETOR_IS_BETTER

Chemical Byrne wrote: »

Is there any way of distance learning it without having to go to regular things? Except ecams of course?

I want to get the qual but don't want to waste my time going to lectures. Could I "hire" someone to go instead of me under my name?

Maybe someone one the dole looking for a handy few extra quid of a Friday?

Try harder

Chemical Byrne

I want to do it but it just seems a pain that I'd have lose all my time off to it. Especially so since most would agree that it's just a paper exercise and money spinner for teagasc with no discernible benefit to the people who do it.

greysides

[mod]I don't think subverting a process, to gain a qualification you've not earned, to be on equal footing with those who took the time to do it, is a matter for public discussion.

Thread closed unless there's reason to reconsider. [/mod]