young farming full time

donegal farmer

Right so I'm still in skl and have a goal to be a full time farmer I'm going the green cert next year I've a 150 acre farm in Donegal mostly Heather and bog land I am wondering where would be the best place to start reclaiming it and will it be possible

older by the day

donegal farmer wrote: »

Right so I'm still in skl and have a goal to be a full time farmer I'm going the green cert next year I've a 150 acre farm in Donegal mostly Heather and bog land I am wondering where would be the best place to start reclaiming it and will it be possible

Please listen to a bit of advice, you have something most of the people posting here have not, and that is youth. Don't waste a minute of it. Please consider continuating your education, or getting a trade. If you do you will get the green cert, part time later, you will be spending half your year learning about tillage and other Shiite you won't need in life, get a qualification in something and let the farming for a few years, it will be there always. Earn money and you can fix up the land then, you are expecting the land to pay for the reclamation, that won't work, find a trade you like, mechanic, plumber, panel beater, carpentry, anything that will keep things going when the money from farming is tight

Muckit

If you want to enjoy it, keep it as a hobby! Even at that it can be challenging sometimes!

bogman_bass

Go to college and have that experience. Travel now before you get tied to the land.

Farm because you want to farm not because you can’t do anything else

Zimmerframe

1. Lease/rent land to somebody.
2. Get an education/trade.
3. Travel and see a bit of the world.
4. Make some money.
5. See what cards, life deals you.
6 .When you are fed up making money, ask yourself, are you still interested in being a farmer.
7. Hope the money you made in step 4, will see you out while enjoying your new hobby.

carrollsno1

Go travel see the world when you can, dont be the lad in 40 years time talking to a young lad heading off travelling and saying to him "i would have to have went when i could"

davidk1394

Speaking from experience. Go to school then to college then head off traveling. If that’s not for you then get a 9-5 job. If that doesn’t suit you, go work for a farmer and then go farming yourself. I did most of the above and I still want to go farming full time at home.

Say my name

If you've your heart set on farming as a career and are not afraid of work.
I hear the streets are paved with gold in Saudi if you've an inclination towards Holsteins.

Edit: God knows what way the future will bring farming wise.
I see on the farming independent someone bought a new tractor with the herbs on their farm and putting them into candles!

simx

carrollsno1 wrote: »

Go travel see the world when you can, dont be the lad in 40 years time talking to a young lad heading off travelling and saying to him "i would have to have went when i could"

Dead right, father died when I was 20 so stayed at home, didn’t mean I had to but chose to and happy with my choice but if circumstances were different I prob would of went to NZ/oz

Dickie10

get educated lad if your that way inclined, it dosent matter what your passion is if you achieve in your area you will be able to get plenty of work. get a trade if your not too interested in study. at least you can work at the trade when your not busy farming. its only the last few years its coming together for me and im 35. so happy i went and got m qualifications im now in a position where i can nearly farm full time. im fully qualified teacher and can also plaster as i did the trade for 5 years after school, farm was signed over when i was 30. I am now subbing teaching so can pick or choose the schools , if i get the right school i may even take on a full time job if its a nice school, im farming and in summer i go plastering with the brother. lovely to be able to do the plastering in summer its great craic that time of year!

kk.man

Dickie10 wrote: »

get educated lad if your that way inclined, it dosent matter what your passion is if you achieve in your area you will be able to get plenty of work. get a trade if your not too interested in study. at least you can work at the trade when your not busy farming. its only the last few years its coming together for me and im 35. so happy i went and got m qualifications im now in a position where i can nearly farm full time. im fully qualified teacher and can also plaster as i did the trade for 5 years after school, farm was signed over when i was 30. I am now subbing teaching so can pick or choose the schools , if i get the right school i may even take on a full time job if its a nice school, im farming and in summer i go plastering with the brother. lovely to be able to do the plastering in summer its great craic that time of year!

I am much the same as you. However I had a choice years back to not follow through with my education and farm full time. I often woundered how I would have faired. Yes back then 30 years ago the doom and gloom merchants were out as they are today and farming hasn't completely fallen away
Its hearting to read recently about ye man in the West of Ireland that started off with a few sheep and built up to hundreds.
What I am saying it can be achieved without education too and don't mind the knockers. I chose my route because I did not want to look back at lost opportunities. If it was over again I couldn't honestly say I would do it the same.
Have a good deep conversation with yourself and decide. Best of luck.

Bullocks

Dickie10 wrote: »

get educated lad if your that way inclined, it dosent matter what your passion is if you achieve in your area you will be able to get plenty of work. get a trade if your not too interested in study. at least you can work at the trade when your not busy farming. its only the last few years its coming together for me and im 35. so happy i went and got m qualifications im now in a position where i can nearly farm full time. im fully qualified teacher and can also plaster as i did the trade for 5 years after school, farm was signed over when i was 30. I am now subbing teaching so can pick or choose the schools , if i get the right school i may even take on a full time job if its a nice school, im farming and in summer i go plastering with the brother. lovely to be able to do the plastering in summer its great craic that time of year!

Fair fecks lad . You have a good choice of careers now anyhow

carrollsno1

If you wanted to gather up money quickly either a mine in Australia or saudi would be the place to go, but theres a reason these fly in fly out jobs pay so well. You can make good money in the citys in Australia too but saving can be hard i knowa good few lads pulling in $2-3K a week labouring here but they are still living week to week id imagine it would be easy enough save on that kind of money as i wasnt getting a smell of that type of money in Sydney i was the go to man for a sub every so often. If you do end up travelling out here avoid Sydney at the start its a very hard place to leave Melbourne is supposed to be place to be at the minute as theres a lot of new infrastructure going in down there and the cost of living is cheaper than sydney but still they cant get lads to move down from there to meet the demand.

Ruraldweller56

Zimmerframe wrote: »

1. Lease/rent land to somebody.
2. Get an education/trade.
3. Travel and see a bit of the world.
4. Make some money.
5. See what cards, life deals you.
6 .When you are fed up making money, ask yourself, are you still interested in being a farmer.
7. Hope the money you made in step 4, will see you out while enjoying your new hobby.

Why does everyone assume this is what everyone needs to do? It's ridiculous to suggest that you can't be happy without having spent a few years bagpacking around Europe.

OP, if you want to farm do it. Don't listen to the naysayers. I've spent years in college, travelling (for work) only to see my father have to sell off his few acres and for me to join the rat race.

Icelandicseige

After spending years working off the farm I decided like yourself to go farming full time. Noting ventured noting gained but im certainly not staying.
I went farming for the wrong reasons and although I enjoy Milking and have an great interest in it, I don't plan on doing it when the old man retires even do we don't get along alot of the time it is isolating and I have no intention of going at it on my own. But it is also a great way of earning of few pound either working for yourself(if dairying) or working for someone else and upskill at the same time by going to college or even a trade. Don't restrict yourself by only giving yourself one way of making an income is my advice. God knows there's lots of people ready and willing to kick you while your down and out about your decisions. I have met them. But just always leave yourselves options to work with.

Dickie10

dairying is something you need to be brought up with or else love. i have neither but the farm would make a very good dairy unit but i would rather be more effecient at what im at than going trying something i know nothing about. didnt do much travelling myself in my 20s but plan on doing a bit this year heading to new york and boston 10 days in summer, might do upstate new york too. i would like to travel but it will just be short stints like that.

Ruraldweller56

Ruraldweller56 wrote: »

Why does everyone assume this is what everyone needs to do? It's ridiculous to suggest that you can't be happy without having spent a few years bagpacking around Europe.

OP, if you want to farm do it. Don't listen to the naysayers. I've spent years in college, travelling (for work) only to see my father have to sell off his few acres and for me to join the rat race.

+100 never got the obsession with “travelling”. I see plenty of the world when going on holidays I had zero interest in wasting time and money “travelling” and dont regret never doing it one bit.

Zimmerframe

Arian Rotten Cobra wrote: »

+100 never got the obsession with “travelling”. I see plenty of the world when going on holidays I had zero interest in wasting time and money “travelling” and don't regret never doing it one bit.

There is no obsession with travelling. If you have an aversion to travelling, then stay at home. Plus if you do go, you are not committing to anything, you can come home the next day.
The point is, if you are going to be a full time farmer, then its likely you won't be able to go apart from, a holiday.
Going on holidays and having the freedom, to live where you like, do what you like for a couple of years are totally different things.

Ruraldweller56

Zimmerframe wrote: »

There is no obsession with travelling. If you have an aversion to travelling, then stay at home. Plus if you do go, you are not committing to anything, you can come home the next day.
The point is, if you are going to be a full time farmer, then its likely you won't be able to go apart from, a holiday.
Going on holidays and having the freedom, to live where you like, do what you like for a couple of years are totally different things.

I just find it sad that we've a young lad on here displaying ambition and drive to carry on a farm looking for some advice and he's getting back 'you should really travel and see the world instead'.

Zimmerframe

Yes, It is kinda sad, but it’s also reassuring that there are people here that, can realistically see what his prospects are with a farm of bog and heather, his words not ours. The “land” is clearly not going to deteriorate while he gets an education and tries other things. He will have lost nothing and may gain a lot. If for any reason the farming scene improves, then it’ still there.

Dinzee Conlee

Ruraldweller56 wrote: »

I just find it sad that we've a young lad on here displaying ambition and drive to carry on a farm looking for some advice and he's getting back 'you should really travel and see the world instead'.

I would say the majority of people that have traveled, have enjoyed it. And as another poster said, not travel with work - but go to Oz / NZ, and look for work, stay in a place for a while, move on... This is different to going to a spot, with one job, staying in a hotel while you're there and back home again after a certain period... I have done this, and I wouldn't class it as travelling...
Plus - if you go, and don't like it, come home. I know people you tried it, decided it wasn't for them and came home after a few weeks, after a bit of a holiday and a look around - but they were glad they tried it...

Travelling for the most part, is a young persons game. A farm can be very tying, and once you start farming, its harder to plug yourself out for a year to go off...

If the OP is into farming, then I would still recommend going away from home for a while - even if its work on farms away. Be that Oz or Tipp or anywhere. Its good to stand on your own two feet for a while...

From an economic perspective - 150acres of not great ground prob wont do much for you on its own. Some kinda off-farm job to fit in with it would be the best solution.
Have a think of what else you might like doing, it could well be agri related. A trade can often be a good mix with farming, as others have suggested...

Personally, I would say whatever you do, dont just give up school and go home to farm... Do something else for a while after school - be that a course, maybe an agri-course, a trade, travel, work experience in something you think you might like to try it out... Anything...

Best of luck with it all...

Timmaay

Ruraldweller56 wrote: »

I just find it sad that we've a young lad on here displaying ambition and drive to carry on a farm looking for some advice and he's getting back 'you should really travel and see the world instead'.

The main reason we are suggesting he goes traveling now is it becomes extremely difficult to when you have the farm hanging around your neck. I'll agreed that traveling isn't the absolutely be all and end, however in general the vast vast majority of people absolutely do not regret spending time traveling in their early adult years. It really is the best opportunity to find yourself, and push yourself out of your comfort zone and into being a more independent adult with a more open view of the world.

Meanwhile always keep good communication with your parents about what will happen in the future, don't leave them in the dark either way, if you want to come home, if you decide you dont, or if simply your not sure yet and want to keep your options open.

Ruraldweller56

Timmaay wrote: »

The main reason we are suggesting he goes traveling now is it becomes extremely difficult to when you have the farm hanging around your neck. I'll agreed that traveling isn't the absolutely be all and end, however in general the vast vast majority of people absolutely do not regret spending time traveling in their early adult years. It really is the best opportunity to find yourself, and push yourself out of your comfort zone and into being a more independent adult with a more open view of the world.

Meanwhile always keep good communication with your parents about what will happen in the future, don't leave them in the dark either way, if you want to come home, if you decide you dont, or if simply your not sure yet and want to keep your options open.

Yeah. You need to try and understand that not everyone needs to 'find themselves'. Or have a 'more open view of the world'. The thought of stoating around Cambodia with a backpack and listening to someone talking about finding themselves would be enough to put me off.

The only people I know who go on with that stuff usually spend their days pontificating to the rest of us about why everything we do every day is wrong because I spent time in Italy and over there blah blah blah.

All jokes aside young man. A trade as a mechanic or metal fabricator or something would be invaluable to your farming career. I wish you all the best in your endeavours.

Timmaay

Ruraldweller56 wrote: »

Yeah. You need to try and understand that not everyone needs to 'find themselves'. Or have a 'more open view of the world'. The thought of stoating around Cambodia with a backpack and listening to someone talking about finding themselves would be enough to put me off.

The only people I know who go on with that stuff usually spend their days pontificating to the rest of us about why everything we do every day is wrong because I spent time in Italy and over there blah blah blah.

All jokes aside young man. A trade as a mechanic or metal fabricator or something would be invaluable to your farming career. I wish you all the best in your endeavours.

Backpacking through Cambodia is well out there on the traveling spectrum ha, get an agriculture job in any part of the world would be massive experience to almost everyone. And I think your taking my "find yourself" remark out of context, I'm not talking about needing to become a hippy or Monk etc ha, however you got like 40/50+ years ahead of you working, spending 6months traveling now while you can, I still think it's a great idea, it's not for absolutely everyone, but a significant majority of young adults will benefit from it, it's better to try it and have the stories to tell rest of your life rather than regretting it (my dad is a fairly simple man, but spend afew yrs on the buildings in London in the 60s, still talks about it today).

And your final point I agree with also definitely, but why not do both, travel then do an apprenticeship when you come back.

davidk1394

Ruraldweller56 wrote: »

I just find it sad that we've a young lad on here displaying ambition and drive to carry on a farm looking for some advice and he's getting back 'you should really travel and see the world instead'.

Speaking from experience. I did a small bit of traveling and enjoyed it. Came back for silage here and I’m happy out and don’t have any wish to go traveling again. I’ll go on holidays.

On the other hand a friend of mine got into a partnership with his father when he was 20. He was mad for cows. Now his in Oz and has to come home for calving in the spring but has no interest in coming back and regrets getting the cows now.

My point is everyone is different, and just go off even for 3 or 4 months. Doesn’t have to be 2 years. A fella could come back with a totally different point of view.

popa smurf

I left the land 30 years ago spent 5 years at home milking cows from 15 to 20 and just by chance had a brother in Manchester and went over there for a weekend and never lived at home again after that. I thought that this was the life for me. i was built for concrete work and 100 quid a day was 5 times as much as i was getting at home, we had great years but things change you get married you have kids that have different accents you have mortgages, your a blow in where you live, your a blow in when you go back to the ould place and there is many a day i say tomyself why the fuuck didn't i stay milking those few cows.

Muckit

I think you made a very wise decision!

kk.man

Muckit wrote: »

I think you made a very wise decision!

A decision like that is like beauty...it's in the eye of the beholder.

TheFarrier

Not really farming related but I left school into an apprenticeship in a trade that allowed me to build my own career alongside it. Finished that and pushed myself to build my round of work from there to a full time round.

And I regret pushing so hard.

I had no interest in traveling that time. No interest in holidays either. But now I feel like I missed out.
I love my job and wouldn’t change that for the world.

But the holidays I take now will never really allow to experience life in a different country, or different culture.

I’m every bit as tied to my job as a farmer is.

And I regret not going away while I had the chance.

wrangler

TheFarrier wrote: »

Not really farming related but I left school into an apprenticeship in a trade that allowed me to build my own career alongside it. Finished that and pushed myself to build my round of work from there to a full time round.

And I regret pushing so hard.

I had no interest in traveling that time. No interest in holidays either. But now I feel like I missed out.
I love my job and wouldn’t change that for the world.

But the holidays I take now will never really allow to experience life in a different country, or different culture.

I’m every bit as tied to my job as a farmer is.

And I regret not going away while I had the chance.

I've two relations that took a year out a couple years into starting different businesses and did regret it, a one person business like yours and it took a long time to build up to what they had before they went.
Completely different in a job and the job kept there for you when you come back

carrollsno1

popa smurf wrote: »

I left the land 30 years ago spent 5 years at home milking cows from 15 to 20 and just by chance had a brother in Manchester and went over there for a weekend and never lived at home again after that. I thought that this was the life for me. i was built for concrete work and 100 quid a day was 5 times as much as i was getting at home, we had great years but things change you get married you have kids that have different accents you have mortgages, your a blow in where you live, your a blow in when you go back to the ould place and there is many a day i say tomyself why the fuuck didn't i stay milking those few cows.

If id stayed at home myself id be sharefarming by some sorts by now (just turning 24 and would have a nice bit of capital built up if i kept going the way i was going) but im far from milking cows at the minute i gave up nearly a year ago and i do miss the farming and cows at the same time its hard to beat the craic of steak and schooners every night in county bondi and not having to worry about the weather because if it rains and you turn up for work you get paid for 4hrs. But that cant last for ever so im cobsidering leaving Sydney to Melbourne where things are quieter and youre not living pay check to pay check the whole time. Plan is to get sponsored ive been told it can be done easy on the pipelaying jobs in Melbourne if not ill hit vancouver after sending some money back to the start up account hopefully. I am also getting my rigid licence in the new year (costs $1200/€760 and only takes a morning) which will transfer home which would cost thousands of euros to do as well as time doing lessons in Ireland. Before i left the cows i was absolutely clueless outside if farming as with tbe set up at home the head man was too miserable to put down a bit of concrete around the yard. All i done on tbe farm in New Zealand on a farm was swing cups since ive left that i got started in demo work and some groundworks since then i was sowing corn on a 40ft bar with a 500hp tractor (biggest driven before that was 120hp and a bale trailer, doing dig and repair work on sewers which was a c#nt of a job but i learned a lot from it, then i did a bit of formwork and concreting and now im doing gaslines (direct lay and insertions) for a farmers son who got a notion to head to sydney for the year 20 odd years ago. Its been tbe best education i ever got in the last year since leaving the cows in terms of managing money, finding accomadation and finding work along the way and just turning youre hand to whatever you can along the way.
So op take my advice and head out here for a stint if you want to farm away grand do that still theres plenty of work here throughout the year with the seasons you could travel the whole of Australia on a machine if you wanted between grain, cotton, sugarcane and livestock farming and you would save serious coin at that game aswell to invest in youre farm back home

popa smurf

Enjoy yourself in oz its a great country i spent a Christmas there back in the 90s. christmas day on bondi playing spot the paddy and by jesus we weren't hard to spot. The farmers tan stood out a mile.

carrollsno1

popa smurf wrote: »

Enjoy yourself in oz its a great country i spent a Christmas there back in the 90s. christmas day on bondi playing spot the paddy and by jesus we weren't hard to spot. The farmers tan stood out a mile.

Great spot altogether im heading back to county bondi on wednesday after the last of my farm work but before that i got a call tonight asking can i fly to Brisbane in tbe morning to pick up a car and drive to Adelaide one way of seeing the country for sure.

Who2

carrollsno1 wrote: »

Great spot altogether im heading back to county bondi on wednesday after the last of my farm work but before that i got a call tonight asking can i fly to Brisbane in tbe morning to pick up a car and drive to Adelaide one way of seeing the country for sure.

You need to take three months on that journey. Melbourne is far ahead of Sydney for working and socializing.

carrollsno1

Who2 wrote: »

You need to take three months on that journey. Melbourne is far ahead of Sydney for working and socializing.

Im taking the back roads 🙄