Getting my child interested in farming

mammyod

Hi,

Andrew00

Buy him a few toy tractors

Grueller

If you do get him interested I will report you to Tusla for subjecting a child to slave labour for his lifetime.

whelan2

What age is your child, do you live on a farm?

Who2

I had a bit of an argument with a lad one day about this. He said there was no way he would try to get one of his kids interested. If they were interested then he would help them on but that farming while great can destroy children too. His argument started out about buying a few sucks and tearing them on and then selling them and teaching them the value of money. He reckoned that it would give them a false perspective on what can be made farming and he also wouldn’t let them get too well paid in their part time jobs as they may start to put that first and not push on with their education. Ones now going on as a vet and the other a barrister so he may be right. I love the fact mine are interested but my first priority is to try and lead them on the right way. With the way farming is I wonder am I better off keeping them away from it. Farming in a way is a disease that can make for a lovely way of life but can often just as easily drag people into a rut that they can’t get out of. Regularly I am working for men in their forties and fifties who are absolute gents still living at home with the Mammy farming away on their own knowing no more than price of milk or beef and could definitely have met someone only for the social limitations they had from farming away on their own for years. But those are the extremes I suppose it’s all down to the individual.

49801

Interest should be encouraged no matter the topic. Do include them in discussions and decisions on the business and value their point of view.

Mac Taylor

49801 wrote: »

Interest should be encouraged no matter the topic. Do include them in discussions and decisions on the business and value their point of view.

Could not agree more, part time farming here, has always been this way... my youngest is mad into farming and loves it, but already understands that he needs to get an education and or trade to live. I would love to make it viable as an income but think my ship has sailed, he may come up with some solution...who knows

alps

Why the assumption that the child is a boy? You visit farms in the UK and there are loads of women involved at all levels..

It's not that encouragement is lacking here, but discouragement is rife..

Give the child the responsibility of a calf or a lamb and let them "have the sale" of it. Let them get a feel for the gain that can be out of farming. All they hear is doom and gloom and mysery...turn that on its head

Muckit

There can be many gains, but they are rarely monetary!!

K.G.

If the child is interested by all means facilitate it but my reading is you are trying to spark an interest, if so thread Very carefully.to be honest its black and white ,if its in them its in them if its not its not.i see with my own whether its sport music art or school subjectsor whatever its down to the child themselves.the best thing to do is pick out.what.you find positive and try showing it to them
After that let make up their own mind.for most young lads its machines while the special ones have an afinity for animals or growing things.later on peer groups have a big influence.

memorystick

My young lady is interested in poultry. It’s a good start.

Gawddawggonnit

Who2 wrote: »

I had a bit of an argument with a lad one day about this. He said there was no way he would try to get one of his kids interested. If they were interested then he would help them on but that farming while great can destroy children too. His argument started out about buying a few sucks and tearing them on and then selling them and teaching them the value of money. He reckoned that it would give them a false perspective on what can be made farming and he also wouldn’t let them get too well paid in their part time jobs as they may start to put that first and not push on with their education. Ones now going on as a vet and the other a barrister so he may be right. I love the fact mine are interested but my first priority is to try and lead them on the right way. With the way farming is I wonder am I better off keeping them away from it. Farming in a way is a disease that can make for a lovely way of life but can often just as easily drag people into a rut that they can’t get out of. Regularly I am working for men in their forties and fifties who are absolute gents still living at home with the Mammy farming away on their own knowing no more than price of milk or beef and could definitely have met someone only for the social limitations they had from farming away on their own for years. But those are the extremes I suppose it’s all down to the individual.

Damn good post!

I’ve only the one child, a girl in her mid teens, but I’d rather her to be on the dole than farming. She’s well capable, can milk cows, drive tractors, loaders, combines etc, but I crucify her with work to totally sicken her to farming...and she’d have enough here to live comfortably enough. But NO! Not allowed!
I’ve siblings that settled into good professions that have retired comfortably with a good few years while I continue to sink myself deeper into the farming merry-go-round, to their incredulity!
Farmers are their own worst enemy, and yes it is a disease.

_Brian

Muckit wrote: »

There can be many gains, but they are rarely monetary!!

Excellent point and we shouldn’t just get tied up in money.

I’d have gone crazy long ago if I weren’t part time farming. Yea on paper it would make much more sense to stick in Sitka Spruce and just collect money but as you say it’s not just about money.

K.G.

Gawddawggonnit wrote: »

Damn good post!

I’ve only the one child, a girl in her mid teens, but I’d rather her to be on the dole than farming. She’s well capable, can milk cows, drive tractors, loaders, combines etc, but I crucify her with work to totally sicken her to farming...and she’d have enough here to live comfortably enough. But NO! Not allowed!
I’ve siblings that settled into good professions that have retired comfortably with a good few years while I continue to sink myself deeper into the farming merry-go-round, to their incredulity!
Farmers are their own worst enemy, and yes it is a disease.

Ive 2 boys mid teens,ill send them over.you never know

cjpm

K.G. wrote: »

Ive 2 boys mid teens,ill send them over.you never know

Send the two. Better safe than sorry.

A poster said yesterday in dairy chit chat that even if you have only cow, you should have two bulls!!

farawaygrass

What age are you talking about? I actually try bring my two with me a few times a week. They are 5 and 3.5. They were mad about tractors and the like when they were just able to walk but I see them losing interest big time. I would like them have a interest as it instils great work ethic and life skills but won’t force them by any means. Amazing to see them develop a dislike for muck and dirt though!

Cavanjack

Gawddawggonnit wrote: »

Damn good post!

I’ve only the one child, a girl in her mid teens, but I’d rather her to be on the dole than farming. She’s well capable, can milk cows, drive tractors, loaders, combines etc, but I crucify her with work to totally sicken her to farming...and she’d have enough here to live comfortably enough. But NO! Not allowed!
I’ve siblings that settled into good professions that have retired comfortably with a good few years while I continue to sink myself deeper into the farming merry-go-round, to their incredulity!
Farmers are their own worst enemy, and yes it is a disease.

Why don’t you sell up and go and do something else?

patsy_mccabe

Cavanjack wrote: »

Why don’t you sell up and go and do something else?

Because he's a Gob****e...........







.....like the rest of us.

K.G.

cjpm wrote: »

Send the two. Better safe than sorry.

A poster said yesterday in dairy chit chat that even if you have only cow, you should have two bulls!!

You wouldn't be long sending them home if you were listening to them fighting.

Gawddawggonnit

K.G. wrote: »

Ive 2 boys mid teens,ill send them over.you never know

Last few years I’ve been delicately probing nieces/nephews/distant relatives for a successor, to no avail. In fairness it’s encouraging to see the youths with more ambition than becoming farmers.

I’ve been offered a 106ha dairy/poultry/cereals farm for free...just to give the daughter a job until retirement. I kindly refused...
There’s a major problem with succession in France and as the quality of life continues to stretch far beyond that of a farmers lot, it can only get worse. I’ve a feeling that it’ll get more prevalent in Ireland also.

K.G.

It applies to alot of small family businesses though.problem is everyone wants to just clock in and out and shove any problem up the line.one time you have ones fighting to be National school principal, now you have them fighting not to do it

Mooooo

That's the thing really with small business/ farms. Getting staff part time or to cover weekends is difficult so is it a case of growing to take on staff fulltime to make the social part of it manageable in terms of alternating weekends etc? Have heard arguments for having numbers so one person can manage the work year round but that means one person is on all the time, whereas 2 people for twice the numbers may well be more sustainable workload wise, whatever about financially.
If a child has interest having a business developed to be efficient with time is as important as financially viable, one or the other missing won't last for long.

yosemitesam1

Gawddawggonnit wrote: »

Last few years I’ve been delicately probing nieces/nephews/distant relatives for a successor, to no avail. In fairness it’s encouraging to see the youths with more ambition than becoming farmers.

.

Does it come with a swimming pool?

Iodine1

Nothing as bad as a good guy stuck on a farm, with zero interest, and as a result no good at it either. Bloke I know, sold the family farm and used it to build a fine business employing many and now worth millions. If youngster, girl or boy is interested then encourage it by all means, but if not, then leave them develop in their own way.

whisky_galore

Lots of kids are interested in "steering wheel and seat" farming. Manual labour and animal mucky and slimy bits not so much.

It's a vocation. They either love it to bits or they don't.

Muckit

If they're interested in farming let them stick to farming simulator!!

Dickie10

what do you guys suggest though for the future of food production in this country if in 40 years we have no farmers? we will be just like the usa with immigrants working on factory farms and poor quality food. rural areas outside the commuter counties will become desolate deserted regions. towns in the midlands like thurles,birr, Longford, moate will close up

Muckit

Eco Tourism.

It's a no brainer. This is the way we need to be thinking.

Dickie10

yes eco tourism in some areas where ordinary farming on less than 150 acres is just not viable. but surely if were serious about climate change it should b based on a global stage and countries that produce food sustainably should be left as specalist food producing regions

Sheep breeder

Have two teenage girls who love stock and farming and most important have a mind of their own what they want to do in life, farming is a great life for kids to grow up in and make their way, the kids in the village spend their time walking around and sitting on the wall. Our two spend there time out around looking after their own stock, football,gardening, poultry and being happy.

endainoz

It's a strange one for me really, the way I've ended up in farming happened all of a sudden when my father got I'll and wasn't able to do it anymore.

Unlike many here I was never really encouraged into it and flew right into the deep end and essentially had to learn most things myself. I learned the hard way and made many mistakes over the years that I really do regret.

If I had been encouraged when I was younger things might have transitioned a lot smoother but at the same time my interest was that huge either.

I do have a massive passion for it now though, there are plenty of things I still don't know and I'm learning all the time. I do sometimes feel I am held back by it alright, part time work seems to work for me as I really don't have anyone to rely on if help is needed. I do know many lads that work full time and run bigger farms than me, but I don't think it would work with my system.

I'd love to get a bit more into horticulture along with the beef farming, a lot of things are kind of hinging on if I get into the organic scheme or not. So we will have to see how it goes.

Dickie10

Same here kind of was let with the reigns by my mother and father was actually very lucky but made all the descions myself , unless they were really daft!