2014 Archives - Nuffield Ireland

Sean O’Brien

Amii . — Wed, 25 Jun 2014 20:55:54 +0000

Sean O’Brien from Midleton, Co Cork is married to Bernadette, and they have 4 children. He is a dairy farmer with 160 cows plus followers. Sean has a Diploma in Corporate Direction from UCC and a Degree in Mutual Business from UCC. Sean is a member of the General Committee of Dairygold Co-op, and is heavily involved with his local dairy discussion group, with Macra na Feirme (young farmers organisation) and local charity organisations.

His study topic was aimed to demonstrate the importance of enrolling Board members with the business acumen to manage the expected substantial growth period within the Dairy sector. The research built on previous studies on how Co-operatives function. His study visits were to Spain (Mondragon), NZ and Europe.

Educating Members of Dairy Co-operatives Pre-Board Selection

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Tommy Moyles

nufadmin — Fri, 17 Jan 2014 15:17:20 +0000

Tommy Moyles from Clonakilty, Co Cork received the Meat Industry Ireland Nuffield Scholarship 2014. Tommy graduated with a “Bachelor of Science in Agriculture” degree from CIT, Cork in 2005 and currently manages a spring calving grass based Simmental beef enterprise on the family pig and beef farm. Tommy studied “Optimizing returns from suckler production in Ireland, through the development of a measurement for efficiency”

Tommy was vice president of Macra-na-Feirme, the Irish young farmers organisation from 2011-2013.

Suckler Cows and the art of choice

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Joe Leonard

nufadmin — Fri, 17 Jan 2014 15:16:02 +0000

Joe Leonard was awarded the 2014 Nuffield Ireland Scholarship, sponsored by the Peter Daly Trust , Dairymaster and LIC. Joe is a dairy farmer currently milking 300 cows and is also involved, with his brother, in Bellewstown Golf Course, a business they set up together 10 years ago. Future expansion plans will see the dairy increase to 500 cows in 2015. It is partly as a result of setting up and developing these businesses that he has come to his Nuffield topic ‘To Investigate and develop Stress Management Systems in Farming in Ireland’ with specific emphasis on the education of young farmers and agri-industry personnel. As an industry, Joe feels, agriculture needs to recognise that the farmer is the single most important factor in the success of the business and that while technical ability/efficiency are important it is crucial that farmers are taught to respect their own limitations and needs as well as their ambitions and capabilities.

Joe is married to Mairead, they have 4 children and are from Stamullen, Co. Meath. Joe was appointed as a Director in January 2017, and was re-elected to the Board in 2018. He was appointed to the Board of Nuffield International in January 2020 and was Chairperson from 2022 – 2025

Stress Management in Farming in Ireland

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Sean Coughlan

nufadmin — Fri, 17 Jan 2014 15:14:07 +0000

Sean Coughlan is from Co. Mayo. He has been awarded the Nuffield scholarship for 2014, which is sponsored by Aurivo. The topic Sean intends to study is; “a transfer to dairying; the knowledge and capital required”. Sean is currently farming a mixture of lowland and mountain grazing. The farm is currently stocked with 50 suckler cows and 300 Mayo blackface sheep with an emphasis on utilising as much grass as possible. Fragmentation is a particular issue for this farm as the 110ha is divided into 13 separate divisions. Disillusioned by the lack of profitability in beef farming and the fact that the farm is heavily reliant on EU subsidies, Sean has identified low cost grass based dairying as the best way of turning grass into profit. With the disappearance of dairy quotas in 2015, access to a block of land will become the biggest barrier to a career in dairying as only 0.25% of farmland in Ireland is traded on the open market each year. The aim is to create a simple, viable, sustainable and enjoyable farm business suited to the west of Ireland, which is capable of surviving without having to rely on EU supports. When set up, the farm can be used as a template that can be replicated by other people in the west of Ireland who are planning a conversion to dairying. Profitable dairy farming has the potential to contribute so much more to Ireland’s rural economy compared to alternatives.

A transfer to dairy farming, the knowledge nad capital required

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Finola McCoy

nufadmin — Fri, 17 Jan 2014 15:12:17 +0000

Finola graduated from University College Dublin in 1997 with a degree in veterinary medicine. She spent the following 11 years working in various mixed practices in Ireland, UK and New Zealand, and during this time developed a keen interest in the dairy industry. Working with large dairy herds in New Zealand provided an invaluable insight into some of the challenges associated with herd expansion and disease control. While working in practice she undertook a Masters in Science in Livestock Health and Production through the University of London, which she completed in 2006. Finola joined the Teagasc research team in Moorepark in 2008, as the mastitis research officer. She co-ordinated and managed a pilot study evaluating a team-based approach to mastitis control, as well as collaborating on other research projects. She has a keen interest and experience in international models of mastitis control. While working for Teagasc she commenced working as Programme Manager for CellCheck, and joined the AHI staff in May 2013 to continue working in that role. Finola was awarded a Nuffield scholarship in 2014, to explore the topic of building strong professional teams and networks among rural service providers.

Building strong professional networks

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Mary Delaney

nufadmin — Fri, 17 Jan 2014 15:09:31 +0000

Originally from County Monaghan, Mary Delaney is Head of Sales with the Irish Farmers Journal and a member of the Senior Management Team. She has responsibility for strategic partnerships; print and digital advertising; events and Traction media.

She is a past President of the Agricultural Science Association and a founding member of the Ceres Network. Prior to joining the Irish Farmers Journal, she was with Glanbia for 13 years and was Head of Equine and Tillage Sales.

Mary is a member of the Nuffield Ireland Board having completed her Nuffield Scholarship in 2015. Her topic “Sustainability – the Climate Change Challenge in Irish Dairying” was timely and complemented her passion for both sustainability and dairying. She lives on a spring calving dairy farm in County Kilkenny with her husband David and they have three children, Gerard, Daniel and James.

Sustainability: the climate change challenge for Irish dairying

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