1. FARMING, LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT!
KEVIN MORAN

2. 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

3. 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. 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

5. 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

6. TANGIBLE ACHIEVEMENTS

7. 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

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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’

11. Thank you