Pumice to mud: different dairy worlds

EXCHANGING the volcanic soils of New Zealand for the muddy Irish winter, cowgirls Linda O’Neill and Esther Walsh will bring new skills from Down Under when they return to Irish farming.

Linda, from Castletownbere in West Cork, and Esther from Rathgormack in Co Waterford, headed south after qualifying as dairy herd managers through Clonakilty Agricultural College and the Farm Apprenticeship Board.

They used family connections to find work in New Zealand's famed dairy farm sector, and after an enjoyable and educational stint as Assistant Dairy Herd Managers for Fisken Farms of North Island, New Zealand, they're heading home, taking in a three months world tour along the way.