New Futures: helping farmers to see the big picture

COACHING and training has opened the eyes of hundreds of farmers to possibilities beyond the farm gate.

In a presentation to the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Agriculture and Food, representatives of the New Futures Group in Tipperary told how the 20 farmer participants have grown and developed, taking up opportunities which the programme helped them to recognise.

Farmer Paddy Stapleton told how the new futures programme helped him. “Like all farmers, I am experiencing decreased income and longer hours trying to make something work that is not inclined to do so. If one adds a dash of isolation, frustration and much self-doubt into the mix, one has a very potent cocktail which can erode belief in one’s self.”