Stephen is glad he followed Teagasc’s development plan

After studying agriculture in Scotland and gaining work experience on farms in France, Switzerland and Australia, I returned home to commence farming in 1995.

The farm covers 120 hectares, is made up of mainly free draining clay soils and is in one block with a central farmyard, which lends itself to efficient livestock farming.

Previously, the farm was run on a simple summer fattening system where bullocks (mainly Hereford and Angus) were purchased in the spring and slaughtered in the autumn having been fed an all-grass diet. A small flock of mid-season lambing sheep were also kept giving a stocking rate of less than 1LU/Ha.