Paula Hynes: Encouraging the next generation

We are always keen to give young people an opportunity. Some are the future of our industry, some will thrive on gaining responsibility, and if nothing else, they will hopefully see the opportunities across the agricultural sector, writes Irish Examiner Farming columnist Paula Hynes.

Callum Byrne and Georgie Hynes at Dunmanway Show with Rathard Kingman Bordica and Rathard Matchless Adora

It's never easy to encourage the next generation to work in agriculture. Far from being a financially rewarding job, the reality is you really have to have a passion for it. We’ve had many students spend time on our farm and some naturally have a way of working with animals.

We are always keen to give young people an opportunity. Some are the future of our industry, some will thrive on gaining responsibility, and if nothing else, they will hopefully see the opportunities across the agricultural sector.

Young Callum Byrne started helping us out on the farm in early June. For a young man who is not from a farming background, he took to milking cows like a natural, quiet around the animals yet efficient at putting on clusters and eagle-eyed, ensuring cows were milked out properly. 

As the yard is busy during the summer with show animals, there is always an extra chance to develop stockmanship skills, haltering, walking and washing; Callum's natural ability to work with animals shone through quickly as he became competent in walking show cows the milking parlour and walking heifers with the girls.

It became clear to us how sharp he was as he watched the girls' handling heifers and asking for pointers on he could walk the heifers properly. I am a great believer in giving a young person a challenge to work towards, so we entered Callum in a showmanship class, and he was determined to perfect his handling ability at home.

It’s never easy to take on your first show; I remember my first show with a pony over three decades ago, butterflies in my stomach because I knew there would be spectators watching, and I was afraid to make a mistake.

It was the same for our girls when they started showing heifers, it took them a while to become comfortable with a crowd around the ringside and again when they started taking on bigger shows they had to learn to deal with the more intense atmosphere. 

Callum made his debut in the showring at Dunmanway Show. He also had the added challenge of leading a heifer who was having her debut outing, as many of our heifers are being rested for the National Championships. 

Rathard Kingman Bordica was his trusted heifer and while she got a little phased by her appearance in the show ring, he quickly reassured her and kept her settled to finish fif th place with Georgie taking the seco nd place rosette.

It was a proud moment to see Callum let his natural ability with the animals shine through, he has become family to the heifers and cows and as I watch him work alongside the girls around the yard, he has also become family to us and everyone looks forward to the days he spends on the farm. 

Now that he has his first outing completed, he will be packing his show whites for the National Livestock Show in Tullamore where he will compete alongside the girls again, taking up the halter on Rathard Matchless Adora, who won the January heifer calf class for Georgie in Dunmanway and went on to take Honorable Mention in the Holstein Championship.

Dunmanway Show was a successful outing for us again; I always enjoy that show as there is a real family atmosphere. Rathard Kingman Bordica won the All-Ireland EBI Calf Championship for us again, she has an EBI of 347 and her dam has been a real consistent cow for us, now on her 8 th lactation, she has gone in-calf first service every year and gets on with  the job of producing milk, trouble-free, everything we want in a productive cow. 

We won the same championship last year with an Alanna granddaughter and it was another Alanna granddaughter who won it for us in 2019. They are not the only Alannas to do well for us as our March calf Rathard Bullseye Alanna is an Alanna daughter and we are really excited to take her to Nationals, her dam is an EX92 cow on her tenth lactation and already has two other EX daughters in the milking herd.

Unfortunately, we won’t make it to Barryroe Show this year as things are hectic with Becky away so much, and she will only be home just in time to clip the heifers for Nationals. We had planned for a slightly quieter August this year as the season gets long, and a little bit of rest is required before autumn calving starts.

However, some opportunities are too good to turn down. While it was always planned that Becky would show up in the UK through August and September, Georgie has also been offered an exciting chance to take up the halter on a really good heifer.

Becky heads straight from National Championships to the UK and myself and Georgie will follow her out three days later so she can get a quick practice in before heading to the three-day New Forrest and Hampshire Show.

It is such a huge opportunity for her, and there is an air of excitement in the house, sort of like the buildup to Santa's arrival. We will head straight back from New Forrest to give Pete a hand to get the show team ready for Tullamore which is always a big outing for us, and we have six heifers entered this year. 

Becky heads straight from Tullamore back to the UK to prepare for a show later in August and also get our heifer ready for UK Dairy Day in mid-September and myself and Georgie will join up with Becky prior to the show in late August, leaving Pete to hold the fort again.

In many ways, we will be like ships passing in the wind but the farm also has to be prioritized and with a team of good heifers due to calve in August and September, it is crucial they are looked after as hopefully some of those heifers will be shown in milk and some of those calves may well make the show team next season.