Farm24, a Farmers’ Guardian initiative, showcases the extraordinary role of farmers to the public through the power of social media. Starting at 5am on 3 August, UFU deputy president John McLenaghan and UFU members Aaron Carson, Vicki Byers, and Jonny and Natasha Campbell, are among those who will be showcasing the very best of Northern Ireland farming and food production.
Aaron Carson
I’m a third-generation mixed farmer from Ballykinler, Co. Down, and work in partnership with my father. We currently run around 160 sows, finishing all pigs on farm so there are over 2,000 pigs on the farm all year round.
We also have 45-50 store bullocks that we finish for beef, and we grow around 90 acres of cereals to help feed the pigs as we mix all our own meal on farm.
I’m supporting Farm24 as I think everyone should know how much work goes in to producing the food we all eat, and that the majority of farms in Northern Ireland are still family run operations by people who take great pride in the work they do.
Vicki Byers
I’m Vicki Byers, married to Dale Byers. We milk 150 Holsteins on our farm in Ballinamallard Co. Fermanagh. The farm transitioned from beef to dairy in 2005 and Dale has been running the farm since 2008.
I’m a townie, born and bred in Enniskillen. I met Dale at secondary school at the age of 15 and fell in love with farming then. We have three kids – Poppy, Charlie and Ina-Grace.
In 2019 I decided to reduce my own full-time job to two days a week, so that I can farm at home with Dale. My main role is calf rearing, we autumn calve. September to December is our busiest time of year. We milk three times a day but for the month of August we have decided to cut back to milking twice a day while the majority of the herd are dried off to give ourselves a bit of a break before the madness starts in September!
I’m taking part in Farm24 because I can see from my social media platform that people out there really don’t see the continuous hard work farmers do to put food on their table. It’s not just a matter of milking the cows to produce milk, there are a lot of daily tasks to be done to ensure animals’ needs are met. It’s full on, especially with a young family. We love for people to see how raising a family on a farm is the best environment for them to grow up in.
Jonny Campbell
I’m Jonny Campbell, a dairy farmer from outside Gortin in Co. Tyrone. I farm with my father Billy, uncle Colin and brother Ashley. We run a traditional yet modern farm milking around 300 cows. We have two robots which milk around 115 cows and the remainder is milked in our milking parlour. On the farm we have a strong emphasis on cow comfort with cows sleeping on water beds.
Pictured in the photo alongside me, is my wife Natasha. Natasha is currently on maternity leave with our baby girl Florie. Previously, she worked as a clinical psychologist and can be seen on the farm in emergency circumstances only!
Natasha and I have always been obsessed with ice cream and we turned this passion into a little sideline when we opened Dukes Ice Cream shop on our farm last year. We have been overwhelmed by the support we have received from near and far. Our shop is open 365 days a year from 10am to 10pm.
We are taking part in Farm24 because farmers seem to be constantly getting a bad rep from all angles and we would like to show that we know we are not perfect, but we are out there every day trying our best.
John McLenaghan
Along with my family, partner Lisa and three children, I run a mixed farming business located outside Garvagh, with suckler beef, an egg enterprise, wind turbine and biogas plant.
We are aiming to give an honest portrayal of local farming and food production, representing our UFU members across NI. We are world leaders in food safety, animal welfare and environmental standards, and are continually working to do more to meet the growing demand for food while also tackling climate change. A big focus for me will be on showing the public how farmers produce renewable energy and are a key asset as we work to create the pathway to a renewable future.
The UFU will be sharing all Farm content on its social media platforms. Please see handles below:
- Instagram: @ulster_farmers_union
- Facebook: Ulster Farmers’ Union
- Twitter: @UFUHQ
-
Aaron Carson is a third-generation mixed farmer from Ballykinler, Co. Down and works in partnership with his father.
-
Vicki Byers is a dairy farmer from Co. Fermanagh, farming alongside husband Dale. She is pictured with her daughter Ina-Grace.
-
Jonny Campbell is a dairy farmer from outside Gortin Co. Tyrone. He farms in partnership with his father Billy, uncle Colin and brother Ashley. Jonny and his wife Natasha (pictured) opened Dukes Ice Cream shop on the farm last year.
-
UFU president John McLenaghan has a mixed farming business located outside Garvagh, Co. Derry. He is pictured with his son Archie.
