Career Path to Date:

Rob Grew up on a drystock farm.  He studied Mechanical Engineering in University and in order to upskill into dairy farming, he milked for free for 2 months to learn how to milk cows correctly. Rob moved to the UK and worked for 5 years on a high input-high output farm milking 600 cows in Cheshire, started on youngstock and moved up to farm manager.  In 2017 Rob & Pam moved back to Ireland and Rob worked as Farm Manager on our Griffinstown Farm with Eoghan O’Dwyer.  In 2018 Rob began as Sharemilker in Gilltown and hasn’t look back since!

What is your future ambition?

Increase stock numbers and buy land.

What has been your biggest learning experience to date?

The year 2018. Getting Gilltown up and running in a year of heavy snow to then a prolonged drought!

What was the most difficult aspect of your farming career to date?

Most difficult thing we have faced is making the decision to move back to Ireland when having a good job, on a good farm with good people. It was a risk moving but I had a job secured in Saturn Farms before moving where I knew there would be options to grow past where I was at the time.

What is one specific highlight from your farming career to date?

Taking part in the Tesco Future Farmers course.

What inspired you to try and progress in the industry?

I wanted to farm and from spending time with dairy farmers and on the farm in the UK, I got to see the financial gains dairy farming offered. I wanted to build a business for the future and have the challenge that comes with that.

What is one piece of advice you would pass onto aspiring farmers?

Find the right people to work with. If you reach a point where there’s no more room for you to grow, its time to move! On every farm or every person you work for there’s something to learn, not all of them will be positive things, these are often more important than the good things you pick up!

What is one thing non-farm related about you?

I met my wife Pam on a dating website while working in the UK! Our Daughter Poppy was born healthy and happy in September 2020!