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Andrew’s farm, Glenstal Farm, is in County Limerick, and has been in his family since the 1920’s, when his great grand father purchased around 140 acres of farmland for £600. Andrew lives on the farm with his wife Sharon, their 3 young children – Leah (4), Caragh (3), Kyle (1), and 100 cows. When Andrew was 23, he went on a work exchange program to New Zealand, and learnt all about the time management skills and efficiencies of farmers looking after huge farms over there. Now, Andrew has offered exactly the same placement on his farm through an advert on The Young Farmers Association’s website, and Tash - a young farmer from New Zealand, has come to Ireland to help out on Glenstal Farm from January until early December. As well as being an expert farmer, Tash came with an added benefit for Andrew – she’s a trained nanny! Tash is really enjoying a change of scenery, and finds the farming methods very similar between New Zealand and Ireland – the big difference is the farms are much bigger in New Zealand. In the summer, when she has some well-earned time off, she plans to travel and see some of the sights in England, Wales and Scotland. |
| Andrew says he thinks about farming all the time, and always knew he was going to be a farmer. The thing he likes most about farming is the lifestyle; “no traffic jams, you work your own hours, and you get to milk the cows twice a day.” As far as he’s concerned, the best days on the farm are when he gets up on a frosty morning, or in summer when he can watch the sunrise – that’s when he appreciates that he doesn’t have to work in an office! His wife, Sharon, loves going out on the farm in the evening, and smelling the different smells in the air – especially the combination of heather and fresh cut grass. Both Andrew and Sharon love the sound of the cows eating grass, which they say at times can get surprisingly loud! With his young family, and all the hard work that has to be done on the farm, there’s not much time for Andrew to relax! However, he tells us he is in the process of buying a kayak, so he can take up a new hobby! He also enjoys watching rugby, and supports Munster, Ireland, and the British and Irish Lions. |
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to find out more about Andrew Gow