My name is Clare Magowan and I live just outside Rathfriland, Co. Down. I come from a small dairy and sheep farm and I have been involved with the farm business since I was a child. When I was at school I always helped with milking the cows when ever I could. Now that I am at College I do all the milking at weekends and during the holidays. It’s great – I just love it!

I have always wanted a career in agriculture but I realized early on that there would be very little opportunity for me to farm full time at home as the farm just isn’t big enough to support three generations. I wasn’t sure what I was going to do until I went to an open evening at CAFRE’s Greenmount Campus. Having spoken to the staff at Greenmount I realized that having some formal qualifications could lead to a lot of job opportunities within the agriculture industry. So I enrolled last year on a four year BSc in Agricultural Technology course which is run in partnership between CAFRE and Queens University of Belfast.  The first two years of the course are held at Greenmount, the third year on work placement and the final year at Queens.

I am thoroughly enjoying the course so far. I have learnt a lot about animal health and nutrition and how everything is linked together. I have also been involved in a beef and sheep project called “Uplands” which includes all aspects of the work and management of a hill farm. We also get the opportunity to meet people from industry through the industry advisory boards. This has been really useful in making contacts to get a suitable work placement for next year.

What would I like to do in the future? Well I would like to be able to help farmers achieve the best they can from their livestock without compromising animal husbandry. I hope to secure a career with one of the major animal care or nutrition companies in Northern Ireland.

Clare Magowan with two of the Uplands Industry Advisory Board, Ian Buchanan and Ian Gibson and fellow student David Kwasniewski

Students discussing calf rearing with the Uplands Industry Advisory Board