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How's she cuttin'?! Waterford Women in Ag talk life on the land

How's she cuttin'?! Waterford Women in Ag talk life on the land
WLR News
WLR News

More and more farmers' daughters are taking the leap into the agri-industry, according to one West Waterford woman who is currently running her own farm.

Having women working in the farming sector is by no means a new concept, but the role of women in the industry has developed through the years.

Nowadays it's not unusual to meet women across Waterford running their own farms, and pioneering new ideas and technologies in the ever-expanding agricultural sector.

Maighréad Barron from Touraneena is one of these women who went out on her own and has been renting a dairy farm in Clonea Power for the past five years.

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She told WLR News she has seen more farmers' daughters in recent years deciding to lease farms.

"There's a lot more farmers' daughters coming up than there used to be in the past. When I was younger I always used to say 'John is going to get the farm' [Maighréad's brother].

"That was never the case but didn't think any different because that's the way it was done," she said.

Maighréad has a successful Instagram account where she posts daily updates from the farm and she thinks social media has done wonders for highlighting Irish 'Women in Ag'.

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"Social media has brought it on a lot, with the 'Women in Ag' and farming Instagram accounts. I would get messages every now and then from young girls saying 'I'm doing my leaving cert and I want to go farming' looking for advice.

"There are lots of women out there that are out there interested in farming but now they are seeing it can be done.

"There's a heap of us out there leasing a farm like what I am doing but it's just not talked about enough," Maighréad said.

Hear more from Waterford women Gillian O'Sullivan, Annemarie Kearney Mairéad Costin, Mairon Looby and Maighréad Barron on 'How's she cuttin'?! Waterford Women in Ag' - a WLR News Special presented by MaryAnn Vaughan for Internation Women's Day.

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