Local Ag Science students get a taste of farm life at Ballyhaise Agricultural College

The beautiful grounds of Teagasc Agricultural College, Ballyhaise, Co Cavan was the latest port of call on the Agri Aware Farm Walk & Talk series.

Leaving Certificate Agricultural Science students assembled for the latest in the Agri Aware series.

Farm Walk and Talk is a longstanding collaboration between Agri Aware, Teagasc, UCD, the Irish Farmers Journal, and I.A.S.T.A.

Martin Bisset, Ben Lynch and Darragh Cullen from Moyne CS, Longford.

300 senior-cycle students made their way around the talks and exhibits that cover the new Leaving Certificate Agricultural Science cross-cutting themes. The talks were given by Teagasc lecturers and some local agribusinesses, including FRS (Farm Relief Service), Alltech and ABP.

In 2022, Farm Walk and Talk returned to in person events after the Covid-19 pandemic, with record numbers attending the events, students and teachers alike eager to engage with the subject in a hands-on manner.

As a result, in 2023, Agri Aware has extended the series of events to meet the high demand! There are 13 Farm Walk and Talk events taking place in 10 locations across Ireland in 2023.

Rebecca Murphy, Moyne CS with Hazel Rooney, Alltech, Louise Clark, Teagasc with Ellie McGuire, Moyne CS.

The Farm Walk and Talk series allows students to connect with the subject in a new way and keeps their passion for the subject alive amid concerns voiced by many in the Agriculture sector on the difficulty of the new Ag. Science curriculum, and the effect it is having on the uptake of the subject in schools.