‘I like representing farmers — I want to better my lot and the lot of farmers in general’
Newly elected Kerry IFA chairman Kenny Jones is busier than ever as he balances his spring workload with his role in fighting for the future of farming. The farmer from Kielduff, Tralee, who was elected as Kerry IFA chairperson on March 15, is juggling meetings with the demands of his dairy and beef farm.
The lockdown has, in many ways, made his IFA role easier as meetings are now online, but Kenny is still looking forward to getting back on the road and meeting farmers.
“I don’t have to leave the yard at the moment, I can go to a meeting right here,” he says. “I expect when lockdown lifts it will get busier. Online is better in one way, but I miss going out to meet the people and I am hoping to get back to that.
“I know the role involved in being chairman and, when it gets busier, I will get help. I use Farm Relief from time to time, and my wife, Rita, is here too.”
Kenny has a passion for farming, and he has campaigned for and supported farmers for many years in various roles including four years as county IFA secretary and six years as county Dairy chairperson and county rep on the National Dairy Committee.
“I like representing farmers and dealing with their problems,” he says. “I want to better my lot and the lot of farmers in general.”
Away from his IFA role, he is multi-tasking on the farm. Due to the adverse weather conditions, all his animals are still inside, which has increased his workload.
“We are busy milking, and we are feeding heifers for the butchers at the moment,” he says. “All our stock is still inside due to the weather, but we hope to put them out over the next few days.
Kenny has gone against the grain in many ways by concentrating on a mix of dairy and beef.
While many farmers are turning towards more intensive dairy farming, he went a different route, and in the last eight years or so decided to cut back on dairy production and focus on rearing calves for beef alongside the dairy herd.
“We used to milk more cows, but we found that it was putting the land under pressure, so we started keeping cattle on the side,” he says. “We found that the land here in Kielduff was not good enough to carry the extra cows, and it cost a fortune feeding them across the summer — we are just as profitable this way.
“Most farmers are going the other way and going more intensively into dairy, but we went the other way.
It wouldn’t suit every farmer, but it suits me.”
A passion for livestock was one of the reasons he decided to focus on rearing Hereford beef cattle. When he inherited the family farm, he was the fourth generation to take on the land, and he is proud to continue the tradition and to have made changes to his farm.
“I have a passion for livestock, that is why I went into breeding our own cattle,” he says. “It is great to see your own cattle thriving.”
With his wife, Rita, working side-byside with him, the Jones milk about 50 cows and rear 50 cattle for beef on the 80-acre family farm. They also lease 40 acres which is used mainly for rearing calves.
He hopes in the coming months to phase out leasing land and reduce the overall farm costs. Kenny says his holding “is not considered a big farm”, but it’s the farm that has helped him support and rear his family. The farm was the only source of income in rearing his family, so he appreciates the importance of maintaining farm incomes.
“The one thing I did hear canvassing out there was the difficulty in living off the farm,” he says. “We work full-time on the farm, and we reared our family off it. We have a first-hand experience of how to make a living out of it. We have five children educated off the farm.
“We had some good years and bad years, but farming has been reasonably good to us but it’s not without its hardships.”
Kenny and Rita’s five children – Pamela, Richard, Adam, Nicola and Alison – all live away from home, but Adam is on hand to help as he is working from home due to the COVID pandemic.
This gives Kenny some more time to concentrate on campaigning on farm issues, and he says this will focus mainly on climate change and CAP reform.
‘We found that the land was not good enough to carry the extra cows and it cost us a fortune feeding them in the summer’