‘I couldn’t be prouder of my farming heritage’
HAVING GROWN UP ON A FARM, SARAH WOODMARTIN ALWAYS KNEW WHAT SHE WANTED TO DO WHEN SHE GREW UP. SHE CHATS TO JESSICA FARRY ABOUT HER LOVE OF THE FARM, PROMOTING IRISH LAMB, AND IMPROVING SUSTAINABILITY WITHIN FARMING.
SAR AH Wood martin has always been involved in farming. Born into a well known farming family in Sligo, there has never been anything else she wanted to do career wise. And now that she is progressing through third level, she is hoping to take that passion even further. Such is her passion for farming, and particularly lambs and sheep, she is now European Try Lamb ambassador in association with Bord Bia as she prepares to start her PhD in sheep production with UCD and Teagasc, Athenry Sheep Research Centre in September.
“I’ve been immersed in farming since day one really. I’ve always had the interest, I’ve always been told for as long as I can remember that I have the passion for farming. I’ve grown up with it and progressed through study with it,” Sarah told The Sligo Champion.
Sarah has just finished her undergraduate degree in UCD where she studied agricultural science, specialising in animal science.
Like most people, Sarah had a wide range of interests growing up, particularly sport. From a young age she had to find a way to get the right balance between helping out on the family farm and playing sport, being a normal teenager in Ireland.
“I suppose as a young girl growing up farming probably wasn’t the coolest thing to do. I probably hid it for a couple of years during my reenage years slightly, I didn’t let on I was doing as much as I was doing. But now I couldn’t be prouder to be so involved in farming,” she reflected on her teenage years.
Having completed her leaving certificate in 2015, Sarah knew she wanted to go to college and also knew exactly what she wanted to do.
But, she wanted to take some time. So she flew to Australia by herself to do some farming.
“I saw farming from a whole different perspective and that sealed the deal for me. From as early as I can remember, I’ve always wanted to pursue a career in agriculture.
“I flew into Brisbane and went inland to the middle of nowhere and farmed for six weeks. It was so different. It showed the scope that agriculture has globally. It’s like a different enterprise.”
Once Sarah returned from her travels, she was ready to go to university. She studied Agricultural Science, and from second year she specialised in animal science.
She feels as though she was always going to pick that route, but she loves all forms of farming, growing up working on the family farm at Woodville, which is well known to most Sligo folk.
“We have mixed enterprise here ( Woodville), we have suckler cattle, sheep, tourism, and free range laying hens. I have an interest in it all, I love it all.
“Sheep is probably my biggest interest so that’s why I’ve gone even further down the line doing m PhD in sheep production.”
When pressed on why, in particular, she has such a passion for sheep farming, Sarah’s love for farming is palpable.
“It’s always been my passion. I feel like they have a great place in Irish agriculture and maybe
deserve more recognition.
“A lot of farming seems to be focused on the dairy industry and how that’s expanding but not all areas can maintain a productive dairy system. Where we are here, the soil type is not suitable to dairy.
“So we can run a profitable and sustainable lamb and sheep production. It’s more suited to this area.
“I’ve always seen their potential here. I feel like the Irish sheep industry has a lot of scope that it’s not currently reaching so I would like to work on it and see if it can reach that potential.”
One of Sarah’s biggest aims is to change people’s minds about eating lamb, and indeed that farmers too can be sustainable, as more and more people look towards a more sustainable way of living.
More and more people are turning vegan, some for ethical reasons and some due to what they believe are the effects that meat production has on the environment.
Sarah now hopes that she can convince people to give lamb a go.
“I feel like our generation of farmers need to bridge the knowledge gap between the two major trends. It’s not the vegan movement against the farmers. It’s a head on fight at the minute. Whereas it needs to be more about seeing both points of view.
“When you don’t grow up on a farm and you see all this information about the emissions and agriculture, they’re probably right to believe it because that’s what they’re being told.
“If we could come out and actually give the right knowledge and the option for them to see it from the core farming point of view, how it’s not all negative and how farmers are actually trying to work sustainably.
“They are doing their bit and it is getting better. There’s more measures coming in on the lines of sustainability too.”
Buying local, and making a conscious effort to support local businesses and local farmers can really help, Sarah says.
“That’s really important. I think that’s the main message to get across. If you support your local lamb farmers you are making a difference, whichever ones you want to support, make sure when you’re buying in the supermarkets that it’s Irish. All supermarkets sell Irish meat so keep doing that.
“People are flying in avocados from wherever, it’s not exactly saving the world either. Eat local and it will make a huge difference. Even now with coronavirus, road traffic and everything isslowing down. With all industry slowing down emissions are down, but the cattle haven’t slowed down, they haven’t stopped and yet emissions are down. So that shows you that it’s not all down to the Irish farmer.”
Even now, when she is based in Dublin Monday-Friday, Sarah is always itching to get home to the farm.
A weekend off is alien to her, but it’s what she grew up with so she doesn’t know any different.
“I come home every weekend. I’m farming here with my parents and my sister and brother. I come home every weekend from college, and I have a part time job as well but I would be farming every weekend from Friday evening until Sunday before I go back.
“When you grow up like that you don’t think any different. I can’t wait to get out just to get back out in it again. I love UCD and I couldn’t recommend the course anymore but I like to strike the balance then between studying and getting out on the farm at the weekends.”
It’s a lifestyle that not everyone is suited to. Sarah has been able to meet like-minded people at college who understand what it means to her. But not everyone gets it.
“When I went to college everyone is like minded and has similar interests, some people do question why you’re so interested and why you’re so passionate about farming. I love the lifestyle but it isn’t for everyone.
“You have to have the passion for it, you certainly wouldn’t succeed without it .”
On her role as an ambassador with Bord Bia, Sarah is hoping that she can promote Irish lamb on a national and international scale.
“I was approached, I’m currently supporting different campaigns to promote Irish lamb.
“Irish lamb doesn’t get the praise it deserves. We need to promote the green image of Irish lamb more across Europe and across Ireland and show how sustainably Irish lamb is produced so really I’m working with Bord Bia as a young female, just graduated and progressing through agriculture to try and promote Irish lamb and try and make it a more popular amongst our nation.”
THE IRISH SHEEP INDUSTRY HAS A LOT OF SCOPE. I WOULD LIKE TO WORK ON IT AND SEE IF IT CAN REACH ITS FULL POTENTIAL