UFU supporting annual Farm24 campaign

​Lorraine Killen

I grew up on a sheep, beef and poultry farm outside Coleraine and always had a huge passion for farming. With my dad being a first generation farmer, I was always involved at home and this experience gave me the desire to pursue a career of my own within agriculture.

I married my husband Adam in 2019, and we have two boys, Max and Tommy. I work full time as a sales manager for an agricultural animal health company and also create videos for YouTube in my spare time.

Our family farm is located outside Newbuildings, and my husband works in partnership with his five brothers and their father, Derek. Collectively, we are currently farming around 1,200 acres, milking 550 cows, growing a range of crops and run a large agricultural contracting business. We also farm a further 1000 acres for an anaerobic digester, which we are employed to run.

I am delighted to be taking part in Farm24. The farming industry here in Northern Ireland is something we need to thoroughly support and cherish, so that future generations are able to follow in our footsteps with passion and excitement about opportunities in agriculture. I feel that the general public can struggle to understand farming practices and don’t see the reality, which can be stressful and financially debilitating. By taking part in Farm24, I hope to not only educate the public, but to encourage anyone with a passion for farming to pursue it and to strengthen our wonderful industry.

Martyn Blair

My name is Martyn Blair, I farm in partnership with my father Bill, in Finvoy just outside Ballymoney, County Antrim. The farm is predominately poultry focused with four commercial egg laying houses. We have had hens on our farm for the last 60 years so they have been the backbone of our business and continue to be so. We also run a medium sized dairy calve to store beef enterprise, with numbers running from 50-80 at any one time. We then farm around 100 acres of land in a mixed system of grazing for our store beef enterprise, harvesting silage for our own use and silage to sell for several routine winter buying customers.

I am married to Barbara, and we have three children, James (10), Lucy (seven) and Robbie (five). We have recently undertaken a house swap with my parents, so we now live in the main farmhouse on the yard. The children love being right in the middle of the farm and all the buzz of activity that it brings.

I am keen to get involved with Farm 24 as a Ulster Farmers’ Union representative, to attempt to portray the real life, day to day tasks, routine and challenges that we as farming families face on a daily basis. Not only for one day but for 365 days a year.

Next week, we will be profiling two other UFU members who are also taking part.