Aberdeen Angus “At The Heart of Life”
What is “At The Heart of Life”? A concise, yet difficult question to answer. For us, here in West Cork, “At The Heart of our Lives” is agriculture. The first thing we do, at the crack of dawn, is to walk amongst the morning dew, to bring in the cows for milking and the last, before the evening draws to a close, to go out again to feed the cattle. Rain, hail or shine, agriculture is always close to our hearts. It is not only the backbone of our economy (employing over 165,000 people in Ireland alone in 2019), but also holds a vital significance in our heritage. This signifies the important role young people have in relation to the future of the agri-sector. This is why competitions such as The Certified Irish Aberdeen Angus Schools Competition prove to be so successful.
As we set out on our Aberdeen Angus journey, we felt it would be great to have a group name, not only for marketing purposes, but also to encapsulate the main reason why we are taking part in the competition…..that is,to get back to the basics in farming, to get people “At The Heart of It”. Our main goal in the competition is to promote Aberdeen Angus rearing to farmers and to promote the quality Irish product to both retailers and consumers nationwide. We believe here in West Cork, we are at the heart of the farming scene in Ireland.Coincidentally ,our chosen name just so happens to tie in nicely with the name of our school !
Over the past year as Covid-19 hit the country, Irish Aberdeen Angus farmers continued to provide a grass-fed, quality product to consumers both nationally and internationally in the face of huge adversity. Other issues must be addressed such as the climate crisis, women in agriculture, Brexit and farm safety, which is paramount to our own farming community. However, for our team it all comes back to farmer’s principles, asking the crucial question, what is “At The Heart “of farming for them.In our quest for answers, we ask ourselves the same question.
If you would like to join us on our journey you can follow us on Instagram @attheheartofit_shss .
Orlaith Kirby (TY)