Jill and Sophie are flying the flag for women in farming

Little did she know that would be the beginning of a lifelong passion for farming that would see her taking on the family farm in her own right in years to come. 

"It's been a lifelong thing since I was no age," said Jill, who runs a herd of 60 dairy cows just below the Topped Mountain near Garvary.

"I remember following my father, Tom, around the yard, picking it up as I went along. I soon started milking and doing other jobs. That farming bug never left me."

As time went on, Jill's involvement in the farm increased, even when she was working for a local vets and other odd jobs.

Naturally, when the opportunity arose to take on the farm full-time, she jumped at the chance.

"I was always out on the farm and I enjoyed it, so it was a no-brainer," she continued.

"My three sisters were away doing their own thing, and dad let me tear away, and I was able to push the cows on."

In the early days, a herd of 30-cows were milked via a four-point parlour; the same parlour that Jill stood in as a child.

Nowadays, 60 cows are milked twice daily in a brand-new DeLaval 12-point, which was installed just two years ago, with ambitions to expand to 80 cows.  Hard work and dedication have paid off.

It's no surprise that this drive for farming has had an impact on the next generation.

Much like her mum, Sophie Moore's earliest memory is standing in that old parlour, watching the cows getting milked. As they say, history repeats itself!

"I was always out on the farm with mum, standing in the parlour and carrying around yellow buckets," said 19-year-old Sophie, who is studying at Greenmount Agricultural College.

"Farming has always been something I have been interested in, and this heavily influenced my choice of degree.

"We are learning all about farm buildings, mechanisation, animal welfare and calf health, and it suits me down to the ground."

Sophie added: "Of course, I make sure to come home at weekends, as that's when the real work starts! There's always a calf pen or two left for me to clean out!"

Sophie is among a growing cohort of females who are exploring opportunities within the farming industry.

Around half of her class are girls, which she feels demonstrates how the tide is gradually turning in what was once a male-dominated profession.

"It's surprising just how many girls are taking an interest in agriculture," Sophie said.

"I chose the mechanisation module because it was something I was interested in, but I was worried that I would be the only girl in the class. This wasn't the case at all!"

Jill agrees that attitudes around female farmers are changing, and changing for the better.

"I will admit that sometimes you aren't taken seriously," she said. "There has been that stereotype from some, but on the whole, the tide is definitely turning.

"Whether it's social media or the marts, we are seeing more and more female farmers, and organisations such as the Ulster Farmers' Union (UFU) have been a big help in promoting this.

"It's great to see more girls going into farming-related careers, and it would be great to see even more getting involved."

However, whether you are male or female, Jill admits that farming is not for the faint of heart.

A typical day starts at half-six in the morning with the milking. After this calves are fed, cubicles need to be scraped down, and other livestock checked.

It's on to routine farming tasks such as fencing, dosing, dehorning and changing cattle then.

Come late afternoon, the milking starts again.

Luckily, there is no shortage of willing help on Moore farm. Jill's father, Tom, is still heavily involved in the day-to-day running of the operation, and her 15-year-old son, Matthew, also helps out in between school.

Jill's husband, Alan, also lends a hand when he isn't on the road as a long-distance lorry driver.

"It is a way of life, and you just work away," Jill said. "We have plenty of help, and it takes that to make it work.

"I have to say, the highlight of my day is milking, and people say I am mad! But in a way, you need that bit of madness.

"Overall, it makes all the difference when you enjoy what you are doing. I never dread going out in the morning, and I couldn't see myself doing anything else.

"Some days can be tougher than others, but the good outweighs the bad, without a doubt."

As with any farming enterprise, there are many challenges that must be dealt with. According to Jill, one of the most pressing is Bovine TB (bTB), which has seen her herd closed for 18 months, and the loss of heifers to the disease.

"Unfortunately, bTB is our biggest challenge," she revealed. "We have been closed for almost 18 months, and we are forced to keep a lot more cattle for longer as a result.

"Seeing freshly-calved heifers being culled due to bTB was really tough. I couldn't put them on the lorry, or any of that carry on.

"It does get mentally draining after a while, especially when they always seem to be culled in groups of three or four.

"When you are trying to build up the herd, it's disheartening to be told that three or four heifers have to go."

When asked how she copes with the myriad challenges of farming, Jill said: "You have to have that love for it, and you have to be easygoing.

"There will be ups and downs, and you have to take things in your stride."

Her daughter has a similar outlook. "Resilience!" said Sophie, when asked to name the most important trait that a farmer should have.

"Tear on, and take it as it comes. In farming, you never know what handlings you might get into. You just have to get stuck in."

Without a doubt, farming is a treasured way of life for the Moores. It is one that is filled with highs and lows, welcoming new life and dealing with hard realities.

"For me, there is nothing better than seeing your replacement heifers, that you have bred and reared, being milked in the parlour for the first time," Jill remarked.

"Seeing heifers come full circle, it does your heart good.

"When you are around the cows seven days a week, you gain that connection with them.

"We certainly have a few pets, and a few cows with names. People might say, 'It's a business, get on with it', but it runs much deeper than that."

Jill admits that this deep connection with the farm livestock spurs her on to keep improving and modernising.

"In years to come, we are hoping to improve our land and grass management, which will hopefully enable us to expand the cows; 80 cows would be a nice, round number.

"It's important to push on and do the odd thing like upgrading machinery. Nothing happens overnight in farming, but we will get there eventually."