MEGAN Morrow from Ballinamallard has always had a deep connection to farming, and she has never let her gender hold her back from pursuing her passion.
 
Today, Megan is a Sustainability Advisor for Dale Farm, but her journey into the industry started much earlier.
 
"My earliest farming memory is reaching up on my tippy toes to spray the cow’s teats after milking and even at that—and just about reaching them!" recalls Megan, who is also a mum to two-year-old Carla.
 
"I always had the love and passion for livestock and nature from a very young age, and as I grew up, I started to understand a lot more. With that came a deeper love and passion which is still here to this day."
 
Megan was fortunate to grow up with role models who encouraged her every step of the way. Her grandfather, Richard Coalter and uncle, Alan, run a 65-cow farm, where she spent much of her childhood helping out.
 
 "My grandfather and uncle never once let my gender or my age stop me from getting involved. Now my uncle’s nine-year-old daughter and two sons, aged seven and three, are involved in all things farming also," Megan said..
 
It’s no surprise that Megan’s lifelong love for farming eventually led her to pursue a career in the sector. After graduating from Harper Adams University, she took on her current role at Dale Farm, where she puts her academic knowledge and practical experience to work every day.
 
"I got into my job role following graduation from Harper Adams with BSc (Hons) in agriculture with animal science," she explains. "Having the passion to encourage and enable farmers to utilise their land and herds to their optimum—basically farming what you have well!"
 
Megan’s role as a dairy advisor often involves tackling practical challenges that farmers face.
 
"I see my role as an opportunity to encourage and advise farmers on what they want from their herd," she says. "This can range from improving age at first calving, considering pit silage over bales if that would suit their farm business and labour better.
 
"Other things include focusing on getting two/three good stable cuts rather than pushing for a fourth cut. This can ultimately in many cases, not be as cost-effective as it may be advertised as it can cause many issues within both the herd and milk tank."
 
Despite her clear professional focus, Megan’s path to success hasn't been easy. She faced significant personal challenges while completing her final year of university, namely, being pregnant and giving birth to Carla.
 
“Having completed my final year of university pregnant, and completing my exams with a newborn, tested my resilience,” she admits. “However, it was this resilience (with a little help from coffee!) that pushed me to complete my degree and graduate, no matter what I had to do to get there.”
 
It’s clear that resilience is a key part of Megan’s character, both personally and professionally.
 
“Resilience is essentially not giving up after a bad day or a bad moment,” she says. “Time keeps ticking and cows need milked and fed no matter the weather or situation you may be facing. Keep pushing on. There has always and will always be a need for the farmer.”
 
Megan also points to patience and compassion as equally important qualities for anyone in farming.
 
“Another important trait for farmers is patience, especially having to deal with young calves. I have had to challenge my patience since becoming a mum last year to Carla, whom is already showing a keen interest in animals, as well as all things mess!" she said.
 
"Compassion is also so important, particularly looking after newborn calves or a sick animal, and even whilst working with nature. If I was to come across a sick bird or injured hedgehog or rabbit, I would never leave it lying there to suffer. It’s our duty to care for them too.”
 
As a dairy advisor, Megan is well aware of the significant challenges facing the agricultural sector today, especially when it comes to sustainability.
 
“Sustainability is the current buzzword within the industry and across many other sectors,” she says. "When farmers hear me say ‘sustainability’, many shut down or respond with ‘oh so you are for culling the cows’, when that couldn’t be further from the truth.
 
"I do believe there is a limit on what some land and yards can handle when operating as a dairy herd and pushing for more can do more harm than good for a business."
 
Megan highlights the need for practical solutions to address sustainability concerns. "With a poor year overall and only a few windows to enable farmers to get the cuts done, this winter will be another testing season for herds and milk quality," she adds. "Age at first calving, milk quality from grass and forage and how to make good silage are not new conversations, it’s just a new classification—sustainability."
 
Another ongoing issue that Megan believes needs attention is the public perception of farming in Northern Ireland.
 
 "Northern Ireland farming works with nature, not against nature no matter what the media may present," she says. "Northern Ireland is one of the very few countries in the world where they can provide such a grazing platform for their herds and flocks, and with that, we can produce some of the best produce within the EU.
 
"My hopes are that the people in power and their advisors in the background realise what NI agriculture is worth and with that, they can support the industry better than what they currently do."
 
Megan’s dedication to farming is clear, and she encourages anyone with an interest in agriculture—regardless of gender—to consider a career in the field. "To anyone who considering a career in the agri industry, I would say go for it!" she said.
 
"You will achieve a sense of satisfaction like no other when you see your work/help benefit the farmer and farm business within the current economic climate and what seems to be never ending new lists of rules and regulations.
 
"Even when working with livestock, seeing that animal you reared have their first calf or when you see an animal you reared running through the paddock, you will indefinitely achieve a sense of satisfaction and happiness."
 
"Very few can say they achieve daily within their career!"