‘REALISING the Potential' was a very apt theme for the advanced certificate in Dairy Herd Management for the Clonakilty Agricultural College class of 2018 as they delivered their end-of-year presentation.
BY JOHN SEXTON
‘REALISING the Potential’ was a very apt theme for the advanced certificate in Dairy Herd Management for the Clonakilty Agricultural College class of 2018 as they delivered their end-of-year presentation.
The event, run from from 11am to 2pm, was organised to provide the students with a platform to demonstrate the growth and learning which they have developed over the past two years and is set against a background of the opportunities afforded to these young people as a result of taking part in this programme.
After an opening address by the principal of the college at Darrara, Keith Kennedy, the students were divided into groups with a mentor at each of the ten boards: Research Board — Brian McCarthy and Fergal Coughlan; Stepping Stones Board — Aoife Healy; Grassland Board — Karen O’Connell; Breeding Board — James Daunt; Milk Quality Board — Mark O’Sullivan; Financial Board — Patrick McCarthy; Nutrient Management Board — Tom Deane; Collaborative Farming Board — Thomas Curran; Advisory Board — Ciara O’Shea and Matthew Ryan; Calves — Stephen O’Sullivan; Overall — Karen O’Connell.
Each board was manned by two students who delivered the presentation or practical demonstration with their assigned teacher. Each staff mentor asked three or four questions of the students based on what they have been doing in the college on their given topic — include as much college information as possible and mentioning what they picked up from their external learning opportunities.
The following pairs of students took part in the exercise: Darragh Sheehy and Kevin Cotter; David Jennings and Kerry Desmond; Aedan James and Eoin O’Sullivan; Paul Sheehan and Graham Daunt; Colin Crowley and Kevin Pyburn; Sam Ryan and Jack Roche; Claire Kirby and Alyson Shorten; David Fitton, Jack Dillon and Donagh O’Riordan; Denise Twomey and Edmond Russell; Niall Browne and Michael Linehan; Lee Collins and Sean O’Brien; Dan Crowley and Kevin Pyburn; Cian Dorgan and Tomas Sweetnam; Daragh Kearney and Eoin Troy.
Present from Teagasc Moorepark were Tom Curran and Tony Pettitt.
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