Agri Aware and Farmhand successfully welcomed over 600 primary school students to visit in person farms during April. This offered children a valuable opportunity to experience what day to day life looks like on working Irish dairy farms and to better learn about where their food comes from.

The farm visits took place over two days. On Monday, April 27, students travelled to the farm of Michael Connell in Swords, Co. Dublin, followed by a visit on Tuesday, April 28 to the farm of Noel Burke in Drumree. Schools located close to Farmhand HQ in Dublin were selected for the initiative as part of Farmhand’s commitment to giving back to the local community and supporting agricultural education.

 

 

Throughout the visits, students explored the farms and participated in interactive and age‑appropriate talks delivered by Agri Aware Education Officers. These sessions focused on dairy farming in Ireland, the wider agricultural sector, and the role farming plays in everyday life, helping students to engage directly with the realities of Irish agriculture.

The visits allowed students to experience Irish family‑run farms first‑hand, strengthening their understanding of food production and fostering a stronger connection to rural life. Farmhand played its part in this initiative by covering all transport costs for participating schools, ensuring that students could take part regardless of financial barriers.

 

Commenting on the initiative, Stephen Scrivener, Sales and Marketing Director at Farmhand, said:

“Farmhand were proud to support Agri Aware with this initiative. It is vital that the next generation knows what happens on farms and where food comes from. The best way to do this is by visiting a farm, and we were delighted to provide this opportunity — and fully sponsor the transport — for over 600 Dublin 15 students who might never have been on a farm before.”

Positive Feedback from Teachers:

The initiative received overwhelmingly positive feedback from teachers, with many expressing interests in participating in future farm visits.

“The kids were interested, and the speakers kept it at a level appropriate to their understanding. Thanks again to Agri Aware and Farmhand for the free visit to the Burke Dairy Farm. A memorable occasion for all the kids.”
– Scoil Mhuire Senior

“We all had a lovely day out! Thanks again for the opportunity for the trip — we are working on dairy farm reports now!”
– St Philip’s

“Thanks again for having us on Tuesday. It was a great day and the boys loved it. The speakers on the day were great with them.”
– Scoil Bhríde Buachaillí

“I just wanted to say thank you to everybody involved in our fabulous school trip to the farm on Monday. The children really enjoyed the day and found it very educational. We really appreciated being chosen for the visit and having it fully funded. It was very well organised, and everyone made us feel so welcome. The children also enjoyed the interviews and watching back the segment from News2Day.”
– Ladyswell NS

  

Here at Farmhand, initiatives like this reflect our ongoing commitment to supporting agricultural education and ensuring that young people have genuine opportunities to experience Irish agriculture first-hand. By working alongside Agri Aware and local family farms, we are proud to help make these experiences accessible to all students and to play a small part in inspiring the next generation’s understanding of where Irish food comes from.