At just six years of age, Jack Roche lives and breathes farm life, despite the fact that he isn’t from a farming family.
Living with his family just outside Fermoy, Co Cork, Jack already has an encyclopaedic knowledge of tractors, machinery, animals, and crops.
He is an enthusiastic and energetic aspiring young farmer although none of his family are involved in agriculture.
Jack already has his favourite tractor brand picked out: “John Deere tractors are the best,” says Jack, but he is also a fan of Fendt and JCB Fastrac.
“I’m mad about trailers too, especially silage and grain trailers.”
If that wasn’t enough, he also has a fondness for ploughs, with those made by Kverneland and LEMKEN getting top marks in his eyes.
Silage season is Jack’s favourite time of the year. When tractors are roaring by and the fields are full of action, you’ll find him watching closely and learning exactly how things should be done.
In the springtime, he is mesmerised by ploughing, sowing cereals and maize, while the grain harvest is also one of his annual highlights.
Jack’s little farm
With some help from his family, Jack has started growing vegetables in his back garden. The one-quarter-acre area is known as “Jack’s little farm”.
“I’ve planted loads of things,” he says.
“Potatoes, lettuce, onions, carrots, turnips, beetroot, cabbage, and even some maize. We also have some wildflowers to help feed the bees,” he explains.
Jack Roche, Ballyarthur, Fermoy, Co Cork checking on his potatoes that he is growing in his vegatable garden. \ Donal O'Leary
This space is completely Jack’s, and it allows him to learn about growing food from the ground up – all the work that must be done along the way and the challenges that can occur, from weather issues to pests and disease.
“I was busy this spring trying to keep the birds from eating the seeds,” says Jack, which led to the decision to make a scarecrow with the help of his father, Devon.
“Maybe if we put a Limerick GAA jersey on the scarecrow, it might scare all the birds away,” says Jack with a grin.
He is looking forward to harvesting his vegetables and to see how they taste. At the moment, Jack checks on them every day, especially to see if there are any weeds to be pulled, if he needs to water them and, of course, to see are they ready to harvest and eat.
At the breakfast table, Devon says Jack eagerly reads the Irish Farmers Journal.
“It is a weekly ritual at this stage that fuels his imagination and helps him to learn all about farming,” says Devon.
“He especially likes to look at the tractors and livestock for sale, and the photos of farmers planting and harvesting their crops across Ireland,” he adds.
Even without a family farm, Jack finds ways of being involved in farming. He often helps one of his neighbours, Kieran Kelleher, to feed calves with Kieran’s son Seán, and to check on the animals in the fields. He also visits the farms of Mike Cooney Agri and John Noel Kenny, whenever he can too.
Visit a farm
Jack believes that every young person should visit a farm at least once to see where their food comes from. “I also think it is important that young people try to grow their own vegetables to see the huge amount of work that goes into putting food on our plates,” he says.
Devon explains that everyone is impressed by how much Jack sees and takes in – he always notices the little details and is sure to point them out to make sure things are done right. This is why he nominated Jack for the Rising Rural Stars competition.
“It’s amazing to see him in action. For someone of such a young age, Jack already has such a knowledge and fondness for farming,” explains Devon.
Jack has some machinery that his family use to help him with his vegetable garden. \ Donal O'Leary
The excitement is already building in the Roche household ahead of the National Ploughing Championship.
“I like looking at the ploughing and all of the toys on the stands,” says Jack.
He has big dreams and has started to plan out his future already. He knows exactly what to do if his family were to win the Lotto.
“I would buy a big farm where I would grow potatoes and cereals, milk lots of cows and have lots of John Deere tractors,” he says.
Until this happens – or Jack grows up to forge his own path in farming – he’s learning all he can and showing that you don’t need to be born on a farm to be a real farmer at heart.
At just six years of age, Jack Roche lives and breathes farm life, despite the fact that he isn’t from a farming family.
Living with his family just outside Fermoy, Co Cork, Jack already has an encyclopaedic knowledge of tractors, machinery, animals, and crops.
He is an enthusiastic and energetic aspiring young farmer although none of his family are involved in agriculture.
Jack already has his favourite tractor brand picked out: “John Deere tractors are the best,” says Jack, but he is also a fan of Fendt and JCB Fastrac.
“I’m mad about trailers too, especially silage and grain trailers.”
If that wasn’t enough, he also has a fondness for ploughs, with those made by Kverneland and LEMKEN getting top marks in his eyes.
Silage season is Jack’s favourite time of the year. When tractors are roaring by and the fields are full of action, you’ll find him watching closely and learning exactly how things should be done.
In the springtime, he is mesmerised by ploughing, sowing cereals and maize, while the grain harvest is also one of his annual highlights.
Jack’s little farm
With some help from his family, Jack has started growing vegetables in his back garden. The one-quarter-acre area is known as “Jack’s little farm”.
“I’ve planted loads of things,” he says.
“Potatoes, lettuce, onions, carrots, turnips, beetroot, cabbage, and even some maize. We also have some wildflowers to help feed the bees,” he explains.
Jack Roche, Ballyarthur, Fermoy, Co Cork checking on his potatoes that he is growing in his vegatable garden. \ Donal O'Leary
This space is completely Jack’s, and it allows him to learn about growing food from the ground up – all the work that must be done along the way and the challenges that can occur, from weather issues to pests and disease.
“I was busy this spring trying to keep the birds from eating the seeds,” says Jack, which led to the decision to make a scarecrow with the help of his father, Devon.
“Maybe if we put a Limerick GAA jersey on the scarecrow, it might scare all the birds away,” says Jack with a grin.
He is looking forward to harvesting his vegetables and to see how they taste. At the moment, Jack checks on them every day, especially to see if there are any weeds to be pulled, if he needs to water them and, of course, to see are they ready to harvest and eat.
At the breakfast table, Devon says Jack eagerly reads the Irish Farmers Journal.
“It is a weekly ritual at this stage that fuels his imagination and helps him to learn all about farming,” says Devon.
“He especially likes to look at the tractors and livestock for sale, and the photos of farmers planting and harvesting their crops across Ireland,” he adds.
Even without a family farm, Jack finds ways of being involved in farming. He often helps one of his neighbours, Kieran Kelleher, to feed calves with Kieran’s son Seán, and to check on the animals in the fields. He also visits the farms of Mike Cooney Agri and John Noel Kenny, whenever he can too.
Visit a farm
Jack believes that every young person should visit a farm at least once to see where their food comes from. “I also think it is important that young people try to grow their own vegetables to see the huge amount of work that goes into putting food on our plates,” he says.
Devon explains that everyone is impressed by how much Jack sees and takes in – he always notices the little details and is sure to point them out to make sure things are done right. This is why he nominated Jack for the Rising Rural Stars competition.
“It’s amazing to see him in action. For someone of such a young age, Jack already has such a knowledge and fondness for farming,” explains Devon.
Jack has some machinery that his family use to help him with his vegetable garden. \ Donal O'Leary
The excitement is already building in the Roche household ahead of the National Ploughing Championship.
“I like looking at the ploughing and all of the toys on the stands,” says Jack.
He has big dreams and has started to plan out his future already. He knows exactly what to do if his family were to win the Lotto.
“I would buy a big farm where I would grow potatoes and cereals, milk lots of cows and have lots of John Deere tractors,” he says.
Until this happens – or Jack grows up to forge his own path in farming – he’s learning all he can and showing that you don’t need to be born on a farm to be a real farmer at heart.
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