Rachel was the daughter of well-known Kildare dairy farmer, Barney O’Sullivan, now 72 years of age. In 2021, along with their family of three children, she and James decided that farming was where their heart lay, and came back to the family farm full-time.
Rachel explains that her older brother was a doctor, the other brother runs his own very successful business and her younger brother had additional needs along with Down Syndrome. “I suppose it fell to me to continue the family business, and having worked with animals all my life, it was ultimately a very easy decision to make. We completed our Green Certs and very soon got immersed in farm life.”
“James had absolutely no farming background, but he was proved to be an absolute natural. His father was Senior Animal Curator at Dublin Zoo, so caring for animals was in his blood. It wasn’t unusual for him to have lion cubs or other exotic animals being nursed at home, and that passion for animal care has stood him in good stead on the farm.”
"Ifac played a massive part in helping us plan for succession"
In 2014, Barney entrusted ifac with their accounts, stepping in to provide continuity after their previous accountant. Our Carlow Partner, Con O'Connell, played a key role, working closely with Barney and subsequently James and Rachel and their family as they approached a significant land transfer that included building a new family home and helping to plan for succession.
Rachel explains the family dynamic that was in place when she and James decided to come onboard. “Obviously the issue of succession had to be tackled before we could commit fully, and ifac played a massive part in helping us organise this as efficiently as possible. Our local ifac partner, Con O’Connell, was absolutely brilliant, and has been a key mentor in helping us plan for succession and manage our herd of 115 dairy cows with a great emphasis on sustainability and the environment.”
Partly because of their lifelong vocation to animal care and partly because father, Barney, was already an active member of the the Protecting Farmland Pollinators EIP (European Innovation Partnership), Rachel and James were quick to implement a range of farm practices to help pollinators - and biodiversity as a whole - on their farm.
They were honoured as winners of the Biodiversity Dairy Farmers of the Year at the National Dairy Awards 2024, and Rachel explains that “running a commercial farm and looking out for wildlife should not be mutually exclusive. You can see the high level of biodiversity right throughout our farm, with trees, flowering hedgerows, areas for nature and wildlife all co-existing perfectly alongside a grass-fed dairy herd.”
Her own children are only ten, eight and five, and if the time comes for them to become a formal part of the farm, Rachel says that “it’s great to think that ifac will be there once again to guide us through the whole process, and to make sure that the farm is passed on to the next generation of our family.”
