Ballyutoag Farm is situated approximately 8 miles outside the busy city of Belfast; growing up on the farm and working alongside his father ensured that Brian Megahey had a good working knowledge of farming practices from a very young age. In 2014 Brian assumed the role of farm owner following the death of his father.
On leaving school Brian attended the College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE) where he studied for a National Certificate in Agriculture. On completion of the course Brian returned to the family farm to work on a full time basis. At that juncture the Megahey’s were farming 500 acres with 230 suckler cows and 150 ewes, however, Brian’s career changed direction when his father sold 140 acres and bought a farm supplies business. At this stage Brian worked part-time in the business as well as on the family farm; during this time he gained a lot of knowledge about working in retail, also learning about the complexities of managing 15 staff across the businesses owned by his father.
At the age of 28 years Brian decided to pursue a different career, and gained the HGV license which lead to him purchasing his own truck and travelling across Europe for 5 years.
As a result of the BSE crisis in 1996 the Megahey family liquidated the farm supply business and sold the site for development, diversifying into the waste disposal business, opening an inert landfill site. At this juncture Brian decided to return to Northern Ireland to work alongside his father in the family business, specializing in the operation of diggers and dozers.
Having a desire to return to farming, in 2012 Brian bought some cattle of his own and has been farming ever since. A typical day on the farm for Brian includes the management of all aspects of farm life – feeding and checking the livestock, animal welfare, maintaining the buildings and the financial side of the farm business. Brian stated: “Looking after good stock, selling good stock and watching the seasons come and go are the enjoyable side of farm life, it’s a way of life”.
Farming on a part time basis, Brian also undertakes some digger contract work and runs a training company, offering a wide range of agricultural and construction type training courses. Brian enjoys the mixture in his working life as he believes he can share his knowledge and skills within the forum of training others working in the industry. Brian believes that skills are important to farmers, particularly those skills associated with working with animals, operating machinery, record keeping and financial skills and the ability to be a general handyman.
