How Collaborative Options can be used to address Generational Renewal without an Identified Farming Successor – The Slattery Families Story
Summary
- Progressive dairy farm: Mike and Birdy Slattery run a 75ha dairy farm in Co. Tipperary, expanding from 70 to 150 cows after quota abolition while continuing to invest in infrastructure despite having no identified successor.
- Planning for transition: Seeking to reduce the stress of management while remaining involved, they explored a collaborative arrangement to transfer day-to-day management and decision-making.
- Collaborative future: They are developing a trusted share farming arrangement with neighbouring farmer Kieran Kennedy, with the potential to progress to a full lease over time.
Mike and Birdy Slattery have been farming in Barbaha, just outside Nenagh in Tipperary for over 30 years. Mike took over the running of the farm when he was 27 years old, after his Father Jimmy passed. Prior to this, Jimmy had inherited the farm from his uncle, Jim Slattery, when he was very young. The farm consists of 75ha of grassland, standing over 600 feet above sea level so it can be cold in nature and therefore grass growth can be late to get started in the spring. The gradient of the farm is quite hilly in nature, soil type is predominantly good free draining, with a few wet sections. During the milk quota ere, Mike was milking approximately 70 cows and also running a beef enterprise on the farm with most progeny brought to finishing. After the abolition of quotas in 2015, they switched to an all dairy enterprise, upping cow numbers to 150, with progeny sold as calves, except for replacement heifers.
Mike and Birdy have worked tirelessly together over the years, with both being very actively involved in the day-to-day work on the farm. There has been very little off farm labour employed over the years, with Mike freely admitting that this is his fault as he struggles to give instructions and has found the role of being the boss challenging. The couple have two children, Sarah who is 28 and Noel who is 26. Sarah has just returned from Australia and Noel has just departed for Australia. Both son and daughter have always helped on the farm over the years but are currently pursuing alternative career paths outside of the home farm.
Despite having no identified farming successor, Mike and Birdy have continues to invest in the infrastructure on the farm, having as recently as 2024, built an extensive new calf shed in the farmyard. The farm has a 20-unit herringbone parlour, adequate cubicles for all livestock and more than sufficient slurry accommodation to meet nitrates and derogation requirements. At the end of 2025, they both sat down and agreed the management of the farm and the farming business was getting to them. Mike has worked full time on the farm since he was 17 years old and more recently he has gradually felt his enthusiasm wane with the physical performance on the farm not being maximised as a result. While cow management was still excellent and the farmyard had received significant investment over the years, areas such as grassland management and reseeding had not received the same attention. Having previously not enjoyed the role of providing direction to staff, Mike felt that a collaborative arrangement where someone would take over the management and decision making on the farm would suit better. He was still anxious to remain involved in the workings of the farm as a result of any potential arrangement – just without the added stress of decision making.
He had closely observed the success that Kieran Kennedy was making of the Walsh’s farm next door and saw how the Walsh family have remained involved in the farming business, but he also saw how Kieran used his education and enthusiasm to change the direction of the farming business therefore ensuring its viability into the future. Kieran seemed to take the stress that can be caused by running your own business in his stride and had an easy going yet driven attitude to the dairy operation on the Walsh’s Farm, thus Mike felt that he would be an ideal candidate to explore any potential collaborative arrangement with. Mike and Birdy were open to discuss how any potential arrangement could work and their easy going nature has made the negotiations much easier for all involved.
While Kieran was only getting to grips with leasing the Walsh’s farm he felt that an opportunity to take on the next door farm doesn’t happen very often and that it would be a pity not to explore its potential. Both Mike, Birdy and Kieran had open and honest discussions about what they would like from any potential collaborative arrangement. Mike was happy to continue milking the cows twice a day for the moment and to remain hands on but he was anxious that Kieran would manage the business and make the fundamental decisions about the farm’s future. Birdy wanted to take a less active role in the farm and has had time to develop her interests outside of farming as a result. To date a final decision on the structure of the arrangement has not yet been finalised but they is genuine trust between the parties and this has lead to an excellent working relationship where both parties feel that this is going to work for them and has the potential to change and grow in the future. Clear legal structures are currently being drawn up and it is envisaged that the arrangement will initially be a share farming collaboration with the expectation that it may move to a full lease over time, allowing Mike to step back in a more gradual way of his choosing.
The above first appeared in Securing the Future of Irish Farms: Approaches for Generation Renewal (PDF), produced as part of Teagasc Generational Renewal Week 2026.