19 April 2025

Is collaborative farming an opportunity for you?

Collaborative farming arrangements, where two or more farmers work together, are providing a practical solution to some of the challenges faced by farmers.

Collaborative farming arrangements offer three key benefits:

1). Economic: By pooling resources, farmers can increase scale, lower costs and share financial risks.

2). Skills sharing: Collaboration provides access to a broader range of expertise.

3). Social: Moving away from the traditional model, joint ventures can combat isolation and improve quality of life.

Here’s a look at some of the key collaborative models.

Registered Farm Partnerships

These partnerships allow farmers, often family members, to combine their resources, land and efforts, creating a single, more efficient farming operation.

A Teagasc study, Facilitating Farmers Establishment of Farm Partnerships, highlighted a range of benefits including: increased efficiency; better work-life balance; shared decision-making; and reduced isolation.

Partnerships can support succession and can provide flexibility for family responsibilities or off-farm work. Importantly, farm safety improves when more than one person is engaged in day-to-day operations.

To register a farm partnership, farmers must meet certain conditions as set out in Statutory Instrument 247 of 2015. The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine’s Farm Partnership Unit manages the process and can be contacted at farmpartnerships@agriculture.gov.ie.  

Contract rearing

Contract heifer rearing

This model sees another farmer rear replacement heifers under an agreed contract. For the dairy farmer, it frees up land and labour for milk production. For the rearer, it provides a steady income stream and potentially better returns.
View Specimen Agreements for flat-rate and weight-bonus contracts.

Contract calf rearing

Dairy farmers may also contract out the rearing of bull calves. This addresses facility and labour shortages during the intense spring calving season. Calves can be returned post-weaning, retained by the rearer, or sold, depending on the agreement.

Contract calf and weanling rearing

This model involves calves staying with the rearer after weaning. It offers labour relief and facility savings for dairy farmers, and improved income stability for rearers.
View a Contract Calf and Weanling Rearing Agreement.

Share farming

In share farming, a landowner and a share farmer operate two independent businesses on the same land. Each contributes resources, land, labour, or machinery. Both parties remain financially independent. This structure can help growers scale up production without land purchase or long-term lease, and landowners benefit from increased output and the skills of the share farmer. Both retain their individual entitlements and tax positions, but share risks and rewards.

For more information and advice, visit the Teagasc Collaborative Farming page or contact your local Teagasc advisor.