Ross Murray 32 County Down
Farming in Northern Ireland often means working small, traditional family farms supported by off-farm income; something Ross is keen to change. He is passionate about ensuring sheep farming remains financially viable and was praised by the panel for his strong understanding of policy and its impact on the sector. Deeply rooted in family farming, Ross is motivated to help drive a confident and progressive future. He says his granny inspired his love for sheep farming and comments: “Sheep farming feels like part of who I am, and I want to help build a strong, progressive future for the sector. I believe the NSA Next Generation programme will help me build the skills, networks and voice to do that.”
April 2026
Spring has sprung, well mostly. Temperatures are rising and the daffodils are blooming but sadly someone forgot to turn the tap off in Northern Ireland. Parts of County Down have seen 40 consecutive days of rain, which bodes for a challenging few months ahead in terms of ground conditions and creates ideal conditions for parasites.
Lambing got off to a raucous start at the end of February, and we are hoping to get some sheep and lambs out onto grass. Lambing season always creates challenges with our busy family farm as we try to juggle off farm employment with on farm commitments.
I am going to review my flock health plan after hearing from the wonderful Phillipa Page during the first Ambassador session. She sparked some honest and open discussion among the Ambassadors about our systems and the challenges we are facing or could potentially face in the future.
It was a great experience to meet so many like-minded young farmers and learn from their lived experiences. As an industry, I think we need to talk more openly about the challenges we all face, as well as the many successes we have, to allow us to move forward and continue developing our businesses and flocks.
Farming in Northern Ireland often means working small, traditional family farms supported by off-farm income; something Ross is keen to change. He is passionate about ensuring sheep farming remains financially viable and was praised by the panel for his strong understanding of policy and its impact on the sector. Deeply rooted in family farming, Ross is motivated to help drive a confident and progressive future. He says his granny inspired his love for sheep farming and comments: “Sheep farming feels like part of who I am, and I want to help build a strong, progressive future for the sector. I believe the NSA Next Generation programme will help me build the skills, networks and voice to do that.”
April 2026
Spring has sprung, well mostly. Temperatures are rising and the daffodils are blooming but sadly someone forgot to turn the tap off in Northern Ireland. Parts of County Down have seen 40 consecutive days of rain, which bodes for a challenging few months ahead in terms of ground conditions and creates ideal conditions for parasites.
Lambing got off to a raucous start at the end of February, and we are hoping to get some sheep and lambs out onto grass. Lambing season always creates challenges with our busy family farm as we try to juggle off farm employment with on farm commitments.
I am going to review my flock health plan after hearing from the wonderful Phillipa Page during the first Ambassador session. She sparked some honest and open discussion among the Ambassadors about our systems and the challenges we are facing or could potentially face in the future.
It was a great experience to meet so many like-minded young farmers and learn from their lived experiences. As an industry, I think we need to talk more openly about the challenges we all face, as well as the many successes we have, to allow us to move forward and continue developing our businesses and flocks.
