Our General Manager Grant Ireland shares his thoughts in the Press & Journal’s farming pages. Here is the January 2026 column…
Not coming from a farming background, I often get asked why I chose a career in agriculture.
To me it was a simple choice: it’s an industry full of great folk and characters, and it’s a great lifestyle.
It’s also one that is struggling to recruit the number of people it needs. We need as many people as possible to look at a career in agriculture, and meet them with help, encouragement and open arms.
Last summer, I took up the newly created role of General Manager at Ringlink Scotland.
It’s a position that I see as a cumulation of my career to date, but it also places me in a unique position in a unique organisation to help with the challenges and opportunities facing the Scottish agricultural community.
From rugby to rolling bales
My interest in agriculture was first sparked by large animals. Growing up in rural Fife, there was no shortage of cattle and sheep to look at.
From an early age, my mum was very supportive of this interest. She would often taxi me back and forth to a local farmer called Ronnie, who was glad of the help and happy to teach an eager teenager.
Looking back, I was an avid – albeit average – rugby player for the Howe of Fife. My ability to catch ewes and roll bales of straw with ease probably explains Ronnie’s willingness to help someone so green around the gills. He gave me my first real introduction to the world of agriculture.
I was taught the basics and shown what else the industry had to offer with trips to shows and auction marts. I had two close friends who also helped Ronnie. We worked hard and had a great time. All three of us are still involved in agriculture and remain great friends to this day.
It was around this time that we discovered the social side of the industry, with trips to Young Farmer dances in the tattie sheds of Fife and show dances. I was absolutely hooked.
Learning the language
On finishing school, I went to Craibstone for three years to complete a degree in agriculture.
It was a mixing pot of people from different locations. I fondly remember my first night chatting to a guy from Orkney (still creatively nicknamed “Orkney” today) and a lad from Huntly. I spent most of the evening trying to figure out what type of animals they were referring to when they talked about “feeding the kai and bedding the nowt”.
Leaving college, I spent time working with cattle, sheep, pigs and driving tractors. Then a college friend who worked at McIntosh Donald got in touch to say they were looking for a new livestock buyer. Never one to let an opportunity slip, I accepted the challenge.
A similar thing happened with Frontier Agriculture so I spent time there as a farm trader, learning about the grain trade and fertiliser.
Building a toolkit
I didn’t realise it at the time, but every bale I rolled for Ronnie and every conversation I struggled to translate at Craibstone was building a toolkit.
It is a hugely diverse industry and there is a job for everyone, but also a growing need for “all-rounders” who understand the full cycle from the field to the livestock float.
It was the co-operative model of trying to help members and being a local Scottish business that drew me to Ringlink and my broad range of experience certainly helps. I must admit, the night before I started the job I thought I had a good understanding of what they did. How wrong I was.
The following months were a steep learning curve. Ringlink’s tagline “we do more than you know” couldn’t be truer. Fuel, barley, fertiliser, labour, horse arenas, quarries, livestock feed, hay and straw are all in the day to day! And working alongside Managing Director Graham Bruce has been fantastic. His passion and vast knowledge are outstanding.
Opening the gates
One of the most rewarding parts of the role is our Land-based Pre-apprenticeship programme. This initiative is the heartbeat of what we do for the future of the sector.
It gives young people – especially those without a farming background – the chance to earn and learn, while working towards a nationally recognised qualification.
Looking back to those tattie sheds in Fife, I realise my path succeeded because a few individuals were willing to take a chance on a “green” teenager. Today, my role at Ringlink allows me to pay that forward.
Our goal is to ensure the Scottish agricultural community is resilient, connected and open to new talent. Agriculture is more than just a job; it is a lifestyle that has given me every opportunity I’ve had.
We are making sure those same doors stay wide open for the next generation, regardless of whether they were born on a farm or simply have the drive to get stuck in.
The new Land-based Pre-apprentices at SRUC for induction week
