Bronagh Dempster

Growing up in rural County Down, I was very mindful of the incredible agriculture around me. Despite being from a non-farming family, I caught the bug for farming at a young age and followed this through to studying agriculture at Queen's University, Belfast. I currently work for a dairy processor across Northern Ireland and Wales, managing largely farm-based projects. My weekends are spent working at a local dairy farm where I was fortunate enough to gain my first hands-on farming experience in my late teens. In my downtime, you will find me musing over cows, grass and preoccupied with growing my knowledge in dairy farming.

The Nuffield Farming Next-Gen Scholarship was truly life-changing for me. We delved into the very best practice and incredible business minds in action along the way. Presenting our learnings and showing my gratitude for the opportunity at the 2024 conference in Belfast was an honour I will always hold dear. My aspirations within the industry are to make as much of a positive impact as possible to farmers. I also hope to have my own livestock in the future, equipped with the drive gained from the Next-Gen experience and I'd like to thank the Elizabeth Creak Chairtable Trust for sponsoring me.

The Next-Gen Scholarship has had a huge impact in May 2025, “I’ve signed my first lease for a small parcel of land. Despite all the people that say you can’t go into farming in NI without a farming family! Small beginnings but it’s a start and I am hoping to scale from here. Once my official documents are through from the Department, I will fulfil my dream of having my own cattle. I credit this mostly to the scholarship. The people that told me I can, the people that showed me I can and the people that have advised me ever since. It showed me the art of the possible and for that, I am eternally grateful. It’s also made me incredibly motivated to learn more, push myself and provide value to others”.