The National Ploughing Championships 2026

A brilliant few days at the National Ploughing Championships 2026 with Nofence, meeting farmers from across the country and having some really valuable conversations about technology, farm management and succession.

A lot of the discussion naturally centred on the new N3 virtual fencing collars and the practical difference they can make on farms, particularly where flexibility, labour, infrastructure and difficult ground are all part of the challenge.

What stood out for me was how often those technology conversations moved into much bigger questions about the future of the farm, who will be farming it, how it will be managed, what needs to change, and what the next generation will actually need in order to make the farm work.

That is where the connection with succession becomes very real.

Succession is not just about transferring ownership. It is about helping create a farm that the next generation can realistically operate, adapt and build a future around.

A huge thank you to the Nofence team for having me with them, and to everyone who stopped for a chat, asked questions, shared their own experiences or spoke to me about their succession plans.

Plenty of great conversations, plenty of ideas, and a very strong reminder that the future of farming will be shaped by both better planning and better technology.

I’ll be joining Nofence at the National Ploughing Championships 2026, spending the event meeting farmers, talking about virtual fencing technology and discussing some of the wider changes shaping the future of Irish agriculture.

The Ploughing is always one of the best opportunities of the year to have proper, face-to-face conversations with farmers from across the country, and I’m looking forward to being part of the Nofence team for the event.

A big part of the conversation will be around how Nofence virtual fencing collars can give farmers more flexibility in how they manage livestock and land. For me, that is especially interesting because technology like this is about far more than simply replacing a physical fence. It can change what is practical on a farm, how land is utilised, how grazing is managed and, in some cases, how realistic it is for someone to continue farming land that might otherwise be difficult to manage.

I’ll also be there in my role as The Financial Farmer, talking to farming families about succession, long-term planning and what the next generation of the farm might actually look like.
Those two conversations are much more closely connected than they might first appear. Succession is not only about who eventually owns the farm. It is also about whether the farm the next generation inherits is practical, financially viable and capable of adapting to the way farming is changing.

New technology can play an important part in that.

If better livestock management, reduced infrastructure requirements or greater flexibility make it easier for the next generation to farm, then technology becomes part of the succession conversation too.

So if you’re heading to the National Ploughing Championships this year, come over to the Nofence stand and say hello. Whether you want to talk virtual fencing, succession, the future of your farm, or simply have a chat about where Irish agriculture is heading, I’d be delighted to meet you.

Key takeaways from the week:

• Technology and succession are increasingly linked. The tools available to the next generation can directly affect whether a farm is practical and attractive to take on.

• Flexibility matters. Virtual fencing can change how farmers think about grazing, difficult ground, labour and infrastructure.

• Farmers want practical solutions. The strongest conversations were about what actually works on real farms, not technology for technology’s sake.

• Succession is about more than ownership. A good succession plan should consider how the farm will operate after the transfer, not just who receives it.

• The next generation will farm differently. New technology will be a major part of making farms more efficient, manageable and adaptable.

• Conversation is often the starting point. Many of the most valuable discussions began with Nofence and quickly opened into much wider conversations about the future of the farm.