Jayne Harkness-Bones
County Antrim, Northern Ireland
Agroecological (mixed)
SHEEP, COUNTY ANTRIM, NORTHERN IRELAND: Jayne is a seventh-generation sheep farmer working in partnership with her father near the shores of Lough Neigh in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. Together they care for around 150 sheep, a few beef cattle and some apple orchards on their 50 acres (20 hectares). But their joint obsession is wool, which they believe is the “forgotten fibre.”
Jayne’s return to the farm happened earlier than expected. She was working as a psychotherapist for a children’s charity in Belfast but in 2017 her father was making some big decisions about the farm which called her back to help run the family farm.
Jayne and her dad have always been obsessed with wool, thanks to her dad working as a shearer all his life. He sheared all around the world, but when he returned home to shear in Northern Ireland all Jayne wanted was to be with him and join in his woolly life. “That laid the foundations for us both being wool freaks,” says Jayne.
To make ends meet, Jayne combines working on the family farm with working for British Wool at its Ulster Wool depot. After six months she was promoted to Depot Manager. She is also studying for a doctorate about wool at the University of Ulster. “I can safely say I’m now ‘living the dream’ as I get to farm with my dad when I’m not out at work,” she says. “I feel like I’m now getting time back with my dad that I missed out of when I was little. I love spending time with him on the farm, we talk to the sheep like they are an extension of us, and I think they know what we are saying! We are always discussing new ideas, setups and systems for our wee farm to make it the best we can for our livestock.”
Attending agricultural conferences such as the Sheep Breeders Round Table, the GrassCheck Conference, the Royal Agricultural Society of the Commonwealth conference, and the Nuffield Conference; attending agricultural shows and taking part in wool handling competitions across the UK and Ireland; listening to the Pasture Pod podcast on a Monday morning which “gets me set up for the week.” Jayne lets off steam by playing drums in a rock band, and relaxing in a jacuzzi hot tub at the local spa.
Talking Point
Jayne gets frustrated that with all the talk in farming about sustainability, there’s rarely any mention of wool. “This really cracks me up. Why is it the ‘forgotten fibre’ when it ticks all the sustainable boxes? I think this is because farmers have given up on their wool cheque meaning anything, plus wool is not fit for human consumption. So the main coverage of wool in the media is about farmers slating the Wool Board for derisory payments and making social media sensations of themselves by burning it! Dad and I have had many conversations about this and I am hoping that by being part of Just Farmers I can make a positive difference. I really like the idea of being a spokesperson for the wool sector in the UK and Ireland – although you could say that in some weird way I already am!”
Declared interests
Council member of the Royal Ulster Agricultural Society
Member of Crumlin branch of the Ulster Farmers Union
Ulster Wool Depot Manager
Freeman of the City of London and livery member of the Worshipful Company of Woolmen
Northern Irish National Sheep Association committee member
Agri-Search Sheep Advisory Committee member
PhD scholar at University of Ulster, Belfast