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  • Apply now for part-time Agriculture evening course

    Date published: 27 August 2026

    Dungannon Dairy Farmer Mark Kelly says: “I would encourage anyone interested not to miss the closing date for applications for CAFRE’s Level 2 Agricultural Business Operations course.”

    Dr Alastair Boyle, CAFRE Adviser congratulates Aoife O'Connor (Belfast), Mark Kelly (Dungannon) and Joey Bryson (Donemana) on attaining their Level 2 Certificate in dairy production.

    The College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE) Level 2 Agricultural Business Operations Certificate course is currently open for 2026/27 applications but will be closing soon. 

    Course Manager, Kenneth Johnston, explained that the course will be delivered one night per week over 20 weeks from October 2026 to the end of February 2027. The course will be delivered using a blended approach of online and face to face delivery. He also advised that the course will be available at the three CAFRE campus locations at Greenmount, Loughry and Enniskillen with classes in beef, sheep, crops and dairying being offered. 

    Mark Kelly from Dungannon, completed the dairy production course at Loughry Campus last year saying: “I really enjoyed the course and learned a lot from it. The course suited me as it was held in the evenings and mostly on-line. I have always had a keen interest in farming having grown up on the home farm which had suckler cows and beef cattle. On leaving school I completed a degree in Mechanical Engineering and worked in industry before returning home to farm. I decided to apply for the Level 2 dairy course as I put up a new dairy unit seven years ago and wanted to get a qualification in dairying. 

    “It was great to meet up with other likeminded people. We had a large class of about 20 people all with different backgrounds and reasons to be there.  I wanted to do the course to gain more knowledge, which I certainly did.  

    “I enjoyed the course and gained much from it. I especially enjoyed the visit to a demonstration farm which opened my eyes to some areas that I hadn’t thought too much about before. I have no hesitation in recommending the course to anyone interested in agriculture and hoping to achieve a worthwhile qualification. The course has given me additional confidence to make informed management decisions on the home farm.”

    You can book a place on a course by visiting the CAFRE website.

    A range of evenings, Monday to Wednesday will be available, however, choices will become more limited as classes fill up. Therefore, it is important that you book early to ensure you get the training event which best suits your needs. The cost of the course is £150.00. 

    If you require any assistance when booking a place on this training, you can call CAFRE Industry Training Administration on 028 9442 6880 or email: Industry.TrainingAdmin@daera-ni.gov.uk.

    Notes to editors:

    1. Follow DAERA on X formerly called Twitter and Facebook.
    2. All media queries should be directed to the DAERA Press Office     pressoffice.group@daera-ni.gov.uk or telephone: 028 9016 3460.

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