LOETB joins Agri Aware’s Farm Walk and Talk series

Agri Aware’s annual Farm Walk and Talk series is returning for 2026, with Laois and Offaly Education and Training Board (LOETB) coming on board.

The LOETB have partnered on the series with Teagasc, the Irish Farmers Journal and the UCD School of Agriculture and Food Science.

The initiative offers second-level students studying agricultural science the chance to step onto farms across the country in the coming weeks.

The launch of the 2026 Agri Aware Farm Walk and Talk series took place at the Irish Farmers Journal’s Demonstration Farm in Tullamore, which is one of the venues for this year’s series.

On the day, Agri Aware Chair Shay Galvin was joined by partners of the series, as well as students from Tullamore College.

Speaking ahead of this year’s series was Agri Aware Chair Shay Galvin who said: “It is with great pride to announce the return of our flagship secondary school event series Farm Walk & Talk.

“For 2026, we are thrilled to offer the series to Leaving Certificate Agricultural Science students, and Transition Year students and thanks to the LOETB the fee for students has been waivered. We look forward to welcoming students and teachers across all events and hope they take back valuable learnings to the classroom.”

Gráinne McGrath of the LOETB said the ETB are delighted to be part of this initiative.

“We believe it is absolutely crucial that education providers like the LOETB engage with initiatives such as this. It plays a vital role in promoting the subject of agricultural science and highlighting the wide range of opportunities available within the sector. We hope it will encourage students to avail of both further and higher education pathways currently on offer.”

This year's series will see each event cover all cross-cutting themes of the agricultural science curriculum, with the addition of a stand dedicated to the Individual Investigative Study (IIS) that is worth 25% of the final grade, where students can talk to Agri Aware Education Officers and seek advice on their projects.

Students will have the unique opportunity to take their classroom learnings to the farmyard and witness real-world applications of the latest agricultural techniques and practices.