Cavan man becomes Farmers Journal editor

A West Cavan man has been appointed as the new editor of The Irish Farmers Journal.

Adam Woods has served as deputy editor of the publication for the past two years and notably led a recent exposé of Brazilian farming standards, which highlighted the dangers posed to food safety by the Mercosur deal. The video gained national attention as it showed how easily it was to access veterinary medication over the counters in Brazil without prescription, and without registering details.

The Ballyconnell farmer's appointment has been ratified by the board of the Agricultural Trust, the independent media organisation which publishes the Irish Farmers Journal.

William Minchin, chief executive of the Agricultural Trust, said: “Adam has been a core part of the senior editorial team in the Irish Farmers Journal for the past decade, and he brings considerable experience, passion and technical understanding to the role.

“Adam’s appointment comes at an important time for the Irish Farmers Journal. His leadership and experience will be vital as we continue to evolve the print and digital strategies of the Irish Farmers Journal, while ensuring at all times that our editorial direction and content remain relevant to our core readership. I wish him the very best of luck in the role.”

Adam first joined the Irish Farmers Journal in 2016 as Beef Editor, where he was responsible for shaping the technical and news coverage of both the Irish beef industry and the international beef sector.

Over the years, Adam has overseen beef programmes and other technical programmes for the Irish Farmers Journal. Adam was also integral in the development of the Martbids real-time bidding app now being used in over 30 marts around the country. Prior to joining the Irish Farmers Journal, Adam worked in advisory, research and specialist roles in Teagasc. Adam Woods said he was “truly honoured” to have been appointed editor.

“As only the fifth editor of this publication in its near 80-year history, I’m keenly aware of the important role that the Irish Farmers Journal plays in shaping the technical direction of Irish farming, while simultaneously keeping our readers informed with the latest news, trends and analysis that is vital to how they run their family-farm business.

“The Irish Farmers Journal has always aimed to provide its readers with unique technical content that helps farmers grow and run their business successfully. And with Irish farming facing multiple challenges such as sustainability, changing weather and increasing price volatility, I believe the Irish Farmers Journal has a more important role than ever to serve its readers with relevant technical content, news and analysis.”