The College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE) has opened applications for its Level 2 Agricultural Business Operations course. The part-time programme runs on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday evenings over 20 weeks, starting in September 2026.

Content will be delivered mainly online, with on-campus sessions once a month at CAFRE campuses in Enniskillen, Greenmount and Loughry. The course costs £150 and covers farming and farm business management, with options in dairying, crops, beef and sheep.

Kenneth Johnston, CAFRE Programme Manager, stated that 95 individuals completed the course last year. Training ran from September 2025 to February 2026, mostly online, with activities at the three campuses.

Timothy McCook from Glenarm completed the course and found it suitable for his evening schedule due to daytime off-farm work in stone dyke building and repair. He gained knowledge in grassland management and animal production and plans to apply new technologies seen during a farm visit.

McCook aims to start his own farm after the course and intends to take the sheep production option next. He noted the course helped him connect with other farmers interested in agriculture.