Our Team

Hugh Sisk – General Manager

Hugh Sisk is General Manager of The Farm Store. Having spent his entire life working on the family farm where they grew beet for the sugar factory, wheat and barley for seed production under contract for Goldcorp, and rearing a suckler herd, Hugh has a wealth of experience and knowledge, second to none.

Hugh now owns this farm and while he hasn’t changed the model, just adapted the way they do things, he still grows first generation seed, and beet and maize are now grown for feeding purposes. Fortunately agricultural technologies are constantly changing and he is fortunate to have my his own testing centre and can pass this information onto his customers, if you like “he really is his own customer”.

Growing first generation seed gives Hugh a unique insight into new varieties coming down the track enabling him to establish its strengths and weaknesses before they are commercially available. Key indicators are straw strength, disease resistance, and grain size. He also trials new varieties of maize and beet to identify winners.

Hugh’s father was a tillage advisor for Teagasc and from a young age Hugh spent many evenings accompanying him on some of Cork’s best farms, walking crops and diagnosing problems. In 1997 he qualified with a BAgrSc from UCD and went to work for Henry Good Ltd. millers in Kinsale learning feed formulation and balancing diets for farmers. However more and more farmers were beginning to grow their own feeds and new flexible grain treatments were appearing so he took the opportunity to move to Farm Supply Stores Bandon (now The Farm Store).

In a short number of years there has been huge advancement in farmer’s options for home saving feed from maize using the Samco system, to grain preservation using Home & Dry, increasing their control over how animals are fed, the cost of this feed and maximising the output at farm level which will stand them in good stead with the abolition of quotas. Milk quality and mastitis control have become a ritual in every parlour with an excellent range of dips sprays, and detergents now available to combat high somatic cell counts.

Hugh says they have been fortunate to work with some of the best farmers in Cork and the suppliers of these technologies and it is their intention to be at the heart of new advancements in the future.

Sean O’Flynn

Sean O’Flynn recently joined The Farm Store as Technical Sales Representative.

With a degree in Commercial Horticulture, specialising in crop husbandry, weed control and yield maximisation, Sean boasts 13 years of experience working in the Horticultural sector.

He was raised on the Ryefarm Dairy Herd farm which specialise in pedigree Holstein breeding rearing and milking, and he played an active part in the running of the farm.

Sean then went on to work for one year in Kent, where he worked in Berwick Ponds Farm, which was a large tillage and vegetable farm.

Following this, Sean moved back to Ireland, and undertook the role of Assistant Manager at Rathcooney Farms, Glanmire, where he worked for three years.

Sean then went on to work in Harte Peat Limited I Clones, Co. Monaghan, working in technical sales for three years, and as Procurement Manager for four more years.