Our Lady's Bower students promote innovative farm tool
By Rebekah O'Reilly
Three Our Lady's Bower students, Amy Reynolds, Hannah O’Connor and Ruby Duane, are preparing to bring their innovative farm tool idea 'Rebag' to the Student Enterprise Final this May.
The Greenyard team consists of Baylin native Ruby Duane, the daughter of a dog groomer, and an Ericsson engineer, Knockroghery's Hannah O'Connor, the daughter of a business teacher at Roscommon Community College and a farmer, and Amy Reynolds from Lecarrow, the daughter of a local An Post worker and an after-school co-ordinator at Glanduff National School.
"Hannah comes from a farming background, so we asked if there were any issues on the farm. Her dad mentioned that meal bags were often scattered around the yard," said Amy.
"We realised this wasn’t just a problem on one farm. We spoke to other local farmers, and they all said the same thing; meal bags were blowing around, getting dirty, and creating hazards. So we decided to come up with a solution,” she added.
The team developed their product, a steel stand on which the bags can be stacked, one inside the other.
"After the bags are ripped open from the bottom, you fold them over the stand and can continue stacking them neatly," Ruby said.
"We have a slogan: We make reuse easy. Farmers have told us they've already noticed a difference since using our product."
To date, the Greenyard students have sold over 40 of their steel frames, and they say the feedback from customers has given them "the confidence to continue".
"The feedback has been very positive. Farmers say it has made a noticeable difference to the tidiness of their yards and helped solve the problem," Hannah said.
"It has also encouraged reuse. Now that the bags are stored properly, people use them for things like storing peat, tools, or even making protective coverings for animals."
Greenyard was chosen as the winner of the senior category at the Westmeath Student Enterprise Programme final earlier this year, and will now represent the county at the national final.
As they prepare to celebrate the culmination of their work at the Student Enterprise Final in May of this year, Amy, Ruby, and Hannah are looking towards the future.
"We definitely want to keep expanding, even after the competition, and hope to sell beyond our local area. In the future, we might also develop new products," said Amy.
The team have expressed their gratitude to their teacher, Ciara Finneran, for her support throughout the Student Enterprise journey, as well as Sadie from the Local Enterprise Office for mentoring them.