Born into the well-known Chance medical family in Dublin, Major Neville Chance was a former British Army Officer and was stationed in Northumberland during World War 2. He moved to Donegal where he settled into farming at Drumbarnett, Manorcunningham. His farm production enterprises included cereals, potatoes and suckler beef. In 1962 he hosted a much-acclaimed demonstration of the latest advances in the mechanised harvesting of potatoes, a highly valued breakthrough in labour-saving practices at that time. His organisational skills were used to good effect by the Donegal farmers for the NFA’s historic march to Dublin in 1966. Later, Neville initiated and established a Donegal Branch of the IGA to serve the needs of local members who, due to time and travel constraints, were relatively distant from the core IGA programmes of meetings and farm study visits centred on Leinster and Munster venues. The proximity of east Donegal to Northern Ireland agriculture and associated technologies resulted in close linkages with the Ulster Grassland Society. Donegal Branch meetings of IGA continued up to the mid-1990s and were defined by the quality of speakers and lively discussions; Neville played an integral role in the promotion and development of knowledge for successful farming in all its aspects.
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