How ‘natural farming’ has been a brilliant move for some Irish producers

Having taken over the family dairy farm in 2012, Tom Stack gradually became disillusioned as the constant push for ‘production’ and its associated rising costs made it harder to make money.

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How this organic farmer is reaping the rewards of a mixed farm system

At a recent event held on his farm in Portgloriam, just outside Kilcock in Co Kildare, the crowd were observing the excellent quality of Alan Mooney’s organic cereals while he declared: “‘It is not over until the fat lady sings’ to use a popular phrase, and what I mean by that is the crops can look absolutely fantastic in the field but occasionally they might not bushel out as much as you would like, so I normally reserve judgement until the combine has been and gone.”

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Farming in the city: How this UK farmer is running an organic farm in Dublin

Modern urban farming is not widespread in Ireland, mainly because of our relatively small metropolitan areas.

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How this organic farm is learning to live with weeds

Weeds are the bane of the lives of many tillage farmers, but Eddie and Swantje Kiernan have learned to live with them.

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Why this recent organic convert is planting trees among his cereals

Taking over the family farm presents choices and challenges which Jack Browne relished as an opportunity to do something different.

‘With organic production, you are not under pressure to get a big yield to pay a big bill’

Four years on from his conversion to organic farming Graham Harris is very happy with his decision.

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Why this farmer switched to organic after just two years of running the family farm

Andy Fagan had been running the family mixed farm in Carlanstown, Mullingar for only two years when he made the decision to switch to organic, back in 2015.

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‘If you cut out chemicals, bespoke rotation can really maximise cereal productivity’

Evan Delaney switched his mixed farm to organic production because he “was not really happy using the volume of chemicals recommended in conventional grain production”.

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Overcoming the unique challenges of organic dairy farming in the Burren

Managing an organic dairy herd in the Burren presents many challenges, but second-generation organic farmer Seamus Howard takes it in his stride.

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How GAA legend Seán Boylan is keeping alive his family’s traditional skills in herbal medicine

GAA comprises a large part of Seán Boylan’s DNA, but it is matched by his passion for herbal medicine.

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Combining organic conversion with a drive to reduce input costs

The rising costs of inputs is one of the biggest concerns for farmers. Kevin O’Hanlon has taken a measured approach to committing to be self-sufficient in feed by 2023 and has converted to organic farming in the process.

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‘It is time for farmers to step up and demand their fair share of the profits’

"Most farmers are working for below minimum wage when all of the hours on the farm are accounted for, and that is something that needs to be addressed in the broader discussion on food security,” says David Caffrey, an organic beef and sheep farmer near Ballyjamesduff, Co Cavan.

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Adding value to dairy bull calves with organic rare-breed rosé veal

‘When I first approached a local butcher enquiring about processing veal from Kerry cows he was hesitant, but then realised it was a truly unique product – rare-breed organic rosé veal,” says Michael Gleeson of Ballyhar Farm Produce, Killarney, Co Kerry.

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How a 26-year-old turned his family farm in Carlow into producing organic fruit and vegetables

When Niall Whelan made the move into organic farming he had very little experience to fall back on. But the entrepreneurial 26-year-old wasn’t going to let that get in his way.

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Meet the Offaly organic farmers who have bounced back after their catering business was devastated by Covid 

‘Moving outside the farm gate into catering directly is not for everyone,” says Sean Clancy, “But it is certainly something farmers should consider.

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Tunnel vision: The couple raising organic transplants for commercial growers

Brexit and Covid combined to provide the impetus for John and Fiona Cahill to start a business raising organic transplants for commercial organic growers.

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How this Laois couple have grown their organic dairy herd from seven to 65 cows

Aaron and Lorraine Delaney have made two big changes on their Laois farm in the last six years, converting to organic and then switching from sucklers to dairy — and they are delighted with how things have turned out.

Why Jersey cows work well for this organic Cork farm

The Ahern family farm in Ballysimon, Middleton Co. Cork and have been certified organic with the Irish Organic Association for over twenty years. They operate a mixed farm with dairy cows and poultry.

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Meet the farmers about to launch a business selling organic flour from their own farms in Monaghan

A year has passed since we first went into lockdown and for the majority of people it has been a year unlike any other. Many people in the farming community have been busier than ever and some industrious farmers have begun new food businesses aiming to adapt to the changing marketplace.

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‘I’m delighted I switched to organic — it is more profitable overall’

‘When considering switching to organic, I was not really motivated by environmental concerns at all,” says Cillian Ronayne, who farms in Conna, Co Cork.

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Meet the father and son team who switched from suckler beef to organic dairying: ‘We saw an opportunity and went for it’

Two years ago, Tom Phelan and his son, Alan, decided on a decisive change of direction for their beef farm at Foxboro, near Mountrath in Co Laois.

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It’s all about premium products for the producer of Ireland’s only gluten-free organic oats

The Merry Mill is the only Irish brand selling certified organic gluten-free oats, and it has certainly found an unusual market: it exports kosher produce to Jerusalem

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Sowing the seeds of a brighter future for Irish food production – the association preserving Ireland’s plant heritage

This has been a disastrous year for many businesses, but seed suppliers have experienced a boom.

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Selling direct to customers is the way forward, this organic beef farmer says

For William Mulhall, switching to organic beef production was “predominantly an economic decision rather than an environmental one”.

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‘I am now primarily finishing cattle from red clover silage’

Reuben Cope was a late entrant to farming — he initially studied sculpture — but agriculture is in his blood as well as art. And when he eventually came to farming, he was in no doubt about what direction he wanted to go in.

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We need to increase organic herd numbers to satisfy rising demand

One of the big lessons from the Covid-19 pandemic is the importance of having a secure local food supply network.

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'Honestly, I don’t know why it took me so long to convert’

Graham Harris switched to organic on January 1, 2019 after 20 years of conventional farming, and he can’t understand why he didn’t do it earlier.

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How Covid-19 has provided opportunities for some of Ireland’s organic farmers

As the country slowly starts to open up, it is interesting to note that March was the busiest month on record in terms of grocery sales in Ireland, with over €2.8 billion sales in the previous 12 weeks.

Farmer on bouncing back from a devastating a bovine TB outbreak to build up a thriving organic sheep farming business

Building resilience into any farm system is critical. It takes time but is something that should be top of the agenda for all farmers facing into a somewhat uncertain future.

Business as usual is not an option

In the space of a year, 17-year-old Greta Thunberg has changed the face of climate activism. Her 'Fridays for Future' movement encouraging students to demand action on climate change has gathered worldwide following.