BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
PRODID:-//Farming for Nature - ECPv6.15.18//NONSGML v1.0//EN
CALSCALE:GREGORIAN
METHOD:PUBLISH
X-WR-CALNAME:Farming for Nature
X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://www.farmingfornature.ie
X-WR-CALDESC:Events for Farming for Nature
REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H
X-Robots-Tag:noindex
X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H
BEGIN:VTIMEZONE
TZID:Europe/London
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:+0000
TZOFFSETTO:+0100
TZNAME:BST
DTSTART:20230326T010000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:+0100
TZOFFSETTO:+0000
TZNAME:GMT
DTSTART:20231029T010000
END:STANDARD
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:+0000
TZOFFSETTO:+0100
TZNAME:BST
DTSTART:20240331T010000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:+0100
TZOFFSETTO:+0000
TZNAME:GMT
DTSTART:20241027T010000
END:STANDARD
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:+0000
TZOFFSETTO:+0100
TZNAME:BST
DTSTART:20250330T010000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:+0100
TZOFFSETTO:+0000
TZNAME:GMT
DTSTART:20251026T010000
END:STANDARD
END:VTIMEZONE
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20240601T110000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240601T133000
DTSTAMP:20260623T064944
CREATED:20240410T084254Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240416T080714Z
UID:8628-1717239600-1717248600@www.farmingfornature.ie
SUMMARY:FFN: Improving Soil Fertility and Reducing the Parasite Burden Using Dung Beetles on an Intensive Dairy Farm
DESCRIPTION:Farming for Nature Ambassador Series Farm Walk \nJune 1st – Improving Soil Fertility and Reducing the Parasite Burden Using Dung Beetles on an Intensive Dairy Farm \nThe Farming for Nature farm walks are an opportunity for our Ambassadors to showcase their contribution to nature and good farming practices on their land. \nBruce Thompson is an conventional dairy farmer in Co. Laois. He believes that Ireland is a fantastic place to produce good clean food and our reputation of “Clean\, Green” is something to take pride in. However he also believes we can’t take that for granted. Bruce takes a lot of pride in the environment around his farm\, getting excited to show off his buzzards\, red squirrels and pine martins. Bruce has a particular interest in reducing animal remedies through prevention\, with a focus on animal wormers. He has made dramatic reductions in his wormer usage by making use of his farm microscope for diagnosis and pioneering new grazing strategies. He is confident that by making some changes\, the conventional system can be made more environmentally friendly and still have the same production output. He gives a lot of credit to his beloved dung beetles in achieving this. He is currently researching the relationship between dung beetles and wormers as a Nuffield Scholar. \nSaturday\, June 1 at 11am. \nTickets costs €10.  Limited places available.  Book your place here  \nThese events have been jointly supported by the Department of Agriculture\, Food and the Marine and the National Parks and Wildlife Service.
URL:https://www.farmingfornature.ie/events-calendar-event/improving-soil-fertility-and-reducing-the-parasite-burden-using-dung-beetles-on-an-intensive-dairy-farm/
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.farmingfornature.ie/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/WhatsApp-Image-2023-08-23-at-17.56.47.jpeg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20240607T110000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240607T133000
DTSTAMP:20260623T064944
CREATED:20240410T090511Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240416T080753Z
UID:8635-1717758000-1717767000@www.farmingfornature.ie
SUMMARY:FFN: The Many Ways to Help Nature on a Productive Beef Farm
DESCRIPTION:Farming for Nature Ambassador Series Farm Walk \nJune 7 – The Many Ways to Help Nature on a Productive Beef Farm  \nThe Farming for Nature farm walks are an opportunity for our Ambassadors to showcase their contribution to nature and good farming practices on their land. \nAnthony Mooney from county Kildare runs a 200-acre beef farm with the help of his wife Mary Rose and son Conor. The fertile limestone soil is well suited for growing high quality grass. Anthony runs a herd of between 70-100 cross-bred continental cattle. He keeps a suckler herd of 12 cows and the rest he buys in as weanlings to finish for beef. \nThe grassland has not been reseeded in over 25 years – the permanent pasture contains a diverse range of grasses and flowering plants. Anthony is passionate about biodiversity and nature conservation and this is reflected in his low-impact farming system. Very few external inputs are used on the farm – chemical fertilizer hasn’t been used on the land in over 20 years and very little concentrate meal is fed to the animals. Hay and silage are cut off the land every year for winter feeding. The multi-species hay meadows go to flower in the summer months\, providing crucial habitats and food sources for various creatures. \nA wildlife enthusiast for much of his life\, Anthony has spent years observing and recording different plant\, bird and insect species on the land. Rare plant species recorded on the farm include toothwort\, sweet woodruff and wild orchids. “Over the past 2 years I have started targeting specific species on the farm that I thought needed help – birds\, mammals\, insects and plants. For example\, we’ve been focusing on ground nesting birds like skylarks and meadow pipits – I delayed the mowing of a field last summer because there was a nesting skylark in one of the meadows.” There are 2 ponds on the land which create important water habitats for frogs\, birds and insects. Trees and hedgerows are also important habitats on the farm – “I’ve put in around 600-700 meters of hedges on the farm. I’ve never taken out a hedge. I manage hedges for biodiversity. They are cut back every 4-5 years to encourage new growth.” \nFriday\, June 7 at 11am \nTickets are €10. Places are limited. Book here  \nThese events have been jointly supported by the Department of Agriculture\, Food and the Marine and the National Parks and Wildlife Service.
URL:https://www.farmingfornature.ie/events-calendar-event/the-many-ways-to-help-nature-on-a-productive-beef-farm/
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.farmingfornature.ie/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Anthony-Mooney-Farm-Visit_LB2-scaled.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20240608T110000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240608T133000
DTSTAMP:20260623T064944
CREATED:20240410T091934Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240416T080834Z
UID:8644-1717844400-1717853400@www.farmingfornature.ie
SUMMARY:FFN: Input Free and Output High – Reaping the Rewards of Korean Natural Farming
DESCRIPTION:Farming for Nature Ambassador Series Farm Walk \nInput Free and Output High – Reaping the Rewards of Korean Natural Farming \nThe Farming for Nature farm walks are an opportunity our Ambassadors to showcase their contribution to nature and good farming practices on their land. \nThomas Stack is a dairy farmer from Co. Limerick. Having taken over the family farm in 2012 and farming conventionally for a few years\, he decided something had to change. He embarked on an ambitious journey to transform his farm into a system that is resilient to environmental and financial shocks. Thomas transitioned to organic farming in 2018 and since then he has adopted the Korean Natural Farming method. This regenerative approach uses indigenous microorganisms (IMO) to create fertile soils that produce a high output without the use of synthetic fertilizer\, herbicides or pesticides. “You can’t see these microbes. The only way you can see them is under the microscope and they’re the most powerful thing in the world…to see how they have transformed my farm in a year and a half – it’s mind-blowing.” Thomas creates IMO solutions that are highly rich in nutrients and enzymes\, he sprays these solutions on the land\, working in tune with the nutrient cycle of the plants. Thomas milks 60 dairy cows on virtually no external inputs. His cows are entirely grass-fed and he produces high quality organic milk. He creates his own nutritional supplements for his animals using only natural inputs and processes. “I use the land and nature to produce all my inputs on the farm and to enhance the soil biology”. Having a huge interest in nature\, Thomas has planted over 1000 native trees on the land already and has plans to plant many more trees to support biodiversity and encourage more wildlife back to the farm. He regularly hosts farm visits for those interested in learning more about this dynamic farming system. More information on Thomas’s farm can be seen on his website www.knfdairy.com \nSaturday\, June 8 at 11am \nTickets costs €10.  Limited places available.  Book your place here  \nThese events have been jointly supported by the Department of Agriculture\, Food and the Marine and the National Parks and Wildlife Service.
URL:https://www.farmingfornature.ie/events-calendar-event/input-free-and-output-high-reaping-the-rewards-of-korean-natural-farming/
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.farmingfornature.ie/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Farm-Visit_Lucy-scaled.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20240630T140000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240630T163000
DTSTAMP:20260623T064944
CREATED:20240410T100739Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240417T070132Z
UID:8679-1719756000-1719765000@www.farmingfornature.ie
SUMMARY:FFN - Rejuvenating Old Hedgerows and Encouraging Biodiversity with Continuous Cover Forestry on a Suckler Enterprise
DESCRIPTION:Farming for Nature Ambassador Series Farm Walk \nJune 30 – Rejuvenating Old Hedgerows and Encouraging Biodiversity with Continuous Cover Forestry on a Suckler Enterprise \nThe Farming for Nature (FFN) farm walks are an opportunity for FFN Ambassadors to showcase their contribution to nature and good farming practices on their land. \nJames Ham and his wife Martina farm 52ha in Co.Westmeath. 50% under woodland/forestry and the other 50% is mature multispecies pasture including approximately 4ha of spring barley which is used for feed and straw. James has worked hard at greatly reducing the number of chemical inputs on the farm over the years. No insecticides have ever been used on the farm\, and over the last 10 years the level of fungicide used on the crop has been reduced to the point that none was applied last year. Chemical fertiliser inputs have also been cut back and replaced with farmyard manure. They run a small suckler herd of about 20 Aubrac cows. \nThere is over 4000 metres of hedgerow on the farm\, equivalent to approx. 1.5ha of linear woodland\, which is left mostly left untrimmed. Regular hedge maintenance is by traditional hedge laying. These thick and mature hedges provide not only a crucial habitat for birds and insects\, but also shelter for the livestock. The continuous cover forestry system contains a wide range of hardwood and softwood trees. Tree species include hawthorn\, blackthorn\, spindle\, crab apple\, oak\, elm\, holly\, sycamore\, alder\, beech\, birch\, Norway Spruce\, Douglas Fir\, Larch\, Scots Pine and more. James maximised the amount of open spaces within the forestry plantations to help create wildflower reservoirs for insects and the wet areas and drains are ideal for dragonflies. “The afforested half of the farm\, despite being relatively young\, has greatly improved the amount of wildlife on the farm. Pine martin are now present\, and the Jays are obviously doing their job\, as we see little oak and hazel seedlings all over the site.” \nSunday\, June 30 at 2pm \nTickets are €10. Places are limited. Book here  \nThese events have been jointly supported by the Department of Agriculture\, Food and the Marine and the National Parks and Wildlife Service.
URL:https://www.farmingfornature.ie/events-calendar-event/rejuvenating-old-hedgerows-and-encouraging-biodiversity-with-continuous-cover-forestry-on-a-suckler-enterprise/
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.farmingfornature.ie/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/IMG_7006-scaled.jpg
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR