Tony Grogan
Location: Glen of Aherlow, Co. Tipperary
Farm Size: 22 ha
Farm Enterprise: Organic suckler beef
Can Farming Thrive in a Protected Landscape?
Tony Grogan farms 22 hectares in the Glen of Aherlow, Co. Tipperary, rearing a purebred Aberdeen Angus suckler herd under a fully organic system since 2015. With the River Aherlow, a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) for freshwater pearl mussels, bordering his land, Tony manages the farm with precision and care, adapting his methods to suit the landscape, from hilly terrain to river plain.
How Can a Farmer Use Home Grown Fertility More Efficiently?
Tony composts and carefully covers his farmyard manure, preserving its value and avoiding nutrient loss. He then spreads it strategically, using weekly grass measurement data to guide where it’s needed most. This targeted approach not only protects water quality but supports a healthier soil ecosystem without excess input.
What Happens When You Let Grasslands Restore Themselves?
Tony has embraced a long rotation grazing system, working with what the land naturally supports:
“What’s grown in my field is what’s suitable for it.”
This hands-off, observation-based approach has encouraged the return of native plants like lady’s smock, red clover, self-heal, and mint. The restored swards support a more diverse insect and soil life and it’s had an impact on herd health too. With low parasite loads confirmed by faecal egg counts, Tony rarely needs to dose his animals, allowing him to maintain organic compliance without compromise.
How Can Soil Life Replace Inputs?
Tony’s philosophy centres on working with the biology of the land, not against it. He credits mycelium networks, dung beetles, and earthworms with doing much of the heavy lifting when it comes to soil fertility and pasture performance.
“Mycelium, dung beetles and earthworms are doing the work for me.”
It’s a system built on trust in natural processes, shaped by years of careful observation and patience.
A Network of Organic Farmers Leading the Way
Tony is a founding member of the Limerick and Tipperary Organic Farmers Group, a peer network that shares practices and encourages others to think more about soil health, biodiversity, and long-term farm resilience. He’s encouraged by the growing interest in organic and nature-friendly farming among local farmers, and continues to act as a voice for land-sensitive, low-impact beef production in one of Ireland’s most scenic and ecologically important landscapes.
Nominator: Seán O'Farrell Farming for Nature Ambassador
Nomination:
The first thing that comes to my mind is Tony's passion for nature, his love of the Aherlow river and then also the fantastic specimens of trees that exist along the hedgerows. The oaks and rowan are particularly brilliant. Tony likes to practice the family tradition of hedge laying. Tony also has a keen interest in local history, old farming methods and archaeology. Tony has been adding to the biodiversity value of the farm by putting in a pond, orchards and putting up barn owl, kestrel and bat boxes. Tony is in the Acre Cooperation Programme and he is ambitious to collaborate with other farmers to enhance the water quality of the Aherlow River and the SAC habitat in general. Tony wants to be learning more about the species in nature around him and his recent focus is on solitary bees. He is keen to share his knowledge and passion for these subjects by establishing an educational project on the farm and to establish eco-tourism in collaboration with other farmers and businesses in the Glen of Aherlow.
He is driven to leave a good legacy of habitats and species for future generations.
