Dairy
‘Being economically viable whilst restoring nature on a dairy farm’
Gearoid Maher
About Gearoid Maher
Gearoid Maher farms 80 hectares in Co. Limerick. He has a dairy herd of purebred friesians, milking 80 cows in total. The animals graze from mid-March to the end of October. Hay and silage are cut from the land and fed to the cattle during the winter months. Gearoid feeds locally grown sugar beet to the cows over winter, this has halved the amount of concentrates fed on the farm. The land is a heavy clay type and requires careful management. Gearoid carries out regular soil tests to determine what specific nutrients are required in each field and at what exact quantity – “I reduced my nitrogen use by approx. 25% on the farm last year as I now have the proper equipment.” He has been gradually increasing the clover content in the grassland and has sown some multispecies grass swards on the farm – with the aim of improving the soil biology and reducing the amount of fertilizer needed in the future. Gearoid is passionate about increasing biodiversity on the farm. He has planted trees all around the farm, an orchard by the house, as well as hedges and tree lines throughout the fields. There is 20 acres of forestry on the land and the aim is to thin the forest and allow the cows dig up and graze the ground vegetation which will help regenerate the forest floor. Gearoid doesn’t believe in chasing targets on his farm – he enjoys a slower pace of farming ensuring both his animals and nature thrive – “The old rule of thumb was a cow to the acre – and that has been my ethos all along. If I can farm a cow to the acre without pressure then that’s what I’ll do.” More information on Gearoid’s farm here. Ambassador since 2021
‘Working with nature to benefit a micro-dairy’
Sinead Moran
About Sinead Moran
Sinéad Moran & Mick McGrath own a micro-dairy with a herd of traditional breed cows on 40-acres of high nature value farmland in Co. Mayo where they sell raw organic milk direct to customer. They are passionate about conserving the species-rich grass, mature trees and both retaining and enhancing biodiversity that is found on their farm. The land has been in Mick’s family for years and was never farmed intensively. The ground hasn’t been re-seeded, overstocked, fields widen or hedges removed. The land has an old orchard, an old cottage, granary and mature trees dominate all but a few boundaries. This landscape relies on grazing animals and they manage it in a way that both conserves and preserves the land’s biodiversity through holistic grazing while still producing nutrient-rich food for direct sale to the local community. “Our rich yellow butter is down to both the traditional breeds we use but also the diversity they eat… if anyone wants to something to farm better for nature, then definitely include more diversity both in the animals and what they eat”. Sinéad is also co-director at Foodture – an online group to support local producers across Ireland. She is passionate about environmental issues and climate activism, and has open up her farm as a place of educating others on what they can do to mitigate climate change. They are a small, sustainable enterprise that shows diversity and does not compromise nature. More information on Sinead’s farm and a film on her film can be seen to here. Ambassador since 2020
