Watch here - Sustainable Farm Insights Video Series

The sustainable farm insights programme is a weekly partnership between the Irish Farmers Journal and Glanbia Ireland. The programme provides farmers with technical information on new technologies and practical actions to boost profitability and environmental sustainability on their farms.

It will be a weekly page in the paper, plus additional online materials such as this Sustainable Farm Insights video series.

The first two videos in this series will cover soil health and biodiversity. If you have an idea, suggestion or any feedback on the Sustainable Farm Insights Video Series let us know on email at [email protected]

Episode 2 – Biodiversity

On this weeks episode biodiversity is the focus point, the team visits dairy, sheep and tillage farms across the country in order to discuss the practices in which these farmers are taking to increase the biodiversity on farm.

• Dairy - Bryan Daniels, Kilkenny. Watch here
• Tillage & Beef – Denis Large, Tipperary. Watch here
• Sheep- Brian Nicholson, Kilkenny. Watch here

Episode 1 - Soil health

Andy Doyle teams up with agronomist, David Cooney of Glanbia Ireland and Teagascs David Wall where they attended three different farms to discuss soil health.

• Firstly the team head to County Laois where Beef and sheep farmer, Francis Gorman highlights how smart application of slurry and farmyard manure has allowed him to cut re-seeding costs while also keeping a healthy soil with high production levels.
• Dairy farmer, Shane O’Loughlin is next as he discusses the hard balance between grazing rotations and organic matter application in the south of County Kildare.
• Finally the team are at James Ashmoore’s farm, where the benefits of a diverse 9 year crop rotation are displayed when it comes to soil health and mixed farming.

Each farms soil structure is physically investigated with clear differences being shown based on the practices undertaken by our three guest farmers.

Healthy soil can benefit every farm in the country from a profit and environmental point of view, click on the video for more.

First Published 21 January 2021