March 20, 2022 10:00 am
Social Democrats’ Cork South-West TD Holly Cairns and her mother, Madeline McKeever, are now part of Farming for Nature’s growing ambassador project.
Holly, who is the party spokesperson on agriculture, food and the marine and rural development, and Madeline said they were honoured to be ambassadors for Farming for Nature.
“Being recognised for our efforts encourages us to do better and we have been busy planting more trees for shelter, and making plans for a farm pond,” said the mother- daughter team.
“We will be looking out for the swallows returning to nest in the abandoned mobile home and watching the recently planted hedges grow and start to support more wildlife,” mother Madeline said.
Madeline runs an organic 30ac mixed farm in west Cork alongside Holly. There are 15ac of broadleaf forestry on the land, containing oak, alder, ash and nut trees. 10 ac are in permanent mixed pasture and the remaining land is used for seed production and nature corridors.
They keep a small herd of cattle, producing beef for the home and for a few local customers. The cattle are grazed using Voisin’s rational grazing system, meaning the grass is rested for approximately 30 days before being grazed again.
A small amount of silage is cut off the land to provide winter feeding for the animals and the animal manure is used to fertilise the land. External inputs on the farm are extremely low.
Producing vegetables seeds
Founder of Brown Envelope Seeds, Madeline is said to be one of only two farmers in the country producing vegetable seeds.
Over 100 varieties of organically-certified open pollinated seed, which are sold to Irish growers and gardeners around the country, are produced.
A wildlife enthusiast all her life, Madeline enjoys seeing an array of birds coming and going on the farm, including choughs; thrushes; chiffchaffs; redwings; fieldfares; and lots of other songbirds.
The family has planted a diverse range of trees, hedges and fruit bushes on the farm, which attract insects like solitary bees; wild honeybees; bumble bees; hoverflies; and wasps – all of which play a crucial role in pollinating the seed crops.
Madeleine’s love of nature is reflected in the low impact regenerative farming system she runs.
Nature-friendly food product
Daughter Holly believes that this period of time, encompassing high-fertiliser prices and the war in Ukraine, only highlights the need for the duo’s style of farming.
“Now more than ever we need to re-think our food supply chain. It’s time to think about what represents a well-balanced, diversified and sustainable agri-economy,” TD Holly Cairns told Agriland.
“That begins with reforming what we subsidise, incentivise and support. And it ends with ensuring farmers get a fair price for their work.
“Ireland imports a staggering amount of our food from other countries despite the fact that we have such an extensive agriculture sector,” she said.
“This makes us extremely vulnerable to any supply chain disruptions, such as those caused by wars, extreme weather events and pandemics.
“This makes us extremely vulnerable to any supply chain disruptions, such as those caused by wars, extreme weather events and pandemics.
“Russia’s invasion of Ukraine will have implications on the global food supply chain for years to come.
“For example, grain exports from Ukraine and Russia account for 12 per cent of the world’s calories.
“Farmers in Ireland are already seeing unbelievable price hikes when it comes to fertiliser that’s because 60% of our potassium fertiliser and 30% of our nitrogen fertiliser comes from Russia and Belarus.
“Farmers in Ireland are already seeing unbelievable price hikes when it comes to fertiliser that’s because 60% of our potassium fertiliser and 30% of our nitrogen fertiliser comes from Russia and Belarus.
“There is an urgent need to scale up local and indigenous nature-friendly food production in Ireland.”
Farming for Nature
Now in its fourth year, Farming for Nature was set up with an aim
to source, share and celebrate the stories of farmers across Ireland who manage their land in a way that sustains nature, while providing a livelihood for their families.
This mother-daughter team are part of this year’s 23 ambassadors who come from across Ireland which include beef; sheep; forestry; dairy; horticulture; and tillage farmers. They manage a wide range of very valuable habitats including species-rich grasslands and heaths, wetlands, woodlands and hedgerows.
Farming for Nature is featuring its ambassadors on a bi-monthly basis until August 2022. It will work with the ambassadors to produce farm videos, podcasts, ‘ask the farmer’ sessions, farm walks and other initiatives.
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