We received 48 excellent nominations regarding 39 different farmers in 2019 and the quality of the nominees has been simply outstanding! In fact, it’s been inspiring to speak to each of the nominees over the past few months and we would like to thank them most sincerely for both the work that they do for nature, and for their time in sharing their story with us. So, what happens next?
Well, we are convinced that every one of our 39 nominees has a great contribution to make to Farming For Nautre and we would like to include them in our network of ‘farmers for nature’ across Ireland. We like to continue to build up a profile of the farms and share it. It’s more important than ever today that these stories are shared and that their voice is heard.
Furthermore, we are inviting each of them to a dedicated Farming for Nature field trip, workshop and networking event in the Burren on Saturday October 26th next, as part of the Burren Winterage Weekend (www.burrenwinterage.com). It’s a great chance to meet other likeminded farmers and learn even more about farming for nature.
For some farms we have commissioned short films or podcasts and arrange a visit by one or two of our judges over the next few months. They are chosen to represent a good geographical spread, a diversity of farming systems, a range of habitat types and farmers who are enthusiastic and willing to protect and promote nature on their farms. From this cohort we will nominate some Farming for Nature Ambassadors and further shortlist 5 farms for a public vote in September. Both the ambassadors and the public vote shortlist will be announced in September.
