Join next Tuesday at 8pm online for our next Ask the Farmer Q&A with Westmeath farmer Pat Lalor on Building up an organic beef & cereal business
Register here
Pat Lalor has just under 300 acres in Co. Westmeath which he converted to organic 20 years ago. Pat describes organic farming as working with respect for the soil and he is totally committed to this practice; using farmyard manure from his cattle to grow clover, cereal and grass on rotation. He has half the farm in arable and half in beef where he keeps 130 weanlings for a year. Through this he has built up a thriving ‘field to fork’ business – Ballard Organic Farm. Pat sells his produce under the label ‘Kilbeggan Organic Foods’ and the range includes the award-winning Kilbeggan Porridge, porridge bread mix and handmade oat biscuits. He has added value to his product as it is under his own brand and it is 100% theirs with no imports. This side of the business involves Pat’s wife and children and their products are available in retail outlets and on-line. Pat is a strong advocate for organic farming. He operated an open farm for 20 years, welcoming school groups, agricultural students and interested members of the public, always willing to share his knowledge and experience of organic farming. “Whilst conventional farming is about the chemistry of the soil, organic farming is about the biology of the soil. When Birdwatch Ireland did a survey of songbirds there were 32/33 present – three times more than the average conventional farm.”
The ‘Ask the Farmer’ series runs this Winter and Spring where a number of our amazing Ambassadors will be on-line to tell us a little more about their farm and farming system and to answer your questions about farming for nature. More informationhere
