Farming for Nature Ambassador Series Farm Walk
August 10 – Produced in Roscommon, Sold in Roscommon – Organic Mixed Farming & Supplying your own Restaurant Chain
The Farming for Nature farm walks are an opportunity for our Ambassadors to showcase their contribution to nature and good farming practices on their land.
Liam and Justina Gavin run Drumanilra Organic Farm on the shores of Lough Key, Co. Roscommon.
Liam and Justina manage a 300-acre mixed livestock and horticulture farm. They farm a pedigree herd of Irish Dexter cattle, a flock of Jacob sheep, out-door reared pigs and a flock of laying hens. The organic animal produce is processed locally and sold direct to their customers via their farm shop/cafeor through a box-scheme. The market garden produces organic salads and vegetables which are also sold direct to local customers.
Most of the land is in permanent pasture and they are experimenting with multi-species herbal leys to help regenerate soil and provide nutritionally dense food for the animals. On the farm they have implemented a Holistic Planned Grazing system meaning the animals are moved to fresh pasture daily. During the winter months, some of the animals are housed in dry-bay sheds and the farmyard manure generated is spread as organic fertilizer on the land.
There are pockets of mature broadleaf forestry around the farm, as well nature corridors and diverse hedgerows that are managed for biodiversity. Given its proximity to the lake, this wetland habitat attracts lots of water birds to the land. Other wildlife seen on the farm includes deer, red squirrel, badgers, pine marten, rabbits and hares, as well as birds of prey like buzzards and kestrels. The Gavin family, along with their team, have created a diverse productive farm that operates with care and consideration for the natural landscape and ecology of the land
Saturday, August 10, at 11am
Tickets costs €10. Limited places available. Book your place here
These events have been jointly supported by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and the National Parks and Wildlife Service.
