Farming for Nature Ambassador Series Farm Walk
June 23 – Turning a Hay Barn into a Creamery – Producing Award-Winning Raw Milk Goats Cheese
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.
Lisa Gifford grew up in the U.S., but her Irish roots brought her back to the land in 2016 and she bought a small farm in County Leitrim – “When I came to Ireland many years ago, the beauty of the place touched a sympathetic cord in my heart and I said to myself maybe someday I will come back. And here I am.” Lisa manages the smallholding with her daughter Gypsy Gifford and daughter-in-law Richelle South. There is a range of stock on the farm including goats, sheep, pigs and chickens. The main commercial aspect of the farm is milking goats and producing farmhouse goats cheese that is sold direct to customers at local farmers markets. Lisa is particularly interested in rare-breed goats such as the Irish Goat. Much of the grassland is diverse in plant, grass and herb species, and the remaining land will be reseeded with a multispecies mix suitable for goats. The pigs were introduced this year, and they are naturally tilling the grassland in need of improvement. External inputs are low and the farm is very extensively managed. There are mature hedgerows around the farm and they are planting trees on the land and in field corners to provide shelter and improve soil structure, as well as creating additional habitat for wildlife. The plan is to retrofit an old farm building and to convert it into a micro dairy, then to increase the herd of goats and the quantity of goats cheese. Lisa takes great pride in the diversity of this farming system, as well as the fresh, natural product created on the farm.
Sunday, June 23 at 2pm
Tickets are €10. Places are Limited. Book here
These events have been jointly supported by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and the National Parks and Wildlife Service.
