tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-913616196443107512024-03-05T13:38:55.607-08:00ORGANICS WITH ALTITUDE!DEVELOPING ARTISAN ORGANIC MEAT FROM THE IRISH UPLANDSolliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16489318050551894937noreply@blogger.comBlogger67125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91361619644310751.post-73594668055563091172011-03-23T14:23:00.000-07:002011-03-23T14:30:29.073-07:00News from ScotlandWe've been beavering away behind the scenes on various fronts over the past few months. More on all of these fronts soon. <div><br /></div><div>In the meantime, here are two very brief updates.</div><div><br /></div><div>Maggie Gordon of Barfil has certified organic Galloways for sale in Scotland: just 1hr 30mins from the boat. Contact the <a href="http://www.gallowaycattlesociety.co.uk/index.asp">Galloway Cattle Society</a> in Scotland for more. </div><div><br /></div><div>And on that, we've had a feature in their occasional journal which was published recently. Again, more soon.<br /><div><br /></div><div> </div></div>olliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16489318050551894937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91361619644310751.post-30495343167425738032010-11-30T05:17:00.000-08:002010-11-30T05:38:00.956-08:00Weather proof farming: Galloways are go!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKMl4Hhas4eciInBsIsShEu3Rgu7oEvYQuqoY7uQcgMp75UDRXLDAG62s54TYo9YFCMkxmFeyqZcdqj_qLytjTUCiRs_XX-ryxgnb4c9ZuN4uapejsCsM-_GDQ_KsiyuenpoRFbPTyEpk/s1600/photo+%25282%2529.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKMl4Hhas4eciInBsIsShEu3Rgu7oEvYQuqoY7uQcgMp75UDRXLDAG62s54TYo9YFCMkxmFeyqZcdqj_qLytjTUCiRs_XX-ryxgnb4c9ZuN4uapejsCsM-_GDQ_KsiyuenpoRFbPTyEpk/s320/photo+%25282%2529.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5545335273728728514" /></a><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyU36hP5G_buBmkYqBJhB3ToXy4xa7PpA3J8L7qnW-OSQ_BoSfr389wgAN1XboFfChN6d5iemw0R7VZk4h24YFOXJ7VPD5I9uPdRhH3kTpt10y5m8xuG2xDjulEiAANJflNtLUH5-Ungc/s320/photo+%25281%2529.JPG" style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5545335114014756818" />Weather proof, recession proof, climate change proof cattle.<div> Really, the galloway got it all!<div><br /></div><div> Here are two pics of Joe Condon's cattle taken today and yesterday (R). You can see a deterioration in the weather, but no let up in the cattle's foraging. They love this weather! When goats are coming down the hills in Wicklow, these Galloway cattle go higher. <div><br /></div><div>They develop a double coat of hair in the winter, and have an extra thick skin. This means they don't develop a layer of fat over the winter - Lean, mean eatin' machines!</div><div><br /></div><div>No expensive, climate busting, potentially GM and ultra-globalised compound feeds are needed for these cattle - they just keep eating the grasses that they themselves help bring on.</div><div><br /></div><div>As a brucie bonus, this also means that the meat produced is grass fed meat, <i>even over the winter and even for finishing. </i>Who else can claim this?</div><div><br /></div><div>This is meat that could be produced, literally, if the island was blockaded. <i>This is meat that can be produced when and where nothing else can, and for a fraction of the costs and risks</i>. Other farmers with other breeds will suffer, and will expect some sort of state support if this weather continues. These cattle don't need this.</div><div><br /></div><div>All of this is also good for the bottom line - compound feeds are expensive, and the consumer pays in the end. </div><div><br /></div><div>And its not just that there are negatives associated with compound feeds - in this weather it is hard to move them around. Simply put - farmers may find them hard to source and get a supply of.</div><div><br /></div><div>Joe on the other hand, has no feed or fertilizer bills, and his machinery is a quad bike. The Galloways have access to sheds, but they don't bother to go in as they don't like going indoors.</div><div><br /></div><div>So costs, with this farming system, simply disappear.</div><div><br /></div><div>This is farming from the Celtic and Norman times, but it is also farming for the future. </div></div></div>olliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16489318050551894937noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91361619644310751.post-431972603388408072010-10-29T05:37:00.001-07:002010-10-29T05:38:45.339-07:00JOHN FEEHAN ON OMEGA BEEF DIRECT FARM PART 2<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9SWZk2tOuJYYA8MW2N9Fdb-14OqI3u7fdAnhNAEa56wuYHXdwUutN7EPhSZxhO4OoY5dQnV7mAAJiGrnqt9YzcY4CzeavDhRVPWK44_P1x6Lve_u1sVciQU__w3L94R2e3HNr4IQgoV0/s1600/Photo-0049.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 256px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9SWZk2tOuJYYA8MW2N9Fdb-14OqI3u7fdAnhNAEa56wuYHXdwUutN7EPhSZxhO4OoY5dQnV7mAAJiGrnqt9YzcY4CzeavDhRVPWK44_P1x6Lve_u1sVciQU__w3L94R2e3HNr4IQgoV0/s320/Photo-0049.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5533446281141263762" /></a>Here is part two of Dr.John Feehan's visit to the Omega Beef Direct holding, the model farm for this Organics with Altitude initiative.<div><br /></div><div>Part one can be found <a href="http://organicswithaltitude.blogspot.com/2010/10/john-feehan-on-omega-beef-direct-farm.html">here</a></div><div><br /></div><div><div>I walked the Omega Beef Direct farm of Joe Condon in the hills above Ardfinan on the slopes of the Knockmealdown mountains the day after Tipperary won the All-Ireland hurling final in September. It was the wettest day we had had for weeks but nobody cared in the slightest. The ground had no time to soak up all that rain, and rivulets meandered across the boggy slopes to swell the torrents tumbling over the Old Red Sandstone rocks that form the core of the hills. Joe’s Galloways grazed under the pouring rain with total unconcern, inured through their thick coats to such minor vagaries of the weather. They are made for these hills, selected over centuries for this environment, comfortable up here in all but the harshest of weathers. A careful eye is kept on condition, especially in the winter, and extra feed is given where they are not up to standard. </div><div><br /></div><div>At key stages they are fed in grass paddocks on lower ground. The farm is organic, so no fertiliser is used on these paddocks, with the result that they have a wide diversity of grass and herb species: bents, sweet vernal-grass, crested dog’s-tail, Yorkshire fog, with an abundance of yarrow, self-heal, tormentil, cat’s-ear, lesser stitchwort, mouse-ear and lots of others.</div><div><br /></div><div>For the rest of the time the animals are on the mountain (which is freehold commonage, where sheep also graze) – a mosaic of wet and dry heath, heathy grassland and bog with lots of sphagnum – on which they wander extensively, feeding on the wide variety of grasses, herbs and shrubs here, the mixture being the key to their general good health. Any scarcity of feed is compensated for by the area over which they forage (at an unhurried, energy-conserving pace).</div><div><br /></div><div>The vet is a rare visitor to the hills above Ardfinan. How different this is from conventional beef farming, where intensive grassland management results in a sward that consists largely if not entirely of rye-grass and white clover, which provide the animal with the most monotonous of diets: and where animals are selected with a more single-minded eye to price and consumer fashion. The varied diet on the hills, on the other hand, is exactly what nature intends for these animals: which accounts for their robust health – and evident contentment. Their short life has been stress-free, lived under the natural conditions in which they are most at home.</div><div><br /></div><div>One of the unforeseen costs of modern farming has been the affect of the clover-ryegrass diet on animal health and welfare. The superior quality of the ryegrass sward on the best soils had been recognized since the 18th century – with reservations – but the animals’ diet was never restricted to it. The mixed sward of traditional farming provided grazing animals with a nutritionally varied and balanced diet conducive to better health and greater contentment. </div><div><br /></div><div>Today we are concerned in an unprecedented way about animal welfare, and methods of animal husbandry conducive to better welfare are more likely to win favour with the buying public and can be exploited by the farmer to help offset any immediate decrease in income that results from losses of ‘productivity’ resulting from the adoption of more extensive methods. Reduced veterinary bills, and the greater satisfaction that accompanies work of developing the new skills required are all factors that further restore the balance.</div><div><br /></div><div>The problems associated with the breeding of animals purely for yield as estimated by weight and monetary outcome are being recognised increasingly. The new paradigm for sustainable agriculture currently being modeled by Liam Downey and Gordon Purvis at UCD has as one of its two poles rumen function: in effect, a farm on which the animals are healthy and happy as well as productive: and the other pole is a pasture management that provides this while at the same time maintaining biodiversity, landscape quality and the physical and chemical integrity of air, soil and water.</div><div><br /></div><div>Putting the animal’s welfare first does come at a price, because these cattle will not deliver the ‘prime’ cuts our modern extravagant taste in meat leads us to demand. But once you have tasted a hamburger made with this Omega Beef you may come to redefine your taste in beef! </div><div><br /></div><div>The claim that animals reared under more natural conditions – with more space and freedom and a more varied natural diet – taste better is widely accepted, but is generally based on personal experience and often anecdotal. Scientific research is now beginning to add quantitative teeth to the claim. Recent work in England and Wales has shown that beef, lamb and milk from species-diverse pasture have improved flavour, colour and shelf life, and higher levels of beneficial fatty acids. This work begins to provide a scientific basis for the concept of ‘terroir’, which links locally-produced foods to particular geographical locations.</div><div><br /></div><div>The way of farming practiced by Omega Beef and similar enterprises has enormous value in conservation terms. It keeps bracken from establishing and prevents dominance of scrub, furze and heather, maintaining a more open mosaic of microhabitat conducive to greater biodiversity. Indeed, it may prove the ideal way to counter the dominance of bracken on mountain land everywhere. This is conservation grazing – the way the uplands should be managed – at its best. It was by and large the way they were managed in the more extensive economy of the 19th-early 20th century: the fossil field pattern and the evidence of drainage and field enclosure on the hills above Ardfinan are relics of the enormous effort in manpower involved. Those who farm the hills today – rather than leave them to their own less biodiverse ecological devices – are benefiting from the vast legacy of their labour.</div><div><br /></div><div>This is a model of sustainable farming that combines optimal use of marginal land, conservation of biodiversity, and animal welfare, with top quality meat. This is farming that consciously anchors itself in a tradition: with a sense of cultural continuity and environmental sustainability.</div><div><br /></div><div>*****</div><div><br /></div><div>Flags and bunting festooned every town and village I drove through as I made my way up to Thurles in the evening to join the throngs gathering to welcome the victorious Tipperary team home. There should be flags somewhere to celebrate the model of sustainable farming that is Omega Beef Direct.</div></div>olliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16489318050551894937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91361619644310751.post-38206646531063895412010-10-19T03:19:00.001-07:002010-10-19T03:39:55.825-07:00JOHN FEEHAN ON OMEGA BEEF DIRECT FARM<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrfOEp3-0TAaJfoIrpRh1lbaHleaqrQcjd6BsEFKp9leFX0NB98xrs5jRV_n0a-cC3eyBDZKSt8l5aOZLyggerJoCmUJY7LBPxYHNXm_EfIvOlgoaTKPEZQQ_9Q_jYQ7pV7hPyRNv-RSU/s1600/JohnFeehanWebsize.bmp"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrfOEp3-0TAaJfoIrpRh1lbaHleaqrQcjd6BsEFKp9leFX0NB98xrs5jRV_n0a-cC3eyBDZKSt8l5aOZLyggerJoCmUJY7LBPxYHNXm_EfIvOlgoaTKPEZQQ_9Q_jYQ7pV7hPyRNv-RSU/s320/JohnFeehanWebsize.bmp" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529704834307129650" /></a>Recently, Dr. John Feehan of UCD visited Joe Condon's farm, the <a href="http://www.omegabeefdirect.ie/">Omega Beef Direct</a> holding, which is the model farm for Organics with Altitude. Here, we'll post what he thought of the visit.<div><br /></div><div>John Feehan is a renowned academic and author of the definitive book on rural Ireland and farming: <i><a href="http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=3486077790&searchurl=ds%3D30%26isbn%3D9781902277592%26sortby%3D17">Farming in Ireland: history, Heritage and Environment</a>.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; ">(A video of his presentation at the Feasta Food event in UCD 2005 is available <a href="http://vimeo.com/5647158">here</a>)</span><br /></i><div><br /></div><div>What he wrote about the visit will be posted as two distinct entries. The first posting outlines the background context of food production in modernity. The second posting will be about the Omega Beef Direct farm visit itself.</div></div><div><br /></div><div><i>John Feehan:</i></div><div><br /></div><div><div>Among the greatest challenges faced by humanity in our time is that of doubling food production in order to feed a population expected to reach 9 billion by 2050. Two-thirds of these people will be in dense conurbations to which they have moved because they can no longer find enough to support them in the countryside. These people will not have the land resources to feed themselves, and will depend increasingly not on food produced in the urban hinterland or indeed elsewhere in their own country, but on imported food. </div><div><br /></div><div>The options available to meet the challenge do not include taking more land into cultivation, because there is no more land: the good land is already in production. Most of what is left is desert, mountain or city: and indeed, in 2006 the International Food Policy Research Institute reported that 40 per cent of what is farmed today is seriously degraded. We cannot afford to lose any more farmland: in 50 years time we will need every hectare of agricultural land we have. </div><div><br /></div><div>Areas of the world that are critical to feeding today’s 7 billion will no longer be able to supply their current grain surpluses to meet the need of burgeoning nations that can no longer feed themselves, as rising temperatures put pressure on the world’s great cereal-growing areas and water tables continue to fall as a result of the overpumping of aquifers – in effect, the mining of fossil water that cannot be replaced. </div><div><br /></div><div>This is a challenge that will take all of our ingenuity and skill, all the more so because it has to be met without further loss of biodiversity and without compromising environmental integrity. </div><div><br /></div><div>Here in Ireland we are in a privileged position. We will have ample supplies of water into the foreseeable future, and the marginal land allowed to slip out of productive agriculture constitutes a productive land bank that can be reclaimed. We will see farmed once more land on the margins that was taken into production in earlier times and abandoned as the tide of intensification concentrated on the ‘best’ land. This includes the extensive acres on the hills taken from the wild as the population rose to its pre-Famine peak of eight million people to be fed from local resources: reclaimed at a cost in human labour we can hardly comprehend in our mechanized society. </div><div><br /></div><div>This land cannot be made productive however by applying the oil-dependent intensive techniques of the last 60 years, which will have become obsolete half a century hence. In a future in which the high price of oil will have made the extensive use of fertilizer uneconomic, we will need to develop – or recover – an agriculture that is based on inherent fertility. </div><div><br /></div><div>This will require an understanding not only of the principles of the applied science of agro-ecology, but of how those principles are to be applied in the unique circumstances of each place. In its newfound adherence to the principles of self-sufficiency this new agriculture will be a return to the older knowledge of the past, but the greater understanding and control which the advance of science and technology have given us will mean that it is enhanced by the best of appropriate technology.</div></div>olliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16489318050551894937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91361619644310751.post-20703538485285730522010-10-18T06:26:00.000-07:002010-10-18T06:28:08.703-07:00GALLOWAYS AVAILABLELots of Galloway availability on DoneDeal at the moment.<div><br /></div><div>Have a look <a href="http://www.donedeal.ie/find/all/for-sale/Ireland/galloway">here</a> for Galloways in Mayo, Donegal ,Tipperary and Offaly</div>olliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16489318050551894937noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91361619644310751.post-5046207379124785372010-10-08T03:21:00.000-07:002010-10-08T04:19:50.985-07:00Available Galloways and expeller<div>Ben Colchester (drumeen farm) has organic rapeseed expeller for sale. this is a high protein winter feed, and it's reasonably priced. His details are <a href="http://www.organic-trust.org/members/detail/drumeen_organic_farm_ben_and_charlotte_colchester/">here</a></div><div><br /></div><div>Margaret Hyde Kelly has15 galloways for sale, c.300 kg c.E500 each. She's on 01 4973426</div><div><br /></div><div>Finally, Joachim Schafer has a certified organic Galloway bull for sale. 078-48271 E-mail: Galloway@dol.ie</div>olliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16489318050551894937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91361619644310751.post-4001937347860155852010-09-20T07:55:00.000-07:002010-09-20T07:57:53.485-07:00GREEN GALLOWAYSInteresting feature on the new look Galloway Cattle Society website about conservation grazing and Galloways.<div><br /></div><div>Have a look <a href="http://www.gallowaycattlesociety.co.uk/green-galloways.asp">here </a>and don't forget to have a look around their site too.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>olliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16489318050551894937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91361619644310751.post-67861868662065625762010-08-18T09:32:00.001-07:002010-08-18T09:54:00.433-07:00ORGANICS WITH ALTITUDE NEWSLETTER THREE<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlavN1zV_c_sEbEmlLn8MsqYeCmqih5O23TBkcLRDIVna2jAjvypdUjAeepCgnaut0xyVc0rYddBDPmm_jyaQDXqJkw6QR2bcvCC3gC7r3wvXdoYr-DlLzsl56_CGBJPc3fQf4xMclc-A/s1600/newsletter+3+front.png"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 138px; height: 195px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlavN1zV_c_sEbEmlLn8MsqYeCmqih5O23TBkcLRDIVna2jAjvypdUjAeepCgnaut0xyVc0rYddBDPmm_jyaQDXqJkw6QR2bcvCC3gC7r3wvXdoYr-DlLzsl56_CGBJPc3fQf4xMclc-A/s320/newsletter+3+front.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506794029056689330" /></a>Here is the third Organics with Altitude Newsletter. this is a low-res version which should be easy to open on line and download.<div><br /></div><div><a href="http://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0B6ntppe0yP6zZWI4MjI1ZGQtNjQwYy00MTEzLTkwMDUtZWU5MTE0NjlmMzBl&hl=en">HERE </a>IT IS!</div><div><div><br /></div><div>Printed copies also available. In this, you can find out about:</div><div><br /></div><div>Our meeting with Michelle Gildernew (DARD minister for Agriculture); lots about Dexters and how they too suit Organics with Altitude; how to get direct selling; how to retain ownership of your product form start to finish; and how Organics with Altitude is somehow connected to <i>the Wire!</i></div><div><br /></div><div>Plus, just in case you are unsure, we have a special feature on what, exactly, is Organics with Altitude anyway? </div></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><br /></span></i></div><div><br /></div>olliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16489318050551894937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91361619644310751.post-2190673182424880252010-07-08T13:20:00.000-07:002010-07-08T13:40:15.624-07:00First Day at Youghal Farmers' MarketBlackwater Garden Centre in Youghal, Cork, held its first farmers' market last Saturday. What a good idea: bringing garden centres and farmers' markets together<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_hg5-DCnDPnCExXjNvry0rW53Etd8DgGnqF4Qut7o6TxyxY4pxC7h1nT9khYHHXBJDwDHsvd6Vn7r1P4sdr6MrvDFRbMVIQHo6NsjVCeBZnwi25o9GJFXfnor1I14LcKUViAp4XHsTpA/s320/IMG_4748.JPG" style="text-align: center;float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491637081308693106" />.<div><br /></div><div>How foodie is that? </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>In fact, there are a myriad of good reasons for bringing these two things together: shelter and general comfort for stallholders, a retail atmosphere, good parking, knowledgeable foodie customers out to spend, ability to 'market the market' at the garden centre 7 days a week, the list goes on really.</div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>It went very well by all accounts, with two of our farmers - Jim Lucy and Martin O Leary - selling out of product well before the end.</div></div><div><br /></div><div>The site is <a href="http://www.plantsplus.ie/blackwater">here </a>, and here's a pic of the first stallholders: </div><div>(<i>L to R: Jim Lucy (black Angus beef), Siobhan Cronin (baking and savoury products), Mary Kay Solomon ( American style baking, fresh eggs and salad leaves), Maria Anthony ( local honey and honey based creams), Bernie Morel ( home made breads), Ann Foley (fresh in-season vegetables), Martin O Leary (lamb), Michael Walsh (fresh fish from Irish waters), Joe Condon of Omega Beef Direct.</i></div><div><br /></div>olliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16489318050551894937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91361619644310751.post-89130746877473019272010-06-22T05:52:00.001-07:002010-07-06T15:42:15.998-07:00Martin O Leary's farm<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8Q2re9icfHPiIjjKwOQZAyDt8_5arKJVcDmbP05eiWzmfI-uo-4u90t89VW6aUQjK7UuJ5_jBsmY9958d8oLLufn3I1ulProkjLj00JlVJWP4Od-whsIkk2MrmkXFx-4yON0iFQ_WTJw/s1600/P1090790.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8Q2re9icfHPiIjjKwOQZAyDt8_5arKJVcDmbP05eiWzmfI-uo-4u90t89VW6aUQjK7UuJ5_jBsmY9958d8oLLufn3I1ulProkjLj00JlVJWP4Od-whsIkk2MrmkXFx-4yON0iFQ_WTJw/s320/P1090790.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5485582641411862850" /></a>Update: across on my other blog, there an account of the walk and talk myself & Martin had recently.....see <a href="http://olivermoore.blogspot.com/2010/06/martin-o-learys-hill-farm-epic.html">here</a><div><br /><div>Martin O Leary is about to start direct selling his own lamb. He's been working with us from the start, and has just started producing lamb burgers, mince and the various cuts. I've tasted them, and have to say they taste amazing!<div><br /><div>Very lean meat - the mince tastes very smooth in the mouth - no fat residues left behind in the mouth, as I sometimes get with other mince.<div> The burgers are real standout burgers, with perfectly texture. The cuts are excellent too - the small amount of fat on them is really sweet, while the meat itself is very tender.</div></div><div><br /></div><div>He'll start selling at the new Farmers' Market at Scott's Hotel, in Killarney, this coming Friday. I'd highly recommend his meat.</div><div><br /></div><div>To whet your appetite, here's a pic from his farm in Gleninchiquin, Beara Peninsula. You can see the Macgillycuddy's Reeks off in the background.</div></div><div><br /></div><div>And <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/51362942@N03/">here's </a>a collection of them on Flikr - well worth a look.</div><div><br /></div></div></div>olliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16489318050551894937noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91361619644310751.post-41511891311168606982010-06-11T06:33:00.000-07:002010-06-11T06:49:44.241-07:00Direct Selling your meat<div>For farmers who have recently signed up to the Organic Farming Scheme, one of the most sensible ways to make the most of your in conversion to organic period is to sell direct to the consumer at farmers' markets.</div><div><br /></div><div>For organic and conventional farmers alike, this option is becoming more popular. I spoke to Ray Dunne of Quarrymount meats at a new market in Dublin recently. He sells the meat from 50 of his 150 conventional Continental beef animals through farmers' markets.</div><div><br /></div><div>The crucial difference between this and selling to the factory is the proportion of the profits you keep for yourself: all of them. While there is a day spent selling, and time spent on other related tasks, those who, like Dunne, sell direct, find it worthwhile.</div><div><br /></div><div>Some of the bigger farmers' markets in the cities now have footfall of thousands, with the busiest having upwards of 10,000 on a given day. </div><div><br /></div><div>Rental costs for stall space simply pale into insignificance when compared to shop rents.</div><div><br /></div><div>Consumers are more willing to shop around than previously, and farmers' markets are benefiting from this extra footfall.</div><div><br /></div><div>Prices can be kept reasonable for the consumer and at the same time profitable for the farmer, due to the lack of a middleman. </div><div><br /></div><div>Some of this may seem like old news, but the recession was supposed to be the end of farmers' markets, and it has not turned out to be the case at all.</div><div><br /></div><div>There are some basic tasks farmers need to go through to start direct selling. The good news is that once you have your product in place, you can be up and running within 3 months, if you put your mind to it. </div><div><br /></div><div>Taking the middle level of difficulty, and looking at the farmer who wants to direct sell his own (frozen) meat, here are some of the steps needed, in sequence, starting from the point where you have product in place.</div><div><br /></div><div>Do some background research into what consumers want, and where you might sell. Visit markets, talk to traders and try to find gaps in the market. Bord Bia have a good document called “Guide to Direct Selling” on their website: page 8-37 and appendix one are the core elements of this document.</div><div><br /></div><div>It is definitely worth doing a food hygiene course. It is a good idea to communicate with local Environmental Health Officers from as early as possible, telling them about your meat selling plans and the food hygiene course.</div><div><br /></div><div>Courses run all over the country: See for example those run by www.safehands.ie (their next course is on 19th June in Dublin)</div><div><br /></div><div>According to Bord Bia: “Insurance cover for product liability, public liability and employers’ liability is now a minimum requirement for all markets. However, the level of cover required can vary significantly, depending on the type of food you are selling.”</div><div><br /></div><div>Having researched options for 4-5 weeks, secure you place at a farmers' market. While there are queues of potential stallholders for markets these days, farmers with their own produce tend to get some preferential treatment on waiting lists.</div><div><br /></div><div>Have a suitable butcher secured and briefed on what exactly you want, in terms of cuts, packaging, labelling. </div><div><br /></div><div>Along with your transport and basic retail kit – freezer and chilled display unit - have a sheet outlining your traceability measures ready for your first trading day. This should include the following: </div><div><br /></div><div>Tag number of animal, breed, date of birth, slaughter date and location, date of preparation and blast freezing, plant number, best before best before date (when frozen; you will need a use by date if fresh), meat plant number, herd number (i.e. farm number and the individual animal's tag number, which acts like a batch number), storage information (minus 18 degrees) farmer details (name and address) In conversion to organic licence number, Certifying body, licence expiry date. </div><div><br /></div><div>Generate publicity if possible, and establish and develop your information for market conversations. When you start, take feedback and use it where applicable.</div><div><br /></div><div>Once this is all in place, you are ready to go.</div><div><br /></div>olliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16489318050551894937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91361619644310751.post-53113003823429992642010-06-10T02:14:00.000-07:002010-06-10T02:17:15.727-07:00Galloways for saleGalloways, incl bull, for sale. <div><br /><div>087 2647594 (pure bred belted bull, Kildare) Ben Castlemartin</div><div>086 2489189 for 5 heifers and 2 bull calves (Tipperary)</div><div><br /></div><div>For more see pg 40 of today's Farmers' Journal </div></div>olliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16489318050551894937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91361619644310751.post-68565343814467557202010-05-20T02:33:00.000-07:002010-05-20T02:41:05.964-07:00Cattle for saleThe following is for sale in Today's Farmers' Journal, page 38 in J3:<div><br /><div>Pure Bred 19 month Dexter Bull 041 6857715 (Louth)</div><div><br /></div><div>Pure Bred 2 .5 year old Belted Galloway heifers 087 6609344 (Clare)</div><div><br /></div><div>3 year old Highland Bull 048 67738989 (Northern Ireland)</div><div><br /></div><div>Mixed Highland Pure Bred cattle 086 8309707 Limerick </div><div><br /></div><div>and also in Cork 021 4661451/086 8339342</div><div><br /><div><br /></div></div></div>olliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16489318050551894937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91361619644310751.post-75587938696664461982010-05-19T07:31:00.000-07:002010-05-19T07:31:46.874-07:00Organic conversion label could enable price premiums<a href="http://www.foodnavigator.com/Legislation/Organic-conversion-label-could-enable-price-premiums?utm_source=AddThisWeb&utm_medium=SocialAddThis&utm_campaign=SocialMedia">Organic conversion label could enable price premiums</a>: "Developing an official ‘label’ for organic conversion-grade produce would let farmers secure price premiums while they are going through the organic conversion process, claims a new European study."olliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16489318050551894937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91361619644310751.post-50964154912036613072010-05-14T09:14:00.000-07:002010-05-14T09:29:03.121-07:00Food Hygiene TrainingCourses in food hygiene are very important for those of you thinking of direct selling. <div><br /></div><div>Here are some examples from Safehands: see the courses <a href="http://www.safehands.ie/haccp.htm">here</a></div><div><br /></div><div>and more from Daralinn <a href="http://d5014457.u129.hosting365.ie/index.php?contentid=hygiene-training">here</a></div>olliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16489318050551894937noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91361619644310751.post-62849965667402510192010-05-14T06:21:00.000-07:002010-05-14T06:23:16.662-07:00FARMERS' MARKETS SURVEY RESULTSHere is a recent (Nov 2009) Teagasc survey on artisan and speciality selling at farmers' markets:<div><a href="http://www.teagasc.ie/ashtown/news/2010/201002-05.asp">here</a></div>olliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16489318050551894937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91361619644310751.post-5479487845083541932010-05-13T02:16:00.000-07:002010-05-13T02:48:17.307-07:00Galloway bulls for saleGalloway bull also for sale; see today's Farmers' Journal p.43:<div><br /></div><div>2 year old pedigree bull, Cork, 086 8232058</div><div><br /></div><div>See also <a href="http://www.farmersjournal.ie/classifieds/viewad.php?id=230637">here</a></div><div>for 5 yr old pure bred belted Galloway bull, Clare, 087 6609344</div>olliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16489318050551894937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91361619644310751.post-59774499294003011562010-05-12T06:58:00.000-07:002010-05-12T07:01:52.396-07:00Galloway Cow for saleSee the link on farmads.ie:<div><br /></div><div>its a 3 yr old belted galloway crossed with a pedigree Angus, with a bull calf. Ad claims she's hardy and was kept outdoors ove rthe winter in the Sleive Aughtys.</div><div><br /></div><div>Full details here: <a href="http://www.farmads.ie/new/galloway-x-cow-bull-calf/">farmads</a></div>olliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16489318050551894937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91361619644310751.post-15963864985252867952010-05-11T08:54:00.000-07:002010-05-11T09:02:57.577-07:00IOFGA application form checklist for farmers joining Organic Farming Scheme<div>Below is the checklist from the IOFGA application form for joining the Orgnaic Farming Scheme 2010.</div><div><br /></div><div>N.B. Please return the completed form and relevant payment (see list of charges on the sheet headed IOFGA Operating and Application Procedures) together with:</div><div><br /></div><div>1.Conversion/Development Plan- this must be signed by operator;</div><div><br /></div><div>2.Soil Analysis Results;</div><div><br /></div><div>3.Application fee-Please make cheque payable to IOFGA.</div><div><br /></div><div>4.6 inch and 25/50 inch Ordnance Survey Maps;</div><div><br /></div><div>5.Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development ORG 1 Form;</div><div><br /></div><div>6.Faecal Parasite Examination Report and detailed Health Plan. This plan must be signed off by a veterinary surgeon;</div><div><br /></div><div>7.A simple sketch map of your entire holding;</div><div> </div><div>8.A detailed plan of your animal housing including the dimensions of each shed and the number of animals that can be housed in each shed;</div><div><br /></div><div>9.Copy of REPS Plan and schedule of area (s);</div><div><br /></div><div>10. Any other documentation to support your application.</div><div><br /></div><div>To the Inspection and Certification Scheme </div><div>IOFGA</div><div>Main Street</div><div>Newtownforbes</div><div>Co. Longford</div><div>Tel: 043-3342495 Fax: 043-42496</div><div>Email: iofga@eircom.net</div>olliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16489318050551894937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91361619644310751.post-77832065824919039682010-04-29T03:12:00.000-07:002010-04-29T03:18:40.501-07:00Galloway bull for sale5 yr old Belted Galloway bull for sale: see Farmers' Journal p 43<div><br /></div><div>Co. Clare: 087 6609344</div>olliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16489318050551894937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91361619644310751.post-44495006808813749882010-04-21T03:42:00.000-07:002010-04-21T03:46:07.414-07:00Galloways for sale in Scotland<div> 5 Galloway heifers for sale in Scotland, just outside Dumfries, close to the Ferry.</div><div><br /></div><div>The are BT vaccinated and Lepto and IBR tested.</div><div><br /></div><div>For more, contact Dorothy in the Galloway Society <a href="http://www.gallowaycattlesociety.co.uk/">Scotland</a>:</div><div><br /></div><div><div>(Dorothy from Galloway Cattle Society is on 07730143976, and the office is staffed Wed and Fri:</div><div>tel/fax: 0044 1556 502753)</div><div><br /></div><div>or email info 'at' gallowaycattlesociety.co.uk (replace word at with @)</div><div><br /></div></div>olliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16489318050551894937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91361619644310751.post-82349985655113832482010-04-19T02:38:00.000-07:002010-04-19T02:54:45.128-07:00RTE radio 1's CountryWide features Organics with AltitudeOrganics with Altitude featured on RTE Radio One's CountryWide. Darragh visited Joe and Eileen Condon's farm and discussed Omega Beef Direct. <div><br /></div><div>He also gave a great mention to Organics with Altitude.<div><br /></div><div>Links to both sites and the show itself can be found here: <a href="http://www.rte.ie/radio1/countrywide/">CountryWide</a></div><div><br /></div><div>Scroll over to 20 minutes and the feature is there.</div><div> </div></div>olliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16489318050551894937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91361619644310751.post-35870061911453288402010-03-27T10:12:00.000-07:002010-03-27T10:15:57.444-07:00Galloways and Dexters for saleSorry about the delay in getting this up folks, but there are two classified ads in the Farmers' Journal of interest this week:<div><br /><div>Bull for sale in Ennis mart tomorrow (086 8239777) </div><div><br /></div><div>Dexter and Galloway weanlings for sale in Donegal too (087 2106939)</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div>olliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16489318050551894937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91361619644310751.post-63884385094658863782010-03-24T04:12:00.001-07:002010-03-24T04:57:07.327-07:00Business Activity Road Map: Direct Sell by July<div><b>Business Activity Tree</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>Here's how to get to direct selling your own certified organic meat by mid July. The diagram of the business activity tree, which runs from March to July, is available here:</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0B6ntppe0yP6zOTk4NzY0MWEtZDE4Zi00MTAxLTlhYjctZWJjMDM3NTQ2ZGM2&hl=en">download</a></div><div><br /></div><div> </div><div>Here is the textual information to accompany this.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0Aantppe0yP6zZGQ3NXNrcXhfNDVkaDdxcGNoYw&hl=en">Download</a></div>olliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16489318050551894937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91361619644310751.post-56974487947462005552010-03-15T09:18:00.000-07:002010-03-15T09:20:49.599-07:00WHY JOIN THE ORGANIC FARMING SCHEME<div>Here are some of the benefits to being certified organic, when direct selling meat from specific upland breeds to the consumer. </div><div><br /></div><div>There are a number of other reasons to consider organic certification in general, but this feature specifically relates to direct selling meat form upland breeds at farmers' markets.</div><div><br /></div><div>1: Organic gives the producer an attractive product differentiation, one that allows the producer to retain ownership of the product from beginning to the end, and at all stages in between. This is particularly important at the butchering stage: with an organic animal, your product is not really in competition with the butcher's own retail product. Organic Galloway means a distinctly different animal, and the butcher is then more responsive to requests.</div><div><br /></div><div>2: At the retail stage, organic certification is beneficial too: again you do not threaten the local butcher and his retail operations. Organic meat can be sold at farmers' markets in towns where conventional butchers operate without causing any bad feeling. This is important in the establishment of farmers' markets and for producers trying to gain access to established farmers' markets </div><div><br /></div><div>3: Organic meat is especially sought at the farmers' market, where many markets go out of their way to accommodate local organic farmers. Some of the most prominent markets in Dublin especially go out of their way for organic meat, as do many in Cork. </div><div><br /></div><div>4: For selling onto mainstream retail outlets, such as catering, public procurement, independent stores and supermarkets, organic certification offers a lot of reassurances to the buyer. In Joe Condon's own case, a particular retail outlet recently upgraded their requirements for suppliers in food safety and regulatory terms. However, they were 100% were happy with what's in his organic license - were he not certified organic, with a small processors license, he would have had to spend a considerable amount of time and money upgrading a range of measures. </div><div><br /></div><div>By just being a fully competent and certified direct selling organic farmer, many of current and upcoming regulatory issues are covered. </div><div><br /></div><div>5: For export markets organic is both a growing area and a quality (re)assurance. Long food chains see organic as a reassurance, especially going forward with the new compulsory EU organic logo.</div><div><br /></div><div>6: There is a mark up/premium for organic. Even those who sell on to the bulk organic market claim that there is a premium of 10-15% for more standard animals.</div><div><br /></div><div>7: The Organic Faming Scheme was recently reintroduced, whereas other similar schemes such as REPS have been downgraded. Organic payment rates are: €212 per hectare (ha) in conversion, from 3 to 55 ha, and a further €30 per ha for every ha above 55 ha claimed. </div><div><br /></div><div>Full organic status: €106 per ha, from 3 to 55 ha, with €15 per ha for every ha above 55 claimed.</div><div><br /></div><div>8: Organic farming is a growth area, whilst organic food sales are strong even in the recession. The volume of organic food is up 3% according to the most recent (September 2009) figures; the value is down in line with inflation, but less than so the conventional sector. The latter has seen both value and volume declines.</div>olliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16489318050551894937noreply@blogger.com0