Organic Matters

This week on Organic Matters, we speak to organic sheep and horticulture farmer John O'Sullivan, who farms over 800 acres of largely boggy soil in Connemara. John has also diversified into agri-tourism and is experimenting with paludiculture to support farm profitability and environmental performance. John talks about the various enterprises on Derreighter Organic Farm, including his flock of 200...

This week on Organic Matters, we take to the water to bring you a very special podcast on Inis Cloithrinn or Quaker Island as it is locally known, where organic livestock farmer Herbert Farrell keeps native Irish Droimeann cattle and the Lough Ree goat breed. The island is steeped in history, including being home to a monastic settlement, known as the resting spot of the legendary Queen Medb and b...

This week on Organic Matters, we speak to James Donnellan, an organic suckler and sheep farmer based in Northeast Galway. James talks about his love of Aubrac cattle and the importance of getting an organic system right for the individual farmer. James speaks about why the Aubrac cattle breed may be suitable for some organic suckler farmers, from ease of calving to good carcass and conformation fo...

This week on the Organic Matters Podcast, we speak to Elaine Bradley from the Irish Seed Savers Association based in Clare. It works to protect and preserve Ireland’s traditional seed and heritage apple varieties. Elaine talks about the Association’s activities, which are based on practising conservation by use, with their seed and gene bank acting as a living resource and safety deposit box for o...

This week on the Organic Matters Podcast, we speak to farmer Donald Treacy, based near Athy in Co. Kildare, who runs a mixed organic farm with his wife Aideen and two sons. Donald discusses the different enterprises on Battlemount Organic Farm, which include potatoes, apples, beef and inter-crops for animal feed. The Treacys converted over a decade ago and haven’t looked back since, as it has prov...

This week, long time organic vegetable grower Dermot Carey, based in South Kildare, talks to the Organic Matters Podcast about his business. Coming from a family involved in vegetable growing and wholesaling over the years, Dermot cut his teeth in the industry from a young age. He speaks about the range of produce his grows and the different markets he uses. This includes selling directly to custo...

This week on the Organic Matters Podcast, we speak to farmer Brian Meredith based in Co. Laois, who runs a spring and autumn organic suckler-to-beef herd with his father. He discusses coming home to farm, the transition to organics and re-integrating tillage back onto the farm to diversify the business and increase feed autonomy. Brian talks about breeding Angus and Hereford cattle as they finish...

This week on the Organic Matters Podcast, we speak with Mary Lynch, an independent organic advisor and ACA member who also runs a mixed suckler beef and tillage farm with her husband in Co. Tipperary. Mary reflects on how organic farmers are currently dealing with dry conditions and the value of incorporating red clover and multi-species varieties into grasslands, where appropriate, to support mor...

This week's Organic Matters Podcast meets organic suckler farmer Pat McCarthy who is farming in the Burren. His children are the ninth generation on their family farm in Co. Clare where they have over 300 acres of land, which includes a substantial amount of winterage as well as summer-grazing ground. Pat tends to breed a mixture of Angus and Shorthorn crosses, which he finds work well with his la...

This week, farmer Pat Maher talks to the Organic Matters Podcast about his journey from being a dairy farmer with a nitrates derogation to an organic suckler farmer. Based on the edge of the Golden Vale near Cashel, Co. Tipperary, Pat hasn’t looked back since converting to organics. He speaks to presenter Hannah Quinn-Mulligan about establishing a new suckler herd, trialling clover and multi-speci...

This week, we are launching Season 5 of the Organic Matters Podcast brought to you by the Irish Organic Association. In this first episode, we are delighted to speak with organic beef farmer Ruth Young, based in Co. Laois, about her transition from conventional to organic production. Ruth talks about developing relationships with other organic farmers and the expansion of organic marts for purchas...

In the final episode of Season 4 of the Organic Matters Podcast, we meet organic farmers Aoife Gibney and Eamon Campbell on their beef and tillage farm in Co. Meath. The couple are recent converts to organics, becoming full-symbol organic this year. Aiofe and Eamon calve in both the Autumn and the Spring and artificially inseminate their heifers, with a mixture of Sailor, Limousine, Charolais and...

In this week's episode, we meet organic farmer and entrepreneur Richard Ball, farming on the Meath/Westmeath border. Richard and his wife Bairbre switched from lambing a few hundred ewes to a more diversified operation, including agri-tourism, organic beef boxes, more recently oats. Richard talks about the important role the farm plays in supporting his tourism business, Johnsfort, with the Balls...

This week on Organic Matters, we meet mixed farmers John and Fiona Curran in Co. Meath. The Currans manage a range of enterprises, including turkeys, tillage, beef and sheep. Fiona speaks to our presenter, Hannah Quinn-Mulligan, about raising turkeys for the Christmas market, while John talks through the ins and outs of the tillage, cattle and sheep enterprises. The Curran’s are currently growing...

This week on Organic Matters, we meet cattle and sheep farmer Tom Keane, located on the banks of the Shannon estuary, Co. Limerick. Tom, along with his brother Michael, has been championing native breeds and conservation grazing, and he speaks about how they complement his organic farm. Tom talks about his native Irish Droimeann breeds and how his farming system supports animal health and nature p...

This week on Organic Matters, we meet Philip and Eleanor Cussen, who farm in Co. Tipperary. They blend their love for nature and Irish Cobs, with growing tillage and rearing suckler cattle. They talk about the conversion of the farm over 10 years ago, re-establishing a suckler herd and dipping their toes into organic tillage, producing milling oats, which has become an important element of their e...

This week on Organic Matters, tillage and beef farmer Reuben Cope, based in County Kilkenny, speaks to Hannah Quinn-Mulligan about converting to organic farming and taking the plunge as a first-time tillage farmer. He talks about the crops he now grows, including red clover, a range of cover crops, intercrops of barley and peas for animal feed, wheat for flour, and milling oats, touching on yields...

This week on the Organic Matters Podcast Joe Nolan, a relatively recent convert to organics, speaks to Hannah Quinn-Mulligan about downsizing from 1,000 sheep and reintroducing tillage on his family farm in Carlow. He says the economics of the farm have never been better since switching to organics and upscaling the organic tillage side of his business. He grows a range of crops, including red clo...

This week, Organic Matters meets third-generation suckler farmer Padraic O'Donnell, based in South Galway. ⁠ After returning home from the UK to take over his family farm, he converted to organics in 2021. Padraic has focused on improving the genetics of his herd by learning how to do his own artificial insemination (AI), experimenting with introducing new breeds into his existing stock of mainly...

This week, Organic Matters meets Blátnaid Gallagher, an organic sheep farmer in East Galway who has been championing the native Galway sheep breed for meat and wool. She's spearheaded the creation of the Galway Wool Co-op in an era when the number of sheep farmers is dwindling. She talks about building a renaissance in Irish wool by focusing on the need for better processing and putting farmers ba...

In this episode of Organic Matters, host Hannah Quinn-Mulligan interviews Pat O'Sullivan, the CEO of gourmet catering company Master Chefs in Limerick. Pat discusses buying 20 acres of land to establish Ellan farm and grow organic vegetables for his catering business, and talks about his plans for the future, creating his own on-site processing facilities on the farm and connecting his chefs with...

In this episode, we meet Fergal Smith of Moy Hill Farm, who has a mixed organic farming system including eggs, vegetables and a suckler beef system. Fergal discusses direct selling at farmers markets, to restaurants and shops, as well as a box scheme based on a community-supported agriculture – CSA model. He also speaks about the challenges that he faces as a farmer and his love for the Dexter bre...

In this episode, we meet Patrick Davoren, who is based in Carron in Co Clare, in the heart of the Burren. Patrick outlines his reasons for going organic, including the financial incentives and how he makes use of the famous Burren winterage. He speaks to Hannah Quinn-Mulligan about overcoming the recent storm damage and the impact that it has had on the farm, as well as his experience with produci...

This week suckler farmer and beef finisher Donagh O'Grady speaks to Organic Matters from his farm in Limerick. Donagh discusses finishing beef cattle in an organic system, the benefits of sharing machinery with other farmers, as well as different things he has tried over the years. In recent times, Donagh has bought a woodchipper to create his own woodchip for organic animal bedding and is also pr...

In the first episode of Season 4, we meet Mitch Corbett and Harry Badrick at the Hometree charity near Ennistymon in Co. Clare. The pair are part of a team that organically grows native Irish trees from seedlings and works with farmers and landowners to create native Irish forests. They discuss the many benefits that trees can provide to farmland and biodiversity