Stocking Rates

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National authorities (i.e. Teagasc) report that each hectare of grassland captures on average 2.75 tons of carbon each year & each hectare of hedgerows captures 3.3 tons of carbon each year. Following a review of published scientific research the production system we operate has been shown to emit on average 7.17 kg carbon/kg carcass weight.

 

By managing the stocking rate on our farm we can ensure that the amount of carbon being emitted on the farm is being  captured by the land we farm.

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Multispecies Sward

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A monocrop of any single crop type does not benefit biodiversity either above or below the ground. This is why we are in the process of changing the type of grasses that we grow in our fields. We are midway through a programme of introducing new grasses & legumes into our pastures. The new seed mixes contain more clovers, chicory, plantain & timothy to improve the biodiversity of the grasses, and organisms above & below the ground. 

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Mob Grazing

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Ruminant animals such as deer or elk grazed the land in Ireland for millions of years, moving as a mob around the land to fresh vegetation every few days. This way areas were not overgrazed and the land was maintained. To replicate this we keep our animals in small mobs & they are moved to fresh grass every few days. This helps the grass to maximise the amount of carbon that is captured and storing in the soil structure.

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Use of Organic Fertilisers

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To protect the  biodiversity in the soil we use organic fertilisers on the grassland, this is spread using Low Emission Slurry Spreading to make sure that as much of the nutrients in the fertiliser make their way into the soil.

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Phasing out the Use of Artificial Fertilisers

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As we reintroduce varieties of clovers into our grassland the amount of fertiliser we use is reducing every year and we soon hope to not use artificial fertiliser in the near future.

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