This will be a farm walk of a tillage farm in Monaghan We will also build a Johnson Su Bio reactor. A Johnson-Su composting bioreactors is a very effective way to create biological rich soil farm scale at a low cost.
Mark Gillanders runs a mixed organic farm in County Monaghan. About 75 acres of cereals are grown on the farm and the remainder of the land is permanent pasture and clover/multispecies pasture. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4tewfMhRUb0&t=2s
Mark runs a suckler herd of about 20 cattle and the stock are very extensively managed. Red clover silage produces winter feeding for the cattle who are indoors for just a few weeks over the winter months.
Organic oats are grown and supplied to Flahavans. Organic wheat is grown on the farm and is locally milled into strong Irish flour and sold in the Irish consumer market.
Mark has incorporated rotational combi crops into the farming system, mainly wheat and beans growing together, which are separated leaving the wheat for flour and the beans for animal protein, thus reducing the amount of imported protein. There is about 5 acres of uncultivated wetland on the farm which is left for biodiversity and wildlife. Thick hedgerows are managed for biodiversity and along with pockets of woodland they make up nature corridors running throughout the farm. Since converting to organic in 2009, Mark has observed a significant increase biodiversity on the land –
The farm has improved tremendously in terms of biodiversity on the land, as well as climate and economic resilience. He is proud to run a farm that produces high quality food for human consumption as well as providing for local wildlife and biodiversity.
