Local man is 2021 Farming For Nature Ambassador

Gerard Deegan, who farms at Cloughan, outside Mullingar, has been chosen as a Farming for Nature Ambassador for 2021, one of seven people on a shortlist for whom the public can vote.

Now in its fourth year, Farming For Nature (FFN, farmingfornature.ie) was set up with an aim to source, share and celebrate the stories of farmers across Ireland who manage their land in a way that sustains nature, while providing livelihoods for their families.

This year’s ambassadors include beef, poultry, forestry, horticulture and tillage farmers who manage a wide range of valuable habitats, including species-rich grasslands and heaths, wetlands, woodlands and hedgerows.

The public are invited to vote for their favourite ambassador by visiting farmingfornature.ie. People can learn more about each ambassador by viewing a series of specially-commissioned short films which provide an insight into these farmers and their inspiring work.

Gerard Deegan is a lifelong farmer, and his farm has been certified organic for more than 20 years.

Originally a dairy farmer, Gerard transitioned to a mixed beef and forestry enterprise in 2012. There is now 100 acres of forestry on the land – 50% hardwood and 50% softwood.

Gerard is an advocate for diverse forestry systems; he practises continuous cover forestry and has incorporated wildlife strips between rows of trees. There are approximately 60 different species of trees on the farm – including Norway spruce, Scots pine, Larch, Douglas Fir, Ash, Oak, Sycamore, Beech and many more.

Gerard won the RDS Farm Forestry Award in 2019. Additionally, he manages a small suckler herd producing organic beef. He also keeps bees, producing honey for neighbours and friends.

Gerard has a holistic outlook on his farm, understanding and valuing the importance of every living creature on the land – from the microscopic soil fungi to the cattle, from the bees to the oak trees.

“The bees are a lesson in life. They have taught me a lot about nature. How we are all connected, and how everyone has a role to play, no matter how big or small that role.”

An advocate for the importance of community and social engagement, Gerard is an active participant in the Social Farming programme. He is also a member of the Leitrim organic farmers co-op.

Dr Brendan Dunford of the Burren Programme, founder and committed volunteer with Farming for Nature, said: “This year’s farming for nature ambassadors are, like their predecessors, just so engaging and inspirational. They provide a powerful and timely testimony as to how farming and nature can, and must, work in harmony – and that simple actions can make a big difference.

“These farmers deserve our respect, gratitude and support: they embody all that’s great about rural Ireland and they offer great hope at a time of climate and biodiversity crises.”

The seven ambassadors will be featured at the annual Burren Winterage Weekend (www.burrenwinterage.com) in October, when the winner of the public vote will also be announced.

Sixteen additional ambassadors will be announced in the coming months, taking the FFN Ambassador network to a total of 66 farms located across the island.

The Farming for Nature Awards are sponsored by Bord Bia and supported by a wide range of farming and conservation interests including the Dept of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, the National Parks and Wildlife Service and the National Rural Network.

The deadline for 2021 voting is midnight Friday October 22.

For more go to farmingfornature.ie or contact info@farmingfornature.ie.