Moyvore family shortlisted for RDS award

A Westmeath farm couple are in the running for an award at an event at the RDS this week.

James and Martina Ham, from Moyvore, have been shortlisted in the Teagasc Farm Forestry Awards at 'Finding Common Ground', a festival on biodiversity and sustainability taking place on Thursday and Friday of this week, May 2 and 3, the RDS, Ballsbridge in Dublin.

The awards recognise working farmers who are integrating forestry and farming for environmental, social and economic benefits.

James and Martina first planted their first area of forestry around 20 years ago. They have a mix of Norway spruce, Douglas fir, Scots pine and sycamore / alder with some western red cedar, Japanese cedar, hazel and hornbeam. Primary farming practice is now divided equally between forestry and grassland.

James and Martina also have a 20 cow suckler herd with approximately 4 (ha) of barley or oats grown for feed and straw.

The festival, one of the RDS Foundation's social impact programmes, will incorporate presentations and panel discussions exploring how Ireland can harness the benefits of our natural resources and the circular economy with a view to creating increased awareness, education and identification of solutions to act on.

Commenting on the upcoming event, Niamh De Loughry, Deputy Chief Executive, Foundation at RDS said, “With social sustainability at its core, the RDS long-term vision for Ireland sees five key areas underpinning the island's culture and economy - Arts, Agriculture, Enterprise and Equestrian, Science and Technology. Our objective is to harness the energy and ideas of people to identify needs, work to foster momentum and create scale to propel our culture and economy to new heights. There are many barriers to sustainable development in Ireland and the RDS is poised to play a role in addressing them alongside key partners through events and initiatives such as this upcoming festival.”