The country’s largest organic farm, An Grianan in Donegal, has announced that it will concentrate on growing energy crops for renewables.
The move will also see the 2,400 acre farm, at Burt, will sell off its dairy herd in February.
Wednesday 8 January 2020: Agriculture and renewable energy group, Glenmore Estate has today announced that it is changing its business model at An Grianán Farm located in Burt, Donegal. The new strategic direction of the business will see Ireland’s largest organic farm primarily concentrate on the growing of energy crops for renewables.
Thee Donegal farm, An Grianan, was purchased for €17.4m in 2017 by a young farmer, Karol McElhinney (39), who was born and bred just a short trip down the road in Ballybofey.
Located at Speenoge, Burt, the land was reclaimed from Lough Swilly in the 1970s by a Dutchman, making it the largest working organic arable farm in Ireland at 2,400 acres.
It was on the nearby Glenmore Estate that Karol set up his highly successful renewable energy business that has seen him create eco-friendly fuel and fertilisers.
His interest in farming dates back to his childhood spent visiting his grandfather’s farm, he told the Farming Independent earlier this year.
“I didn’t grow up on a farm - my father worked with my uncle in his drapery business. My grandfather had about 30 acres of land and for as long as I can remember, I just loved farming and always wanted to own land and livestock,” he says.
When Karol bought An Grianan, it was already an organic farm, and he made the decision to retain its organic status.
“I embraced the challenge and also converted Glenmore Estate to organic production. Our main business focus at Glenmore is renewable energy and as organic farming is a complementary discipline, it seemed like an obvious fit,” he says.
All farmyard waste manure is removed from the farm and processed through an anaerobic digester unit before being spread on the land, thus significantly reducing any risk to the nearby lake. The dairy herd are Holstein, crossed with Fleckvieh and Danish Reds.
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