Dairygold hosts farm walk for Tipperary students as part of Signpost Sustainability Week

As part of Signpost Sustainability Week this week, Dairygold arranged for secondary school students from Coláiste Dún Iascaigh, Cahir, Co. Tipperary to attend the farm of John and Brendan Walsh to discuss the sustainability initiatives they have implemented on the farm.

Brendan and his father John milk 153 cows and as well as being current participants in Dairygold’s Signpost Farms programme, they are also former Dairygold Milk Quality Award Winners and most recently winners of the Clover and Sustainability Award at the Grassland Farmer of the Year competition in 2021.

At the event, students heard from Brendan and John about some of the initiatives that have been successful in helping them curb their emissions on the farm. These included the use of low emission slurry spreading, maintaining and enhancing current hedgerows and planting new hedgerows and trees annually, soil testing to assess soil nutrient status and incorporating clover to allow them reduce their chemical and nitrogen input on the farm.

Speaking about the event, Billy Cronin, Head of Supply Chain, Dairygold said: “We are delighted to be able to host these students on Brendan and John’s farm today. This farm is an excellent example of what can be achieved when the science, willingness and hard work is applied to improve on farm sustainability. We hope that by hosting events like this for students we can help educate the future generations about our role as custodians of the land and how we can learn from each other to continue that role into the future.”

Signpost Sustainability Week kicked off on the 14th October until Friday 21st October, with Teagasc and various dairy processors such as Dairygold hosting events with the theme of ‘Farming for a better future’.