The number of ewes that will be farmed organically in Ireland will treble over the next two to three years, with upwards of 180,000 head fully converted by 2026.
The sharp increase and the fact that there is ongoing interest in farms converting to organics is underpinning a big appetite for information on organic production systems.
This was evident from the large crowd in attendance at the recent Growing Organics farm walk held on the Nolan farm in Kilconnor, Fenagh, Co Carlow. The 98.23ha farm is run by Joe Nolan and his wife Clair and son, Ciarán. It is a mixed farming system with 63.91ha currently allocated to grass, red clover and multispecies sward (MSS) leys, 2.05ha to riparian buffer zones and the remaining 32.27ha is farmed in tillage.
The farm first converted to organic in March 2022 and achieved full organic status in March 2024.
Efficient system
The farm had been striving to develop the most efficient production system long before switching to organic, with the aim of reducing labour input and combining livestock and tillage enterprises to optimum effect.
Joe Nolan’s family run farm is striving to operate as a self-sustained unit with a growing tillage enterprise providing feed for the ewe flock and sales outside the farm. \ Claire Nash
The 550-ewe flock lambs mainly outdoors, with the exception of some pedigree Charollais ewes possibly being lambed indoors, although the focus here is also very much on breeding sheep that can survive in tough weather and excel on a grass-based production system. Rams are sold as grass-reared hoggets.
Maternal traits are a big focal point with the ewe breeding programme incorporating Mule, Lleyn, Belclare and Highlander genetics. Joe finds these breeds deliver a ewe that is capable of achieving good levels of output, while also exhibiting good mothering ability and a good milk yield.
Charollais sires are utilised as terminal sires to drive lamb performance and achieve high killouts. EasyCare genetics are also being experimented with.
Lambing takes place outdoors from the middle to the end of March. \ Claire Nash
Sheep production system
The rams are introduced to the ewe flock at the end of October and are joined for between four and six weeks.
Lambing takes place outdoors from the middle to the end of March. Joe believes this eases the workload, ensuring a better grass supply for the newly lactating ewes, with lambing matching the typical grass growth curve.
The sheep are rotationally grazed around the farm using a paddock system.
Joe is happy with the performance of the lambs on the MSS. Ewes are out-wintered, and ewes bearing twins and triplets feed on the forage crops and get additional feed from the beginning of February.
Ewes carrying singles are fed red clover silage only prior to lambing. No concentrate feed is purchased for the flock and instead they are fed homegrown oats and combi-crops.
Joe’s target drafting weight of lambs for slaughter is around 42kg to 44kg and 50% of the lambs will be finished in July or August and sold to Irish Country Meats in Camolin, Co Wexford.
A high percentage of the remaining lambs are drafted over the winter and are fed according to their weight on stubble turnips, rape, vetch, kale and MSS.
A bird's eye view of a well-attended Teagasc farm walk held on Joe Nolan's organic sheep and tillage farm in Fenagh, Co Carlow. \ Claire Nash
Grazing is supplemented with arable and red clover silage along with an oat, pea and barley grain mix that is fed to store lambs, if necessary.
Joe aims to have the last of the lambs ready for slaughter in January.
Tillage
Some 12.99ha of barley, peas and oats are grown on contract for another organic farmer, while 2.4ha of barley and peas is for the Nolans’ own use, along with 16.88ha of spring oats.
The farm has a contract with White’s Oats in Armagh, for 60t and the remaining oats will be used at home, while any excess will be sold to other organic farmers.
The tillage area has doubled in 2024 as Joe sees a strong demand for organic feed and is embarking on a new system of farm-to-farm trading.
He believes this will increase the profitability on the farm and work well in bringing rotations on to the farm. A second-hand dryer was purchased, which he said is invaluable after a wet harvest to aid safe storage of feed.
As part of the Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES), Joe sows 15ha of cover crops made up of leafy turnip, rape, kale and vetch – all mixed by himself. He will sow cover crops into all the tillage land in 2024 – 32.27ha in total.
The ewe breeding programme incorporates Mule, Lleyn, Belclare and Highlander genetics, with Easycare also being trialled. \ Claire Nash
The grazing ground is made up of permanent pastures, which will be reseeded on rotation around the farm over the next five years. A new Güttler seeder has been purchased and will be used to oversow grass into arable silage crops and to stitch clover into existing grass leys to increase the clover content around the farm.
With the farm now in full organic status lambs sold will command the organic premium, about 15% above conventional price.
Even with the low stocking rate on the farm in 2023 and no organic premium price paid, the average gross margin per hectare is similar to the average from the National Farm Survey of about €877/ha.
This is mainly due to the lower fertiliser costs and the fact that all the feed is produced on the farm.
Organic sheep and tillage farm walk in Carlow on Joe Nolan's farm. \ Claire Nash
The additional Organic Farming Scheme payment of €300/ha up to 70ha (€60/ha thereafter) for years one and two and €250/ha up to 70ha (€30/ha thereafter) for years three to five gives a significant boost to the profitability of the farm.
Vaccinations are administered for clostridial diseases and confirmed health issues.
Vaccinations for enzootic and toxoplasmosis abortions are given to purchased hoggets, which are quarantined for seven days.
There is a pre-determined liver fluke issue on the farm, so dosing for liver fluke is carried out in autumn.
Faecal egg tests are taken to determine the presence of stomach and lung worms, and animals are dosed according to the results. Treatments for foot problems and fly strike are carried out, where necessary.
The Nolan farm extends to 98.23ha and switched to organic in spring 2022. The mixed enterprise consists of 63.91ha in grass, clover and multispecies swards, and 32.27ha under tillage.There are over 2ha allocated to riparian buffer zones.The Kilconnor flock has a strong focus on maternal genetics, a grass-based system and outdoor lambing. 
The sheep are rotationally grazed around the farm using a paddock system. \ Claire Nash
The number of ewes that will be farmed organically in Ireland will treble over the next two to three years, with upwards of 180,000 head fully converted by 2026.
The sharp increase and the fact that there is ongoing interest in farms converting to organics is underpinning a big appetite for information on organic production systems.
This was evident from the large crowd in attendance at the recent Growing Organics farm walk held on the Nolan farm in Kilconnor, Fenagh, Co Carlow. The 98.23ha farm is run by Joe Nolan and his wife Clair and son, Ciarán. It is a mixed farming system with 63.91ha currently allocated to grass, red clover and multispecies sward (MSS) leys, 2.05ha to riparian buffer zones and the remaining 32.27ha is farmed in tillage.
The farm first converted to organic in March 2022 and achieved full organic status in March 2024.
Efficient system
The farm had been striving to develop the most efficient production system long before switching to organic, with the aim of reducing labour input and combining livestock and tillage enterprises to optimum effect.
Joe Nolan’s family run farm is striving to operate as a self-sustained unit with a growing tillage enterprise providing feed for the ewe flock and sales outside the farm. \ Claire Nash
The 550-ewe flock lambs mainly outdoors, with the exception of some pedigree Charollais ewes possibly being lambed indoors, although the focus here is also very much on breeding sheep that can survive in tough weather and excel on a grass-based production system. Rams are sold as grass-reared hoggets.
Maternal traits are a big focal point with the ewe breeding programme incorporating Mule, Lleyn, Belclare and Highlander genetics. Joe finds these breeds deliver a ewe that is capable of achieving good levels of output, while also exhibiting good mothering ability and a good milk yield.
Charollais sires are utilised as terminal sires to drive lamb performance and achieve high killouts. EasyCare genetics are also being experimented with.
Lambing takes place outdoors from the middle to the end of March. \ Claire Nash
Sheep production system
The rams are introduced to the ewe flock at the end of October and are joined for between four and six weeks.
Lambing takes place outdoors from the middle to the end of March. Joe believes this eases the workload, ensuring a better grass supply for the newly lactating ewes, with lambing matching the typical grass growth curve.
The sheep are rotationally grazed around the farm using a paddock system.
Joe is happy with the performance of the lambs on the MSS. Ewes are out-wintered, and ewes bearing twins and triplets feed on the forage crops and get additional feed from the beginning of February.
Ewes carrying singles are fed red clover silage only prior to lambing. No concentrate feed is purchased for the flock and instead they are fed homegrown oats and combi-crops.
Joe’s target drafting weight of lambs for slaughter is around 42kg to 44kg and 50% of the lambs will be finished in July or August and sold to Irish Country Meats in Camolin, Co Wexford.
A high percentage of the remaining lambs are drafted over the winter and are fed according to their weight on stubble turnips, rape, vetch, kale and MSS.
A bird's eye view of a well-attended Teagasc farm walk held on Joe Nolan's organic sheep and tillage farm in Fenagh, Co Carlow. \ Claire Nash
Grazing is supplemented with arable and red clover silage along with an oat, pea and barley grain mix that is fed to store lambs, if necessary.
Joe aims to have the last of the lambs ready for slaughter in January.
Tillage
Some 12.99ha of barley, peas and oats are grown on contract for another organic farmer, while 2.4ha of barley and peas is for the Nolans’ own use, along with 16.88ha of spring oats.
The farm has a contract with White’s Oats in Armagh, for 60t and the remaining oats will be used at home, while any excess will be sold to other organic farmers.
The tillage area has doubled in 2024 as Joe sees a strong demand for organic feed and is embarking on a new system of farm-to-farm trading.
He believes this will increase the profitability on the farm and work well in bringing rotations on to the farm. A second-hand dryer was purchased, which he said is invaluable after a wet harvest to aid safe storage of feed.
As part of the Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES), Joe sows 15ha of cover crops made up of leafy turnip, rape, kale and vetch – all mixed by himself. He will sow cover crops into all the tillage land in 2024 – 32.27ha in total.
The ewe breeding programme incorporates Mule, Lleyn, Belclare and Highlander genetics, with Easycare also being trialled. \ Claire Nash
The grazing ground is made up of permanent pastures, which will be reseeded on rotation around the farm over the next five years. A new Güttler seeder has been purchased and will be used to oversow grass into arable silage crops and to stitch clover into existing grass leys to increase the clover content around the farm.
With the farm now in full organic status lambs sold will command the organic premium, about 15% above conventional price.
Even with the low stocking rate on the farm in 2023 and no organic premium price paid, the average gross margin per hectare is similar to the average from the National Farm Survey of about €877/ha.
This is mainly due to the lower fertiliser costs and the fact that all the feed is produced on the farm.
Organic sheep and tillage farm walk in Carlow on Joe Nolan's farm. \ Claire Nash
The additional Organic Farming Scheme payment of €300/ha up to 70ha (€60/ha thereafter) for years one and two and €250/ha up to 70ha (€30/ha thereafter) for years three to five gives a significant boost to the profitability of the farm.
Vaccinations are administered for clostridial diseases and confirmed health issues.
Vaccinations for enzootic and toxoplasmosis abortions are given to purchased hoggets, which are quarantined for seven days.
There is a pre-determined liver fluke issue on the farm, so dosing for liver fluke is carried out in autumn.
Faecal egg tests are taken to determine the presence of stomach and lung worms, and animals are dosed according to the results. Treatments for foot problems and fly strike are carried out, where necessary.
The Nolan farm extends to 98.23ha and switched to organic in spring 2022. The mixed enterprise consists of 63.91ha in grass, clover and multispecies swards, and 32.27ha under tillage.There are over 2ha allocated to riparian buffer zones.The Kilconnor flock has a strong focus on maternal genetics, a grass-based system and outdoor lambing.
The sheep are rotationally grazed around the farm using a paddock system. \ Claire Nash
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