SENDING a vegetarian to a farm doesn’t always have asuccessful ending. We tend to ooh and aah at the animalsbefore being told they’re nearly ready for slaughtering,which quashes all smiling efforts in an instant.

But I suppose I’m a vegetarian, as a good colleague of minewould say, with a difference. I don’t eat meat but I’ve noproblem cooking it for others and when I do I prefer to knowthat the oink oinks and baa baas had the best life they couldup to their doomsday.

The Friendly Farmer epitomises what rural small-scalefarming and enterprise can really be. Ronan Byrne began hisadventure three years ago on his family’s farm inKnockbrack, Athenry.

He realised he was never to going to have his ownmammoth dairy farm, similar to the type he managed inPoland a few years ago, but he was determined to makefarming a successful way of life and business for him.

A graduate of Mountbellew Agricultural College and theGMIT, Ronan jokes that he tried “the real world for a while”and worked in marketing but quickly decided that putting allhis effort into promoting someone else’s products wasn’t forhim.

The challenge he set was to make a sustainable living froman average sized West of Ireland farm. This may beconsidered an impossible task by the majority of the region’ssmall farmers who constantly whinge they can’t make endsmeet, but Ronan’s self-belief is an overwhelming force.

Apparently the average carnivore will chew and chomptheir way through 550 chickens in their lifetime - that’s a lotof wishbones to consider upon - but most of us have littleidea where they flew the coop from or how they ended upbetween our gnashers.

The chicken coop was unusually quiet at the end of lastweek when I visited. The pleasing sight of chickensscratching around a field, their heads bobbing in and out ofthe grass wasn’t to be found. The silence had meaning and Ilearned that just days before the chuck chucks had a datewith their maker and were now neatly nestling in the freezerready for the shopping basket.

But the key is not to focus on the chickens’ end, it’s howthey live their short life is important. Being an amateuragriculturally speaking I of course was somewhatbewildered as to where all the eggs from the 500 chickenswent.

“They don’t lay eggs,” affirmed Ronan, who brings thechickens to Athenry at just a day old.

It seems some chickens are more suited to egg laying thanthe table and chickens destined for the roasting tray aren’troaming the fields long enough to be able to produce even abaker’s dozen.

“All our chickens are pasture fed and are out in the freshgrass from dawn to dusk. We have Hubbar-cross chickenswhich is a slow maturing old fashioned breed, coloured redand white,” explains Ronan.

He adds that fresh grass is very important for ensuring lip-smacking chicken as the birds pick the minerals from itwhich makes their meat tastier. I can’t confirm thispersonally but the carcass looked pretty bare on Sunday

afternoon and my diners didn’t proffer any complaints.Ronan’s chickens also differ greatly from most

supermarket offerings in that they are substantially largerand have had a longer life.

“Most supermarket chickens are slaughtered after sevenweeks whereas our chickens get to live nearly twice as long,”explains The Friendly Farmer.

Ronan looked at hundreds of alternative methods andprojects related to farming before realising that the simpleideas can work out best.

“I thought why not produce good wholesome local food forthe local population.

“I’ve reverted to the old way of thinking that if you treatanimals well and choose the best methods of farming to suitthe local conditions then the result is a far superiorproduct.”

Visitors to Ronan’s farm and farm shop will be met withthe wonderful snorting from the fantastic Saddleback pigs.These enormous pink and black animals roam around theirpen enjoying the shade from the abundantleafy cover above. While Ronandoes sell small piglets toindividuals whochoose to rearthemselves forfattening andkilling, his mostpopular markets aresausages and thepork products froma half a pig.

Taking home halfa pig for yourfreezer mayinitially seem alittle daunting but itwas quite a commonpractice for farming familiesin North Galway who annuallyslaughtered lambs and cattle forthe freezer.

It’s a trend that is making acomeback and more peopleare putting their chestand large larderfreezers to better usethan stockpiling pizzasand leftovers that neversee another day.

“The meat is cut to thecustomer’s requirementsand can include a selection ofsausages, rashers, pork andbacon,” says Ronan, who pointsout that the Saddleback pigs arean old breed that are slowmaturing and suited to outdoorrearing, giving a better flavour of

meat.Just a few steps from Ronan’s back door is a flock of 140

geese. These are enjoying roaming the farmland and will befattened up six weeks before Christmas. The 350 turkeychicks will arrive next week. Again Ronan has chosentraditional breeds and the unusual Norfolk Bronze turkeywhich is reared out in the open farm until Christmas weekproved exceptionally popular last year, with queues at thegate on Christmas Eve.

Ronan is developing his farm and his business like hislivestock - slow and steadily. His dream is to have a properfarm shop with additional Friendly Farmerproduce such as vegetables, hen and duckeggs along with an increased supply ofpoultry, pork, beef, ducks, geese andturkeys.

“People can come here everySaturday and stock up, whetherthey order half a pig or just go for afew chickens and some sausages.It’s all been produced locally andin a traditional way,” addsRonan.

He also stocks beef boxeswhich contain a selection of

cuts which come from hisherd of Belted Galloways,

another area of his

farm he is keen to develop.The front of Ronan’s house isn’t filled with flower beds and

shrub borders, there’s a fine mix of beetroot, onions, carrotsand potatoes which are only sufficient for family use at themoment but again Ronan hopes to be able to grow more fruitand vegetables for his future farm shop.

Ronan says his customers are very happy. “They see theyare getting local produce of a high quality

and it offers good value for money.Freezing is making a comeback and

offers great convienience. People arebuying their food from source and cansee where the animals have beenraised.”

There can’t be any bettertraceability than that.

Meet the Friendly FarmerTo get further information on

the Friendly Farmer’s range ofproduce contact Ronan Byrne on087-6203765. You can also followwhat’s going on in the farm byreading his blogspot atww.thefriendlyfarmer.blogspot.com.

Thursday, July 16, 2009 SECTION B

BYSIOBHÁNHOLLIMAN

• F E A T U R E S • F A S H I O N • L I F E S T Y L E • M U S I C •

MARIA Holden with Ronan Byrne, the friendly farmer.

FEEDING time: The Saddleback breed pigs certainlylove their food as well as the shady trees above.

UncleJasper’s

ArtGallery

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Food farminggoes back tobasics