The Friendly Farmer Tuam Herald Atricle
1
SENDING a vegetarian to a farm doesn’t always have a successful ending. We tend to ooh and aah at the animals before 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 mine would say, with a difference. I don’t eat meat but I’ve no problem cooking it for others and when I do I prefer to know that the oink oinks and baa baas had the best life they could up to their doomsday. The Friendly Farmer epitomises what rural small-scale farming and enterprise can really be. Ronan Byrne began his adventure three years ago on his family’s farm in Knockbrack, Athenry. He realised he was never to going to have his own mammoth dairy farm, similar to the type he managed in Poland a few years ago, but he was determined to make farming a successful way of life and business for him. A graduate of Mountbellew Agricultural College and the GMIT, Ronan jokes that he tried “the real world for a while” and worked in marketing but quickly decided that putting all his effort into promoting someone else’s products wasn’t for him. The challenge he set was to make a sustainable living from an average sized West of Ireland farm. This may be considered an impossible task by the majority of the region’s small farmers who constantly whinge they can’t make ends meet, but Ronan’s self-belief is an overwhelming force. Apparently the average carnivore will chew and chomp their way through 550 chickens in their lifetime - that’s a lot of wishbones to consider upon - but most of us have little idea where they flew the coop from or how they ended up between our gnashers. The chicken coop was unusually quiet at the end of last week when I visited. The pleasing sight of chickens scratching around a field, their heads bobbing in and out of the grass wasn’t to be found. The silence had meaning and I learned that just days before the chuck chucks had a date with their maker and were now neatly nestling in the freezer ready for the shopping basket. But the key is not to focus on the chickens’ end, it’s how they live their short life is important. Being an amateur agriculturally speaking I of course was somewhat bewildered as to where all the eggs from the 500 chickens went. “They don’t lay eggs,” affirmed Ronan, who brings the chickens to Athenry at just a day old. It seems some chickens are more suited to egg laying than the table and chickens destined for the roasting tray aren’t roaming the fields long enough to be able to produce even a baker’s dozen. “All our chickens are pasture fed and are out in the fresh grass from dawn to dusk. We have Hubbar-cross chickens which is a slow maturing old fashioned breed, coloured red and white,” explains Ronan. He adds that fresh grass is very important for ensuring lip- smacking chicken as the birds pick the minerals from it which makes their meat tastier. I can’t confirm this personally 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 larger and have had a longer life. “Most supermarket chickens are slaughtered after seven weeks whereas our chickens get to live nearly twice as long,” explains The Friendly Farmer. Ronan looked at hundreds of alternative methods and projects related to farming before realising that the simple ideas can work out best. “I thought why not produce good wholesome local food for the local population. “I’ve reverted to the old way of thinking that if you treat animals well and choose the best methods of farming to suit the local conditions then the result is a far superior product.” Visitors to Ronan’s farm and farm shop will be met with the wonderful snorting from the fantastic Saddleback pigs. These enormous pink and black animals roam around their pen enjoying the shade from the abundant leafy cover above. While Ronan does sell small piglets to individuals who choose to rear themselves for fattening and killing, his most popular markets are sausages and the pork products from a half a pig. Taking home half a pig for your freezer may initially seem a little daunting but it was quite a common practice for farming families in North Galway who annually slaughtered lambs and cattle for the freezer. It’s a trend that is making a comeback and more people are putting their chest and large larder freezers to better use than stockpiling pizzas and leftovers that never see another day. “The meat is cut to the customer’s requirements and can include a selection of sausages, rashers, pork and bacon,” says Ronan, who points out that the Saddleback pigs are an old breed that are slow maturing and suited to outdoor rearing, 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 be fattened up six weeks before Christmas. The 350 turkey chicks will arrive next week. Again Ronan has chosen traditional breeds and the unusual Norfolk Bronze turkey which is reared out in the open farm until Christmas week proved exceptionally popular last year, with queues at the gate on Christmas Eve. Ronan is developing his farm and his business like his livestock - slow and steadily. His dream is to have a proper farm shop with additional Friendly Farmer produce such as vegetables, hen and duck eggs along with an increased supply of poultry, pork, beef, ducks, geese and turkeys. “People can come here every Saturday and stock up, whether they order half a pig or just go for a few chickens and some sausages. It’s all been produced locally and in a traditional way,” adds Ronan. He also stocks beef boxes which contain a selection of cuts which come from his herd 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, carrots and potatoes which are only sufficient for family use at the moment but again Ronan hopes to be able to grow more fruit and vegetables for his future farm shop. Ronan says his customers are very happy. “They see they are getting local produce of a high quality and it offers good value for money. Freezing is making a comeback and offers great convienience. People are buying their food from source and can see where the animals have been raised.” There can’t be any better traceability than that. Meet the Friendly Farmer To get further information on the Friendly Farmer’s range of produce contact Ronan Byrne on 087-6203765. You can also follow what’s going on in the farm by reading his blogspot at ww.thefriendlyfarmer .blogspot.com. Thursday, July 16, 2009 SECTION B BY SIOBHÁN HOLLIMAN • FEATURES • FASHION • LIFESTYLE • MUSIC • MARIA Holden with Ronan Byrne, the friendly farmer. FEEDING time: The Saddleback breed pigs certainly love their food as well as the shady trees above. Uncle Jasper’s Art Gallery — Page 8 Food farming goes back to basics
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Transcript of The Friendly Farmer Tuam Herald Atricle
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
— Page 8
Food farminggoes back tobasics
![005014912 00143 · 2013-06-18 · John [57] 9 August Probate of the Will of John Love late of Clooncagh County Galway Farmer who died 8 January 1892 at Tuam to Robert ... John C.](https://static.fdocuments.us/doc/165x107/5f800ebe3955945d880ff4cb/005014912-2013-06-18-john-57-9-august-probate-of-the-will-of-john-love-late.jpg)
