Climate change and farming part 1

In light of the new report issued today on climate change and its affect of agriculture, here's part one of a feature on climate change and farming.

The simple and objective facts of climate change are straightforward up to a point. The main question from an agriculture perspective is: how should the effort of readjustment be shared out amongst the sectors?

First, the facts: According to Dr. John Sweeney, (NUI Maynooth), The Intergovernmental Panel of Climate Change (IPCC) reports present �unequivocal evidence� that planet is currently experiencing �the loading of greenhouse gases on the atmosphere to concentrations not experienced for over 650,000 years...there is also now very high confidence that the globally averaged net effect of human activities since 1750 has been at least five times greater than that due to solar output changes�.

This will affect water patterns, putting severe pressure on both agricultural productivity and populations, especially in wetlands, deltas and the driest parts of Africa. The rest of the world will have more extreme weather, while 20-30% of plant and animals species will also face a high risk of extinction.

In Ireland, this will make parts of Leinster, Ulster and even occasionally Munster more likely to suffer drought, with mid summer housing of animals a possibility. Crop growing patters will alter, with potatoes more difficult to grow apart from in the north west.

Reduced fertilizer application, extensification, summer water shortages and pest/disease pattern alteration are all likely to occur.

However, the overall effects will not be as serious in Ireland or to Irish agriculture as elsewhere. Most main sectors will get to continue, albeit in a modified form.

There are two main targets the government is working towards � Koyoto (up to 2012) and the EU targets (up to 2020).

The Kyoto Protocol limits Ireland�s total national emissions to an average of 62.8 million tonnes of CO2e, per year in the period 2008 � 2012. This is 13 per cent above the 1990 baseline estimate.

Importantly for agriculture, Co2e means carbon dioxide equivalent � other Greenhouse Gases (GHGs), such as methane and nitrous oxide are measured as compared to carbon dioxide in terms of their global warming potential. Methane is considered 21 times more damaging than carbon dioxide, a figure which may even be upgraded to 25 times soon.

The EU targets of a 20% reduction in GHG emissions relative to 2005 figures are more recent and more challenging.

It's a recipe!

Ashley, one of our Co-op cashiers made up this refreshing, beautiful super drink! No exact measurements needed, just gather up as much as you want of any of the ingredients listed below, place with loving care into your blender, and give it a whirl. A perfect �good morning smoothie� for sipping, while you water your garden or watch the sun come up.

Green Smoothie

Spinach

Pineapple

Blueberry

Banana

Ginger

How It's Lookin 4 Floors Up

The quality of my movie isn't the greatest, but the better versions were too big to upload, so until the technology catches up, this will have to do. Enjoy!

organic pork in Ireland: Crowes, Tipperary

Of all the sectors within organic farming in Ireland, pork is perhaps the least developed. There are a number of reasons for this.

Relatively cheap imports from Denmark are hard to compete with. I have spoken to organic specialists who have been to Danish organic pig units. They tell me that while these units may be technically organic, they are very industrialised operations.

This industrialisation of production gives the Danes, with a long tradition in pork exports, the scale to export organic to Ireland. Animals welfare standards as regards space and ability to root are pushed to the max, but within the allowable rules.

Thus, most organic rashers and sausages available in supermarkets in Ireland comes from Denmark, as close label reading will reveal.

Despite the competition from cheap imports, some innovative pioneers are just beginning to put their heads above the precipice.

One such farmer is Tipperary-based John Paul Crowe. The Crowe name is already synonymous with quality Irish rashers and suasages: �our conventional sausages have 82% meat, which is fairly high by any standards� John Paul's brother TJ Crowe tells me.

There are three brothers in the Dundrum-based business: John Paul, Ned and TJ. TJ and Ned manage the on farm processing unit, where the sausages are made, while John Paul takes care of the farm.

They farm 133 acres, 80 of which is owned, the rest rented. Organic certification came in December of last year for the mixed enterprise of Angus beef, feed crops and pigs.

I asked John Paul why he wanted to go organic: �I would have been thinking organic, I love my food, and wouldn't have been using much chemical fertilizer anyway. So I looked into it, and found that, for me, it wouldn't have been a major change. Also, we have our own processing unit.�

JP is confident that if he gets the breed feed balance right, the consumer will pay a bit more for a better product.

To begin with on his organic pig journey, JP is crossing various artisan breeds and assessing traits, including consistency, efficiency, eating quality, hybrid vigor and the overall consumer appeal.

At the moment, he is working with Glouster Old Spot, Duroc, Hampshire and Landrace. He gives me an example of how he tries to balance the various considerations. � Sunburn can be an issue. While we do have plenty of wallows and shaded areas, here, which helps, Hampshire have a black coat which prevents sunburn. However research in England is saying that the consumer is not too partial to black hair. So its a balance�.

JP intends to produce 8-10 pigs per week from 20 sows. While there is a niche, inevitably, the market is price sensitive because of the Danish competition:

�The cost of feed is an issue, at 580-600E a tonne� TJ tells me. �I'm working with a number of organic farmers to source feedstuff to keep cost down. I'm feeding organic whey, oats and veg The whey comes from St. Tola [organic goat cheese makers] and the veg from Philip Drapier. I can get the veg and whey cheaper that bought in feed, and it gives the final product a great flavour!

Along with this, John Paul is also growing his own oats and peas this year, to have his own feed.

Proud of the quality of the feed he uses, he points out that �you need efficiency, but not enhanced feeds. They need a good balanced feed and space to root in the soil. Then you don't need to inject them with iron at 3 days old, as is done in conventional�.

Interestingly enough, according to John Paul �A lot of people are looking for two pigs to rear from: �if I surplus to sell I would have a lot sold. That died off in the past few years, but people now want to keep their own pigs for meat� he tells me.

For more on the Crowe's on farm organic pig processing unit, see my feature in the upcoming edition of Organic Matters.

Changin mi tune...

Our first 'strictly from yard' salad, that's right, it's mid-April and all these greens came from the garden so far. Lettuces, spinach, and a few tender radish leaves, ummmm, nuttin better. I'm picking these every day now, sweet!


This is what I'm changin my tune about....I've always been lovin the challenge of making marginal land productive again, and sometimes that's a lot of hard work. But often it's the difference between having a garden and not. Usually you can get permission to work a wasteland, right? Wasteland to showcase---do something beautiful.


Now here's the latest approach that I'm singing about. I finally realize what a bargain bagged planting mixes are! Don't have any good land to work? Invest $10 in soil and some food for it and you've got land! I used to resent buying dirt, no more! I just dug out the weeds, mixed up a nice batch of dirt, chicken manure, lime and veg food in the wheelbarrow and laid it down---it's another row to plant now. And if you've got a fence like we do here, all the better. Put the peas in close to the fence, and make it wide enough for a couple other things. Here are potatoes, shallots, garlic and broccoli.


I worked this section for the first time last summer and put beans in, now it's full of lettuces, garlic, and I hope peas soon (I think the slugs might be eating the seedlings). It's truly amazing how quickly land can come alive again with organic methods. I'm talkin bout the life beneath the surface especially, you bring a little life energy, air, water and humus into the area and word spreads fast.

Organic Growers of Ireland established

�We just felt that we we're being represented, so we decided to do something about it�.

So says Jason Horner, founder member and driving force behind a new group called Organic Growers of Ireland.

Their steering group consists of many high profile names in organics. Along with Jason, the group features Siobhan Morris (consultant), Padraig Fahy (grower, former IOFGA chair), Cait Curran (grower, trainer and editor of Organic Matters) and Laszlo Kenderesi (organic trainer).

Thus far, this new representative organisation has found a receptive audience amongst organic growers.

�I brought 40 handouts to the recent NOTS conference, but we had more than twice that turn up� according to Jason Horner.

Another indicator of both the interest and the need in representing organic horticulture is the response OGI got to their initial expression of interest letter.

�30 people got back straight away, the vast majority of whom were growers� according to Jason.
He goes on � at the NOTS conference, we circulated a questionnaire: we got 66 responses from the 80 people in room, and most were interested in getting involved.�

Jason also points out that over half of these were registered growers, with others also being involved in the sector, including students of the organic colleges, organic advisors and consultants.

Jason was also keen to point out that OGI is �non aligned. We're independent politically and financially, and will try to represent all growers equally�. He points out that they will be open to members of both IOFGA and the Organic Trust.

The organisation aims to represent the needs and views of the organic horticulture sector. It also lists the following objectives:
To support effective and dynamic promotion of organic produce
To identify training needs of growers
To share practical and market information and facilitate networking between members.
To improve access to technical information on organic horticulture
To encourage new entrants to organic production

In the next short while, OGI aims to take specific actions to start achieving its aims. It will aim to establish an interactive website, with discussion board, blogs, buying and selling areas as well as areas for technical advice specific to Ireland.

While this might sound like par for the course, in reality organic growers are amongst the most internet-savvy of the entire farming community:

A similar orgnaisation in the UK, one which Jason has already had dealings, the Organic Growers Alliance, has 160 members on its books: only 3 are listed as non-internet users.

OGI will also develop an Action Plan. Both Teagasc and the Department of Agriculture Fisheries and Food (DAFF) have organic action plans.

However organic growers I have spoken to have been annoyed at the complete lack of horticulture in the Teagasc plan, and the lack of concrete, tangible horticulture actions in the DAFF plan.

An example of the forgotten nature of the organic horticulture sector is the fact that the plan for converting 5% of Ireland to organic is area rather than productivity-based. Inevitably, this mitigates against the more concentrated and productive horticultural sector, compared to more extensive sectors such as sheep and beef.

Following on from this, OGI aims to have representation on the various organic-specific steering, advisory and marketing groups.

There will also be a media dimension: they aim to make accessible the UK OGA magazine for members, as much but not all of the technical info will transfer. They will also look to inputing into that publication.

Likewise, OGI will be aiming to contribute regularly to the Irish farming and organic farming press.

Another action is to establish farm walks � both Jason Horner and Padraig Fahy have held Teagasc organic farm walks in recent years.

A further development to this is their desire to conduct study trips to the UK, where the organic horticulture sector is more developed.

Forever upbeat, Jason finished on a positive note: �The market is there, you only have to look at the level of imports. So in a sense, the market is established. I do believe there is capacity to grow�.

To contact OGI, (email only) irishorganicgrowers@gmail.com

Porch Views

And here's a look at the porch as it is today, snow peas emerging on lower left, baby tomato plants getting some outside air, and greens poppin.

Now here's some catnip juicy enough to tempt any kitty into adjusting her attitude.

My prize habanero! From the plant I brought inside for the winter; now the plant has aphids and mi reddi fi tun it out to di yard! Dis one cyan fix di rice n peas nice.

A big pot of Pac Choi---I'll thin and eat as they grow.

Nice pot of radish. Had to get tough on the cute little birdies who come visit. They ate all the first leaves, they're so smart, they know what's good. Lucky for us both, the best part is underground.

Progress on the Porch

I'm starting to eat these beautiful lettuces, some scallions, and spinach here on the porch. I have thyme, catnip and oregano to use too. It's just starting to warm up and things are beginning to grow. My clematis is budding and hyacinth in bloom, roses leafing out.

The Earth Box spinach is pulling ahead in the growth and sweetness category. I love it.

The spinach in the control pot is a few leaves behind, and not as vigorous.

This is an example of 'natural agriculture' or this lazy likkle miss' method of propogating. I like to let some favorite plants go to seed especially at the end of the season. In this case it was parsley in a pot last year. When the seed was developed, I just bent the head down and laid it on the soil. It sat like that all winter and now I have a bunch of baby parsley plants to move around and share. Parsley is a great one for reseeding.

I'm starting to eat this Arctic lettuce, it's so buttery yummy, and it has all that energy from being out in nature all winter long, vitamins from earth and sky and spirit. In this pot, I also seeded a variety called Tom Thumb, mini bibb lettuces that are ready in only one month. I'll spread these out as they grow.

Between these lettuces and the ones over at the community garden, I might not have to buy any more lettuce for a few months. That's my goal, replace store trips with garden walks.

chefs and organic growers: link ups

While celebrity chefs often wax lyrical about the benefits of organic, there is in fact only one fully certified organic restaurant in Ireland.

The Strawberry Tree is part of Brooklodge - AA hotel of the year - nestled in the Wicklow Mountains.

Certified by the Organic Trust, the Strawberry Tree only serves dishes with organic or wild ingredients.

Apart from the Strawberry Tree, there are an increasing number of restaurants in Ireland serving some organic food, and a few with the word organic or a variant in the title. Some of these are currently applying for organic certification.

The overall food services area - from public service canteens to restaurants - is an underdeveloped route to market for organic producers.

Currently, research is underway into the whole area of supplying restaurants with organic food.

Consultant Siobhan Morris is conducting the research, which initially focused on the border regions.

According to Siobhan, the aim is to construct an �audit of the challenges and opportunities for both chefs and producers in order to find ways to help them better work together�.

She outlined some of the issues: �something of a rocky relationship exists between independent producers and the food service sector�.

Various doubts about the option exist on both sides �from poor payment of invoices and ignorance over what is available through the seasons on one side, to accusations of erratic quality and unreliable deliveries on the other� according to Siobhan.

Producers also fear the clich� that restaurants expect to pay half-nothing. Restaurant owners and chefs dislike the hassle of multiple micro suppliers, while also being unsure about issues around certification.

She goes on �so hopefully this study will, for the first time, examine the truths behind the hearsay in a constructive manner. Positive relationships can be forged and do exist, so an honest appraisal of this should be useful to any would-be buyer or supplier.�

Whatever about the difficulties, once operational, supplying restaurants offers up many benefits for producers.

Having multiple routes to market is less risky than having one buyer only.

There are also �opportunities to profile your business on local menus, increasing awareness and direct sales� according to Siobhan.

She goes on �and once the relationship and routine is established, there is the comfort of secure weekly orders and the ease of a single transaction�

This type of regularity allows producers to plan ahead and expand.

While restaurants are feeling the pinch and offering better value options, organic producers can adapt to this too.

Organic lamb and beef burgers from individual producers are popping up on more and more menus in well regarded eateries, from Bodega in Waterford to The Farm in Dublin.

Indeed with Jo� burger and the Gourmet Burger Bars of Dublin getting excellent reviews and commendations across the food press, posh burgers might be replacing fillet steaks for many eating out.

Siobhan outlined some of her broader aims in her research �I�m keen to explore the idea of developing growing (or farming) plans where chefs and producers sit down and look at what kinds of produce, varieties of veg or cuts of meat, could be supplied the following year.

�This would give both parties time to plan ahead while also encouraging an informal commitment to each other which might develop into a happy professional working relationship that benefits both sides over time�

�As part of it I will be looking out for any confusion amongst chefs about what they believe they can say on menus about the provenance of their ingredients, and what 'proof' they need - essentially demystifying the use of organic produce in restaurants that are not organically certified themselves�.

While you could just wait to see what the findings are, if you are an organic producer interested in supplying the food services sector, I�d highly recommend getting involved in the research now.

It can only be of benefit to the producer to start engaging with researchers and a broad base of possible customers.

Siobhan can be contacted on: her site or on 087 7755799

Micro Greens Part 3: 2 X Nice

Here's one for all you fervent recyclers, an I know you're out there. Did you know you can always regrow your organic beet tops for a new crop of microgreens? Just cut the top so there's still some a base of beet on it, put in a dish and add some water. Just enough to cover the bottom. At first, it'll be pink, but that clears quickly. Add water as needed, and you'll have some delicate greens within a couple days.

You can also do this with carrots, but the tops are pretty strong. However, your pet bunny would love for you to grow these just for him.

Game is On

Finally, I'm back online...no web access all week, and it was too wet and cold to do much in the garden outside. Now the tide has turned, it's warm and beautiful and there's so much to do. We're potting up our baby tomato plants, planting onions, leeks and scallions into the garden. You can put in potatoes now, any of the hardy greens, peas, strawberries, herbs, flowers, lots of things. To find out what can go in right now in your area, visit a nursery and see what they have for sale.

Or, watch your local gardener, you know the one you pass by on your way to home or work that has the Midas touch. See what a gwan inna di yard... and express y'self!

It's a beautiful time out there, breathe it in we've earned it, and much respect to the power of spring. I was walking over to the community garden after work and a local designer had her garden open for a tour, what a nice surprise.

I meandered through and took some shots.

The mossy staircase added a nice touch to a tranquil detour. Thanks, Kathryn Leech of River City Gardens, for the spiritual feast.

Micro Greens: Sunnies, Part Two

Meanwhile in my kitchen, I'm enjoying my sunflower greens all week long. Once they germinated and began to grow, I removed the coverings, watered them and put them in a bright spot indoors initially.

Once they're growing, it's ok to put them outside during the day if it's still cold.

They grow pretty fast and will pop off their seed shells as they grow.

Start enjoying them as soon as the first two leaves open and they're a couple inches high. They're delicious and buttery and pack a nutritional punch of being both green and living. I add them to salads, stuff em inna pita with hummus, or just graze on them for a snack. Harvest all of them before the second set of leaves develops. You can store them in the fridge in a zip lock for a few days. Try these for something different.