GETTING OUR OATS: A TALE OF BUMBLEBEES AND BEEF

(Part one of this feature is here)

Organic oats are becoming attractive for farmers.

One such farmer is Richard Galvin of Portlaw in Waterford.

�I've been in oats for ten years, and for the last five I've been organic� Richard tells me.

Organic beef's feed needs, as well as Flahavan's desire for 1800 tonnes, are driving demand.

Explaining why he decided on organic oats, he states �I was growing beet and when the contract went, conventional tillage wasn't really worth it. We tried it, but we could see that oats were the better option: they cold be grown commercially and of course Flahavan's were interested too.�

He continues �also, there weren't a huge number of farmers interested in growing oats then and we reckoned that the market was increasing: people were becoming more more health conscious.�

Galvin gets about 2 tonnes to acre, which can go back to 1.5 depending on crops and mulching. �I also use a permitted organic sludge. I don't have livestock so I don't have dung, which can be a bit of a drawback.�

While the price remains relatively strong for organic oats, one thing worth considering in calculations, according to Galvin, is the rotation.

�People think its a good price, but you have to look at it on a 5 year cycle: two out of five years its idle. Now, you can do something with the clover, but nonetheless its not the same as a crop every year�

Organic oat crops are long rather than short straw. This allows the crop to surpass the weeds: without herbicides, short straw varieties would find it difficult to compete with the weeds in the fields. Long straw also helps aerate the crop and thus works against mildew.

Even then, as with other sectors in organic farming, there are permitted inputs to help with pest and weed management: �I do use a bit of what's permitted; a little sulfur on mildew, but mostly it looks after itself. For example ladybrids eat the aphids � I saw more ladybrids this year than ever before, and I put that down to the fact that I'm not using pesticides�.

He continues �you would notice an increase in wildlife on the farm when you don't use pesticides. There are more insects and then more birds, and we have an incredible number of bumblebees this year too. With the white clover in at the orchard, I never saw so many bumble bees before as this year.�

His orchard is the second key enterprise on the farm, and a growing one at that. 30,000 fruit trees are already yielding a crop for Galvin, while he is planting another 4000 apple trees in November. Of his 110 acres, 10 are now orchards.

Red Johnogolds are the variety grown. He supplies Simply Organics, and while some are sent to distributors in Northern Ireland, the majority go to Tescos.

Elstar is used as a pollinator, while Galvin is also going to trial between 600 and 1000 Delbars, which are an early red variety.

In a promising sign of the market for Irish organic apples, he is considering planting another four acres next year.

As with every food enterprise, the trick is to stay one step ahead of the market. Three short years ago, organic oats were getting abut 100E per tonne more than they are now.

However, the need for feed in organic beef and sheep should keep the price at least stable, as tillage farmers can simply start to supply organic beef or sheep farmers if the price gets too low.

And, as Richard Galvin shows, there is plenty of sense in tillage farmers having more than one product and more than one route to market.