Welcome to Talamh Beo

Robin's Glen Farm

EIP Soil Biodiversity Project Participant

Farmers:

Eleanor & Richard Murphy

Location:

Glenmore, Co Kilkenny

Water Catchment Area:

Nore

Land Use:

Grain, seed & green cover crops, organic seed potatoes, suckler herd

Robin's Glen Farm

Robin’s Glen is an organic farm run by the Murphy family, with Richard being the “main driver”, supported by Eleanor and their three sons. Growing grain crops, seed crops, green cover crops and organically certified seed potatoes with a small suckler herd, beside the village of Glenmore in Co. Kilkenny.

The Murphys converted to organic farming in 2009 because they wanted to farm in a more natural and sustainable way. This system of farming allows a rich diversity of microbes, insects and wildlife to continually propagate, as the different organic crops rotate around their farm.

Richard, like his father and grandfather before him, were innovators and work at adopting and building machines to meet the farm’s needs. They try to be as independent as they can without looking for support. For Robin’s Glen, the best way forward, to progress projects, is at a grass roots level.

Robin’s Glen hope to substitute some of the imported grain & certified organic seed potatoes, products purchased for livestock, poultry, birds and pets and garden etc with Irish organic products. With products from Robin’s Glen you know where it was grown and who grew it and how it was produced. This is not always possible with many of the imported potatoes or animal and bird products you purchase today.

Eleanor & Richard of Robin’s Glen Farm have been nominated as Farming For Nature Ambassadors for 2022.

Richard and Eleanor introduce themselves, their farm and their interest in the soil biodiversity project in this short clip.

Richard and Eleanor introduce themselves, their farm and their interest in the soil biodiversity project in this short clip.

You can visit the Robin’s Glen website here

We in Robin's Glen foster soil health and bolster biodiversity on our family run farm by organically growing a wide range of green cover, seed crops, seed potatoes and poultry & bird feed.

EIP Soil Diversity Project

Robin’s Glen farm at Glenmore consists of shallow, silty clay on a shale base.

By participating in the EIP Soil Diversity Project, Richard & Eleanor have trialled and documented a range of technical innovations  (such as bioNutrient meters) and physical innovations (e.g. soil biological activators, mineral amendments, biochar, green manure, compost, compost teas, inoculants etc). As long-time organic tillage farmers, they concentrated on learning about the livestock beneath their feet and how to improve its health.

Richard & Eleanor have been progressing through The Nicole Masters Integrity Soils educational course and the results of their farm trials have been recorded in their farm report. At the end of the course, Richard & Eleanor will be able to diagnose & take action on their soil and plant health.

The Robin’s Glen farm walk took place on the 14th July, 2022, with a focus on exploring building soil health, the biodiversity in the soil and how to feed it. Robin’s Glen’s farm walk can be viewed below.

You can check out Richard & Eleanor’s course certificates and find out more about their trial plot, experiment and baseline soil test results in their project report.

Project Report

Farm Walk

Robin's Glen Farm Walk

Here are some highlights from Richard & Eleanor's farm walk, which focused on exploring building soil health, the biodiversity in the soil and how to feed it.

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Find out more about our project participants and their farms. Follow their journey, see their results and learn how they benefitted from their EIP Soil Biodiversity Project participation.

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