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Smart Farming – saving money and the environment

Each month, an IFA Smart Farming Case Study is published in The Irish Farmers Journal, showing how farmers can save money and the environment.

This month’s case study shows how Robert Watson from Stradone, County Cavan saved €5,990 and reduced his climate impact by 20%.

This Smart Farming study was very worthwhile. It was really good to have someone come in and look at what I do every day. Like many farmers, I was more focused on the livestock and not enough on managing my own resources better, the land, the grass, the feed, even my own time. It’s good to know that I can also improve the local environment. After all, for myself and my wife Goldie it’s about making a difference for my daughter Heidi and the next generation.
Robert Watson

Robert Watson and his daughter Heidi from Stradone, Co Cavan took the Smart Farming challenge in July.

The Smart Farming programme focuses on eight key areas that have the highest costs on farms, or offer the greatest savings to farmers – soil fertility, energy, grassland, water, feed, inputs and waste, machinery and time management.

There is some great advice on how to save water (and money) on the Smart Farming website.

Farmers who are interested can simply follow the Smart Farming advice, or can take part in a Smart Farming Case Study.

Get a free Smart Farming Cost-Saving Study

Case study farms get the benefit of tailored advice from experts. If you take part an advisor will visit your farm and work with you to find ways to save money and take practical actions to improve resource management.

If you want a free cost-saving study, silage quality analysis, domestic water analysis, carbon navigator and nutrient management plan, and you are open to sharing the cost saving tips taken from the study on your farm with your discussion group or IFA branch, use the contact details below.

Get in touch and join the Smart Farming programme

www.smartfarming.ie

Email: smartfarming@ifa.ie

Phone: 01 426 0343

About author

EPA Catchments Unit

Administrator

The EPA Catchments Unit is based in Dublin, and the team is involved with catchment science, chemistry, ecology, hydromorphology, modelling, Geographic Information Systems and planning. We work with the wider EPA, all of our local authorities, the Local Authority Waters and Communities Office, the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government, and other public bodies and Departments to ensure we have the best available data and information about our catchments.

Who is involved?
Quite simply, everyone in Ireland has a role to play. This can be from something as simple as making sure you don’t pollute your local stream, or a local community working together to establish a Rivers Trust to enhance the rivers and lakes in their area, to a Government Department or Agency helping a Minister implement a new policy to help protect and enhance all our water bodies.

This website has been developed and is maintained by the Environmental Protection Agency, and is a collaboration between the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Local Authority Waters Programme.

Local Authority Waters Programme

The Local Authority Waters Programme coordinates the efforts of local authorities and other public bodies in the implementation of the River Basin Management Plan, and supports local community and stakeholder involvement in managing our natural waters, for everyone’s benefit.

Environmental Protection Agency

The EPA is responsible for coordinating the monitoring, assessment and reporting on the status of our 4,842 water bodies, looking at trends and changes, determining which waterbodies are at risk and what could be causing this, and drafting environmental objectives for each.

Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage

The Department is responsible for making sure that the right policies, regulations and resources are in place to implement the Water Framework Directive, and developing a River Basin Management Plan and Programme of Measures to protect and restore our waters.