ABOUT THE FARM HOLDING
The home farm at Highfield comprises about ten acres of grassland and 40 acres of mixed forestry. Ciaran has lived and farmed here all his life and his family has been here for the last 270 years at least (his children are the 7th generation to have lived in the current house).
Ciaran keeps laying hens and some outdoor pigs. There are two dogs and two cats who between them oversee operations. The forestry is managed according to Continuous Cover principles. Timber is harvested mainly for firewood and Christmas. There is a farm workshop where farm equipment is improved and repaired.
Ciaran farms in as environmentally friendly manner as possible. He is proud of the trees he has grown over the last 25 years and the flora and fauna that have made the forest their home. Farming and forestry are part of his connection with the world. Ciaran is passionate about education and helping everyone to find and reach their potential.
A SOCIAL FARMING DAY
Animal care: Collecting eggs and tending to the hens; feeding and looking after the pigs, building and maintaining fences for hen and pig houses
Forestry: Helping to bring in cut and chopped firewood, pruning trees in the forest, constructing and maintaining pathways about the farm
Other activities: helping with workshop projects (i.e., making feeders for the pigs); footing and taking home the turf from the bog
Keeping the overseers (dogs and cats) happy!
LOCAL COMMUNITY INTERESTS
Ciaran is involved with the local development organisation BREDA which run several projects. He is a trustee of the local bog, is on the board of the Tyrrell trust which is a heritage project restoring a local castle, and is a national committee member of Pro-Silva which is an organisation that promotes ‘continuous cover’ and ‘close to nature’ forest management.
MY SOCIAL FARMING EXPERIENCE
“I am so encouraged when I see the lad’s faces as they arrive in the morning, so happy to be back with us. Hearing the conversation between two of them as they admired the work we had done that day affirmed to me that Social Farming is very worthwhile.” – Ciaran Duggan