This Farming Life

What it means to be an organic farmer in Ireland today… Jenny Young writes about life and work on an organic mixed farm in Co Kildare - and selling its produce

Yay December, our quietest month on the farm. We have dried off the cows and the whole farm is in winter holiday mode. No milking for six weeks. The main job each day on the farm is feeding silage and straw bedding. It’s time to catch up on work and prepare a little for the spring. This month we will be fixing fences and clearing calving sheds for the spring.

The farm shop is open each week, mostly Saturdays and will be open more in the run up to Christmas. Our last Aberdeen Angus heifer is at Murphy’s Butchers in Tullow.

The last beef of the season will be on sale in mid-December. Christmas week will be a busy one, we sell organic turkeys and free range hams for Crowes farm. We also sell hampers of produce from the farm, as well as cheeseboards and Christmas puddings.

Our new point of lay organic pullets are just starting to lay little pullet eggs. Our older hens are moulting, a sign that their productivity will drop dramatically over the next few months. They will resume laying in early spring again, but for now there is a bit of an egg shortage at Castlefarm.

The garden and allotments are quiet, it’s just too cold to grow and garden at the moment. After the allotment holders harvest the last of their Brussel sprouts and kale, we will let the ducks in to the garden. They are great organic desluggers.

Castlefarm Shop is open every week normally on a Friday or Saturday but you need to sign up to facebook, emails or text alerts to keep up to date with opening days and farm specials. To receive our newsletter and news of new products by email please sign up to our email, or text updates or like us on facebook.

Castlefarm Shop, Narraghmore, Athy, Co Kildare, Email jenny@castlefarmshop.ie, log onto www.castlefarmshop.ie or telephone 087 678 5269 Follow us on facebook or on twitter @castlefarmjenny