Farmer Profile: David Hall – Organic Commercial Egg Producer, Rathfriland
Date published:
David Hall, a dedicated organic farmer from Rathfriland, has been an active member of the BDG Scheme since its commencement. He has always found benefit from the peer learning format and has benefited from CAFRE’s knowledge transfer schemes.
David joined as part of a commercial egg group, alongside a beef and an environmental group, and has since made significant strides in sustainable farming. His farm is fully organic, including his 35 suckler cows and his poultry enterprise, where he currently manages four, 3,000-bird houses, supplying organic eggs to Farmlay Eggs in County Armagh.
Around four years ago, David expanded his operation with the construction of his newest poultry house. Opting for an innovative housing system from Landmeco, a system he was introduced to through the BDG group, he has continued to evolve his farm with a focus on both efficiency and sustainability. David regularly consults with CAFRE advisors to ensure his practices align with the latest advancements while being mindful of the environment.
One of the most significant innovations David has introduced to his farm came after attending an FIV (Farming Innovation Visit) to the Netherlands ran by CAFRE advisors. There, he explored new technologies, including innovative heating technologies, which sparked a solution to a long-standing challenge on his poultry units – temperature control. Struggling to maintain a consistent temperature in one of his houses, David has invested in new technology to help maintain a better bird environment.
David is committed to expanding his farm sustainably and continues to explore technologies to enhance both environmental and financial sustainability. Recently David has taken part in the soil nutrient health scheme to better understand the nutrient requirements of his soils. He has also taken part in tree planting schemes and has recently planted 1Ha of woodland on farm.
Throughout his time with the BDG Scheme, David has been an active participant, sharing benchmarking figures with group members to foster collective knowledge. David has hosted three events, with his most recent presentation focusing on the benefits of his new Landmeco system, his heating system and the benefits of organic farming.
David acknowledges that finding a viable outlet for poultry manure will be a challenge for his business and hopes that CAFRE’s knowledge transfer will aid him in the adoption of new solutions. David is looking forward to rejoining the peer learning format through joining the new business sustainability groups where he will continue to learn and share about sustainable farming practices, engage with benchmarking to understand financial and carbon performance of his farm, socialize through engaging with like-minded farmers and hopes to have the opportunity to travel with the group to explore new technologies.
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