South Roscommon farmer Seán Butler, a pioneer in regenerative agriculture, will take part in an online “Ask the Farmer” event on Tuesday, March 24th at 8 p.m. where he will discuss his transition from conventional to regenerative farming.
Seán has been farming dry limestone land since 1976. For decades he followed intensive, high input methods, but he says the long term environmental impact became impossible to ignore.
In 2001, he converted his Brideswell farm to certified organic production. Four years ago, he began implementing regenerative practices - an approach he now sees as essential to the future of farming.
Today, he runs a fully organic beef operation that integrates livestock with nature. He maintains a small suckler herd of 12 cows, including Angus, Hereford-cross, and Moiled breeds, along with a ¾ Stabiliser bull for breeding. Multi paddock rotational grazing allows soils and grasses time to rest and recover, improving soil structure and biodiversity.
He has also planted 11 hectares of native woodland on the farm, supporting wildflowers such as orchids and cuckoo flowers, as well as pollinators, birds, and other wildlife. He says the results show that food production and ecosystem restoration can go hand in hand.
“If I had discovered regenerative farming sooner, I would have been a different farmer,” he reflects. “I would have enjoyed it more, and maybe the kids would have seen it as an option.”
He hopes to develop his land into a demonstration farm to help farmers, educators, and policymakers better understand how regenerative methods can be applied in real world Irish settings.
“We won’t survive if we don’t find our way back into the web of life,” he says.
