Rory Magorrian - Kildinan Farm

Rory is an organic salad leaf producer 

He and his wife Sheila set up this farm business. They own 20 acres and farm just 5 acres of it, the turnover is €100,000. They were in Australia for years and while away bought the house accompanied by the land. They never intended to farm the land. However when Rory was made redundant, they decided to make a go of the land purchased 10 years previous.

Main motivations to run the farm:

• Made redundant from job – said we have 20 acres here surely we could make a living from it
• When working as a printer never woke up saying thank god I am going into a factory today. We could change what we are doing for a living and maybe do something that could improve our lives/ lifestyle and maybe could grow organic produce and that was our aim from the start. If we are going to grow, grow organically and maybe improve other people’s lives i.e. less chemicals.

Main success factors:

• Organic
• Sustainable – both financially and for the soil
• Local – helps selling point
• Specialised – only growing 4 crops but doing it right
• Local support
• Support from retailers – Supervalu

 Key hurdles:

• Cash; cashflow
• Information; not many in Ireland at salad production
• Access to market

 Recommendations:

• Grants for small scale set ups. A grant that is based on longevity and performance, incorporate a training course into this

Link to website: www.kildinanfarm.com/organic-farming/

Find out more about the New Entrant Network - NEWBIE here