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There are many routes to becoming an organic farmer. For Michael and Rose Shanahan it began when they bought their first goat to provide milk for their infant daughter who suffered from an allergy. While that event was the trigger, Michael had been discontent with his farming lifestyle for some time. "We had a dry stock and tillage enterprise on a relatively small acreage and margins were tight. I was spending so much money on agrochemicals and I began to question what I was doing to the environment for my children" he explains.
Teething problems
The Shanahans began to convert part of their farm in 1985 and he feels that doing it piecemeal was a mistake. "We would have been much better off converting the whole lot together. There was that awful period between being conventional and organic while the ground was recovering" he says. Having survived the first two years Michael gradually began to build up his herd of goats and this in itself was a difficult task. "The stock available in Ireland was limited and it was difficult to source good quality animals. At that time there was no body of knowledge to draw on and we made some expensive mistakes" Michael says. "We decided eventually to concentrate on quality rather than quantity and streamlined the operation gradually as we bred our own replacements". Now Michael and Rose keep 230 goats as well as a Charolais cross herd and some sheep on just over a hundred acres at Coolfin near Portlaw, Co.Waterford.
Market development
Like all farmers beginning a new enterprise, it took time for the Shanahans to find their feet in the marketplace. "We began by wholesaling milk but the market for that went. Then we started to look for retail outlets to supply directly. For a period we made cheese and yoghurt but it was impossible to keep everything going" he says. "There just were not enough hours in the day. Building up a market is a gradual process". They now supply 60 retail outlets and 10 private customers. They freeze small quantities of surplus milk and if they have a large surplus it goes to a cheese maker. Much of the demand for goat's milk comes from the families trying to find a dairy alternative for children with health or skin problems. "Once parents see their child's condition improve on goat's milk they become committed customers" Michael says. Other clients are slightly more unusual. Many stud farms buy goats milk for young foals. The Shanahans maintain two vans on the road for deliveries and employ a driver full time. They also distribute cheese for a local producer and daffodils in season.
Michael makes his own hay and silage and grows oats every year for the goats.
Goat peculiarities
"Goats are very intelligent animals – at least as bright as a dog. You become very attached to them" he insists. "They can be very stubborn and will refuse to co-operate if they don't like you. You have to learn to think like a goat". They are kept outdoors as much as possible which is most of the time. "We don't overstock and everything is cut or topped regularly and they go on to the stubble after the oats is harvested".
Contrary to popular belief goats will not eat everything in sight. "Goats can be very wasteful" Michael says. "They take only the best so we follow them in the grazing rotation with cattle". Neither is it true that goats climb every fence available. "A herd is easier to manage than a single goat" he says. "They are very much a herd animal and will stay together. When they leave the milking parlour they will wait until a core number are together before heading out the gate".
Few problems
Luckily goats suffer from few veterinary ailments but can develop foot problems in the same way as sheep. Rose is the expert in this area and uses some of her alternative therapy skills to maintain the feet in good order. While a standard conventional commercial goat will be kept for 4 to 5 years Michael can keep his over ten years. "If they are well managed in a stress free environment they will continue to produce high quality milk for many years" according to Michael.
The Shanahans suffer from the same bureaucratic headaches that all small scale enterprises have to endure. "Obviously your customers must have confidence in you and you have to operate to the highest standards" Michael says. "We had a HACCAP accredited system here before it became a general requirement and it works well for us. You can anticipate problems before they arise". Over regulation can be a nightmare for small businesses. "We have a minefield of regulation" he says. "If Brussels issues a dictat it is applied here to the letter while you know of instances in other EU countries where enforcement is more liberal. We really do have the highest standards in the world".
Demanding lifestyle
Michael and Rose have built a very successful business over twenty years and now that their three girls are grown they would like to take life a little easier. "We can organise an occasional weekend away because our daughters live nearby and can step in to take over when needed" he says "but it would be nice to go and visit friends we haven't seen in a long time and to pursue some of our other interests". They have decided to sell the goat enterprise but to maintain the cattle and sheep and perhaps add a few horses. "That should be easier to manage and less time consuming" Michael says.
He has no regrets about converting to organic farming. "I would never go back. It was like learning to farm all over again for us. I've found that to be an organic farmer you have to learn patience and how to work with nature".
Thanks,
Pam Elgar
ashacentre@yahoo.co.uk