Smart Farming Initiative to Focus on Improving Farm Returns

IFA has launched a nationwide roll-out of the resource efficiency initiative Smart Farming, which aims to identify significant on-farm cost savings.

The initiative, which was launched on Andrew McHugh’s dairy farm in Co Longford, will work with farmers and discussion groups and focus on ways to improve farm returns across all farm types through better resource management.

IFA’s Environment Chairman and Smart Farming Project Leader Harold Kingston said, “Cost- saving studies will be completed on farms throughout the country, as part of the 2014 Smart Farming programme. The outcomes of the studies will be assessed at a series of regional seminars in late Autumn. Participants will be encouraged to adopt the cost-saving measures on their own farms and share the findings with discussion group members”.

The Smart Farming initiative is a collaborative approach, which links together the double dividend of improved returns for farmers and enhanced environmental standards. It draws together expertise from Teagasc, UCD, IFA, EPA, FTMTA, Grassland Association of Ireland, Fertilizer Association of Ireland, Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland and the National Federation of Group Water Schemes and sets out top-tips to improve farm incomes. In addition, through the cost saving studies this year it also demonstrates how these top-tips can really deliver improved farm returns.

There is a dedicated site – www.smartfarming.ie – which looks at the savings that can be made across a range of areas.