Converting a 60 acre dairy farm to organic vegetables

This week on Organic Matters, we meet Brian McCarthy from Cork Rooftop Farm.

With a background in the wholesale flower business, Brian started experimenting with vegetable growing during the pandemic on a small rooftop space and has now taken on a long-term lease on a former 60-acre dairy farm growing vegetables organically just outside Cork city.

Now in his first year of organic conversion, he talks about his keen interest in building a business that grows organic vegetables at scale, selling into a range of different markets from direct sales to supplying into supermarkets and supporting local employment.

Brian also speaks to presenter Hannah Quinn-Mulligan about the steep learning curve of engaging in organic vegetable production from dealing with soil type and difficult field conditions this season to operating a solar-powered seeder and weeder as well as his plans for the future.