We are delighted to welcome you to the Honey Celebration farm walk and honey share collection this coming Sunday. Book here with your Hiveshare Certificate number https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/honey-celebration-2021-tickets-168354461727
Do email hello@brookfield.farm if any queries.
We really look forward to seeing you. It's been a very busy summer, and hope you have enjoyed it.
All the best, Ailbhe
]]>''Sustainability is a huge part of Brookfield Farm. And it’s more than sustainability – it’s about regeneration, about improving what we have in biodiversity, soil health and beauty.''
]]>''Sustainability is a huge part of Brookfield Farm. And it’s more than sustainability – it’s about regeneration, about improving what we have in biodiversity, soil health and beauty.''
]]>Join award-winning famer, Ailbhe Gerrard for a visually beautiful farm tour through colourful wild flower meadows and organic grasslands. See farm animals, beehives, native trees, birdlife, and wildlife while gaining intimate insights into the environment and regenerative farming. End with a tasting of raw honey before viewing the beautifully presented gifts from beeswax candles to honeys that are available for sale.
https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/brookfield-farm-biodiversity-walk-honey-taste-walk-meadows-with-ailbhe-tickets-163060687907
]]>Join award-winning famer, Ailbhe Gerrard for a visually beautiful farm tour through colourful wild flower meadows and organic grasslands. See farm animals, beehives, native trees, birdlife, and wildlife while gaining intimate insights into the environment and regenerative farming. End with a tasting of raw honey before viewing the beautifully presented gifts from beeswax candles to honeys that are available for sale.
https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/brookfield-farm-biodiversity-walk-honey-taste-walk-meadows-with-ailbhe-tickets-163060687907
]]>We are a supporter of the All Ireland Pollinator Plan. In this years Annual review we detail what we do for bees and other pollinators as a business supporter. The annual report is out now and you can read the full report here or read on here for our contribution.
2020
At Brookfield Farm (30 hectares in total) we are delighted to be involved in the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan. As farmers, we are focused on land management to help all pollinators. We aim to have a recognised insect and bee sanctuary on the farm. We keep the native Irish honeybee in several hives on our farm in two apiaries. And additionally, knowing how important farming practice is for insects, we undertake the following actions:
1. We sow at least 3 hectares of pollinator-friendly flower meadows every spring. The flowers last from May to November and provide nectar to the many species of bees, hoverflies, moths and butterflies. The meadows are a lovely sight in summer months, with insect-eating birds like swallows swooping in to feed. Additionally the meadows are sown with Triticale – a grain crop to provide wild bird cover and seeds in winter for seed-eating birds like finches.
2. A third of the farm is in broadleaf trees (10 hectares), including a native woodland. We understand the importance of broadleaf trees to insects, and have sycamore and willow, which provide important pollen and nectar in early spring and summer.
3. We run regular ‘biodiversity’ walks on the farm during summer months in the flower meadows and on the lake shore and explain to people that bees are under threat, but that this means the solitary and bumblebees need more help.
4. Ailbhe is proud to be awarded an Honorary Farming for Nature Ambassador and is also the inaugural RDS Sustainable Farming award winner.
5. About 1/3 of the farm is certified organic, which means no pesticides or herbicides. All-Ireland Pollinator Plan: Business Supporters - Annual Review 2020 18
6. We hand make on the farm hive gifts with beeswax and honey for sale
Some short videos linked below for illustration:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
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This Farm Walks was a great opportunity for the Farming For Nature farmers to showcase their contribution to nature and good farming practices on their land. Ailbhe was delighted to welcome visitors to the farm and we got some great photos from the day to share with you.
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Hiveshare 2019 Honey Celebration is now set for Sunday September 1st 3-6pm. We can't wait! Please book here if you would like to come for the afternoon on the farm (free to Hivesharers, but need to book).
]]>Welcome to your Summer 2019 Hiveshare newsletter.
Hiveshare 2019 Honey Celebration is now set for Sunday September 1st 3-6pm. We can't wait! Please book here if you would like to come for the afternoon on the farm (free to Hivesharers, but need to book).
Hiveshare 2019 runs from November 2018, and Hiveshare Cert no. 1449 and higher. Any questions on Hiveshare and how it works? We're delighted to answer, just have a look at our FAQ or email ailbhe@brookfield.farm
We have interesting bee information and great farm photos and videos on facebook and instagram - like our page to see them!
The summer has been mostly warm, with enough rain to keep our flower meadows happy. We have been delighted with the number of swarms we captured! We noticed our own bees loving the flower meadows - we sow about 10 acres every spring on the farm.
Mentor beekeepers who work with us also have extra hives and feed into Hiveshare, which is great news.
We haven't harvested honey yet on Brookfield Farm, but we will be getting to that lovely golden sticky treasure in coming weeks.
Your Hiveshare honey we plan to get to you late autumn - if you can't come to the Honey Celebration on 1st September. You will receive your honey share at the Honey Celebration if you attend. We will then deliver honey shares to remaining Hivesharers 2019, and we'll be in touch about delivery and collection.
We have had great interest recently in our beekeeping and farming and candlemaking.
Brookfield Farm was buzzing with the super news that we won a high profile farming award. The inaugural RDS Talamh award for sustainable farming was awarded this summer to Brookfield Farm.
Sustainable Farming
This RDS award celebrates the efforts made by an individual or farm family who are adding value to their on-farm activities through entrepreneurship, new product development, and marketing.
We are so proud...
We are also nominated this year for the Farming for Nature awards for Hiveshare and our efforts to support the native Irish bee on Brookfield Farm.
And the Tipperary Food Producers's children's book will be promoted this winter - we are participating with our friends in Tipperary Food Producers to promote a fun book about food that we produced together recently. A VR film was made recently on Brookfield Farm and five other Tipperary Food Producers' farms.
The Taste Of Lough Derg food series will have an event from Brookfield Farm this autumn. We are planning a Yoga session led by Emma from Yoga in Terryglass on the lakeshore at Brookfield followed by delicious nibbles and elderflower drinks.
Don't miss our other fun days out on the farm - check out Heritage week late August when we plan a badger watch and stargazing evening!
Goodness, they are colourful! We have about 10 acres of flower meadows sown on the farm to help the bees. All insects like the flowers - Cornflowers, daisies, phacelia, linseed and lots more.
There is a lovely blue and yellow and red show of flowers up on the hill. Cornflower and poppies are dominant in the lower fields and flax flowers have seeded which is really pretty.
These pollinator and bird friendly flower meadows will stand all winter, giving shelter to wildlife and seeds to feed the birds.
Harvest time
This July we made arable silage with spring barley and undersowed with a multispecies grass sward. We will save the grain barley fields later in the summer.
Emma did a lovely yoga pose on a bale last year, and I thought it should be revisited!
We are sold out! Don't despair though, will have a few lambs ready shortly. Order now..and don't miss out. Reserve your tasty and healthy lamb for autumn and winter dinners.
Any questions? Email hello@brookfield.farm
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Ailbhe Gerrard, a recent entrant to farming, took home the Talamh Sustainable Farming Award. In 2010, she purchased a farm on the Tipperary side of Lough Derg, which now produces organically certified sheep and honey.
The Brookfield Farm visitor experience currently welcomes visitors for educational farm walks and talks and candle-making demonstrations. The next phase of development envisages developing a small visitor centre to allow more visitors to take part in candle-making demonstrations.
To read the article in full CLICK HERE
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You are very welcome to Brookfield Farm Hiveshare 2019. This is the fifth year for Hiveshare, already! We are very pleased to have fulfilled all our Hiveshare honey committments for the first four years, and apart from the amazing summer of 2018, generally in difficult circumstances for bees.
So this is your first update on your hive in 2019. Hiveshare 2019 runs from November 2018, and Hiveshare Cert no. 1448 and higher.
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A magnificent display of starlings gathering over Lough Derg has been captured on video by Coolbawn farmer Ailbhe Gerrard.
Ailbhe, who farms at Brookfield Farm, spotted the display - called a murmuration - earlier this month and posted her video online to Facebook.
https://www.tipperarylive.ie/video/home/357084/watch-tipperary-farmer-ailbhe-gerrard-captures-murmuration-of-starlings-over-lough-derg.html
]]>Watch: Tipperary farmer Ailbhe Gerrard captures murmuration of starlings over Lough Derg
FANTASTIC DISPLAY AS THOUSANDS OF BIRDS TAKE TO THE AIR
https://www.tipperarylive.ie/video/home/357084/watch-tipperary-farmer-ailbhe-gerrard-captures-murmuration-of-starlings-over-lough-derg.html
Ailbhe, who farms at Brookfield Farm, spotted the display - called a murmuration - earlier this month and posted her video online to Facebook.
"It’s astonishing that more than 35,000 people have seen this video I made - in their Facebook and Instagram feeds - and more than 15,000 people have clicked to view the video. I’m astonished and delighted at how people have wanted to share this natural phenomenon. Nature is such a power to affect the human spirit, and it’s great that people want to connect with nature," Ailbhe told the Tipperary Star.
She was was aware of the starlings flocking as Brookfield Farm is on Lough Derg and she can see starlings gathering to flock from November to March. A friend, Amie in Luska also spotted the murmuration, but Ailbhe said that the flocks had been getting bigger lately.
She said that such murmurations are a common sight on Lough Derg, but, as a natural phenomenon, you never know exactly where the birds will gather and fly and finally roost.
Ailbhe is involved with the group, Community Supported Agriculture, and they had a planning meeting on her farm when the murmuration was unfolding and she bought them along to see it.
"They were amazed," she said.
Ailbhe's approach to farming is not limited to food – she also tries to produce better land for nature - and she was recently nominated for a Farming for Nature award, which, she said was a great honour.
"This is particularly enthusing for me as I’m farming in a way to try to help biodiversity and nature. Land management on Brookfield Farm is designed to provide safe spaces for insects - and of course this benefits birds, mammals and water living beings," she said.
Brookfield Farm has also been shortlisted for the RDS Forestry awards and the inaugural RDS Talamh Awards for Sustainable Farming, which take place this April.
We wish you and yours a peaceful and merry time.
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Welcome to your July Hiveshare newsletter. Hiveshare 2018 Honey Celebration is nearly with us -Sunday August 19th. We can't wait! Please book here if you would like to come for the day on the farm (free to Hivesharers, but need to book). And there is an additional attraction, a delicious Brookfield lamb bbq on offer too.
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Welcome to your Brookfield Farm + Spring Hiveshare newsletter. (OOPS, should have sent this newsletter out before now, summer update is coming soon!) Remember the snow in March? Well click here for hives covered in snow...
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Not only bees- Lamb too! Organic grassland with lakeshore herbs is an important part of our farm. We know that grassland is important for biodiversity, wild hares and other animals love our meadows. Also the grassland grows wildflowers for our bees.
]]>Organic grassland with lakeshore herbs is an important part of our farm. We know that grassland is important for biodiversity, wild hares and other animals love our meadows. Also the grassland grows wildflowers for our bees. And where there is grass, we have a small flock of store lambs. Our sheep have a wonderful life, gambolling on the meadows and playing 'king of the castle' on boulders. Our customers tell us that our lamb is absolutely delicious, a cut above supermarket meat. You can book a half or a whole delicious carefully reared lamb. We have a few lambs ready to go now which can be delivered to your door in a week or two. So hurry and get your order in! That's winter's dinners sorted! Any questions? email lamb@brookfield.farm
'Succulent and delicious.. conveniently delivered to the door' Claire, Winner of the Brookfield Farm 'Win a lamb for Christmas' competition' 'Just as an FYI the actual lamb was delicious' David 'We got our lovely lamb! Thanks very much!' Anne Louise 'Delicious! Highly recommend it, .... slow roast lamb shoulder with thyme and fennel seeds ... kids demolish all the chops, well worth it.' Morwenna
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Welcome to your Brookfield Farm Autumn newsletter. How was your summer? We loved this summer, although it wasn't quite as sunny and leisure filled as we would have liked.
We really enjoyed all our farm open days this summer. We had a lovely sunny day for our Brookfield Farm biodiversity walk and honey tasting July 23rd.
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Welcome to your Brookfield Farm + Spring Hiveshare newsletter.
We have lots of exciting news this newsletter - starting with this new very pretty short film on Brookfield Farm landscape and produce.
Film by ben.ie, lovely photos by nathalie.ie. First commissioned by Image Interiors and Living Magazine.
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And do have a look at the gorgeous landscape of Brookfield Farm where we make your delicious Hivegifts!
]]>Have a look here at Nathalie's blog feature
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Where to find Brookfield Farm handmade beeswax candles, raw honey and beeswax cosmetics?
We are delighted to tell you that Brookfield Farm hive products are now stocked in some gorgeous places, with more coming soon...
]]>We are delighted to tell you that Brookfield Farm hive products are now stocked in some gorgeous places, with more coming soon:
Treat yourself to our handmade beeswax candles, raw honey and beeswax cosmetics!
You are very welcome to Brookfield Farm Hiveshare 2017. This is the third year for Hiveshare, already! We are very pleased to have fulfilled all our Hiveshare honey deliveries for the first two years, in difficult circumstances for bees.
So this is your first update on your hive in 2017. Hiveshare 2017 runs from September 2016, and Hiveshare Cert no. 1178 and higher. Any questions on Hiveshare and how it works?
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Have a peek at the farm in winter - this lovely film clip was made by the talented Ben and Nathalie from Image Interiors Magazine.
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Welcome to your Autumn Hiveshare newsletter. We enjoyed all the Hivesharers visiting Brookfield Farm for the 2016 Honey Celebration on Sunday August 21st. Happy Hivesharers collected their honey boxes full of Brookfield Farm delicious honey and had a lovely rural day, although it was a little damp in the afternoon. A Hivesharer sent on beautiful photos of the day - thank you David!
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Welcome to your August Hiveshare newsletter. We have more news this issue. Hiveshare 2016 Honey Celebration is nearly with us -Sunday August 21st. We can't wait!
We are adding interesting bee information and great farm photos and videos on facebook - like our page to get them!
]]>Thank you, Ailbhe
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Delighted to show the new produce photos.
Hand poured, hand dipped and hand made! Brookfield Farm delicious, all natural and precious pure beeswax candles are here...
]]>Hand poured, hand dipped and hand made! Brookfield Farm delicious, all natural and precious pure beeswax candles are here...
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Brookfield Farm invites Hivesharers and friends to our first Honey Celebration.
The harvest is in, let's celebrate! Three foodie farm events prepared for you on 12 and 13 September - hope you can come to them all.
]]>The harvest is in, let's celebrate! Three foodie farm events prepared for you on 12 and 13 September - hope you can come to them all.
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Welcome to your Brookfield Farm Hiveshare summer newsletter.
Come to our Honey Celebration!
You are invited to the Brookfield Farm Honey Celebration on Saturday 12th September! We are really excited about this 1st Honey Celebration. We’re planning some lovely events as part of the ‘A Taste of Lough Derg Festival’.
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