Farming for Nature Ambassador Lisa Gifford

Farming for Nature is delighted to have Lisa Gifford, Leitrim Hill Creamery in our ambassador network. Lisa grew up in the US. Her Irish roots brought her back to Ireland and in 2016 she purchased a small farm in Drumcong. Lisa said “When I came to Ireland many years ago, the beauty of the place touched a sympathetic cord in my heart and I said to myself maybe someday I will come back. And here I am.” Lisa manages the smallholding with her daughter Gypsy Gifford and daughter-in-law Richelle South. There is a range of stock on the farm including goats, sheep, pigs and chickens. The main commercial aspect of the farm is milking goats and producing farmhouse goats cheese that is sold direct to customers at local farmers markets. Lisa is particularly interested in rare-breed goats such as the Irish Goat. Much of the grassland is diverse in plant, grass and herb species, and the remaining land will be reseeded with a multispecies mix suitable for goats. External inputs are low and the farm is very extensively managed. There are mature hedgerows around the farm and they are planting trees on the land and in field corners to provide shelter and improve soil structure, as well as creating additional habitat for wildlife. Lisa takes great pride in the diversity of this farming system, as well as the fresh, natural product created on the farm. Lisa says ‘Ethics and economics can co-exist. What is necessary is shared values’. Thanks to NPWS and DAFM for supporting the making of this video.