22/09/2026
Agroforestry for Water Quality & Resilience walk-and-talk events including visit to 37 year old established Silvopasture at Loughgall.
Farm Walk Series
Hosted by the Irish Agroforestry Forum in collaboration with Trees on the Land, GrowIN, Ulster Wildlife, the Rivers Trust and the Blackwater River Catchment Trust and Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council.
These walks are supported by the Shared Island Fund provided by the Department of Foreign Affairs.
Join us for a series of farm walks exploring how integrating trees onto productive farms can protect and improve water quality, mitigate flooding, and boost farm resilience. These walks offer a practical look at how trees manage nutrient run-off, enhance soil infiltration, and restore waterways. The walk series will include visits to farms to see a newly planted site, farms planning systems and 37 year old established trials at Loughgall. Whether you are a farmer, landowner, advisor, forester or student, these visits will provide valuable information and knowledge on how to integrate trees into farming systems so they provide ecosystem services that will help and support production and the environment. Please wear appropriate footwear -boots/wellingtons and bring a waterproof coat.
Book: https://www.irishagroforestry.ie/farm-walks
Event Details
Dates: 5th – 8th October 2026
Schedule & Locations:
Day 1 (Oct 5): We are still waiting on confirming a farm for this date.
Day 2 (Tuesday Oct 6): Bronagh O’Kane Farm. 33 Lower Kildress Road, Cookstown BT80 9RN. Start Time 11am.
Day 3 (Wednesday Oct 7): Derek McClement’s Farm. Favour Royal Rd, Aughnacloy BT69 6BR. Start Time 11am
Day 4 (Oct 8): AFBI Loughgall Research Station. AFBI, Loughgall. AFBI Deerpark farm, Drumilly Road, Loughgall, BT61 8JH. Start Time 10am
All welcome to attend. These walks are suitable for farmers, advisors, students, policy makers, members of the public and anyone interested in how trees can protect and improve water quality.
Registration & Contact: Free to attend, but registration is required to ensure parking availability.
Day 1
Monday October 5th (TBC)
Day 2
Tuesday October 6th
Farm walk at Bronagh O’Kane’s, 33 Lower Kildress Road, Cookstown BT80 9RN
Come, see, and talk about trees for water quality, soil health, wildlife and livestock. Bronagh's farm boosts biodiversity through practical sustainable farming. Adaptive multi-paddock grazing is practised with longer rest and recovery times between grazing periods alongside sowing diverse seeds and encouraging the native seed bank to flourish to keep the soils healthy. She creates habitats by planting trees, establishing an orchard, carefully managing hedgerows and operating an apiary on the farm this helps increase setting of clovers and pollinates the orchard and many trees. The farm uses no chemicals, preferring to use natural soil amendments, with some made on farm and some from the on-farm wormery. To cut down on air pollution, she treats slurry biologically to reduce ammonia and manages farmyard manure to make a more compost- like product. A developing pond and new tree planting will add new wetland space, making the farm a great mix of habitats for wildlife.
Day 3
Wednesday October 7th
Derek McClements, Favour Royal Rd, Aughnacloy BT69 6BR. Start Time 11am
Join us to see and discuss the exciting planting plans on Derek’s farm that spans both sides of the River Blackwater outside Aughnacloy. The plan takes a holistic approach, looking at how best we can use various types of tree cover including pockets of trees, hedgerows, shelterbelts, parkland trees, and riparian planting across the entire farm to deliver multiple benefits for his farm enterprise, water quality, and biodiversity. The planning and design approach highlights how working closely with the farmer can identify significant opportunities for their farm and the wider environment.
Day 4
Thursday October 8th. AFBI Deerpark farm, Loughgall, Co.Armagh. Start Time 10am at the Church Hall in Loughgall Village. St Luke's Parish Hall, 8 Ballygasey Rd, Loughgall, Armagh BT61 8HY.
Visit to see the 36 year old Silvopasture site at AFBI Loughgall, Co.Armagh. FBI Deerpark farm, Drumilly Road, Loughgall, BT61 8JH. Start time 10am at the farm yard, link to parking below.
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