American woman who fell in love with the Irish countryside now runs successful goat farm in Leitrim
An American woman who fell in love with the Irish countryside now runs a successful goat farm in a County Leitrim village.
Lisa Gifford of Leitrim Hill Creamery, grew up in the US but her Irish roots brought her back to Ireland.
In 2016, she purchased a small farm in Drumcong.
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 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,” said Lisa.
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 believes that ‘Ethics and economics can co-exist. What is necessary is shared values’.
Lisa has now joined Farming for Nature Ambassador Network.
The network, founded in 2018, seeks to acknowledge and support farmers who farm, or wish to farm, in a way that will improve the natural health of the countryside.
Farming For Nature was set up with the aim to source, share and celebrate the stories of farmers across Ireland who manage their land in a way that sustains nature, while providing a livelihood for their family.
The Farming For Nature ambassador network is now 91 people strong and Lisa is one of Farming for Nature’s 10 new ambassadors in 2023.
The ambassadors come from across Ireland and include beef, sheep, goats, horses, dairy, horticulture and tillage farmers who manage a wide range of very valuable habitats including species-rich grasslands and heaths, wetlands, woodlands and hedgerows.
Lisa is hosting a Farming for Nature Ambassador walk on her farm on June 23 at 2pm.
Attendance costs €10 and booking is on farmingfornature.ie
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