Callout for organic oat growers continues

Flahavan’s were delighted to once again host their popular annual networking and educational Irish Organic Oat Growers Conference recently at the Dunamaise Arts Centre in Portlaoise recently. Over 150 organic oat growers were in attendance along with a panel of six expert speakers.

On the night organic oat grower James O’Connell of Thurles, Tipperary was announced winner of the 2025 Flahavan’s Organic Oat Grower of the Year Award, recognising his efforts and dedication in producing outstanding quality oats.

A pre-event reception gave growers a chance to arrive early to network with each other and meet with organic bodies including the Organic Trust, National Organic Training Scheme, Irish Organic Association and The Organic Beef and Lamb Innovation Group (OBLIG).

Expert presentations were provided on the night by John Geraghty (SETU researcher & agricultural consultant) who educated the audience on soil health, Niall Ryan (of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine) who provided a Department organic farming update and announced the Organic Farming Scheme is to open again mid-November prioritizing tillage farmers in 2026, Professor Martin Danaher (Research Officer at Teagasc) who presented live research on Fusarium in cereals and mitigation strategies to prevent and supress Fusarium growth pre and post-harvest and beyond, Organic Tillage Specialist with Teagasc Martin Bourke on soil fertility research and organic oats profitability and Margaret Farrell (Teagasc Climate Action & Sustainability Advisor) encouraging farmers to calculate the carbon footprint of their crops with the recently launched tillage capability within AgNav (agnav.ie).

The closing panel section, an always popular segment, consisted of organic oat growers James O’Connell, Matt Hennessy, Joe Nolan and Pat O’Connor with John Geraghty as chairperson.