"A Better Way to Farm..."

Gills House Organic Farm, sits on the banks of the River Bann, just outside the town of Coleraine. In the McKee family for three generations, the beautiful old farm house is now home to David, his wife Sandra and their two daughters. Sandra works as a nurse in nearby Coleraine General Hospital.
"I may just be the last of the McKees" to farm this land, David laughs, when asked about the possibility his teenage daughters taking over the running of the farm one day. So far, their career interests lie elsewhere.

Making the decision to go organic

Indeed, it is a gruelling schedule as David works 14 hours a day, 7 days a week to care for his herd of 70 cows, milking twice a day. The decision to switch to organic came in 2001 when David's father was due to retire: "We had 120 cows and I knew that I would need to reduce the numbers. More land for fewer cows opened up the possibility of switching to organic so following some research, I decided to begin the conversion process." Like many of Northern Ireland's organic farmers, David attended Greenmount Agricultural College to take a short course in organics - but as one of the first farms to convert, it's fair to say that he has learned much more from the practice of going organic than the theory could ever provide. It became evident that the herd would need to evolve to better meet the needs of organic farming. David has been cross-breeding his friesian herd with dairy short horn cattle, a traditional breed very well suited to the organic style of production. The result, he says, are more contented cows.

"The cows reap the rewards, with much less stress"

Not surprisingly, David maintains that organic milk tastes better than conventional, but for him the real benefits of organic agriculture are seen in the effects on the environment and in animal welfare. "It's a less intensive way of farming when you remove chemical fertilisers from the soil and certainly the cows reap the rewards with fewer health problems and much less stress."

A stroll around the farm at milking time reveals a picturesque and peaceful scene. In the distance, across the fields, the River Bann glints in the early evening sunshine and the cows, in an array of colours from black and white to the dramatic and beautiful grey shade known as blue, gather at the gate, waiting to be brought through to the milking parlour. "I wouldn't want to go back to farming conventionally," says David. "This is a better way to farm – a more sustainable way that will benefit the generations to come."