Don’t miss attending the CAFRE Uplands Open Day
August 29, 2025
Have you booked a tour of the College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise’s (CAFRE’s) Hill Farm? Join us on Wednesday 3 September at the Hill Farm Centre, Glenwherry. The Uplands Open Day has been jointly organised with Teagasc. The event will highlight the importance of livestock enterprises and how they play an integral role in the management of upland habitats. You will hear how integrated management delivers economic, environmental and social outcomes for everyone. The aim of the event is to bring environmental outcomes and uplands livestock production together demonstrating their important and mutually beneficial relationship.
Guided tours of the Hill Farm will run from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. There will be four stops at various points along the route.
Stop 1. Hill Sheep and Habitat Management
Visitors will hear about the CAFRE hill and upland flocks with an overview of their management and performance. The integral role the flocks have in managing the Glenwherry upland habitat will be discussed. The Irish Grouse Conservation Trust will outline some of the additional management techniques that are used to ensure birds and biodiversity thrive on the farm.
Stop 2. Emissions associated with peatland – Glenwherry case study
At this stop attendees will be presented with the baseline and current carbon emission figures for the CAFRE Hill Farm. Plans for future work and the impact this will have on overall emissions generated by the farm will be discussed. An overview of the carbon balance research being carried out at Glenwherry will be provided by Ulster University.
Stop 3. Habitat improvements in practice
Here, visitors will be shown some of the work which has taken place at the farm to improve the quality of the vegetation and habitat condition. In addition, the importance of having a plan for habitat improvements in upland areas and the multiple benefits habitat restoration can have for birds, mammals and livestock will be discussed.
Stop 4. Hill sucklers and habitat management
The final stop will focus on the Hill Farm suckler cow enterprise. It is focused on breeding moderate sized, efficient cows suited to the environment, producing superior replacement females and a high value beef animal which will target mainstream and added value markets, generating a viable income. These animals have been instrumental in improving the habitat on areas of the farm for ground nesting birds, particularly a group of outwintered cows. The RSPB will highlight the improvements in the breeding wader habitat that have been achieved through appropriate grazing management with the cows through the winter months.
Sheep Unit
In addition to the main tour of the Hill Farm, smaller tours of the CAFRE Sheep Unit will be available to those who are interested in exploring the design of this facility and understanding some of the many innovations integrated within the shed itself.
This Open Day promises to be a key knowledge transfer event for upland farmers, livestock managers, habitat and peatland researchers, advisers and practitioners. To book your place on a tour click here.
Registration and booking your time slot for a tour at the CAFRE Hill Farm Open Day is recommended, however anyone who wishes to attend and has not registered will be accommodated on the next available tour when they arrive.