Laois farm hosting Ireland's first Farming For Nature summer festival

Laois is to welcome Ireland's first ever Farming for Nature Festival this summer, and local farmers are particularly welcome to come together for a day of practical learning, food and chat.

The inaugural Farming for Nature Festival (FFN) takes place at Ballykilcavan Farm & Brewery in Stradbally just after the summer solstice, on Monday and Tuesday, June 22 and 23, after summer solstice. 

For farmers interested in increasing their support of nature, it is a chance to meet others, hear from experts and learn techniques. 

It kicks off on Monday evening with a Solstice-Inspired evening dinner. A keynote speaker will take the mic alongside a celebration of food, fire, music and culture, offering a moment to reflect on the connections between farming, nature and the food produced on Irish farms.

The hands on training day is Tuesday, June 23, lasting 13 hours from 9:30am to 10:30pm.

There will be multiple learning spaces ranging from entry level sessions on how to add nature-friendly aspects to farms, up to "deep dive sessions" with BASE Ireland for farmers looking to build on their regenerative knowledge and systems.

There will be further drop-in workshops and live field demonstrations to teach practical skills. From 6:30pm, the focus shifts to fireside chats, offering open, engaging conversations before the evening continues with food, music and entertainment through to 10:30pm.

Lisa Doyle, Laois Biodiversity Officer spoke to the Leinster Express / Laois Live.

"We are delighted to welcome this new festival to Laois. We have a strong ACRES membership in Laois that I hope will atttend. We will have a stand there ourselves on how to create barn owl boxes. Ballykilcavan are ideal hosts, they have done lots of great things for biodiversity on their farm," she said.

"This is an ideal event to show how farms can work in harmony with natureand still be successful, because it is possible," Lisa said.

Lydia Lishman is the event organizer with FFN.

“This farmer-led gathering aims to provide a space for farmers to learn, connect, share knowledge, and explore practical, nature-based approaches to farming. The focus will be on real stories - the successes and the challenges and showing how good food begins with good farming. By involving a wide network of partners, we want to inspire change and grow the movement of farmers and producers working with nature,” Ms Lishman said.

The festival is led by Farming for Nature, a national farmer network established by Burrenbeo Trust. Core partners are BASE Ireland and National Organic Training Skillnet.

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Rob Coleman is the Chairman of BASE Ireland.

"There really will be something for everyone - no matter how they currently farm. We want to meet farmers where they are; whether that’s organic, fully conventional or somewhere in between. Our aim is simply to share real experiences and hopefully give people a few ideas they might bring home and try for themselves,” he said.

Tickets are now on sale, at €75 per person for both days including the Solstice Dinner, or €50 for Day 2.

The festival will have 25 spaces for exhibitors and trade stalls, for organisations, projects and businesses involved in farming, nature and the Irish food sector. They are also seeking food trucks and food vendors. Applications close on May 1, see online application here.

The Farming for Nature Festival 2026 is supported by Shared Island Civic Society Fund, Lifes 2 Good Foundation, National Parks and Wildlife Service and Dept of Agriculture, Food and Marine.