Future Oak Farm

21/05/2026

A brilliant day speaking at Glenveagh National Park today on the journey from Future Oak Farm to the development of Charge!

Huge thanks to the team at for the invitation and for the incredible work they’re doing to restore native woodland ecosystems through careful management of grazing pressure from wild deer populations. It’s a powerful reminder that food systems, ecology and landscape restoration are deeply connected.

Events like these also showcase the incredible work being carried out by NGOs, community groups and grassroots projects across the country. It was inspiring to hear from and reconnect with people doing real, impactful work on the ground — including the good folk at and . There’s a growing movement of people proving that regeneration isn’t just possible, it’s already happening.

In many ways, it mirrors the work we’re trying to do at Future Oak Farm: rebuilding soil, biodiversity and resilient local food systems while exploring how modern food products can still remain rooted in ecology, place and community.

That’s exactly where Charge! came from.

A high-protein savoury snack made from 100% wild Irish venison, developed to bring real food into modern busy lives — while supporting woodland regeneration and rural enterprise here in Donegal and beyond.

Really grateful to everyone who came along, asked questions and shared conversations afterwards. It feels like these ideas are beginning to connect across farming, conservation and food in a really exciting way.

The future of food can be regenerative, local and convenient. Join us over at .ie and help us continue the conversation.

17/05/2026

We spent yesterday at the Annual Gathering 2026 surrounded by people asking important questions about food, land, community resilience and the kind of future we want to build together. It was great to reconnect with .marya and Ollie Moore and .philip again too!

A recurring theme throughout the gathering was the need to rebuild local capacity and reconnect people to food systems, land and community. Huge respect as well to the work being done by , and Palestinian solidarity movements who continue to highlight how food sovereignty, land access and community self-determination are deeply connected.

For us, these conversations matter because farming is never just about production. It’s about culture, ecology, power, belonging and resilience. Decolonising food systems means rebuilding knowledge, restoring biodiversity, shortening supply chains and creating systems that nourish communities first rather than distant commodity markets.

Then today we were back on the farm for our biodiversity walk as part of National Biodiversity Week Ireland 2026.

We spent the afternoon discussing grazing as an ecological tool, closing water and nutrient cycles, and using permaculture-inspired design principles at farm scale here in Donegal. Practical conversations grounded in the belief that resilient communities begin with healthy ecosystems and local food systems.

And just after the final group left, a new calf arrived into the world. A pretty fitting reminder that all of this work is ultimately about continuity, stewardship and the generations still to come.

Growing soil. Growing food. Growing community.

08/05/2026

Join us on Sunday 17th May for a peek into our farm here in the hills!
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Meet the herd, see how we’ve integrated planned grazing + agroforestry design + ponds into our system and learn about the 4th dimension of our design philosophy!

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Sign up via the link in our bio to register for this FREE event.

28/04/2026

I had an interesting conversation recently with someone from a major agricultural institution. They questioned whether systems like ours “scale” because they don’t fit the demands of export commodity supply chains needing massive weekly throughput - 50,000 carcasses/week was mentioned as a benchmark.

But I think that misses the point entirely.

For decades, small farms — especially in the uplands of the west — were encouraged into increasingly high-input systems that often didn’t suit the land, the ecology, or the people managing them. Bigger machinery, more fertiliser, more feed, more debt, more dependency. Farmers became more ever more exposed while feeling less secure.

Our philosophy at Future Oak Farm has been the opposite.

Lower inputs. Better nutrient cycling. More biodiversity. Minimise and remove exposure to volatile fertiliser, fuel and feed markets. A system designed around our landscape and it's processes rather than against it.

We don’t believe the future of Irish farming is endless consolidation into anonymous global commodity chains. We believe the future is regional resilience, healthy soils, functioning ecosystems, viable family farms, and shorter supply chains that feed communities first before distributing the surplus.

There are still huge structural barriers to this approach in Ireland. But if we want a food system capable of weathering economic shocks, geopolitical instability, and ecological decline, those conversations need to happen. Luckily, we have organisations such as TalamhBeo to progress the conversation.

The future is local.
Now read this.
Adelante.

Ireland has a governance crisis, not a fuel crisis.

09/04/2026

We’re delighted to be named finalists in the RDS Sustainable Farming Awards 2026 🌿

Future Oak Farm is built on a simple idea — growing soil, growing food, growing community. To have that recognised at this level means a lot.

What started as an idea on rough upland ground in Donegal has grown into something much bigger — a working farm, a place for learning, and a space for community.

Massive thanks to everyone who has supported the journey so far.

23/02/2026

Join us on Sunday for our first volunteer day of 2026!
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We'll be walking the herd a leisurely 5km along country lanes to their spring grazing paddocks. It'll be a great opportunity to meet friends old and new and take in the stunning scenery around Lough Gartan and Derryveagh!
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We'll finish the walk with a hearty home cooked lunch and it looks like even the weather is going to play ball!🌞
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Sign up via the link in the bio for this free event!
Bígí linn!

15/02/2026

What a fantastic day with on Saturday. Out from Burtonport, motoring between the maze of islands to the open Atlantic at the back of - and Laura's first fishing experience!
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Who needs fancy dates for ? Make your date catch her own dinner and let the stunning backdrop of the Donegal coastline do the rest...🥰
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Huge thanks to JP at - we'll definitely be back when the longer days and warmer weather settles in!
10/10 would recommend!

13/02/2026

Putting it into action!

Great to hear John Hamilton's experience with the previous offering of Undertaking Farm Habitat Management via Donegal ETB!

The next course begins on 25th Feb and enrolment it now open at the link in the comments.

Bígí linn!

FacebookTweetLinkedInPrint Sponsored Post After more than 40 years farming, including 17 years organic, John Hamilton thought he had a good…

13/02/2026

Our upcoming course “Undertaking Farm Habitat Management” is now open for enrolment via
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Over 16 weeks, we’ll take a deep dive into the factors that continue to shape the agricultural landscape and you’ll gain a recognised qualification!
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Further details and joining information for this FREE training is at the link in the first comment, below.
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Come for the cat, stay for the craic… and qualification!🤓
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05/02/2026

We're delighted to be opening the conversation around food security, perennial food systems and biodiversity within our local community!

With support of the Seeds of Change grant via Change Makers Donegal and IDP, we're planning to develop a community orchard in our village park.

Join us next Thursday evening, 12th Feb, to get involved in the design process and connect with other green-fingered folk!

Bígí Linn!

🌱 We’re delighted to share that we’ve received funding via Seeds of Change and to help develop a community orchard in our village park.

This space will be shaped by the community, for the community — a place for fruit, berries, pollinators, learning, and connection.

📍 Join us for our first community design workshop
🗓 Thursday 12th February
⏰ 7pm
📍 The Boathouse, Gartan Outdoor Centre

Everyone is welcome. No gardening experience needed — just curiosity and ideas. Tea & coffee provided ☕