Grain Eco Wins JFC Innovation Awards for Rural Business

Grain Eco is the first ever winner of the JFC Innovation Awards for Rural Business. Grain Eco is a group of six tillage farmers from Counties Kildare and Laois who came together to grow and distribute industrial grade oats to supply the wood pellet stove and boiler market.  The six farmers: Andrew Bergin, Liam Dunne, Colm Flynn, Mervyn McCann, Alan Salter and David Walsh-Kemmis are successful tillage farmers. The group has worked together for some years pooling resources such as: grain storage, a weighbridge and bulk purchasing materials.

These awards are sponsored by JFC and organised by Teagasc and the Irish Farmers Journal. The awards were presented to the winners at the Hodson Bay Hotel, Athlone on Tuesday, 13 March 2007.  In addition to the overall winner there were three category winners - Environmental/Energy, Manufacturing/Technology and Rural Tourism/ Value Added Food Production/Services.

Ben and Charlotte Colchester, Drumeen Farm, The Islands, Urlingford, Co. Kilkenny are the winners of the Energy/Environmental category award for their plans to diversify into organic rape seed production. Their innovative approach involves developing several products from the basic rape seed crop.

www.greenbee.ie is the winner of the Manufacturing/Technology category. The two young entrepreneurs, Jo Nash and Gina Geagan from Bundoran, County Donegal, were selected for developing www.greenbee.ie. This is a one-stop shop for everything renewable, sustainable and green. Greenbee is an online virtual marketplace and directory promoting sustainable living.

Gilligan Meats won the Value Added Food production category. Padraig Gilligan, Derrane Road, Fourmilehouse, County Roscommon, already has a reputation for premium quality products and is now diversifying into the production of tray-packed meat cuts to meet growing consumer demand. This is a niche market of locally produced farm food. Heifers are finished on a special diet and slaughtered, processed and packaged on the farm factory.

The JFC Innovation Awards for Rural Business is a new innovative award scheme aimed at farmers and the rural community. It is a kick-start competition with prizes awarded for business ideas and plans. The prize fund of €30,000 comprises cash, advertising, mentoring and business support.