Business blossoms for farming duo committed to preserving environment

Agri-food innovators Richard and Leona Kane planted four acres of wildflowers and sunflowers as part of their commitment to nature friendly farming on their extensive farm near Myroe in Co Derry.

The wildflowers are featured by the husband and wife team with arable crops including wheat, barley and oil seed rape on their 700-acre Broglasco Farm which has a track record of successful innovation.

The oilseed rape support’s Leona’s outstandingly successful Broighter Gold Rapeseed Oils which are now sold throughout the island of Ireland and shipped to

Great Britain, France and, most recently, Dubai. Broighter Gold’s multi-award winning culinary oils are now the preferred choice of leading chefs here and further

afield.

Broglasco Farm is an outstanding example of the work of many farms across Northern Ireland on sustaining the environment and in successful diversification into food production and other industries such as engineering and tourism.

“As well as indicating our commitment to the local environment, the wildflowers encourage the bee population and my developing honey production. Richard also sprays as little as possible, another indication of our commitment to sustainability,” expalins Leona, mum of two youngsters.

“News Letter readers will be aware of the growing global pressures on our bees. Raising bees contributes hugely to the work of the farm and especially in growing crops such as oilseed rape for our successful culinary oils. I am also an ambassador for the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and as such I’ve supported initiatives such as ‘BeeConnected’ to protect honey bees which play such a crucial role in crop pollination.”

The couple began working with bees a few years ago as part of the focus on sustainability. Leona set up a couple of hives and began studying bee keeping techniques and honey production.

“Honey has become one the fastest growing products in artisan foods,” she continues. “This is the outcome of strenuous efforts being made to secure the future of the vitally important bumblebee threatened in the US and Europe by countryside changes. We’ve planted wildflowers because of their sharp decline over the years. There are now far fewer wildflowers in the landscape, meaning that many bumblebee species are struggling to survive. Several species of bumblebees have already been declared endangered. In the UK, for instance, two species have been listed as extinct because technology and demand for more food have led to a reduction in the abundance of wildflowers.”

The approach is in line with research showing that the UK has already lost 97 per cent of flower-rich grassland. Bees, of course, are great pollinators, and, therefore, have a key role to play in producing natural food. Through the pollination of many commercial crops such as tomatoes, peas, apples and strawberries, insects are estimated to contribute over £400 million per annum to the UK economy and £10 billion per annum to the EU economy.

Leona continues: “Richard’s approach to spraying pesticides and fertilisers, furthermore, is also influenced by his involvement with the BASIS organisation which

provides guidance on the use, handling and storage of such chemicals.”

Broglasco Farm honey could soon join the hugely successful culinary oils developed and cold-pressed on the farm for almost a decade. The impressive range of original and flavour infused include basil, chilli, rosemary and garlic, lemon, Thai, and black truffle. The small enterprise has also made a major contribution to the emergence of rapeseed oil as healthy alternative to mainstream cooling oils.

A string of UK Great Taste and Blas na hEireann food awards have endorsed the quality and flavours of the oils from Broglasco oilseed rape over the past six years. In another important diversification in line with its focus on natural foods, Broglasco Farm recently acquired an established producer of premium carrots in Co Derry. The couple have since planted around 20 acres this year of carrots on the farm in their dedication to ensure the growth of this important business. The company intends to expand marketing of the carrots locally and further afield.

Leona says: “We reckoned that carrots would fit in well with our rapeseed oil business, as they are a healthy, local and safe product. We acquired the plant and

machinery as part of the investment and are committed to continue the development of the business as a producer of quality carrots. We have handpicked five varieties of carrots, two of which are popular bulking varieties, and three for shoppers based on taste, colour and other consumer preferences. Our aim is to develop products which will offer consumers something deliciously different and in line with market requirements.”

In addition to the development of rapeseed oil, honey and now carrots, the progressive family farm has expanded into industrial tourism by developing an exhibition centre through membership of the international EconoMusee workshop network that enables visitors to see how the oilseed rape is grown, harvested, processed and then cold pressed by Leona into highly prized culinary oils for food preparation.

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