Limerick dairy farm cuts feed costs 96% with regenerative system

Feed costs on Tom Stack's 146ac dairy farm at Ballyagran, Co. Limerick, have fallen by around 96% since he switched to regenerative practices, with zero purchased feed for his 65-cow herd. Fertiliser use is down two-thirds, and the only field input he now applies is lime.

The figures mark a sharp turnaround from 2017, when the farm's bills totalled €47,500 across three categories. "Back in 2017, I had a vet bill of €7,500, I had a feed bill of €26,000 and a fertiliser bill of €14,000. I just thought to myself, there has to be another way," Tom said.

He took over the family farm in 2012, converted to organic in 2018, and began his regenerative transition after learning about the approach at that year's BioFarm conference. Korean Natural Farming (KNF), a method centred on cultivating soil biology rather than buying in inputs, became his framework. "I just looked at different principles of regenerative farming and KNF was the one for me," he said.

How the microbial system works

KNF reintroduces indigenous microorganisms (IMO), meaning the bacteria, fungi and other microbes already present on a specific farm, to build fertile soil without synthetic fertiliser, herbicide or pesticide. The advantage is adaptation: microbes gathered from his own land suit his soils and climate.

The collection process starts with wooden boxes of rice placed at points around the farm. Microorganisms colonise the rice, and after several further processing steps the result is a liquid IMO (LIMO) — a nutrient- and enzyme-rich brew that can be sprayed on fields and crops to build soil biology.

Tom manufactures his own nutritional supplements for the herd using natural inputs and processes, and grows his own grain. From a single hectare of arable land he produces up to 15t of a grain mix of peas, oats, barley and buckwheat. Part of it feeds calves; the rest becomes the base for his on-farm organic sprays under the KNF system.

Herd health and output

The herd has been antibiotic-free since 2017 and returned zero bovine TB reactors at its most recent test. Building immunity in the animals is one of Tom's stated priorities.

The system carries 93-114 head of cattle across the year at a stocking density of 1.3-1.5 livestock units (LU)/ha, the standard measure of grazing pressure. Annual output holds at 200,000-220,000L, or roughly 3,700L per cow — low by conventional Irish standards, but deliberate. The organic milk supplies Glenisk.

Where the margins land

Excluding subsidies, gross margin per litre ran at 40-58c between 2022 and 2025, well above the national average of 30-39c. Because output per hectare is lower by design, gross margin per hectare sits below the national average. Tom's answer is on-farm milk processing, rather than pushing productivity through higher-yield genetics.

Carrying no purchased feed and no synthetic nitrogen, phosphorus or potassium keeps the cost base down and the farm's economics steady, he argues. His advice to other farmers is to start with viability and self-sufficiency. "Everyone has their own journey and there's so many ways. I think the first step is to be viable as farmers," he said.

"It's the knowledge and education. But everyone has their own farm, everyone has their own mind, they can do what they want. But I just think just make that step, make that step to be self sufficient in a way."

Wider Irish evidence

Tom was among a group of Irish regenerative farmers who recently hosted farm walks alongside the European Alliance for Regenerative Agriculture (EARA). EARA's new report, Regenerating Systemic Risk: A Case Study on Ireland, argues that rising input costs, bovine TB, water pollution and young farmer decline share "shared systemic roots".

The report claims a transition to "regenerating forms of agriculture" could tackle all four problems at once, and that such a change is "achievable and economically viable". Farmers watching input prices should note the EARA case study work continues, with more farm walks and follow-up reporting expected as the alliance builds its Irish evidence base.