Tommy Tierney from Ardfinnan, Co Tipperary, has been crowned the Philip Reck Soil Farmer of the Year.

The annual award is presented by BASE (Biodiversity, Agriculture, Soil, Environment) Ireland every year in memory of one of the group's founding members Philip Reck.

Tommy was presented with the award at BASE Ireland's soil dependence event, which was held on the farm of Michael and Norman Dunne in Maynooth, Co Kildare, on Thursday 4 July.

Presenting the award, Rob Coleman of BASE Ireland said that Tommy is pushing the boundaries in soil conservation. He is using a no-till establishment system, reducing pesticide use and growing cover crops.

Focus on health

Tommy is a tillage farmer and places a big focus on soil health and feeding crops to make them healthy. This in turn helps to reduce fungicide levels.

Tommy produces his own compost on the farm. He has a worm farm and makes up different biological mixes to spray on plants and the soil to try to increase soil microorganism activity.

To read more about Tommy, click here.