Teagasc/Kerry Agribusiness Joint Industry Programme

Programme Objective:

• To build on the efficiency and financial gains which programme participants have made in recent years.
• To position Kerry suppliers to profitably take advantage of growth opportunities that will arise following the abolition of the EU Milk Quota system.
• To encourage best practice in all aspects of sustainable dairy farming with an emphasis on continuous improvement.
• To ensure Kerry suppliers have access to leading Research and evaluate its relevance locally.

The key elements of the programme are:

• A monitor farm programme comprising 14 monitor farms.
• A discussion group programme with 1000 participants.
• A Heavy soils programme in conjunction with Teagasc Research.
• Ongoing focus on Milk Quality improvements in conjunction with the AHI cell check initiative

All suppliers are invited to participate in a range of meetings/farm walks throughout the year.

The physical, breeding and financial data provides a baseline from which progress can be measured over time.

The Kerry Agribusiness joint programme seeks to promote improvement in family farm income and Sustainable development of the farm business by encouraging the adoption of proven farm practices in the areas of Breeding, Grassland and Financial management.

The physical and financial data provided by monitor farmers and other suppliers allows each individual farm business to compare their own performance to others of similar size and with similar climate and soil type.

Both Kerry Agribusiness and Teagasc are thankful for the continuing support offered by monitor and other farmers in allowing their farms and farm data to be used in the ongoing farm walk programme throughout the year.