Lakeland Dairies Signpost Farmers
Alan Clarke, Killinkere, Virginia, Co. Cavan
Alan farms with his father Tommy. Dairying is the main enterprise, milking 140 cows. He has students working with him in the Springtime as well as relief milking. They are farming 96Ha & soil type is heavy. The overall stocking rate is 160kg organic N/Ha. EBI of the herd is €145 & the heifers are €181. 6 week calving rate is 89%. The cows produced 459kg MS/cow in 2020. Grass grown on the farm was 12.3t DM/Ha in 2020. Facilities on the farm are good including an 18 unit parlour, cubicle space for 146 cows, 30 paddocks with multiple access points & 2 underpasses. Teagasc Advisor is Niamh Lynch.
Dermot Heaney, Kilberry, Navan, Co. Meath
Dermot farms 113Ha with help from his son. He has one full time hired labour unit with students in the Spring time. Dairying is the main enterprise, milking 250 cows. Overall stocking rate is 241kg organic N/Ha. EBI of the herd is €189 & the heifers are €246. 6 week calving rate is 87%. The cows produced 467kg MS/cow in 2020. Soil type free draining. Grass grown on the farm was 13.0t DM/Ha in 2020. Good facilities on the farm with a 24 unit parlour, cubicle space for 248 cows, grazing infrastructure with all paddocked with 5m roads leading to paddock, and good silage storage facilities.
Kevin & Enda Farrell, Ballymahon, Co. Longford
Kevin & Enda farm together. Dairying is the main enterprise, milking 108 cows. Family members do relief milking for them. They are farming 61Ha with food soil quality. Overall stocking rate was 212kg organic N/Ha in 2020 but expected to fall to 180kg organic N/Ha in 2021. EBI of the herd is €162 & the heifers are €196. 6 week calving rate is 84%. The cows produced 377kg MS/cow in 2020 (all heifers in 2020). Facilities on the farm include a 14 unit parlour with space for 20 units, cubicle space for 119 cows, good grazing facilities with new paddocks and roadway. Teagasc Advisor is Seamus Nolan.
Kieran McDermot, Corkimmons, Clones, Co. Monaghan
Kieran farms 56Ha in 1 block. He is milking 90 high EBI cows and rearing replacements, the overall stocking rate was 171kg organic N/Ha in 2020. The herd produced 453kg MS/cow in 2020, with a herd EBI of €118. 6 week calving rate is 89%. The EBI of 2021 calves is €204. The farm mixed soil types ranging from heavy clay soils to free draining light. Facilities on the farm includes a 14 unit parlour with cubicle space for 106 cows. Grazing infrastructure is continually upgraded and developed on the farm.
Michael Clarke, Gaybrook, Mullingar, Co. Westmeath
Michael is farming with his wife Lynn and son Liam. Dairying is the main enterprise, milking 255 cows. They are farming 167.74Ha. The overall stocking rate is 180kg organic N/Ha. The EBI of the herd is €159 & the heifers are €201. The 6 week calving rate is 79%. The cows produced 454kg MS/cow in 2020. Soil type is 50% peat and 50% heavy loom. Estimated grass grown on the farm as 12t DM/Ha in 2020. Facilities on the farm are good with a 24 unit parlour, cubicle space for 280 cows, good grazing infrastructure with a good central roadway with spurs. The silage pit needs refurbishment.
Shaun Maguire, Toberlion, Ballyconnell, Co. Cavan
Shaun in partnership with wife Trina are milking a 127 dairy cows on a 46Ha milking platform. In total the farm consists of 80 hectares, giving the farms fragmented nature the outside blocks are used for replacement heifer rearing and silage production. Soil quality is good. 2020 herd supplied 531kg MS/Cow. 6 week calving rate is 70%, with a calving interval of 371 days. Herd EBI is €125, with 2021 calves averaging €186. Shaun uses a large team of High EBI black and white bulls, which are being selected to target improvements in fertility, and milk composition.