Thomas Fennelly - Portarlington, Co. Laois
Teagasc Tirlan Future Farm Focus
Go To: Current Farm Update
- Tom is farming with his son David near Portarlington Co. Laois. They are farming 200 Ha.
- In 2023 they milked 330 cows and they have 83 in calf heifers. The plan is to milk 330 cows.
- The calving interval is 370 days with a six week calving rate of 92%.
Breeding 2024
David explains the breeding plans they have for this year for both their heifers and cows.
Farm Update
Thomas and David Fennelly
Farm Update 9th May 2025
Litres/Cow - 27.4
Fat % - 4.55
Protein % - 3.53
SCC - 115
Kg MS/Cow - 2.27
Meal Kg - 2
Average Farm Cover - 614
Cover/LU - 162
Pre Grazing Yield- 2000
Demand/Ha - 68
Growth Rate - 60
NMP Plan- YES
Thomas and David Fennelly, Portarlington, Co.Laois
Tom is farming with his son David near Portarlington Co. Laois.
Land - 200 Ha in three blocks
Soil fertility - overall soil fertility is 32%, the low K status is at 27% but the farm soil pH is 97% for soil pH above 6.3 and the farm has 89% at Index 3 and 4 for Phosphorus.
Cows - milking 330 cows in 2023 and they have 83 in calf heifers.
Milk - 520kgMS per head in 2022
Facilities - good, with new calf shed and silage pit built in 2022.
Calving interval - 370 days and six week calving rate of 92%
Grassland - reseeding programme has focused on multi species reseeds on both the milking platform and the heifer block.
Clover - there is some red clover on the milking platform which is for silage and grazing usually with the heifers.
This video gives an overview of the farm & changes made over the years. They are currently milking 180 cows & stocking rate is 2.45 LU/Ha. They joined the Programme, as they want to improve farm sustainability - both economically & environmentally. Water usage & energy usage will also be monitored.