Carbery Farmers

Kevin Ahern - Shinagh Estates Dairy Farm

Kevin is the farm manager of the Shinagh Estates Dairy farm in Bandon, Co. Cork. Shinagh Farm has 102ha, a milking platform of 82 ha, with another 20ha of mainly silage ground. The overall stocking rate is 2.57 cows per hectare. Alan Murphy is the full time farm assistant. The herd compromises of 250 Spring calving cows, with 84% calving in 6 weeks. All replacement heifers are contract reared. The farm supplied 431kg of milk solids per cow to Bandon Co-op in 2020. The EBI of the herd is 171 and replacement heifers are €195. There is a 20 unit parlour, good cow housing & farm infrastructure

Stephen & Hillary Buttimer

Stephen and Hillary are farming in Ballineen with their children Brian and Ethan. They milk 116 cows through a 16 unit parlour. The farm in total is 84 hectares and the cow grazing area is 42ha, giving a milking platform stocking rate of 2.76cows/ha. There is also 8 ha of tillage. The overall farm stocking rate is 2.1 livestock per hectare. The herd EBI is €137 and the replacement heifers are €159. The herd supplied 531kg of milk solids to Lisavaird Co-op in 2020. The replacement heifers are reared on the farm. It is a spring calving herd with 73% of the herd calving in 6 weeks.

John & Annette O’Donoghue

John and Annette are farming beside the Bandon River in Ballinadee with their family of Paddy, Ciara, Aine and Jack. They milk 135 cows on a 46 ha grazing platform. They farm 62 ha in total with the outside ground used for the replacement heifers and silage. The overall farm stocking rate is 2.5 LU / ha. This herd supplied 514kg milk solids / cow to Bandon Co-op in 2020. It is a spring calving herd with 77% of cows calving in 6 weeks. The EBI of the cows is €167 and replacement heifers are €183. The herd is milked through a 16 unit parlour and there are good cow housing and farm roadways.

Peadar O’Driscoll

Peadar is farming a fragmented farm of 46ha at Churchcross, Skibbereen. The overall farm stocking rate is 2.5 livestock units per hectare. He is milking 64 cows through a 12 unit parlour, on a grazing platform of 30 hectares. He sold 450kg of milk solids per cow in 2020 to Drinagh Co-op. The herd is spring calving with 73% of the herd calving in 6 weeks. Peadar’s herd EBI is €77. The heifers that joined the herd in 2021 were €131 EBI. The farm rears all its own replacements on farm, using the outside blocks of land for both this and silage. The farm roadways and cow housing are very good.

Dermot & Linda Walsh

Dermot and Linda Walsh are farming in Lislevane, Bandon with their children Tadgh, Aoife, Maebh and Eoin. They milk 84 cows supplying Barryroe Co-op. The farm is 35 ha and has an overall stocking rate of 2.85 cows / ha. All the farm can be grazed with milking cows. All replacements are contract reared off the farm. The farm is spring calving with 88% of the herd calving in 6 weeks. The herd sold 502kg of milk solids per cow in 2020. The EBI of the herd is €148 and the replacement heifers are €187. There is a 16 unit parlour and good housing and farm roadways.