Labour savings showcased at Teagasc/Aurivo Joint Programme walk

Farmers who attended the recent Teagasc/Aurivo Joint Programme walk on the farm of David Gannon, Kilconieron, Co. Galway, heard of his dairy farming story, the avenues used to secure labour and some of the labour saving techniques being used successfully on the farm.

John McCabe, Advisor on the Teagasc/Aurivo Joint Programme, shares the key details.

David is the Aurivo Focus Farmer for the area and has 170 cows. One of the main focuses of the programme is optimising labour, and David’s approach to running the farm was discussed in terms of employed help, contractors and the practices he does or does not do.

Employed help

David came home to farm after a number of years as a mechanical engineer in Galway City, where he had lots of interactions with people on a daily basis. David employs part-time help and also relief milkers. At the event, he highlighted how he loves having people around for company on the farm.

David Gannon

A lot of the people working on the farm are neighbours, David recounted, with whom he has a flexible relationship with. This help is sourced through David’s approach of being on the look at all times, with avenues such as sports teams, community events and by simply letting it be known locally that there is work available on his farm all used. Another way David finds help is through the people he already has employed. Students in particular talk to each other, so it is important that they have a good experience.

Equally, the event heard, where things are not working out, it is important that it ends in a courteous manner; failing to do so may make it harder to find the next person.

Reducing physical strain and contractors

Teagasc Dairy Advisor to the farm, Tom Murphy said that many farmers he has worked with over the years have also attended Ken Carr, an orthopaedic surgeon, for shoulder surgeries and other issues. A great discussion followed centred on trying to reduce the physical toll on the body from a career in dairy farming.

David never lifts milk out of the parlour or across the yard. He keeps a separate herd in the spring for cows that are not going into the tank. These cows are milked last and the pipe is taken out of the tank and connected to a bespoke pipe that goes through the wall of the dairy and outside into an IBC (figure 1 below). This tank can be lifted with the loader and transported down to the calf shed, a fitting compromise as a milk trolley wouldn’t work due to the topography of David’s yard.

Figure 1: Milk for feeding calves is piped directly from the parlour into an IBC tank

The parlour also had a few alterations made. David has recently installed soft foam mats in the pit. They really reduce strain and lots of farmers commented on them after the meeting. The consensus was that since the mats went in, they were far less fatigued after a milking than when they were standing on concrete and that it was money really well spent.

Contractors are huge link in the chain in David’s dairy farming business; spreading all slurry and some fertiliser during peak workload times. The use of contractors additionally for silage, AI and other tasks all play a key role in allowing David to focus on the profit end of the business.

Breeding

The breeding season was also mentioned as another key driver of workload, but also workload management. Calving starts around February 1 and 90% of the herd are calved before March 17. Although a compact calving period leading to a labour intensive period, it also brings efficiencies as no cow is milked on the farm over the Christmas period and January. They dry off every year – this can’t be underestimated.

Additionally, David has also moved to a 10-week breeding period. No cow will be bulled after July 8. Although empty rate increased from 6% to 12% in the first year of shortening the window, it has since returned to 6-7% which is excellent.

David finds this a huge help as very few calves arrive in April, meaning that by the middle of the month the day-to-day management of the farm is much simpler. It also provides him with the opportunity to take a short break with his wife Deirdre and their newborn daughter – giving him a good chance to recharge the physical and mental batteries ahead of breeding again.

The Gannon farm in Kilconieron is a well-oiled machine when it comes to the time and effort of running a dairy farm and the crowd took a lot of information home. Our thanks to David and family for hosting the event.

Also read: Farmers selected for Aurivo/Teagasc joint Farm Profitability Programme