Declan Murphy

Declan and Eileen Murphy milk 79 cows near Effin, Kilmallock, Co Limerick. Son Kieran is heavily involved in the business and this Limerick family enterprise is only over the road from last year’s national winners – the Fitzgeralds. There must be something in the water.

Annual production on the Murphy farm is 521,128 litres at 6,880 litres per cow. Annual butterfat is 4.20% and protein averages at 3.40%.

Milk quality is something Declan has been focusing on a lot in the last number of years. Average TBC has dropped from 18,000 to 11,000 since 2011 and SCC has also dropped from 214,000 to 114,000 cells/ml.

These type of figures are not achieved by accident. Milk recording is done monthly and these results are monitored closely for problem cows.

Bulk milk tank samples are also monitored daily for any possible rises in SCC. Problem cows that are detected are not milked until the end of milking.

Declan also pays particular attention to his breeding programme. He is selecting bulls which have a high EBI, over €225 and €100 for fertility.

All bulls must be positive for kilogrammes of protein, protein percent and calving interval. You can see the improvements that have been made by looking at his HerdPlus breeding index.

The average herd EBI is €168 and the average for his calves born this year is €210.

Milking mastitis tubes used depend on sensitivity results, but the three tubes that seem to work on this farm are Kanocef, Cobacton and Leo Yellow. No injections are used as routine.

Declan and Eileen have completed a lot of work on winter housing and they have head baling in the shed.

Declan said: “If I was back again, I wouldn’t do it, because I feel you lose out too much on head feed space.”

Farming system

In 2013, milking 79 cows in spring milk production supplying ? Co-op. 111.15 acres (45ha) farmed. Milk delivered was 6,880 litres per cow at 4.20% fat and 3.40% protein.

Parlour

12-unit herringbone.

SCC results

Average 114,000 for 2013.

TBC results

Average 11,000 for 2013.

  • Declan’s comments
  • “I’m a big fan of sequential baling cows during milking and would advise any farmer if possible to invest in it.”

  • Milk quality tip
  • “We have no cluster flush. We have our own meters and milk record every four weeks, and I find the dump line essential to take the hassle out of milking.”

  • Judges’ comments
  • The type of farm you could bring anybody into to show them what a real Irish family dairy farm is all about.

    Helen and Caroline O’Donovan

    Helen and Caroline are farming in a milk production partnership in Brownstown, Ballinspittle, Co Cork. Caroline left the opportunity of a career in the Four Courts behind when she packed up her law studies to go dairy farming with her mother near Kinsale in west Cork.

    They run a spring-calving system and supplied almost 714,000 litres (6,018/cow) to Barryroe Co-op last year. Last year, they milked 120 cows and are planning to milk over 130 cows next year when quotas go.

    Their milk quality results are very good, with the average SCC for the year at 79,000, going as low as 38,000 in May. The TBC results are equally impressive. With the annual average at 10,000, it was below that for eight months of the year.

    In order to detect cows with high SCC, milk recording is done every six weeks and cows are also stripped before every milking for any possible cases of mastitis.

    Cows are pre-dipped at milking using Deosan Teatfoam. High-cell count cows are drafted out and not milked until the end to reduce the risk of cross transfer through the clusters. Cows are dipped post-milking also and during housing, while, up until April, Masticide is used instead of Deosan Teatfoam.

    When cows are indoors, the O’Donovans believe it is very important to keep cubicles as clean as possible, scraping them twice daily with liberal application of lime and sawdust.

    Farming system

    In 2013, milking 120 cows in spring milk production supplying Barryroe Co-op. 187.72 acres (76ha) farmed. Milk delivered was 6,018 litres per cow at 4.09% fat and 3.4% protein.

    Parlour

    14-unit herringbone.

    SCC results

    Average 79,000 for 2013.

    TBC results

    Average 10,000 for 2013.

  • Helen and Caroline’s comments
  • “Our routine is wet down the yards, spray with teat foam, wash dirty teats, and then draw all teats before milking.”

  • Milk quality tip
  • “Spring is the time to get SCC right – put the work in at that time of the year and the rest is plain sailing.”

  • Judges’ comments
  • Two Cork ladies showing it’s not a man’s world when it comes to milk quality.

    Ben Cottrell

    The challenge of farming steep slopes and having a farmyard down in the valley are very evident on Ben Cottrell’s Bandon farm. If a cow can’t walk up a hill she’s no good on this farm, because out of the farmyard, on the way to all the paddocks, she will meet a grade five hill where she might have to stop half way up for a rest.

    Ben Cottrell and family are farming 70 acres near Innishannon, Co Cork. Last year, they milked 60 cows, supplying almost 353,000 litres to Bandon Co-op.

    Ben is a co-op board member, and an avid GAA fan with a keen interest in all things around energy generation and the environment.

    The cows averaged 6,600 litres last year and he has very low TBC and SCC results. The TBC average for the year was 10,000 and his SCC averaged 94,000 cells/ml. These good results can be put down to many things – not least his attention to detail at milking time.

    All cows are stripped pre-milking and are also sprayed before clusters are attached. The six-unit parlour was built in 1985, with plans to extend to 12 units for the coming season.

    A close eye is kept on both milk recording results and the bulk tank test results.

    If a cow is suspected, four samples are given to the milk lorry driver and the laboratory in Bandon will get results back the day after. Even if there are no clots, a high cell count quarter can be identified and 10 cows is the most cows treated in any year.

    Infected quarters are identified using the CMT kit and are then treated. These infected cows are identified using ankle straps and they are recorded on the whiteboard. These cows are treated with either Tetra-Delta or Terrexine tubes and each cow will receive three tubes.

    Another way milk quality is ensured is the constant monitoring and upkeep of the milking machine.

    The machine itself is serviced twice annually, with a report given. Liners are changed twice per year and any other damaged or worn rubbers are also replaced.

    The bulk tank is also serviced once a year and plans are under way to update the milking facilities and bulk tank so as to maintain quality and improve efficiency.

    To make sure that animal welfare is as good as possible, Ben has a detailed herd programme in place.

    This includes a nutritious diet, comfortable diet, good health management, a vaccination programme for Lepto, salmonella and IBR, and a dosing programme for lice and fly control.

    Farming system

    In 2013, milking 60 cows in spring milk production supplying Bandon Co-op. 70 acres (28.3ha) farmed. Milk delivered was 6,600 litres per cow at 4.21% fat and 3.41% protein.

    Parlour

    Six-unit herringbone.

    SCC results

    Average 94,000 for 2013.

    TBC results

    Average 10,000 for 2013.

  • Ben’s comments
  • “If we see clots, it’s too late on this farm. We will hit a suspect hard with four tubes and Tylosin if suspected – it’s the only way for success.”

  • Milk quality tip
  • “The cows’ teats are drawn dry AM and PM and sprayed with Deosan before and after milking.”

  • Judges’ comments
  • A strong family farm delivering continuously excellent results.