I farm: “Over 200 acres in Ballinacurra, Rathgormack, Co Waterford.

Cows: “I have 180 spring-calving cows. My ideal cow would be a Holstein Friesian that has a calf each year and gives me no hassle. She would have a high EBI, be of a medium build and have a market value when she’s finished milking. This type of cow works very well for us, they suit the system.”

Breeding: “I use all AI. Each year, I sit down and decide on the criteria I’m looking for. From this, I choose a team of genomic bulls. I look at the average team figures across these seven or eight bulls.”

ADVERTISEMENT

Calving: “This week, I’m very busy calving. Half of my cows calve in the first two weeks and 88% calve in the first six weeks. I had 27 cows calved in just two days last week, so things are busy”.

Breeding bulls: “Most of my herd is AI-sired. I run a lot of pedigree Holstein-Friesian cows and sell a lot of breeding bulls. Over the years, I have sold over 15 bulls to AI companies. There are currently four on the active list, Curra Alfie, Curra Conor, Curra Stevie, and Curra Royal Laurence (ZRL).”

EBI: “I have had the highest EBI herd in the country for the past three years. I had 66 cows listed in the top 2,000 EBI cows in the country in 2016. This is something that I am extremely proud of because I really love working with animals. I’m doing nothing extraordinary here. I’m just using the best bulls that are available to me each year. Anyone can do it.”

Performance: “Last year, the cows averaged 6,000 litres and 500kg in milk solids. Protein levels were 3.75% and butterfat was 4.5%.”

Family: “I’m married to Ann. We have four children:; Laurence, Fiona, Conor, and Steven. They are all a great help to me around the farm.”

Quotable quote: “Breeding cows is a long-term project but if you have a plan in place, anything is possible.”