Susan Dudley is an agricultural science student, specialising in animal science at UCD. Having originally started studying human nutrition in Cork, she quickly discovered that it wasn’t the road for her.

Based on a 100-acre farm and renting a further 30 acres, Susan is hugely-involved in the running of the family farm.

They milk 60 pedigree British Friesian cows, have 12 pedigree Hereford sucklers and two Shorthorn pedigree cows, owned by her younger brother Glenn. All the bulls are sold as one-year-old stock bulls and the heifers are kept as replacements.

Susan developed a keen interest in the pedigree beef sector at a very young age. Along with her older brother Edward, she does the halter training when the heifers are six months old.

“Once trained, they are trained for life and it greatly adds to their value”, she says.

With the show season in full swing, Susan is busy travelling the country every weekend.

“The herd won supreme champion at Clonmel Show with Kilsunny Lass Kendall, reserve champion with Kilsunny Kingston and supreme champion Angus with Castlelough Midnight Brandy,” says Susan.

Tullamore is their main show and they hope to enter eight animals. Washing, blow-drying, soaping, brushing and spray-shining the animals are all a major part of the ritual before showing in the arena.

Susan was part of the judging panel at the Mohill show last summer, which she says was a brilliant experience.

“It is unusual for someone my age, let alone a girl, to judge at a show. The traits I looked for were deep-coloured, thick, square, well-fleshed Herefords. Docility is not too important, but it is a major benefit if they present themselves well.”

All the Hereford cows are bred to a Hereford stock bull, while the Friesian cows are bred using AI. Susan took an AI course in the spring of 2012 and this is an area she would like to pursue. The bulls are genome-tested as calves and fertility-tested at 10 months.

“This side of the industry really fascinates me. I plan to do a master’s in genetics when I qualify and hopefully start my own Hereford pedigree herd.”

Susan milks on the farm at the weekends. At the moment, she is milking for a local farmer who has 96 cows, while also working at home.

“I just could not see myself working in any other industry,” she says.

Susan is a keen advocator for the use of social media to promote the herd and regularly updates the Facebook and Twitter pages for the Kilsunny herd. CL