GD and Caroline Young were originally high-input dairy farmers in Scotland, when in March 2015 they bought a 400-acre tillage farm at Dysart, Co Westmeath. They searched in England and New Zealand for suitable land but couldn’t refuse the opportunity to purchase the 400-acre block beside Lough Ennell.
After relocating to Mullingar, they commenced converting the new farm and within the space of seven months they had installed nearly 400 topless cubicles, and a 44-point rotary parlour. Originally the family started milking 250 high economic breeding index (EBI) crossbred heifers and have since grown to 409 cows.
The Agricultural Science Association (ASA) hosted a farm walk on the Young farm on 19 June with focus on their relocation to Ireland, demonstrating best practice in converting to a large-scale dairy and farm infrastructure.
Investment
The initial purchase of the farm was €2m and subsequent conversion costs amounted to €1.05m. A further €600,000 was invested in stocking high-EBI heifers bringing the grand total investment to €3.65m.
A breakdown of the Youngs €1.05m conversion investment. The farm was purchased for €2m in March 2015, with a futher €600,000 investment in stock. Total investment €3.65m. pic.twitter.com/NjhmqUd3Om
— Niall Hurson (@HursonNiall) June 19, 2019
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