Dairy expansion discussed at Teagasc and Lakeland open day
Teagasc and Lakeland Dairies held an open day at David Hannon’s farm in Co Meath on Wednesday with a wide range of speakers discussing issues with farm expansion.
From left: Host farmer David Hannon, his parents Joe and Camilla Hannon and Lakeland Dairies chief executive Michael Hanley
ADVERTISEMENT
Heavy showers in the morning lifted in perfect time for approximately 300 farmers to visit the Hannons' family farm near Drumree, Co Meath, today for an open day with the theme of dairy farm structures for expansion.
The theme was well exemplified on this farm as David has increased the dairy herd from 80 British Friesian cows when he took over from his parents in 1995 to 148 cows in 2007. Currently there are 235 cows milking on the farm and David hopes to expand to 450 cows within two to three years.
He hopes to achieve this further expansion by having a realistic plan in place, growing and utilising as much grass as possible in a low-cost system and by having cows that will calve in a compact block and achieve high milks solids per hectare.
ADVERTISEMENT
Challenging
Speaking at the conclusion of the event, Lakeland Dairies chief executive Michael Hanley said that it was great to see so many farmers interested in expansion and keen to make the most of the information available on the day.
“At Lakeland Dairies we are investing strongly in our business and are confident for the future. The next six to nine months will be tough but markets will reward farmers for their efforts again,” he said.
Coverage of the open day will be next week’s print edition of the Irish Farmers Journal.
Register for free to read this story and our free stories.
This content is available to digital subscribers and loyalty code users only. Sign in to your account, use the code or subscribe to get unlimited access.
The reader loyalty code gives you full access to the site from when you enter it until the following Wednesday at 9pm. Find your unique code on the back page of Irish Country Living every week.
CODE ACCEPTED
You have full access to the site until next Wednesday at 9pm.
CODE NOT VALID
Please try again or contact support.
Heavy showers in the morning lifted in perfect time for approximately 300 farmers to visit the Hannons' family farm near Drumree, Co Meath, today for an open day with the theme of dairy farm structures for expansion.
The theme was well exemplified on this farm as David has increased the dairy herd from 80 British Friesian cows when he took over from his parents in 1995 to 148 cows in 2007. Currently there are 235 cows milking on the farm and David hopes to expand to 450 cows within two to three years.
He hopes to achieve this further expansion by having a realistic plan in place, growing and utilising as much grass as possible in a low-cost system and by having cows that will calve in a compact block and achieve high milks solids per hectare.
Challenging
Speaking at the conclusion of the event, Lakeland Dairies chief executive Michael Hanley said that it was great to see so many farmers interested in expansion and keen to make the most of the information available on the day.
“At Lakeland Dairies we are investing strongly in our business and are confident for the future. The next six to nine months will be tough but markets will reward farmers for their efforts again,” he said.
Coverage of the open day will be next week’s print edition of the Irish Farmers Journal.
If you would like to speak to a member of our team, please call us on 01-4199525.
Link sent to your email address
We have sent an email to your address. Please click on the link in this email to reset your password. If you can't find it in your inbox, please check your spam folder. If you can't find the email, please call us on 01-4199525.
ENTER YOUR LOYALTY CODE:
The reader loyalty code gives you full access to the site from when you enter it until the following Wednesday at 9pm. Find your unique code on the back page of Irish Country Living every week.
SHARING OPTIONS