Caroline O’Neill’s farming story began alongside her father in Ballinadee, and today she runs her own pedigree herd of 59 cows at Crohane, Ballinascarthy.
Numbers are down compared to the past, but profitability and performance are up. The herd is genotyped, producing over 490kg of milk solids per cow, and Caroline has built a system around quality rather than quantity.
Trading as Le Chéile Dairy, Caroline runs the farm very much as a business, with clear roles, paid family labour and a focus on efficiency and profitability alongside animal care.
This is very much a family operation, with her children Caitlin, Daniel, Leanne, Conor and Louise all involved. Caitlin is well able to milk the herd, while Daniel has developed a sideline breeding Bernese Mountain Dogs. Workaway students lend a hand at busy times, and Caroline herself somehow finds time to train camogie teams in the evenings.
Sport comes first and the children are all rising stars; the hallway outside the kitchen is lined with hurleys and she says “the cows have to work around the matches”.
As a mother of five, she says she knows all about maternal and neonatal care, and her calf-rearing protocols would put some hospitals to shame. Calving is monitored by cameras, and Caroline always rises when a cow calves to ensure the newborn gets sufficient colostrum and that the cow drinks afterwards. Calves start life under heat lamps, progress to jackets, and always have a bed of dry straw. “I’m paranoid about bedding,” she admits. “They must never be cold or damp.”
Her father contract-rears the heifers. Over the years, Caroline has placed great faith in the guidance of senior vet Jim Kelliher, whose experience has strongly influenced many of her herd-health practices, with his colleague Willie Buckley also providing valued support.
Animal health and welfare are priorities on this farm, with bulk milk screened for disease, a comprehensive vaccination programme, and diligent follow-up on any high-SCC cows using milk recording, CMT testing, and treatment.
Caroline runs the farm very much as a business, with clear roles, paid family labour and a focus on efficiency and profitability alongside animal care.
Attention to detail extends right across the farm. Caroline uses PastureBase to manage grass, and she is fastidious about clean water, to the point that a goldfish has happily lived in one of her field troughs for the past four years, a quirky but powerful testament to the purity of the water supply.
There are lighter touches too. One of the judges, Professor Karina Pierce, was struck by the mirror in Caroline’s parlour, after milking she tidies herself up there and as she says is “ready for the road.” It captures something of her personality: practical, meticulous and always ready to put her best foot forward.
Caroline has long been recognised as a leader among west Cork farmers, winning awards for grassland management, milk quality and sustainability. A board member of Lisavaird Co-op and an active member of local discussion groups, she is both a hands-on herdsperson and an ambassador for the sector.
With a thriving herd, children stepping confidently into farm roles and calves reared with hospital-grade care, Caroline O’Neill shows that a dairy farm can be both a family home and a centre of excellence. With a relentlessly positive, can-do attitude, Caroline somehow juggles the herd, the household, five children and training the teams, managing it all with the energy of a superwoman.
Those who know her best will tell you that whatever Caroline puts her mind to, she will succeed.
Caroline O’Neill’s farming story began alongside her father in Ballinadee, and today she runs her own pedigree herd of 59 cows at Crohane, Ballinascarthy.
Numbers are down compared to the past, but profitability and performance are up. The herd is genotyped, producing over 490kg of milk solids per cow, and Caroline has built a system around quality rather than quantity.
Trading as Le Chéile Dairy, Caroline runs the farm very much as a business, with clear roles, paid family labour and a focus on efficiency and profitability alongside animal care.
This is very much a family operation, with her children Caitlin, Daniel, Leanne, Conor and Louise all involved. Caitlin is well able to milk the herd, while Daniel has developed a sideline breeding Bernese Mountain Dogs. Workaway students lend a hand at busy times, and Caroline herself somehow finds time to train camogie teams in the evenings.
Sport comes first and the children are all rising stars; the hallway outside the kitchen is lined with hurleys and she says “the cows have to work around the matches”.
As a mother of five, she says she knows all about maternal and neonatal care, and her calf-rearing protocols would put some hospitals to shame. Calving is monitored by cameras, and Caroline always rises when a cow calves to ensure the newborn gets sufficient colostrum and that the cow drinks afterwards. Calves start life under heat lamps, progress to jackets, and always have a bed of dry straw. “I’m paranoid about bedding,” she admits. “They must never be cold or damp.”
Her father contract-rears the heifers. Over the years, Caroline has placed great faith in the guidance of senior vet Jim Kelliher, whose experience has strongly influenced many of her herd-health practices, with his colleague Willie Buckley also providing valued support.
Animal health and welfare are priorities on this farm, with bulk milk screened for disease, a comprehensive vaccination programme, and diligent follow-up on any high-SCC cows using milk recording, CMT testing, and treatment.
Caroline runs the farm very much as a business, with clear roles, paid family labour and a focus on efficiency and profitability alongside animal care.
Attention to detail extends right across the farm. Caroline uses PastureBase to manage grass, and she is fastidious about clean water, to the point that a goldfish has happily lived in one of her field troughs for the past four years, a quirky but powerful testament to the purity of the water supply.
There are lighter touches too. One of the judges, Professor Karina Pierce, was struck by the mirror in Caroline’s parlour, after milking she tidies herself up there and as she says is “ready for the road.” It captures something of her personality: practical, meticulous and always ready to put her best foot forward.
Caroline has long been recognised as a leader among west Cork farmers, winning awards for grassland management, milk quality and sustainability. A board member of Lisavaird Co-op and an active member of local discussion groups, she is both a hands-on herdsperson and an ambassador for the sector.
With a thriving herd, children stepping confidently into farm roles and calves reared with hospital-grade care, Caroline O’Neill shows that a dairy farm can be both a family home and a centre of excellence. With a relentlessly positive, can-do attitude, Caroline somehow juggles the herd, the household, five children and training the teams, managing it all with the energy of a superwoman.
Those who know her best will tell you that whatever Caroline puts her mind to, she will succeed.
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