Soil type on the milking platform is mixed, heavy and free draining and has all been reclaimed and reseeded in recent years. There is still some drainage to be completed on owned paddocks near the farmyard.
Kevin is working on the farm full-time since 2005. Although he only owns 11.5 hectares (28 acres) he has another 50.7 hectares on short and long term leases, so he has a milking platform of 62.2 hectares, with over 98 hectares farmed in total. Kevin is milking 113 cows supplying Arrabawn co-op and milk quota owned is 522,178 litres. Kevin is compact calving his herd in spring with calving starting on 1 February and over 50% of the cows calved in 18 days. Calving interval is 371 days and herd EBI is €137. Milk recording sheets show that 92 spring calving cows last year produced 5,881kg in 287 days at 3.46% protein and 4.07% fat (443kg) with peak milk deliveried per cow at 26kg per cow/day in May. Twenty four first lactation heifers produced 4,903kg at 3.46% protein and 4.08% fat (370kg).
Kevin has spent over €100,000 on milk quota since he started farming full-time and will have to spend at least €15,000 in buying co-op shares over coming years. Kevin also had to invest significantly in infrastructure in his own farmyard, and on leased land in terms of reseeding, roadways and improving soil fertility.
Despite the cost and challenges of setting up a full time dairy farm Kevin is full of enthusiasm and positivity and is aiming herd performance and profitability towards the top 10% in Ireland.
The following is a brief description of the rearing system on the Heavin farm. Once a calf is born, it is routinely fed biestings via a yellow bottle (with nipple) or, if the calf is very slow to suck, via a stomach tube. He said: “If you don’t get biestings into a calf within one hour of birth you are only making work for yourself.” Calves are on biestings for three days and then they go on milk replacer.
The 2013 in calf heifers got milk powder at a rate of 1.6 bags per heifer. Sixty bags of Heiferlac (20kg bags) were used at €43 per bag so the net cost was €68.80 per calf. On average during the rearing phase, each calf also got 51kg of calf nuts costing €16.10 per calf.
When we called last week, Kevin had four different groups of calves at different growth stages. Young calves are on twice a day feeding until three weeks of age and then they go on once a day feeding but they continue to get the same amount of powder as twice a day feeding. Calves have access to grass from one month old. Calves are weaned when they are over 100kg liveweight and eating meal well.
Kevin had separated out all the calved first lactation animals into a separate paddock of their own away from the milking herd when we called for judging last week, so we could assess what they were like as a group.
In 2012 these animals had been wintered on seven acres of kale at a cost of €68 per head for 108 days achieving a liveweight gain of 0.68kg per day and gaining 73kg in total over the winter. In 2011, Kevin said the weanling heifers were on grass silage and 1kg of meal and they had only gained 0.52kg per day over the winter or 56kg in total over the winter period.
The 2013 maiden heifers were fed on whole milk because of pending milk quota problems and they consumed 22,300 litres of milk at 31.5 c/litre or a total opportunity cost of €7,024. This year the calves have consumed 95 bags of milk replacer at €43 per bag or €4,085 to date. They have also consumed 2.55 tons of calf nuts at a total cost of €1,038.
Kevin had a detailed report completed of the dosing and vaccinations carried out on replacements broken into two time periods: (1) from birth to bulling and then (2) bulling to calving – in total preventative herd health products cost him €50 per head excluding herd TB tests and vet call outs etc (see Table 1).
Kevin has selected AI sires based on EBI and the Active bull list (see Table 2). Routine weighing is carried out on the Heavin farm to check weights at different stages and Kevin is not afraid to feed if heifers are underweight or if grass is not available. In 2012 due to the very wet year Kevin fed 300kg more meal per heifer and yet they still finished up 30kg behind in liveweight than their comrades the year before at start of bulling.
Kevin said: “we weighed the bulling heifers yesterday and they weighed 345kg and I estimate so far they are costing me €653 per head, excluding a cost on my own labour and the price of the calf.”
To date this year, the milking cows have got 488kg of meal per cow and when we called last week they were on grazed grass and 2kg of meal per head. They were producing 24 litres of milk on average at 3.42% protein and 3.54% fat (1.72kg MS).
ONE LINERS
Quote of the day: “Rotavec Corona is the most expensive vaccine at €9.50 per head, but it’s cheap when you are on your knees trying to keep calves alive. This year for me milk powder is cheaper to feed and using milk replacer means you can get the calves fed and finished up before milking.”
Breeding policy: High EBI bulls averaging close to €270 EBI with this year’s sires averaging 150kg from milk and 11kg of protein and 16kg of fat kilograms.
Sires used recently – Whistler, Supreme (PZS), Lauragh Evert and Highmount Kenny.
Selling calved stock – up to now ‘no’ but will have 20 plus calved heifers to sell this year.
Interesting statistic: Total cost of preventative doses and vaccinations amounted to €50 per heifer from birth to calving.
Replacement rate: Of the total 113 cows milking there are 37 first lactation, 23 second lactation, 21 third lactation, 10 fourth lactation and 20 fifth lactation plus.
Discussion Group: Member of two groups, TOP COW and Teagasc Offaly Discussion Groups
KEY POINTS
Heavin farm – milking 113 Holstein Friesian cows with 62 hectare (153 acres) in one block and a 36 hectares (89 acre) out farm – supplying Arrabawn Co-op.
Calf rearing on milk powder using nipple feeders with access to grazed grass from one month old. Calves on once a day feeding from three weeks old.
Herd EBI is €137 with 2013 heifer calves €186 EBI (€49 milk/€104 fertility).
SHARING OPTIONS