It was hard not to be taken by the view standing looking out over Dungarvan from the top of Gillian and Neil O'Sullivan's farm.

The pair are dairy farmers milking 105 cows once a day on 41 hectares.

After the sudden loss of her brother in 2008, Gillian returned home to help her father with the farm that spring.

The following year both herself and her husband Neil, both full-time vets, left the profession and took up farming full-time.

Cows

We walked a milking platform that certainly has some difficult topography, varying from 600 feet down to 200 feet above sea level.

We walked through the cows, it was remarkable to see no lameness and such consistent BCS across the herd. The sun was shining and so were the cows.

It was all about the cows and attention to detail, we discussed a meticulous milking routine to a feeding strategy that matches yield and grass growth.

The O'Sullivans calved 95 cows in February, with BCS being managed very carefully through the dry period and after calving.

Under challenging conditions last year they did 390 kg/ms OAD with almost one third heifers. There is a big focus on high herd health, with vaccinations for lepto, IBR and Salmonella.

Space

A new extension to the dry cow accommodation has also given the cows more space for feeding and lying, which Gillian says has taken a lot of pressure off and led to a smoother calving and transition.

Efficiency

The farm is the epitome of efficiency in every aspect. Neil now works part-time as a vet and they both share out milking and farming duties. Like most Irish family farms Gillian's dad, although retired, is still key to picking up the odd jobs around the farm every day.

It was interesting to see how the farm is focusing on the future and particularly tackling environmental challenges head on. The most impressive thing for me was Gillian’s mind-set towards the challenges she has faced and also towards the future challenges of her business. It is all about workable solutions and action.

The farm has an ever shifting focus on sustainability with a number of short-term proactive measures being implemented including:

• Using protected urea.

• Low emission slurry spreading.

• Low crude protein in dairy ration in spring of 13%.

• Seai energy efficiency grant for variable speed vacuum pump in the parlour.

• Also looking at over sowing plantain and clover on reseeds for drought resistance and nitrogen fixation.