Paul and David Hyland farm with their mother Lucy in Bordwell, near Ballacolla, Co Laois. Two years ago, they formed another partnership with Kilkenny farmer Eddie Teehan. The Hyland partnership is milking 360 cows this year and will milk 400 cows next year.
Access to more land was always going to be a major issue for the Hyland brothers. In 1996, they took over the then 130-cow herd from their father, Frank. At that stage, they had only 28ha available for grazing around the parlour and a 28ha outfarm 2km away. Conscious that the farm would need to provide three separate incomes in the future, Paul and David were eager to grow the business. Initially, they intensified, milking up to 150 cows, buying in a lot of feed and pushing for higher milk output per cow and per hectare.
Paul says this system didn’t return great profits but served its purpose by allowing the brothers to milk extra cows in the hope of more land becoming available. In 2000, a 22ha block adjoining the home farm came up for lease, allowing the Hylands increase to 180 cows. That year, they also leased 32ha (including a farmyard) adjoining their 28ha outfarm. In 2002, they built a 20-unit parlour in this farmyard (secured on an seven-year lease) and used both land parcels as milking blocks, giving a total of 114ha available for grazing cows.
Cow numbers increased to 250 cows within three years. Cows are still run as one herd, being moved from one milking platform to another, depending on grass availability. To make setting up the second milking platform on leased ground profitable, costs had to be kept low.
The new parlour on the leased farm was built into an existing shed and milking equipment, clusters, milk and vacuum pumps were then transported from the home parlour and plugged into the parlour on the leased farm for a number of years.
Cow numbers
By 2010, cow numbers had increased to 300. In 2012, the Hylands entered a milk production partnership with Eddie Teehan in Kilkenny. Heifers are now reared on Eddie’s farm, which comprises 75ha of land and wintering facilities for approximately 180 cows.
David said: “We have increased cow numbers a lot, but the partnership is supporting a number of families. Carefully managing our finances has been essential. We have learned to put a reserve of cash and fodder aside where possible. Borrowing has been essential and we update our accounts monthly to monitor cashflow. When you stay focused on what’s making you money, which is cows and grass, and are willing to put in the hard work, you would be surprised what’s possible.”
The second farm visit on the IGA tour next week is the Kerr farm milking 140 cows, just outside Portlaoise, with plans to milk 160 cows next year. David Kerr took over the farm from his father, George, in 1996, at which point the 52ha farm had 40 dairy cows along with beef, sheep and tillage enterprises. He began expanding his dairy enterprise in 2006 and is milking 140 cows this year and the plan is to milk 160 cows next year.
One of David’s major focuses during expansion was labour efficiency. He wanted to milk more cows and make more money but he was determined not to be a slave to the business to achieve this.
David plans to run the 160 cows on his own next year with the help of a student in the spring. To achieve this, he is streamlining his dairy farm into a simple system.
The AIB-sponsored IGA Dairy Summer Tour takes place next Tuesday, 12 August, in Co Laois on the Hyland partnership farm near Ballacolla and the Kerr family farm near Portlaoise. Key topics will be overcoming land and labour limits, expansion costs and financial performance.
Pre-booking is essential if interested in attending. Registration can be completed online at www.irishgrassland.com, email secretary@irishgrassland.com or call Maura at 087-9626483. The cost is €40 for IGA members and €80 for non-members.
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