The motto for this Monaghan farm is very much get better before you get bigger. Having said that, the farm has grown from milking eight cows on 12ha in the 1970s to 75 cows on 48ha today.

David previously worked as a farm manager in Greenfield Foods, but when that business ceased he purchased some of the cows at the dispersal sale and those cows form the foundation for the Willcoy herd, as we know it today.

David farms with his wife, Gladys, and four sons, Clive, Mark, Deane and Stephen.

I’d safely say any one member of this team has the enthusiasm, ability and drive to take over the running of the farm and make the business a success.

The cows were grazing a paddock across the public road opposite the entrance to the farm when we called. It’s a well-oiled drill to get the cows across the road, safely, fast and leave everything back the way it was.

The cubicle shed is always ready for cows in Monaghan.

The 48ha block of land is typical of the region with rolling drumlins and mature trees and hedgerows across the farm.

All watercourses are fenced off – a 5ac marsh area is also fenced off, hedges are cut every two to three years and land is set out for rotational paddock grazing.

Most of the slurry is spread in spring after the first round of grazing with the balance going out after silage in May. In total, 48ha are farmed with 44ha available to the milking cows.

The calving spread is about 20 weeks

The outside land is used for rearing heifers and growing winter feed. About 60% of the cows go in calf to beef AI so the best cows only are selected for breeding replacements.

Sexed semen is used on heifers mainly for the last five years and the herd is vaccinated for blackleg, BVD, IBR, RSV and leptospirosis.

The calving spread is about 20 weeks but the supply profile is very flat with about 50,000 litres delivered every month, peaking in May with a delivery over 60,000 litres.

The eight-unit McCoy parlour near Smithborough in Monaghan.

The McCoys have 21 in-calf heifers and 30 heifer calves. This family has a good handle on quality milk and knowledge of individual cows.

Their expertise has allowed them to keep antibiotics at a minimum when drying off. In 2018, only 10% of cows got antibiotics at drying off – the rest getting a sealer. Replacement rate in 2018 was 18 first calvers in the 75-strong herd (24%).

About 40 cows calve in the autumn to supply the winter milk with calving starting in October.

Herd EBI is €24 with the focus to select cows on milk solids, fertility sub index, feet and legs, breeding lines and classification.

Some paddocks are being reseeded and grass is managed in a tight rotation

About half of the herd goes in calf to Friesian AI and the rest to beef with bull calves sold in the mart and off the farm in spring.

The farm is at capacity on numbers so the objective is to get more out of what they have. Some paddocks are being reseeded and grass is managed in a tight rotation with surplus grass taken out, if necessary.

In 2018, 75 cows were milked and it’s the same for 2019.

A total of 44,700kg of milk solids were delivered in 2018 with about 2,500kg of meal fed per cow.

The parlour is a eight-unit herringbone with a manual wash routine. See key stats.