Milltown farmer delivering the goods on model farm

James Mangan’s previous experience as a fitter in the Liebherr factory in Killarney is plain to see around the farm that he converted to dairying in 2016. Everything is neat, tidy, well-maintained and efficient.

The same could be said of the dairy herd he has built up over the years with an EBI of €253 delivering 498kg MS/cow in 2023 down from 527kg MS/cow in 2022. James is milking 91 Holstein Friesian cows on a 29ha milking block giving a milking platform stocking rate of just over 3.1 cows/ha.

The opportunity to lease in some additional land this year has meant that the stocking rate has decreased as it was over 4/cows/ha in the past.

Despite having more land in the system, James says this spring was the toughest he has put down since he got into cows. With free-draining soils he can normally head to grass in February, but this was a big challenge in the spring just gone.

Interestingly, James has a novel approach to managing first-calved heifers as he prefers to keep them out grazing full-time, milk once a day for the first two months and feed them 6kg of meal.

He says that this means they have reduced stress and better fertility and he has never had a first calver culled for infertility.

The-14 unit milking parlour, cubicle shed, calving shed, calf shed and machinery storage shed are under the one roof, making this a model farm in terms of layout.

James mostly works on his own so having a good setup is essential. It’s also a help when attracting relief milkers when James is away during the rowing season.

There is a big focus on breeding on this farm with James only breeding off his best cows.

He has been selling dairy replacement heifers in the past but as the market for heifers gets tighter, he is finding himself being more selective with what cows he breeds replacements from and is using more beef AI instead, with Shorthorn, Speckled Park, Charlaois, Angus and Hereford used across the cows and heifers.

James has been using selective dry cow therapy across the herd since 2017 and at this stage 30% of the cows are getting sealer only at drying off. James is enrolled in the Evolve programme where he uses protected urea, takes soil samples, and has incorporated clover across the farm.