There were a mix of negative and positive reactions to last week’s article on Greenfield Farm – some of the negative included: “Pathetic yield per cow – should be over two million litres going out the gate”; “€5,700 spent on lameness – crazy”; “More money should have been spent on set up day one”; “Admit mistakes were made on the farm”; and “Says a lot about crossbreds – they should milk less cows with higher yields and rear own heifers.”

In response: volume or yield per cow is not a driver of profit on the farm and never has been – more milk solids sold is the driver. I agree that €5,700 spent on treating lameness was a significant cost last year – a big lesson. In terms of the capex comment, over €700,000 was spent on capital expenditure (capex) with €850,000 borrowed for a 15-year lease and another €400,000 in stock purchase. Justifying any more would be difficult in current model. I’d argue admitting mistakes and operating in transparency has been one of the hallmarks of this project. In terms of the business model – milking cows is more profitable, so if the option of contract rearing is available then why not, especially with limited employed labour.

Having said all of above – all respondents are entitled to their opinion on how to make money from milking cows and there are of course many ways to skin a cat. Feel free to make contact if you want any more detail on any aspect of project or clarification.