I farm: “I am farming here alongside my dad. We are a spring-calving dairy herd, milking around 80 cows. We keep around 60 of the calves until they are two and then they get moved on. Our grazing platform is small enough, but we also have blocks over the road which we zero-graze to and from every day. We have 10 heifers coming into the herd next year. The parlour is a 14-unit herringbone.”
Interest in agriculture: “When I was younger, I was always around Dad, in the tractors doing stuff. It was really when I was in TY and fifth year that I took a bigger interest in the farm. I started milking at the weekends and helping when I could.”
Drought: “We have fed a lot of our winter silage already. There was a six-week period with no rain at all. Everything was yellow and everyone around was feeding silage. We bought a few extra bales for the winter. We have been zero grazing the last month, and things are coming around again, everything is green.”
Ag college: “Balancing the farm with college can be challenging. I’m usually in college at 9am, so I’ll milk the cows in the morning before heading off for Thurles. The cups are on for 6.30am. I come home in the evening to milk again and get the other jobs done as my dad also works off-farm.
I have one day off during the week, and two late evenings out of the four, so if I am not home in time, Dad will milk.”
Genetics: “This is our first year using sexed semen and we did scanning last week. Everything seemed to have gone well and held well, which we were surprised by due to the weather. The plan is to change the herd over the next few years with better genetics.”
Future plans: “In first year we were based in Thurles for the first semester, then we went to Gurteen for two semesters.
I’m trying to balance getting my education with gaining practical experience on the farm and being involved in the day-to-day running of the herd. I am heading to New Zealand for placement after Christmas and I am looking forward to seeing the different systems over there.”
SHARING OPTIONS