I farm: “About 120 acres in Ballinamona, Killyon, Co Offaly.”

My herd: “In total there’s 300 head of stock on the farm. This comprises of 100 heifers and 200 cows. At any one time there are 130 to 150 cows being milked with 50 to 60 cows dry. ”

Dairy cows: “My ideal cow type is a British Friesian / Holstein cross. I was very happy with my cows’ performance last year with the herd producing over 1m litres of milk. I feel the secret to this is to dry off low yielding cows and bring fresh cows into the system. Cows which are dried off are back in the production system 10 to 12 weeks later. “

Calving: “Cows are calved all year round to ensure a constant milk supply. Bull calves are sold locally at one to two weeks of age and all heifer calves are retained within the herd. All cows are artificially inseminated with a beef bull being used to mop up.”

Robotic system: “I have been using a fully robotic system for the past two and a half years now. I would never go back, I believe that this is the way forward. I have interlinked the robotic system with zero grazing and it works extremely well.”

Zero grazing: “I grew and expanded my business on the back of zero grazing. In recent times there has been huge interest in my system. In 2016 I zero grazed from 23 January to 17 December.”

Neighbours: “I buy grass off neighbours and local farmers, who I have established a great relationship with. Usually grass is purchased by the acre or by weight depending on the circumstances.”

Slurry: “I export, trade and sell slurry. Slurry is often traded for grass. This works well as some neighbours often require slurry. “

Family: “I’m married to Liz and we have two children- Shane is 16 and Lauren is 11, both whom help out on the farm.”

Quotable quote: “I have interlinked the robotic system with zero grazing and it works extremely well.”