My name is Michael Kean and I’m a third year animal science student studying in UCD. As part of my degree, I am currently finishing up the final leg of my integrated professional work experience.
I have been lucky enough to be able to travel to southern Idaho in the USA to carry out 11 weeks of placement on 4 Bros Dairy.
I don’t think anything can prepare you for your first day of work on a farm with over 20,000 cattle
Having grown up on a beef farm in Claremorris, Co Mayo, I had little experience with the practical side of the dairy industry.
I decided to travel to 4 Bros Dairy due to the size and scale of the operation and the want to experience a farming enterprise in the US.
I arrived on 1 June to begin the 11-week stint.
20,000 cattle
I had been given an idea of what to expect when I arrived. However, I don’t think anything can prepare you for your first day of work on a farm with over 20,000 cattle. 
A view of one of the milking parlours on the farm.
In total, there are approximately 12,500 milking cows on the dairy, consisting predominantly of Holstein Friesian and a small number of Jerseys and Jersey-cross.
With milking continuing all year, the maternity ward is always in full swing, with an average of 30 to 40 calves born every day of the year.
All cattle are kept in dirt corrals, which can hold anywhere from 80 to 300 cows in each.
Unlike most large-scale dairies, 4 Bros does not use AI on the farm and instead uses natural service in the form of Holstein and Wagyu bulls.
Bulls in one of the dirt corrals at 4 Bros.
During my time on the farm, I have experienced every aspect of dairying in detail and spent time working in each section of the farm.
My jobs revolved predominantly around animal health, working with sick calves and in the hospital barn, helping treat cows with e-coli, mastitis and milk fever.
I spent time working with the farm's animal nutritionist, vets and farm manager and I also spent time milking.
My days usually consisted of a 5am-3pm shift or an 8am-5pm shift.
Milking 24 hours
Milking on 4 Bros Dairy is a 24-hour job and is done with complete precision and with no delays.
There are five milking barns in total on the dairy, including two barns of double-40s.
Michael Kean spent 11 weeks on the 4 Bros Dairy farm in Idaho as part of his professional work experience with UCD.
The majority of cows are milked twice per day, but very high-yielding cows with yields of over 110lbs are milked three or four times per day.
Hot weather
During my time here, one of the bigger problems was trying to keep milk temperatures down during the hot weather, which ranges from 30°C to 40°C all summer.
An overview of the farm from above.
Milk temperatures were brought down by introducing extra water chillers and cleaning out extractor fans daily.
On top of this, there is no rain during the summer months, so all water is supplied to land via irrigation, usually in the form of pivots.
Cows in the shade on the 3 Bros Dairy farm.
Hearing about the drought back in Ireland while over here showed how vital these irrigation systems are for the sustainability of land.
Socialising
The social side of my placement has been beyond anything I expected and I was wrong to think that Idaho may be a boring place.
Every week, there was always something to look forward to and, with every weekend off, it was easy to organise road trips and other activities with the other UCD students staying in the area.
Lines of calf hutches.
From spending a weekend in Park City Utah and visiting the Olympic Park, to simple things such as attending a rodeo, swimming, hiking and kayaking, there was no shortage of activities.
At the end of my placement, myself and the other UCD students are planning on travelling to places such as Vancouver, San Francisco and San Diego.
It goes without saying that my time working in Idaho has been the best experience of my life so far and I will be extremely sad to leave.
The experience and knowledge I have gained from working on 4 Bros Dairy is something that will stand to me for life.
I look forward to applying the knowledge I have gained here to my final year of animal science in UCD.
My name is Michael Kean and I’m a third year animal science student studying in UCD. As part of my degree, I am currently finishing up the final leg of my integrated professional work experience.
I have been lucky enough to be able to travel to southern Idaho in the USA to carry out 11 weeks of placement on 4 Bros Dairy.
I don’t think anything can prepare you for your first day of work on a farm with over 20,000 cattle
Having grown up on a beef farm in Claremorris, Co Mayo, I had little experience with the practical side of the dairy industry.
I decided to travel to 4 Bros Dairy due to the size and scale of the operation and the want to experience a farming enterprise in the US.
I arrived on 1 June to begin the 11-week stint.
20,000 cattle
I had been given an idea of what to expect when I arrived. However, I don’t think anything can prepare you for your first day of work on a farm with over 20,000 cattle.
A view of one of the milking parlours on the farm.
In total, there are approximately 12,500 milking cows on the dairy, consisting predominantly of Holstein Friesian and a small number of Jerseys and Jersey-cross.
With milking continuing all year, the maternity ward is always in full swing, with an average of 30 to 40 calves born every day of the year.
All cattle are kept in dirt corrals, which can hold anywhere from 80 to 300 cows in each.
Unlike most large-scale dairies, 4 Bros does not use AI on the farm and instead uses natural service in the form of Holstein and Wagyu bulls.
Bulls in one of the dirt corrals at 4 Bros.
During my time on the farm, I have experienced every aspect of dairying in detail and spent time working in each section of the farm.
My jobs revolved predominantly around animal health, working with sick calves and in the hospital barn, helping treat cows with e-coli, mastitis and milk fever.
I spent time working with the farm's animal nutritionist, vets and farm manager and I also spent time milking.
My days usually consisted of a 5am-3pm shift or an 8am-5pm shift.
Milking 24 hours
Milking on 4 Bros Dairy is a 24-hour job and is done with complete precision and with no delays.
There are five milking barns in total on the dairy, including two barns of double-40s.
Michael Kean spent 11 weeks on the 4 Bros Dairy farm in Idaho as part of his professional work experience with UCD.
The majority of cows are milked twice per day, but very high-yielding cows with yields of over 110lbs are milked three or four times per day.
Hot weather
During my time here, one of the bigger problems was trying to keep milk temperatures down during the hot weather, which ranges from 30°C to 40°C all summer.
An overview of the farm from above.
Milk temperatures were brought down by introducing extra water chillers and cleaning out extractor fans daily.
On top of this, there is no rain during the summer months, so all water is supplied to land via irrigation, usually in the form of pivots.
Cows in the shade on the 3 Bros Dairy farm.
Hearing about the drought back in Ireland while over here showed how vital these irrigation systems are for the sustainability of land.
Socialising
The social side of my placement has been beyond anything I expected and I was wrong to think that Idaho may be a boring place.
Every week, there was always something to look forward to and, with every weekend off, it was easy to organise road trips and other activities with the other UCD students staying in the area.
Lines of calf hutches.
From spending a weekend in Park City Utah and visiting the Olympic Park, to simple things such as attending a rodeo, swimming, hiking and kayaking, there was no shortage of activities.
At the end of my placement, myself and the other UCD students are planning on travelling to places such as Vancouver, San Francisco and San Diego.
It goes without saying that my time working in Idaho has been the best experience of my life so far and I will be extremely sad to leave.
The experience and knowledge I have gained from working on 4 Bros Dairy is something that will stand to me for life.
I look forward to applying the knowledge I have gained here to my final year of animal science in UCD.
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