This year, the IHFA national open day will take place on the O’Keeffe family farm, home to the Radney herd, in Freemount, Co Cork, on Thursday 27 June. The O’Keeffe family has been breeding Holsteins here for more than 30 years.

Built off the backbone of strong female lines, the herd has made a particularly strong name with regard to the solids being produced on a whole-herd basis.

Last year, each of the 90 cows in the milking herd averaged 697kg of milk at 4.12% fat and 3.74% protein, aligned with 82 of these cows classifying VG or EX at their most recent classification.

Run by father and son Henry and Liam, the duo pay particular attention to cow longevity, with 43% of the herd now in their fourth lactation or higher.

This clear focus on lifetime production of animals has led to seven Radney cows being awarded gold or diamond awards for producing 3,000kg protein production.

These high-end figures quickly attracted the attention of AI companies, with numerous bulls now with semen available.

On top of this, the herd sells around 25 bulls for breeding each year, achieving numerous top prices.

The most recent success was achieving the top-priced bull at the association’s premier sale in March.

The open day, which will incorporate a herd viewing, stock judging and celebratory sale, takes place on Thursday 27 June with all welcome to attend.