Few farms are as picturesque as the Casey family farm at Causeway in north Kerry.
The power of the sea became all too apparent last winter, after storm Éowyn washed sea salt up over the cliffs and took out two paddocks of grass.
“I’ve never seen it happen before, the fields just went bare and it was like there was never any grass growing on them. It caused us problems because we lost a lot of grass and the fields were really out of production until May. Interestingly, they are now our best fields for clover,” John Casey says.
The Casey family are milking 137 cows on a 44ha milking platform.
John is farming with his dad Michael and wife Orla along with part-time help and relief milkers.
Soil type is mixed enough but everywhere is looking good in July.
A number of years ago, the Caseys got the opportunity to purchase a small strip of ground from their neighbour which linked the existing milking platform up to an owned outside block.
A new cubicle shed and slurry storage tank was completed in 2024.
While they are still crossing the road to access this land, it has given them the opportunity to increase cow numbers to where they are today, but John has no intention of increasing numbers further on the existing land base. His focus is very much on grassland management and making sure the cows are grazing the correct grass covers each day.
Last year, the herd delivered 517kg MS/cow and John reckons they will do something similar this year, if not more.
A new cubicle shed and extra slurry storage has just been completed, which has taken a lot of pressure off over the winter period.
Interestingly, John says they have gone from nine feeding bays to over 20 with the new shed and while cow numbers are the same, he notices that cows are eating a lot more silage and are in much better body condition score at calving, which highlights the importance of adequate feed space.
There are 108 cubicles in the new shed and the farm now has 180 cubicle spaces in total. As part of a redesign of the yard, one of the older cubicle sheds has been converted to a calf shed and the old calf shed has been converted to a calving shed.
The cows are mix of Holstein Friesian and Jersey.
The Caseys have engaged with nine different Evolve measures in 2024, including using protected urea, grass measurement and financial management.
John is very aware of the importance of work/life balance and likes to keep fit and healthy and get away on breaks when he can. He says he doesn’t want to be crippled from work when he’s older.
To view the Casey farm, click here.
The Casey’s are milking 137 cows on a 44ha milking platform at Causeway in Co Kerry.The milking platform is in two blocks with a roadway linking the two blocks. The furthest walk for the cows in 2.6km away from the milking parlour.A new 108 space cubicle shed was finished last season which has made the winter workload much easier. The herd delivered 517kg MS/cow last year from 1.5t of meal per cow.
Few farms are as picturesque as the Casey family farm at Causeway in north Kerry.
The power of the sea became all too apparent last winter, after storm Éowyn washed sea salt up over the cliffs and took out two paddocks of grass.
“I’ve never seen it happen before, the fields just went bare and it was like there was never any grass growing on them. It caused us problems because we lost a lot of grass and the fields were really out of production until May. Interestingly, they are now our best fields for clover,” John Casey says.
The Casey family are milking 137 cows on a 44ha milking platform.
John is farming with his dad Michael and wife Orla along with part-time help and relief milkers.
Soil type is mixed enough but everywhere is looking good in July.
A number of years ago, the Caseys got the opportunity to purchase a small strip of ground from their neighbour which linked the existing milking platform up to an owned outside block.
A new cubicle shed and slurry storage tank was completed in 2024.
While they are still crossing the road to access this land, it has given them the opportunity to increase cow numbers to where they are today, but John has no intention of increasing numbers further on the existing land base. His focus is very much on grassland management and making sure the cows are grazing the correct grass covers each day.
Last year, the herd delivered 517kg MS/cow and John reckons they will do something similar this year, if not more.
A new cubicle shed and extra slurry storage has just been completed, which has taken a lot of pressure off over the winter period.
Interestingly, John says they have gone from nine feeding bays to over 20 with the new shed and while cow numbers are the same, he notices that cows are eating a lot more silage and are in much better body condition score at calving, which highlights the importance of adequate feed space.
There are 108 cubicles in the new shed and the farm now has 180 cubicle spaces in total. As part of a redesign of the yard, one of the older cubicle sheds has been converted to a calf shed and the old calf shed has been converted to a calving shed.
The cows are mix of Holstein Friesian and Jersey.
The Caseys have engaged with nine different Evolve measures in 2024, including using protected urea, grass measurement and financial management.
John is very aware of the importance of work/life balance and likes to keep fit and healthy and get away on breaks when he can. He says he doesn’t want to be crippled from work when he’s older.
To view the Casey farm, click here.
The Casey’s are milking 137 cows on a 44ha milking platform at Causeway in Co Kerry.The milking platform is in two blocks with a roadway linking the two blocks. The furthest walk for the cows in 2.6km away from the milking parlour.A new 108 space cubicle shed was finished last season which has made the winter workload much easier. The herd delivered 517kg MS/cow last year from 1.5t of meal per cow.
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