The Irish Holstein Friesian Association (IHFA) is holding an open day on a 700-acre dairy and suckler farm in Co. Limerick on Wednesday, July 8.
Kerry Co-op suppliers the Hannans (Paul and Eileen and John and Audrey) will open their farm gates at Friarstown, Crecora, which has been in the family for three generations.
Jimmy purchased 22 acres in Friarstown when he got married in 1965 and since then the farm has grown to 700 acres (150 acres are rented). Today, the average yield/cow is over 12,000L per annum – over twice the national average.
Paul runs the dairy enterprise and John the beef enterprise and a successful baled silage contracting business.
They have a herd of 60 sucklers (Charolais x Limousin) and 150 cattle are finished as beef. All the Holstein bull calves are finished as beef at 18 months of age.
Today the dairy herd comprises of 110 cows with replacements supplying liquid milk to Kerry Co-op for sale by Dawn Dairies. In the calendar year of 2014 they supplied 1.2m litres.
Calving is split 60/40 between the autumn and spring. The herd is on a TMR diet which includes top quality baled silage, straw, fodder beet (grown locally on contract) and forage maize (48 acres grown on the home farm).
Parents from the local Carnane NS are volunteering to do the catering on the day. All receipts from the ice cream stand will be donated to the Cystic Fibrosis charity.
A calf – Lisnancy April 249 will be sold on the day and all funds raised will be donated to the Midwest Cancer Foundation at Limerick Regional Hospital.
Organisations and trade exhibitors represented on the day included AIB Bank, Crecora Mills, Dairymaster, DeLaval, Dovea Genetics, FBD Insurance, Greenvale Feeds, Kerry Agribusiness, Munster AI, Roche’s Feeds, Teagasc, Volac etc along with officers from the farm organisations.