Farmers turned out in large numbers to get the chance to visit an award-winning dairy farm near Thurles, Co. Tipperary, for a milk quality farm walk.

The Ryan family in Lisheen, winners of the 2025 the National Dairy Council (NDC) and Kerrygold Quality Milk Awards, were the hosts of the large crowd.

The event which was organised by Centenary Thurles Co-op, the NDC, Teagasc, and Ornua, took place yesterday (Wednesday June 24).

Tom and Mary Ryan are milking in partnership with their son Michael.

The Ryans - who supply their milk to Centenary Thurles Co-op - excelled through the judging process for the quality milk awards this time last year after being evaluated on all areas of dairy farming, from milk quality and animal welfare, to environmental sustainability and grassland management.

Yesterday with the sun blazing and the season ever so slightly quietening down, the Ryans generously opened the gates to their award winning farm.

Farm performance

The farm, which is milking 158 black-and-white pedigree registered cows, pushed out an average of 548kgs of milk solids (MS) in 2025.

They are currently producing an average of 25.89L of milk at 4.25% fat and 3.6% protein, all while maintaining an average Somatic Cell Count (SCC) of 70,000 cells/ml.

The herd has an average Economic Breeding Index (EBI) figure of €161 currently, but with 2025 calves averaging €187 and 2026 calves averaging €196, the Ryans will soon feel the herd average elevate even further.

The 56ha milking block is stocked at 2.8LU/ha, with the Ryans growing 12.62t of dry matter (DM) per ha last year.

Michael carries out 40 grass walks each year, with a current average farm cover of 683kg DM/ha.

An enviable 100% of the farm has optimum soil fertility in terms of pH, with all paddocks coming in at 6.5 or higher.

Meanwhile 90% of the farm is in index three or four for Phosphorus (P), and 61% of the farm in in index three or four for Potassium (K).

In 2025, the Ryans had a 365-day calving interval, with 93% of the herd then calving down in six weeks.

Previously the herd had been wiped out in 1993 with Brucellosis, and only fully specialised in dairy around 2018, when Michael returned from college, to the farm's current performance is phenomenal.

A new 20-unit swing-over Pearson parlour was installed in 2018 as Michael returned home, along side updated handling infrastructure, which included a drafting gate, large holding yard, and a foot bath.

Further developments followed in 2020 with the construction of new cubicles, followed by a new silage pit in 2023, and finally the installation of a new 930m³ slurry storage tank in 2025.

NDC

Emma Walls, the chief executive officer (CEO) of NDC, said one of the reasons why the event took place is because it is the organisation's job to tell the story about Irish dairy farming and dairy products.

Walls said considering how 'extraordinary' the Ryan family farm is, it made it was the perfect setting for a farm walk.

The CEO told Agriland: "For us, this is the oxygen that fills our lungs, it's the diesel in our tank, and it gives us the ability to go out to the wider world and tell the story of Irish dairy, with a real authentic and inspiring feel."

Walls also highlighted the importance of sharing this story, and the fact that a lot of consumers are disconnected from agriculture - as they are several generations now removed from farms.

According to the NDC CEO judging is now underway for the 2026 NDC and Kerrygold Milk Quality Awards, with 12 finalists put forward by co-ops currently being evaluated.