Glastry Farm is a specialised dairy farm which extends to 247ac owned, as well as a further 190ac leased at Kircubbin, on the Ards Peninsula of Co. Down.
The farming enterprise is run by Gareth and Liz Taylor, the sixth generation of Taylors on this farm, dates back to 1856 and was originally 58ac.
The seventh generation, Amy, Isla and Tom take an interest in the farming activities but are at this point, of school age.
Will Taylor is the fifth generation. He takes care of the Glastry Farm ice cream side of the business, having diversified in 2004. He says things are going well, but that a lot of effort goes into that.
“We have a rainfall of 28-30in (850mm) year-on-year with all grass/clover leys, 45ac of forage maize and 15-20ac of winter wheat,” he said.
“This is the base ration for our pedigree dairy herd and ensures that there is a reseeding policy built into the system.
“The 300-cow pedigree dairy herd is the engine that drives the farm, it has been self-contained for a generation.
“The only outside purchase is an Aberdeen Angus bull every third/fourth year as a heifer ‘sweeper bull’ with an exemplary health background,” he added.
“This is mostly because the region has 18% of herds under TB restrictions with all the associated cashflow implications plus the possible loss of a lifetime of breeding endeavour.”
Genetics and yield at Glastry Farm
The current herd genetic gain in the black and white breed is rapid over the past decade and more so at Glastry, where the milk recording, according to the National Milk Records (NMR) report for August 12, 2023, showed the rolling average milk yield was 10,632kg.
Perhaps more significantly, the rolling average for fat is quite spectacular in that it is 4.72% fat and 3.41% protein.
“That would be very much ahead of the pack in terms of the Northern Ireland or Irish average in terms of both volume and in terms of components,” he added.
So, how does that come about?
“We have almost 80% of the herd in excellent (EX) or very good (VG) status and genomic data on the females, as well as sires that are being used, to improve rapidly our genetic gain and herd performance,” Will continued.
“There is a very clear relationship between the genetic potential of the herd and the efficient use of inputs, particularly, feed.
“We need to bring super management allied with superb nutrition to these high-performance animals to benefit from their genetic potential 365 days a year. Would the Red Bull team fill an F1 racing car with paraffin to cheapen the running costs in a Grand Prix race?
“Yet, we continually do that in times of drought, poor grass availability, wet or monsoon periods and adverse conditions, yet we don’t react quickly and lose productivity as a result.”
The Taylors feel they have addressed the ‘ethical timebomb’ of dairy farming in Ireland by using sexed semen on the quartile of the herd with most genetic potential, so only pure black and white heifer calves are born on farm.
The rest of the herd are inseminated with Aberdeen Angus semen. The resulting calves are moved directly at six weeks to the ABP Angus rearing scheme on an approved farm.
Environment
Will Taylor said that the environment is also an important concern in how they farm.
“We take our environmental obligations seriously, as dairy farming is in the spotlight in terms of pollution of our lakes and waterways, with increasing legislation heading our way and derogations of what we do and how we conform becoming more stringent,” he said.
“We are part of the first tranche of farms that have been part of the Soil Nutrient Management Scheme in Co. Down.
“All our fields have been sampled and readings for lime requirements, phosphorous, potassium and sulphur for the expected crops for the next three years tabulated.”
“This exercise has saved us several thousand euro already in year one, and in a period of high fertiliser prices, science has overcome the blanket excess of nutrients being applied,” he added.
Will explained that they have completed a carbon audit of the farm.
“Our bottom line result for 2023 is 1.23kg/L of milk produced, which is a barometer of input efficiency on this dairy farm,” he said.
Brexit
Will said there has not been much impact on their farm from Brexit.
“In terms of the farm, the impact has been minimal. Inputs have obviously increased dramatically in particular because of the Ukraine war; the price of fertiliser and feed have risen dramatically,” he said.
“Brexit, farm-wise, has had a minimal effect but I think the farming community as a group who voted very resoundingly, as I understand it, to come out of the European Union, I think they are now finding that they have been very much misled.
“The great yonder of much less bureaucracy and being in charge of their own well-being really hasn’t happened and in actual fact, farms, including our own here at Glastry, have a much heavier burden or bureaucracy and statutory farm visits than they have had previously.”
Will says the key to their success lies in running the farm and the ice cream/sorbet businesses alongside each other.
“That is the secret of what is a very integrated business to keep both sides of it continuing being profitable which is obviously the ultimate sustainability benchmark and without that input from my son and daughter-in-law, this business would not continue in the way it is at the moment,” he said.
“We believe that our 150 years of farming this land is a testament to our sustainability in all its forms and we will continue to use science to underpin all that we do in the future,” he added.