John Doran milks a total of 80 cows just outside Asdee in Co. Kerry, on a farm perched above the Shannon Estuary.

The black and white herd consists predominately of pedigree Holsteins, but there is a small portion of British Friesians genetics blended into the herd.

Doran's herd performance is nothing short of impressive, having produced 605kg of milk solids (MS)/cow in 2025.

This earned him awards from the Irish Holstein Friesian Association (IHFA) Kerry club for fat percentages, as well as milk price paid in cent per litre.

His projected milk solids output for the 2026 season is back down to 595kg for 2026, with the poor spring and drought playing a part in the slightly reduced milk production.

Hard work

Achieving these figures is the result of many years of hard work and dedication, especially when it comes to breeding.

In 2024, Doran was even awarded a top 100 dairy breeder award from the the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF).

The herd's economic breeding index (EBI) stands at €171, with the top 10% coming in at €199.

His herd has a milk sub-index of €42 and a fertility sub-index of €74.

This is all achieved without sexed semen, he says.

According to Doran, he tried sexed semen twice without achieving the desired results.

Therefore, he adheres to conventional genomic semen, picking replacements heifers from the best cows.

Infrastructure

With the herd in a good place, Doran has turned his attention to improving infrastructure on the farm.

His most recent investment was a fully kitted, upgraded milking parlour, opting to fit it in the existing shed, which was originally built in the late 1970s.

Doran's new parlour came from Causeway, which is just 25 minutes away from the farm.

He opted to fit a 14-unit swing-over Dairymaster parlour, which is a four-unit increased on the previous parlour.

The parlour was installed in January and features plenty of bells and whistles, such as auto-wash, cluster-flush, automatic cluster removers (ACR's), a dump line, swiftflo commander, and a variable-speed milk pump.

According to Doran, "you do not realise the difference it makes until you actually install a new parlour".

He says he is in and out of the new parlour within an hour, while it previously took up to two hours, if not more.

The herd's somatic cell count (SCC) is kept below 100,000 cells/ml, averaging just 72,000 cells/ml in March following the dry period, and falling as low as 52,000 cells/ml in May.

A low SCC for his cows was always something Doran worked to achieve, saying it is the result of practices, such as strategic culling, and even teat-sealing heifers.

He also ensures that cows get a sufficient dry time, explaining that six weeks dry-time really only works out to four weeks by the time the cows transition over in the first week, as well as the last week before calving.

However, in terms of the parlour, Doran says the cluster-flush saves time as clusters do not need to be dipped in peracetic acid.

The ACR's also prevent the cows from being over- milked, which is all helping to keep SCC levels low.

With milking time reduced, cows are not remaining in the yard as long, which is once again helping to achieve the low cell count.

A five-bay shed built in 2023, runs off the left side of the parlour, and contains handling facilities, calf pens, and additional cubicles.

Meanwhile, a six-bay shed built in 2008 is located along the rear of the parlour, and contains the majority of the cubicle space, the main feeding passage, and the holding yard for the parlour.

Beneath the two sheds are slatted tanks, allowing Doran to have more than enough space even before the new regulations set to be introduced in 2028.

For the sake of his finances, Doran says he tells himself that he "is finished with farmyard investment".

However, like on any other farm, there is never an end to such investments, with Doran now considering the installation of solar panels to combat the ever-rising electricity bills.

Other investments on the agenda for the future include heat detection monitors to further improve breeding and save on labour.

A feed-to-yield system is another purchase on his list, with Doran stating there is no point in feeding a 400kg heifer the same ration as a 600kg cow.