Farmer Focus Series in association with IHFA
The following farms need little introduction in Irish dairy circles as are well known for their attention-to-detail breeding and meticulous herd management.
Kevin Flynn, Co. Laois farms with his wife Martina under the Reary herd prefix that was established by Kevin’s late father Bill in 1974. Bill started milking cows in 1962 as one of the first suppliers to Donaghmore Co-op, but it was after the introduction of pedigree cows, British Friesian at the time, that the farm really started making ground.
The Norah family that has been incredibly prolific for the Reary herd were some of these first cows in the pedigree herd, bought from the Cabra Herd, Thurles.
To date there have been over 670 Norahs registered in the herd, and another 170 Poppies registered, which branched from the Norahs a number of years ago. It’s an impressive feat for any herd to have such a proficient family and as Kevin says himself, they have always been excellent heifer producers always.
The Norahs consistently classify highly and encapsulate Kevin’s ideal type of cow – moderate stature with great chest and rump capacity, nice slope to rump, robust with a solid udder and excellent feet and legs.
While the Reary herd doesn’t have far to walk on the milking block Kevin knows the importance of good “wheels” on a cow to ensure they last. A common theme emerges when speaking to Kevin and reading back through farm profiles and articles Kevin wrote over the years for Irish Holstein Friesian Association (IHFA) – planning and targets.
Meticulous management
Everything that is done in Clonaslee is done with purpose – to improve milk components, to maximise fertility or to make daily farming life easier. That is how the Reary herd has gotten to where it is today – averaging 9644kg milk with 381kg fat (3.95%) and 334kg protein (3.46%) in 2022 for 305-day milk recording.
Even with these stellar figures Kevin has improvements in mind.
“I’ll select bulls with protein and fat above our herd average this year to make sure we are getting the highest solids out of the future milking females as possible,” he said.
“Overall we are always aiming for a uniform herd, I believe when there is uniformity in the herd there can be uniformity in management and that is ultimately beneficial to both the cows and the farmer.”
Uniformity is clear to see across the 200 head split-calving herd; all animals are robust, with good mobility, of relatively large but manageable frame, and are able to thrive in a slightly larger herd setting.
Maintaining chest and rump width has been important in breeding such a cow with good capacity to produce milk. This blueprint for functional cows has resulted in fantastic longevity within the herd; average parity currently stands at 3.9 and 49 animals are on their seventh lactation or greater, up to an astonishing 13 lactations for Reary Norah 140 EX90 6E.
When making breeding decisions Kevin would focus on linear traits primarily, economic breeding index (EBI) is something that is a factor in breeding decisions but isn’t paramount. Its mostly in terms of selling on stock, the customer is king and they will usually require an EBI of €100 minimum Kevin has found.
Bull selection
Kevin has streamlined the number of bulls used on the farm in this quest for uniformity. In bull selection he always ensures the bulls used come from good pedigree lines (EX classified mothers ideally) with high production figures – especially components, and he looks for good chest and rump width for his ideal build of cow.
Kevin uses a mix of imported and Irish bulls when they fit his criteria and is happy to use bulls year on year when they have proven to produce the stock he wants.
“The Praser daughters grow into really good cows, improving considerably in their second lactations, and the Yamaska’s have thus far proven really functional cows,” Kevin said.
Castleblagh Ruthless was probably the best Irish bull Kevin ever used in the herd and fit Kevin’s bull criteria blueprint – two generations of EX cows behind him and strong solids and fertility. Kevin has found calving heifers at two years the best for longevity and development of the animal herself. He has no problem getting these animals in calf year on year and they work hard in the herd without problems.
The Flynns will be taking part in a panel discussion at the IHFA Focus Farm Walk on September 15, more details of which are at the end of this article
Excelling in West Cork
Robert Shannon farms pedigree Holstein Friesian cows in West Cork under the Ballydehob prefix, originally established by his father Billy.
Robert and his wife Shirley run a split calving herd of 92 cows in Co. Cork with their son Stephen and daughter Sarah.
In 2022 the Ballydehob herd sold 7,972L milk/cow with 643kg solids to Lisavaird Co-op. Robert has long focused on maintaining good milk hygiene with an average somatic cell count (SCC) of 71 for 2022 and maintains a tight calving interval at 365 days with the herd split calving 50:50 spring and autumn/winter.
Robert has been a proponent of EBI for many years and the herd average currently stands at €215.
This focus has worked well for them in terms of producing bulls for artificial insemination (AI) over the years; Ballydehob Adam was one of Munster AI’s top bulls of recent years with a €180 EBI and over 2500 milking daughters.
The Trixie, Patsy and Mary cow families have been a strong backbone to the herd for many years. The Trixie family goes back to 1989 and one of the best cows to come from this family was Ballydehob OJ Trixie EX 94 5E.
In 2023 she is in her 13th lactation and has produced nine daughters in her lifetime while maintaining a very tight calving interval of 357 days. Four of her daughters are currently milking in the herd, along with two more heifer daughters born in 2021 and 2022 to enter the milking herd in due course.
There are more than 50 descendants from the Trixie family in the herd currently. Indeeed this family also produced the young sire Ballydehob Jota with over €300 EBI and good figures.
From the Patsy family, Ballydehob St Louis Patsy EX90 3E has been incredibly prolific for Robert both in terms of milk and daughters. In her sixth lactation she has produced six daughters from just seven straws with a calving interval of 361 days, and is scanned in calf again for autumn this year from a single service of sexed Nortonhill R2 D2.
She is one of nearly 50 Patsy daughters in the herd at present. These are the trouble-free, fertile, highly productive animals Robert is aiming for, and it takes very precise careful management and breeding to achieve this.
Breeding bulls
Robert has always taken great care in the bulls used for breeding on his farm and the use of AI and particularly sexed semen has been a great aid in progressing the herd. Robert would always look for a bull that is positive in fat and protein percentages and positive for milk, or minorly negative at least.
Type is still incredibly important in his mind and always selects for good udders, feet and legs.
“Type isn’t only about how the cow looks – these are functional traits that determine whether a cow will last in the herd or not for multiple lactations,” he said.
Robert’s son and daughter take a keen interest in the selection of bulls for the herd also and Sarah was able to tell us some of the bulls they had selected for this year: Ballintosig Ring O, Renegade, Nortonhill R2 D2, Boghill Glamour Hailstone, Sandy-Valley I Batman, Peak Altalawson, 3star Oh Marcello, Westcoast Midmarch and Sandy-Valley R Conway.
As Robert uses a lot of imported bulls he stresses the importance of checking their statistics in their home country as well as their converted EBI statistics as sometimes they can come across poorly.
Robert would make sure anything he uses is not low on health and to maintain his ideal frame and build of cow he would focus on good udders with moderate to short teats, a wide chest and he would avoid anything too high in the pins.
Robert is just as diligent with the stock bulls he sells on to other farmers – every bull is fertility tested before it is sold.
Technology adoption
Both Kevin and Robert have always been early adopters of technology, sexed semen has been used to great success for many years on both farms.
“Sexed semen results in an easier calving for the heifers which they seems to bound back better from, and you are ensuring heifer calves as replacements off your best genetic animals,” Kevin said.
Sexed semen has worked exceptionally well for Kevin with up to 67% conception rates to first service in his best year.
Robert used nearly exclusively sexed semen for the 2022 for all dairy straws used, conventional beef straws are also used from the beginning of the breeding season on cows that Robert does not want daughters from.
Only one cow was not in calf at the end of last year’s breeding season which is testament to Roberts careful breeding strategy and correct use and handling of sexed semen. All animals born on the farm are genotyped and have been for the last few years, it gives Robert the best information on the genetic potential of his stock.
The value of Roberts pedigree records and breeding has translated directly into high-value bull sales. A number of Roberts home bred bulls have been selected for AI over the years including Ballydehob Adam, Ballydehob Jota and Ballydehob Mystic 2544.
Outside of this Robert has repeat customers every year for both make and female stock – buyers know when they are buying from Ballydehob that they are investing in quality and longevity in their herds.
Robert has used Pasture base for the last number of years to help with grass measurement and management on the grazing platform. Robert has a high percentage of clover in approximately one quarter of the farm which has reduced his overall fertiliser requirements.
Pedigree buy-in reaps rewards
While the success of these two herds is ultimately down to the individuals involved and their commitment to bettering their herds, both would agree that it has been the investment in pedigree breeding that has facilitated their herd development.
Going back to Reary Herd ads from 2000 Bill and Kevin credit the improvement in the herd “to Pedigree Information which has played a major role in the development of the Reary Herd and in the profitability of the whole farm enterprise”.
Robert highlights the importance of pedigree information to guide decisions on farm, and he always pays close attention to type and cow families when choosing cows to breed from.
“We have classified on the farm for many years, discussions with the classifiers and analysing the classification reports helps us identify any weaknesses in our cows and correct these in the next generation,” he said.
“Well classified cows always last longer in the herd and that is only going to become more important as nitrates comes in and we are limited with the number of cows we can keep on farms.”
Robert and Kevin have long been involved in their regional IHFA clubs (Cork and Laois/Offaly respectively) and value the knowledge sharing that happened at regional and national events.
“Every open day or show gives us a chance to see what other bulls and families are doing well, we can never stop learning if we want our herds to keep improving,” Kevin said.
Both men have held positions on the IHFA board over the years and have seen great success in herds competitions and at local and national shows. Most recently Kevin placed second in the National Herds Competition for the over 80 cow section in 2020.
Robert has received numerous awards over the years for top EBI and production cows.
In the 2022 Cork Club Herds Competition Robert took home the awards for Highest Production Cow for the previously mentioned Ballydehob OJ Trixie and the Highest EBI Cow award for Ballydehob Per Patsy (EBI €291) as well as the overall highest protein percentage and highest EBI herd awards.
The proof is very much in the silverware when it comes to the value of pedigree breeding for both the Reary and Ballydehob herds.
They are both superb examples of how much can be achieved when pedigree and production information is factored into farm management and planning. We look forward to seeing what is to come for these herds in the future.
IHFA Focus Farm Walk
If you would like to see the Reary herd in person come along to the IHFA Focus Farm Walk on September 15, starting at midday.
Kevin and the other 2023 focus farmers will all gather at the Reary Herd in Clonaslee, Co Laois, R32HF74, to speak about their farm systems. Visitors will rotate through six stands each featuring a different farmer and then get the chance to view the Reary Herd.
If you would like to start your pedigree journey contact the IHFA today at [email protected] or call the office on; 023 883 3443.
Whole herd grade-up discounts are available for first time pedigree-registration herds.