A large crowd was present at the Irish Holstein Friesian Association (IHFA) event on the farm of Kevin Flynn in Co. Laois on Friday (September 15).
The crowd in attendance comprised a mix of current IHFA members and farmers that are considering grading-up and becoming members.
The event saw six farmers, who are members of the IHFA, showcase their systems and how pedigree registration has been beneficial to them.
Each of the farmers speaking at the event operated a different system with pedigree Holstein and Friesian cows. Some focus on using the economic breeding index (EBI), while others use foreign sires to meet their breeding goals.
IHFA
However, the six farmers have one thing in common; all six farmers have a passion for breeding and improving the breeding within their herds. Key to this for each of them is record keeping.
All the farmers speaking at the event said that the records available on each cow through registering the herd was a major factor in their success.
These records, along with milk recording data, has allowed them to identify good cows and cow families which they can use to generate replacements and improve the genetic potential within their herd.
Each of the farmers spoke about how records have allowed them to track the best cows and cow families which has helped to improve overall herd performance.
It was also evident at the event that a pedigree herd is also capable of operating a number of different systems of production, from high concentrate feeding in spring- and autumn-calving systems to low concentrate feeding in grass-based systems.
Concentrates feeding varied from 700kg/cow to 1.8t/cow.
Farmers
Kevin Flynn, who hosted the event on his farm, told those attending of his 180-strong pedigree cows, built to last (average parity four).
In 2022, the herd produced a total of 9,644kg of milk, with an average fat of 3.95% and protein of 3.46%. This equates to 715kg of milk solids/cow.
Keeping his stocking rate at 2.51 livestock units (LU)/ha, Flynn held an impressive nitrogen use efficiency of 46%, with the national average being 25%.
Pedigree breeding is clearly a passion of the Co. Laois farmer, who has a particular fondness for the Norah cow family.
Patrick Pentony milks 70 cows in Co. Louth, and has his herd graded up to pedigree status which has made huge genetic and production gains.
With his son currently in college, Pentony had bought stock from other prominent herds and then graded his own herd up.
This has allowed his Gallrua herd to be healthy and fertile, producing 6,326kg of milk, with an average fat of 4.32%, and protein of 3.57% – equating to 500kg of milk solids/cow.
Gearoid Maher told the crowd of the 100 Pure Friesians thriving on his marginal land in Co. Limerick that he farms with sustainability at its core.
In 2022, his Killuragh herd produced a total of 6,794kg of milk, with an average fat of 4.27% and protein of 3.59% – equating to 534kg of milk solids/cow.
Maher keeps cow welfare at the core of how he farms, and allows the cows to have ample space in cubicles, and ensures they have a limited walking distance to cover to the parlour.
An aspect of Maher’s farm that combines sustainability with cow welfare is his use of multi-species swards, as he said the cows like to graze it, but importantly, he does not spread any nitrogen fertiliser.
Paudie Brennan, who farms in partnership with his son Seán, milks 110 cows on high-quality grassland in Co. Kilkenny.
Their Suttonrath herd yielded a total of 6,900kg of milk, with average fat of 4.52%, and protein of 3.57%. There was 558kg of milk solids/cow in 2022.
Brennan invested in the development of his farm and the herd, once he knew his son was committed to farming.
Through investing in a new parlour and introducing zero grazing to the farm, Brennan made these changes to be more labour efficient, and to build for his son’s future in farming.
Robert Shannon, with his 80 cows in Co. Cork, concentrates on economic breeding index (EBI) and high solids production.
His Ballydehob herd produced 9,706kg of milk, with an average fat of 4.44% and protein of 3.65% – equating to an impressive 786kg of milk solids/cow in 2022.
Shannon uses some international sires, as he determined that the information from abroad regarding the bull’s genetics and performance was more readily available there.
He also had the lowest calving interval on display at the event, which was 358 days.
John Galvin, with his herd of 85 cows in Co. Kerry, has improved his herd steadily over the years, despite the weather conditions he is faced with.
His Doonmanagh herd, in 2022, yielded 6,989kg of milk, which had an average fat content of 4.25% and protein of 3.75%. His herd produced 559kg of milk solids/cow.
With high rainfall, Galvin must use a short grazing system for his cows which he carefully manages, closing the grazing season in October.
His breeding system has proven to be highly successful, with multiple of his bulls being used for artificial insemination (AI), most notably Doonmanagh Seville.
Additional reporting by Colm Ryan