Hundreds of people attended the national milk quality farm walk on the Macnamara family dairy farm in Co. Limerick yesterday (Thursday, September 12).
John and Olivia Macnamara who farm at Starview, Gormanstown, Hospital were the overall winners of the 2023 National Dairy Council (NDC) & Kerrygold Quality Milk Awards.
The couple’s four children, Caoimhe, Padraic, Ailbhe and Conor, all play an active role in the running of the farm.
The annual awards programme, now in its 15th year, celebrate the highest standards of excellence in dairy farming and milk production in Ireland.
The judges highlighted the quality of the infrastructure and grassland management on the Macnamara’s farm, along with their engagement in research, advocacy and public engagement.
“If you have the knowledge then you can deal with the challenges. That’s what it is – a challenge is something you can overcome, it’s not a problem. That’s the way I look at things.
“There can be lots of challenges, there’s lots of challenges at the moment but you have to deal with them one by one. If you try and deal with too many of them together you get your head messed around.
“It’s not easy and it’s not easy here either, this was a very difficult spring as well,” John told those attending the farm walk.
Dairy
John is passionate about encouraging the next generation into the dairy sector and promoting the positives around farming.
The Limerick farm regularly welcomes local children, students, discussion groups and international business groups on visits.
Responding to a question on succession from Macra president Elaine Houlihan, John suggested that farmers should give their children knowledge around farm finances and costs at an earlier age.
However, he added that farmers should also let their children know that there is money to be made from farming too.
The Macnamara dairy farm, which supplies milk to Kerry Agribusiness, is currently milking 220 cows.
The holding comprises two land blocks: the home farm covering 75 adjusted hectares for the milking platform and an out farm of 35 adjusted hectares for heifers and calves located about six miles away.
The spring calving herd’s economic breeding index (EBI) stood at €208 in 2023, milk solids were 439kg, fat stood at 4.55% and protein at 3.69%.
Last year, the farm’s somatic cell count (SCC) was 136 and total bacteria count (TBC) was 9.
The cows are milked through a 20-unit parlour with variable speed milk pump and vacuum pump, a plate cooler and electric water heating.
John said that 530kg of ration/cow was fed during 2023, while to date this year that figure is 502kg/ration/cow.
The farm grew over 14t/ha of grass dry matter (DM) in 2023 with around 148kg of nitrogen (N)/ha spread on the whole farm.
Similar to farms across the country, the difficult weather conditions in the spring meant that it was “a real challenge” to get cows out to grass.
The Macnamara farm, which is in derogation, places a major emphasis on sustainability and water quality.
Over the past three years, the farm has successfully introduced clover into their swards. The clover content average was 19% across 62% of the grazing platform in 2023.
Along with incorporating clover, the farm has adequate slurry storage facilities, uses protected urea, low emissions slurry spreading (LESS), carries out hedge planting and maintains 5-10m riparian buffers beside watercourses.
The Morning Star river, which runs through the milking platform, has maintained its ‘good status’ since 2006.
Pat Murphy, chief executive of Kerry Dairy Ireland, said that John and his family “exhibit an exceptional commitment to dairy farming at its highest level”.
He noted that the farm has a carbon footprint which is 12% lower than the Kerry average.
The mission statement of the Macnamara family dairy farm is: “To run an enjoyable, profitable, efficient, sustainable fairy business, while also enjoying good family and work life balance”.
The family is very active in the local community, particularly in GAA with John taking time away from the farm to train local teams.
The Limerick farm is no stranger to awards; John’s late father Paddy won the National Farmyard Award in 1969, which was followed up 40 years later when John and Paddy claimed the title in 2009.
John won the FBD Young Farmer of the Year in 2005 and was National Grassland Farmer of the Year in 2018.
John said that being named overall winner of the 2023 NDC & Kerrygold Quality Milk Awards was particularly special as it involved his whole family.