Donal McElroy farms in the townland of Carrickallen, near Kilkerley, Co. Louth with the support of his father, Gerry and a local student. In 2021, the farm’s herd consisted of 250 milking cows, 85% of which are spring calving and the remaining 15% are autumn calvers to fulfil existing winter milk contracts. The McElroy’s system is grass-based, with the goal of a compact calving pattern while achieving optimal growth rates and thrive to ensure an effective heifer rearing system which is a critical success factor for Donal.

In 2021, Shane lambed over 380 ewes. At the end of the finishing season, he managed to sell 1.6 lambs/ewe, which he was extremely happy with. Shane has been using a combination of the Lakeland Agri Super Ewe & Lambs Nut, and the Gold Lamb Finisher Nut in his system over the past number of years and performance has been “fantastic”.

MATTHEW Workman takes the neat and tidy route to maximising the margins and lifestyle provided by up to 230 Holsteins on the family farm at Moneybrannon, Aghadowey. In this dairy farming heartland of Co Londonderry Workman Farms Ltd utilises 430 acres/174ha for grazing and silage. With family support, especially that of his father Desmond, plus one full time and two part time staff Matthew seeks to have a 21st century work life balance giving adequate family time. 

Father and son team, Pat and John Loughnane operate a beef finishing system, supplying quality meat to their butcher shop in Loughrea, Co. Galway. Loughnanes Butchers has been in operation for over 80 years, dating back to 1939, while the farm was in the family for generations before that. The butcher shop won a “Great Taste Award” in 2013 and 2015 and is widely renowned for its cuts of beef, along with exceptional quality pork sausages and puddings.  

Liam Cahill is a recent entrant to dairy farming, residing just outside the town of Mullagh on the Cavan-Meath border. Liam began dairy farming in 2014, having previously had sucklers on the holding. Over the course of the last 6 years, he has grown the herd to now milk 130 cows in 2021, on a 50:50 split, autumn and spring calving pattern.

The success to any suckler calf-to-weanling or indeed finishing system, will be maximising performance from excellent quality grass. As the year moves on grass quality begins to decline, the key to maintaining performance with your calves or weanlings is the quality of feed being fed in conjunction with the grass.

Just outside Maherafelt, Co. Derry, father and son Bernard and John O’Kane are currently milking a herd of 80 cows on their family farm. 

Lakeland Agri milk suppliers, Adrian and Matthew Hill are a father and son team, milking approximately 70 Holstein-Friesian cows on a grass-based system outside Castleblayney, Co. Monaghan. 

In the April edition of the Lakeland Agri Technical notes, we covered an article written by Professor Finbar Mulligan in UCD. In the article, Finbar gave a very brief outline of the high output grazing system currently by trialled in UCD. 

In the valley below Drumlegagh, Newtownstewart, Co. Tyrone lies the McCrea family farm. Despite the challenging nature of the local terrain, the father and son team of Albert and David have established one of the highest performing dairy herds in the area. 

The McCluskey family farm lies deep in the rural Gaeltacht region of Balsaw, Wilkinstown, Co. Meath. The father and son trio of Michael, Ciaran and Conor are new dairy farmers, having only completed their primary year in dairying at the end of 2020. 

Brian Rushe from Coonagh, Carbury, Co. Kildare converted from a beef and tillage enterprise to a dairy unit in 2013, supplying milk to Lakeland Dairies. 

Tynan, Co. Armagh, between Monaghan town and Armagh City, is where you will find the Irwin family farm, running operation milk over 200 high yielding Holstein Friesian cows.

Overlooking the Lakeland Dairies production facility, the milk from Beaverlodge Farms hasn’t far to go before it is processed into nutritious, fresh dairy produce.

With a Holstein herd at the centre of their family farming business at Ballyward near Castlewellan, Jonathan Knox and his father Mervyn cut no comers when it comes to calf rearing.

A recent visit to Jim Smyth’s farm in Jerrettspass Co. Down highlights his experience of the Transition Management System.

The Carnegie family certainly do not do things by halves, and have embraced the challenge to venture into unchartered territory with huge success.

Paul and Stuart Lyness’ history of milk production is not a long one, but looking at their farm performance, one would believe they were at it their entire lifetime.

Pascal Byrne and his wife Clare farm at the foot of the Mournes, overlooking Newry Co. Down. Pascal milks a herd of 130 Holstein-Friesian cows, with 100 cows milking at present.

Northern Ireland milk supplier, Ian Buchanan, farms outside Dungiven. Alongside his sons, Ian has grown their business dramatically over the past number of years.

Daniel and Derek Flynn farm a mixed farming enterprise just outside Ballinabrackey, Co. Meath. The father and son duo have an expanding dairy herd of 100 cows, and also purchase continental heifers as yearlings to finish under 30 months of age.

Located in Ballydoogan, just outside Moate, Co. Westmeath, Timmy Hegarty is milking a 340 Holstein Friesian herd on a grass-based system.

Stephen and Adam Crawford are a father and son duo based in Newtownards, Co. Down. They are milking approximately 80 cows, split calving between autumn and spring.

Lakeland Agri’s Heifer Grower Nut is specifically designed to ensure growing heifers meet target live-weight gains at critical points of development. 

James Hoey, Drumcar Farm, Co. Louth, was a new entrant to dairy farming in 2017, and has been supplying milk to Lakeland Dairies since the spring of that year.

John Dunlop is a dairy farmer from Drumad, Lisbellaw, Co. Fermanagh. Alongside his father, Alan and brother George, John is milking a herd of 150 cows, calving all year round.

Edward Cooney farms directly on the Cavan-Meath border at Tierworker, Kells, Co. Meath. He farms in an entirely spring calving, grass-based system, with cows typically getting to grass in early February, weather dependant.

Gerry Boyle is a beef farmer from Lisduff, Loughmourne, Castleblayney in Co. Monaghan and he began feeding Lakeland Agri’s Super Beef Nut for the first time last year.

Delivering exceptional results with SkimSmart. Up until late last year, Darren was feeding a whey based milk replacer, however he decided to change to the new Lakeland Agri SkimSmart Calf Milk Replacer, having been informed about it from his local Lakeland Agri rep.

Lakeland Dairies Agribusiness division has delivered a 3-step Soil Improvement Programme, in partnership with Devenish and Thomson & Joseph. This project was delivered by working with three monitor dairy farms in Cavan, Monaghan and Westmeath over the past four years.

Jimmy and Catherine Maloney purchase all their animal feeds from Lakeland Dairies, and their farm is one of several monitor farms across the Lakeland Dairies catchment area that embarked on a soil improvement programme in 2013 as part of the Lakeland RumiSmart Sustain fully integrated nutrition system.

Charles Smith, who heads up the Angus Beef Producers’ Group started feeding Lakeland’s Gold Finisher 30 to his finishing cattle last August and is extremely happy with the results achieved.

Monaghan dairy farmer, Eugene McMahon was very appreciative of the work carried out by Lakeland Dairies in an effort to provide a solution to a huge problem he was having with milk fevers and retained cleanings.

Dairy farmer Clifford Cranston runs a very successful heifer rearing programme on his farm in Mullagh, Co. Cavan with the support of Lakeland Dairies Agribusiness.