Latest news with #RiverBlackwaterCatchmentSeries
Agriland
01-05-2025
- Business
- Agriland
River Blackwater Catchment Series: 480 cows with water quality at helm
Agriland Media Group is delighted to collaborate with Dairygold to bring you the River Blackwater Catchment Series. Dairygold milk supplier, Kevin Twomey is milking 480 cows in Ballyhooley, Co. Cork alongside the River Blackwater valley, on 450 acres of land. The milking platform is stocked at 2.7 cows/ha, with cows out at grass by night since the latter stages of February. The main driver of Kevin's system is maximising days at grass while minimising meal and extra supplementation fed. Genetics and herd performance For the last couple of years, Kevin has introduced Jersey genetics to his herd of high economic breeding index (EBI) Holstein Friesians, to further build on the great fertility and production traits brought by the Holstein genetics. For the coming breeding season, Kevin will return to using high EBI Holstein Friesian bulls, to ensure a more balanced cow going forward. The herd has an average EBI of €257 (top 2% in the country), with a milk sub-index of €74, fertility sub-index of €117, and maintenance sub-index of €21. The average EBI of the 2025 spring-born calves was €299. Even in a challenging year like 2024, the cows performed very well in Kevin's system, delivering over 450kg of milk solids/cow at 4.53% fat and 3.83% protein. The gathering yard leading into the rotary in Kevin's yard The cubicle shed and open top cubicles on the farm Kevin's aim is to produce a cow that can deliver high milk solids, with good health traits and a maintenance of between €15 and €25. This breeding protocol will also help Kevin deliver on his sustainability targets, reducing his Nutrient Balance figure, as his cows can effectively convert grass to milk solids without much extra costs. River Blackwater Catchment The River Blackwater runs right through Kevin's farm. Therefore, implementing effective nutrient management and protective measures is key for the Co. Cork farmer in maintaining and improving the water quality status in the river. Kevin believes that 'everyone has a role to play in this', as there are a lot of cows and a lot of tillage in the areas surrounding the River Blackwater. He feels that it should not just be down to individual farmers to take up these practices and measures and said: 'We need all farmers involved along the way'. Kevin partakes in the Agricultural Sustainability Support and Advisory Programme (ASSAP) with Dairygold and has qualified for European Innovation Partnership (EIP) funding, through the 'Farming for Water' initiative, which he describes as 'easy to draw down, as it is easy to understand it'. Kevin is currently taking the following action on his farm through the EIP funding: Measure Min Max Unit Payment rate 1 Rainwater Management plan 1 1 /plan €250 2 Farmer Training Course 1 1 /course €156 4 Nitrogen Surplus 4 4 /plan €250 23 Water Bars 1 6 /unit €213 24 Sediment Traps 1 6 /unit/year €120 30 Bovine exclusion from water bodies 10m 1000m /m €2.77 39 Host Farmer Payment 1 5 /farmer €180 40 Contractor Mobilisation Fee 1 1 /applicant €200 42 Farmyard bucket and brush 1 1 50% of cost to max of €2,000 €2,000 43 Slurry Testing 1 4 /farmer €70 Nutrient management Kevin's farm is a light soil type, where retaining nitrogen (N) in the soil can be a challenge. Maximising the utilisation of this nitrogen is crucial for driving returns in production, grass growth, calf weight gain, and milk sales, which Kevin can achieve by applying fertiliser at the right rates, at the right times, and in the right places. This careful balance between nutrient inputs and outputs clearly demonstrates how farming with water quality in mind can be both environmentally and economically sustainable, even in an intensive, high-performing system. The cow going out to grass after milking Kevin has a nitrogen balance of 187kg of N/ha and a phosphorus balance of 4.5kg of P/ha, and is consistently working towards improving these figures. He is improving them though implementing numerous practices, including the following: Getting soil fertility right by correcting soil pH and maintaining optimal P and K indexes; Effectively utilising low emission slurry spreading (LESS); Limiting his N usage; Timing his N applications to get the full value of nutrients, as going out too early or in the wrong conditions with slurry or chemical fertiliser wastes a lot of the nutrients and limits the grass growth response; Investing in slurry storage, both for slurry and soiled water, to give him a better window to hold slurry and improve utilisation by applying it at the right times. The cows out grazing after milking Kevin noted the 67% good to high quality status in the River Blackwater, which has its catchment in a dense agricultural area, according to a catchment report produced by the EPA in 2024. The Dairygold supplier believes it is in everyone's interest to improve water quality and is reaching out to fellow farmers, saying: 'Do a small bit more to get the moderate quality status waters into a good quality status.'
Agriland
24-04-2025
- Business
- Agriland
River Blackwater Catchment Series: Nutrient balance driving profit
Agriland Media Group is delighted to collaborate with Dairygold to bring you the River Blackwater Catchment Series. Dairygold milk suppliers Thomas and Christopher Kenny from Mourneabbey, Co. Cork are milking 120 cows with one eye on their nutrient balance, which is driving efficiency, sustainability and profitability on their farm. Christopher and his father, Thomas, manage their efficient family farm, where they are milking 120 high economic breeding index (EBI) cows with impressive productivity. The farmers won the Mallow Regional Dairygold Milk Quality and Sustainability Awards in 2023, for their sustainable production practices. The milking platform is 120 acres, with 40 acres of that used for first cut silage, which Christopher said can leave them tight on grass in the middle of the summer. The farm has an organic stocking rate of 223kg of N/ha at this moment in time, which Christopher expects will have to be reduced to 220kg of organic N/ha in the coming year. Christopher Kenny with his herd of cows The father and son have been in farm partnership since 2017 and have since increased profitability on their farm by improving their herd's EBI, implementing targeted slurry and fetiliser application, reducing meal consumption, and maximising the number of days the herd is at grass. The use of Sensehub collars, energy-saving equipment, and solar panels – which supply 24% of the farm's electricity – also contribute to overall efficiency. Biodiversity is an important aspect of their farm business through forestry, mature tree lines, and clover incorporation, which also decreases their nitrogen fertiliser requirement. The Kennys' dedication to efficiency, innovation, sustainability, and farm performance ensures their dairy operation's success. Nutrient balance The Kennys' farm is located in the River Blackwater catchment area. Any potential leaching of nitrates or overflow of phosphorus or sediment could impact the River Blackwater. The Kennys are aware of this risk and are therefore doing everything in their power to produce milk solids in the most sustainable and efficient way possible. The Kennys are in a comfortable position when it comes to slurry storage but plan to avail of the 60% TAMS grant to put in extra storage for their parlour washings, as they feel they will be tight on space with new regulations to come. The slurry is applied using a trailing shoe, allowing for efficient use of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K). They began applying slurry in the second week of February when conditions improved, and soil temperatures rose. Christopher mentioned that: 'Ideally you want to hold on to your slurry until you need to spread it, as opposed to spreading it because you are under pressure'. Spreading in favourable conditions considerably improves a farm's nutrient balance, as the nutrients are effectively absorbed by the soil to promote grass growth. This increased grass production can subsequently lead to a higher yield of milk solids. Approximately one third of the Kennys' farm includes 20% clover, which reduces the reliance on chemical nitrogen and further decreases the farm's nitrogen balance. In terms of fertiliser usage, the Kennys keep it very simple – they spread protected urea in early spring, followed by protected urea with sulphur, and then use 18-6-12 to correct soil indexes during the main grazing season. All fertiliser is spread strategically using the results from soil samples which are updated every two years. The soil results feed into the formation of a nutrient management plan (NMP). The Kennys have an N balance of 186kg of N/ha with a P balance of 5.8kg of P/ha. They are constantly striving to improve overall nutrient balance to improve their farm efficiency and their profit margin. Farm efficiency The Kennys' herd has an average Economic Breeding Index (EBI) of €264, placing it within the top 1% nationwide. Their cows weigh approximately 580kg. Last year's production yielded 6,570kg of milk per cow with 547kg of milk solids per cow. Each cow was fed 1.3 tonnes of meal, consisting of soya hulls and dairy nuts, which was approximately 300kg/ cow more than usual due to unfavourable weather conditions. The Kennys use sexed semen on maiden heifers and second to fifth lactation, which is followed by conventional dairy semen on late calvers and beef straws on cows not fit for breeding replacements. The selection process for cows used in dairy artificial insemination (AI) is based on evaluation of the best genetics within the herd and consideration of their genomic assessment along with data from milk recordings. The Kennys replacement heifers The heifers calving down this year have an EBI of over €300. The Kennys have 25 replacement heifers entering the herd annually, and they sell the surplus. Improving EBI year on year will also reduce a farm's nutrient balance as individual cows will more efficiently in converting grass and meal, into milk solids. Days at grass will also reduce the nutrient balance, and provides the cheapest form of feed for cows, and the best returns in milk solids. The Kennys put their cows out to grass at the start of February and started the second rotation on April 10. The Kennys are also signed up to undertake a number of water quality improvement measures under the 'Farming for Water' European Innovation Partnership (EIP). The Kennys have taken on the following measures: Measures Min Max Unit Payment rate 1 Rainwater Management plan 1 1 /plan €250 2 Farmer Training Course 1 1 /course €156 3 Nutrient Management plan 1 1 /plan €400 4 Nitrogen Surplus 4 4 /plan €250 21 Management of critical source area (CSA) 0.2 3 /ha/yr €213 38 Vegetated bunded drains 1 3 /unit €1,000 39 Host farmer payment 1 5 /farmer €180 40 Contractor Mobilisation Fee 1 1 /applicant €200 43 Slurry Testing 1 4 /farmer €70 The Kennys are getting paid for measures that they were already undertaking such as testing slurry, utilising a nutrient management plan and managing a critical source area (CSA). The farm's soil type is quite mixed. A lot of the farm is free draining while other parts are quite heavy. The Kennys therefore have to deal with phosphorus run-off and flow pathways, and nitrate leaching. Managing the farm's CSA is crucial due to its high connectivity to the drainage network, potential risk to water bodies, and difficulty in grazing and travel because of wet conditions. The management of this area includes preventing animal access during the shoulders of the year and avoiding nutrient spreading nearby. Both practices are already employed by the Kennys.
