Managing costs key to success in farming

JAMES WALSH went from 80 to 275 cows, and shared his experiences with about 400 of the country’s top dairy farmers, at the Positive Farmers Annual Conference at Limerick — citing what he would do better the next time, differently, or not at all.

Farming 140 ha (72 ha owned) at Kilmurry Lodge, between Clonmel and Carrick-on-Suir, he now milks 275 cows with a stocking rate of 3.7 cows/ha, producing just over 1,200 kg of milk solids per hectare from grass, with 250kg of concentrates.

When he took over in 2008, a few years after returning from a year working on a dairy farm in New Zealand, the farm was carrying 80 cows plus a beef operation. One of the two commercial farmers in the Teagasc greenfield dairy programme, James has described the transition as an experience of success and pitfalls, challenging although enjoyable.