It's G'day 2024 for Team Hynes

Paula and the cows are saying farewell to Becky this week as she jets off to Australia.

As another year draws to a close, I can hardly believe how fast it has gone, but in many ways, that in itself reminds me of how busy it was.

Without doubt, there were highs and lows, but that is life; the main low point is that Irish dairy farmers had to step up financially to support dairy processors to ensure they remain sustainable.

In Ireland, we are no strangers to poor milk prices; as a country that exports 90% of the dairy we produce, the rise and fall of the global dairy commodity market will always impact the price we are paid.

We constantly hear that the cost of production in Ireland is low, and yes, it was, but input costs rose dramatically in 2022 and haven’t fallen greatly since. While some of those costs are outside the industry's control, the vast majority of farm inputs which can be supplied by Coops should be priced competitively, especially within those farmer-owned processors.

Surely, a farmer-owned coop is, in fact, the greatest farmer-owned purchasing group supplying all farm inputs at the lowest of prices. Irish milk price dropped 41% this year, yet the average price drop in the EU was only 22%, with our French counterparts only seeing a 3% drop in milk price, but perhaps that is due to the French ability to protest; it seems to be like a national sport in France, and if you are not happy, it is simply a case of taking to the streets.

Undoubtedly, the cost of production in mainland Europe is higher, but the actual cost of inputs is lower. While many new sustainability schemes were launched in 2023, perhaps the greatest sustainability scheme Irish dairy processors might consider launching in 2024 is a sustainably thought-out milk price. As farmers, we know we produce a world-class product, but we are not getting paid a world-class price. I love spending time in Paris, and the fact that the milk we produced on the farm in 2023 would have been worth eighty thousand euros more in France is somewhat appealing right now.

As we all see the seasons changing right before our eyes, perhaps those who still expect us to calendar farm might finally see the light in 2024 and adapt the farming policy calendar to recognize climate change is here now. 

The changes to the nitrates derogation was probably the final hammer blow of 2023; not only did it impact those farmers at the upper limit of 250kg of organic N per hectare, it impacted every dairy farm with surplus dairy stock to sell. I found myself selling four eight-week-old pedigree registered surplus heifer calves in November for two hundred euro each - certainly nowhere near covering the cost of production, but we can’t keep everything.

Sexed semen might be one of the holy grails when it comes to reducing low-value bull calves, but use it sparingly as the female counterpart hasn’t held her value.

I know it all sounds like doom and gloom, I am not one to dwell on the low points, and as the song goes, things can only get better. 

We had so many highlights in 2023, spring calving went smoothly, and breeding season was another success. We had so many off farm experiences, caught up with friends in Paris, made new friends in Scotland and took a trip to Edinburgh with Georgie. 

Pete set a new record by going from Aherla to New York and back again in 60 hours, squeezing in a talk at a conference in the Big Apple while he was there. 

Maybe I spent a little too much time in wellies over the year, but I did get to swap them for my Louboutins twice as we attended black-tie events. I made my way onto a list of one hundred women changing Ireland in 2023, undoubtedly, there are thousands of women who are changing Ireland and when we all do our little bit, it makes a huge difference.

My eldest, Chloe, also got a new job this year. I’m so glad she finally found something she loves in life, working with horses where she seems really settled and gets on so well with her employers.

We had an unforgettable year in the dairy show ring, with big wins in the showmanship ring for Georgie and Becky. Magic joined the family in March and gave us our first win, followed by many more in the UK show ring. 

While you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, our favourite old cow 'Granny' proved that it is possible to teach an old cow some as she took to the halter and lifted three Jersey championships.

Becky took to travelling back and forward to the UK by herself and found a new big little sister in Molly Westwood, won many rosettes on the UK circuit whilst also achieving her goal of qualifying for the All Breeds All Britain calf show, which in turn opened the door for Georgie to team up with Izzy Laird and see Blythbridge Chocochip Reagie win the Jersey championship at ABAB. 

We started at Expo in Cavan and finished at a Winter Fair in Belfast; the highlight of the show season has to be the friends we have made, the laughs we had with them, the inspiration they have given to the girls and the life experience. 

As the new year beckons, that life experience has really stood to Becky as she now jets off to Australia on New Year's Eve for five weeks. She will spend a full week showing at International Dairy Week in Victoria. 

She's a Holstein girl at heart, but she will experience a range of breeds there, showing Brown Swiss, Jersey, Holstein and Illawarra Shorthorn - one of the Australian breeds. Hopefully, she’ll kick off the year winning a few Aussie rosettes.

As the clock strikes 12 on  December 31, just remember life is for living. There’ll be highs and lows but the important thing is to embrace it and remember that it can be the most amazing adventure if you want and, on that note, I wish you all a happy and adventurous 2024.