Paula Hynes: 37°C on the farm and a stellar day at Cedarmore
Cows on their way to the ring for the Stock Judging at the IHFA National Open Day 2026 held at John & Bryan O'Connor, Cedarmore Holsteins, Kanturk Co Cork. Picture: Maria Kelly
Dunmanway Show was our latest outing on the agricultural show circuit after what has been a busy run of shows.
We were down a team member as Becky had travelled to Co. Louth to clip and prepare animals for Tubbertoby Holsteins ahead of the Flavours of Fingal Show, which also hosted the North East YMA Club qualifier for the national finals.
Dunmanway is a wonderful family show and we kept the show team small as most of the heifers are being rested ahead of the National Dairy Show.
Diarmuid Murphy officiated as dairy judge and the day began with the showmanship classes. Georgie took first place in the junior handlers' class, with Aisling in second, and the pair repeated those placings in the YMA showmanship classes.
They have both qualified for the YMA League final, which will be held at the National Dairy Show in Millstreet in October.
As the Jersey classes began, Kaela took the red ribbon in the heifer calf class, with Kahluah standing second.
Georgie quickly swapped animals and led Kali in the Jersey cow class, which attracted a strong entry this year. The duo claimed another red ribbon before Kali was tapped out as Champion Jersey, sponsored by Carbery Co-op.
With our classes finished early, we decided it was best to take the animals home straight away because of the heatwave.
Once the evening jobs were completed, Becky arrived home just long enough to swap gear bags before heading straight back to Cedarmore Holsteins in Kanturk, where she was helping prepare animals for the IHFA open day.
While we didn't attend Barryroe Show, as we needed a rest weekend before beginning the final preparations for the National Dairy Show, Chloe flew the flag in the horse section.
She rode in the Small Hunter class aboard Gairdin Mor Bam Bam, owned by Eoin Jennings. Having previously competed in showjumping with Bam Bam, this outing saw her swap into the show ring, where the pair won the class and brought home some silverware.
Seeing her enjoy a little success brought back memories of the lead rein classes when she first started out. She was so young at the time that she was still wearing nappies on her first couple of outings.
The soaring temperatures made work difficult this week, with temperatures reaching 30°C in shaded parts of the farmyard and as high as 37°C in direct sunshine.
We have been milking cows at 5am every morning to avoid the worst of the heat and allow the cows to graze properly before the day becomes too warm.
Fans have helped keep the show animals cool, combined with regular cold hosing.
Some of the heavily pregnant cows have also been brought indoors to keep them cooler. They enjoy a cold shower every day and are walked out on halters to give them a little more exercise.
They are being fed 2kg of Greenvale Animal Feeds dry cow ration, which combines oats, soya and dry cow minerals. We find it a very handy way of ensuring they receive everything they require alongside baled silage and haylage.
The big talking point of the week was undoubtedly the IHFA open day at Cedarmore Holsteins in Kanturk. Huge congratulations must go to Bryan and John O'Connor for opening their farm to the public and for the fantastic hospitality they provided.
Driving into Cedarmore, it is impossible not to be impressed by the superb barn that houses the herd. Cedarmore reminds me of a great book — the front cover impresses, but it is only when you look inside that you discover the story that truly captivates you.
The farm features four newly added bays to the barn, three Lely robots milking 180 cows and roof-mounted solar panels powering the operation.
Wide feed passages allow two Lely Vector robotic feeders to keep the herd fed, alongside an A, B and C grazing system, where cows graze from March to October under a split-calving system.
The herd averages more than 10,500kg of milk at 4% fat and 3.4% protein.
Having sourced genetics from some of the world's best herds and combined these with the very best bulls, Cedarmore has developed into one of Ireland's leading Holstein herds.
Huge emphasis is placed on breeding and the farm also operates its own embryo programme.
One of the key focuses going forward is breeding a slightly smaller cow, as the average cow currently weighs 700kg. In my opinion, that simply shows the O'Connors are keeping their eye on the ball. The modern Holstein cow is expected to become slightly smaller, although it can also be argued that some high-EBI cows have become too small. As always, it is about finding the right balance.
Cedarmore is renowned for its deep pedigrees and highly classified cows.
The sale, conducted by livestock auctioneer Denis Barrett, attracted a packed ringside, with strong demand for the 50 well-bred lots on offer.
The sale averaged €6,200 per head, which is a real testament to the O'Connors' breeding programme.
With hospitality second to none at Cedarmore Holsteins, Bryan and John deserve huge thanks for opening the farm to such large crowds.
Becky assured me the hospitality shown on open day reflected the welcome she received every day while working there. The entire team involved in preparing the cows for the open day and the heifers for the sale did a phenomenal job.
Congratulations also to the Cork YMA Under-26 team, who won their stock judging category, while the Under-18 team finished second. The senior CHFC team also secured second place.
Pauric Coleman won the best reason-giving prize and, having watched him judge previously in the show ring, I would have to agree that he has a superb understanding of top-quality dairy stock.
One of the most interesting speeches I listened to during the day was when former Minister for Agriculture, Michael Creed, took to the podium,
He highlighted many of the challenges facing the sector, from live exports to the nitrates derogation, but also noted that Ireland had damaged much of its political goodwill in Europe when it voted against the Mercosur trade deal.
Honesty when it comes to political decisions is crucial. It is far better to hear an honest assessment, even if we do not necessarily like what is being said, than to listen to opposition MEPs trying to score political brownie points when those brownie points ultimately risk leading the sector down detrimental paths.
