2024 Dairy Summer Tour

Roy & Trevor Cobbe

The Cobbes’ are managing this 120 spring calving, grass based, cow herd on a total land block of 81 ha.  The milking platform consists of 43 ha and is stocked at 2.7 LU/ha.  Young stock and silage are managed on supporting blocks of land.  Trevor came home farming full-time almost 15 years ago to a herd of 40 dairy cows operating as a mixed farm.  The herd has grown and developed since then with a critical focus on herd performance through breeding improvements with a strong focus on EBI.  Current EBI of the herd is €235 with a fertility value of €125 (top 2% of herds) and a milk figure of €49.  In 2023 the herd supplied 543 kg/MS/cow which due to the difficult year experienced by many was a 6% drop on the 578 kg/cow supplied in 2022.  Fat and Protein in 2023 were 4.48% and 3.55% respectively with and average SCC of 129K.  Fertility performance of the herd was excellent with textbook KPI’s of 90% calved in 6 weeks and a 366 day calving interval.  Meal input to the herd was approximately 1.1 t/cow.  Trevor has a very clear focus when it comes to breeding management and attention to detail.  The EBI of the calves born in 2024 was €292 with significant improvements in % fat & protein whilst raising fertility to €125 and milk to €81.  Roy & Trevor will discuss the progress in their herd, the suitability of the cow type to their system while optimising output and stocking rate to drive the technical efficiency and financial sustainability of the business.

Trevor has clear discipline when it comes to grassland management.  This starts with a farm walk every 5 days from late March on.  This allows both Trevor and Roy to make the right grazing decisions for the week ahead and have an effective plan for keeping quality grass in front of cows throughout the season.  They invested in LESS slurry spreading equipment a number of years ago and this combined with clover inclusion to reseeds has allowed them to better manage available slurry and reduce their chemical nitrogen usage.  This has been assisted through regular soil sampling, a liming programme and addressing P & K where needed.  PastureBase records show 15.2 t/DM/ha grown in 2023.

Increasing the herd from 40 to 120 cows has required investment and development in key areas of: grazing infrastructure (paddock system and farm roadways), additional animal housing and slurry storage and calf rearing.  This investment has been clearly planned and carried out on a phased basis.  The final piece of the jigsaw now is the upgrading of the milking facilities.  In 1994 Roy installed a 4-unit parlour for the 40 cows he was milking at that time.  Since then, he added an additional 2 units, and they now have a 6 unit double-up system.  Milking time in spring was taking up to 5 hours with both Roy and Trevor in the pit.  On the day of the event we will present a financial appraisal of the options that are available to Trevor and Roy.  Our audience will have a unique opportunity to participate in the decision-making process, weighing up the pros and cons of the various milking systems and how they might best suit the running of the farm and the longer-term labour needs of the partnership.

The Cobbe family’s success is a testament to the power of intergenerational collaboration. They exemplify what is possible within a family partnership structure when the pre-existing solid foundation laid by one generation gives the next an excellent opportunity to grow and develop the business.  Clear and open communication, compromise when needed and a clear set of objectives have led to a sustainable business for two farm families into the future.  We look forward to hearing their story in July

Bruce Thompson

Bruce operates a grass based, spring calving herd of 275 cross-bred cows.  Bruce is an 8^th generation dairy farmer and a 2020 Nuffield Scholar. He is married to Laura and they have two young children, Keelin and Cooper.  Leaving secondary school in 2001 in very different economic times, he studied engineering before returning home to help his father, Ian, on the home farm through a difficult TB breakdown.  Since then, they have leased land and housing facilities, purchased quota and grown the herd steadily to the 275 cows that will be milked for 2024. Total land area farmed is 250 ha with 100 ha on the milking block. The 12-unit herring-bone parlour was upgraded to a 40 bail rotary parlour in 2018 around the time when the decision was taken to incorporate Jersey genetics into the mainly British Friesian herd.

The Herd EBI currently stands at €233 with milk at €77 and fertility at €101.  2024 calves have an EBI of €295 and €91 for milk and €131 for fertility.  Physical performance of the herd in 2023 was 461 kg/MS per cow delivered on 1.1 tonne meal per cow at 4.95% fat and 3.71% protein and an average SCC of 128K.  Bruce commented ‘The herd is young, but we’ve consistently increased production over the last 3 years so I’m looking forward to maturity!’

310 cows were carried on the 100 ha block in 2023 but Bruce has taken the decision that 275 cows is a more appropriate stocking level for his system in 2024.  2023 fertility performance checked all the relevant KPI’s: 86% calved in 6 weeks with a 362 day calving interval.  In 2023 PastureBase grass records show 14.1 t/DM/ha grown.

Key areas for focus at the event will be:

• Development of the farm business since Bruce took over
• Grassland management and the breeding performance goals for the herd
• Farm labour management – people and effective communications
• Biodiversity – space for nature within a profitable system.

Bruce has 2 full-time members of staff, Nick and David.  He takes a student every year and has 2 relief milkers for weekends.  The bulk of the slurry and silage operations are carried out by contractors but due to the fragmented nature of the farm most of the fertiliser spreading is kept in-house.  In order to effectively manage and prioritise day to day and seasonal tasks, Bruce is very keen to assess and adopt any technology that can streamline the labour input on the farm.  Morning milking starts at 6am and evening at 2.30 pm, meaning that each day and week must have clear structure and planning.  Bruce and his team use phone apps such as Trello and TimeTree which offer shared calendars, identification and notification of tasks, scheduling/checklists etc.  This allows all rosters to be shared, with clear responsibility for tasks which minimises any possible breakdown in communication amongst team members.  Along with this Bruce has installed heat detection collars and converted the calf feeding system to reduce the amount of time needed to train young calves.  Bruce and Nick also take a unique approach to grass measuring again with the goal of doing the job more efficiently.  We will delve fully into Bruce’s approach to time management with his team on the day.

As part of his farming practices Bruce focuses heavily on what he can do for wildlife and enhancing habitats on the farm.  In 2020 he undertook and Nuffield Scholarship focussing on the plight of the dung beetle.  By reducing anthelminthic use he has not only helped build a thriving dung beetle population but also reduced costs without compromising on animal performance.  Bruce has gone on to co-ordinate an EIP project within his discussion group that focuses on a targeted and selective approach to animal wormers in order to protect and increase dung beetle populations on the land.  Other nature actions taken on his farm include planting and managing hedges for biodiversity, planting native trees and installing 2 ponds.  Bruce is recognised as a strong advocate and champion for biodiversity within conventional farming circles.  In 2023 Bruce was conferred as an ambassador as part of the Farming for Nature network.  The aims of the organisation are to promote and work with farmers to enhance the natural health of the countryside.  Bruce stands as a testament to the impact an individual can have in adopting sustainable practices into profitable farming operations.