Expansion to 300 cows wins ag student business plan award

Limerick native Hugh Massey from Pallaskenry Agricultural College has won the top prize in the AIB/Teagasc All Ireland Best Farm Business Plan Awards for 2017.

Hugh’s business plan derived from working on the family dairy farm and completing a course in Pallaskenry College, and he has already begun to put it into practice.

Hugh, 20, won the award for his interview and farm business plan which focused on increasing farm efficiency by increasing the stocking rate, with an increase in milk production solids per cow.

After studying for two years in Pallaskenry College, Hugh told the Irish Farmers Journal how he wishes to take over the family farm and expand it each year. At the moment, there are three working on the farm: Hugh, his father and another employee.

20 extra cows per year

“The overall plan for the future is to take over the family farm, expand it every year and increase to 300 cows,” he said.

Increasing stock numbers by 20 per year for at least three years is the primary plan. This means expanding from 230 cows at present to 280 by 2020.

As the plan focused on efficiencies, costs remain minimal. Extra heifers bought are housed in a rented block off the farm. A potential loan will finance improvements to the parlour.

We have room and capacity to increase the stocking rate efficiently

“To apply the plan to the farm, it’s simple. We are not very highly stocked at the minute. We have room and capacity to increase the stocking rate efficiently,” said Hugh.

By completing the business plan, he was able to determine what exactly he needed to do, and how he could start the process. His plan contained details of expansion that is achievable with the resources at hand.

“The business plan made me realise that when putting plans into perspective, they’re not as daunting as you first thought they would be,” Hugh said.

Read more

Moorepark 2017: hit the right targets for 10 times more income