Monaghan family investing for long haul

Parts of Monaghan are similar in challenge to parts of west Cork. Land parcels can be fragmented, but really productive in between the hills and hollows. The Nicholsan farm is right on the border between the north and south, not far from Castleblayney.

Alan recognises that his system and the model of producing as much milk as possible from grass is going to be challenged by the new environmental rules that are being touted around.

All his life, Alan has been investing in the farmyard to allow him to keep stock off land when its not suitable. One of the latest investments is a large open calf shed that will allow the Nicholsans to rear all calves produced on the farm if required.

Alan has been investing in the farmyard to allow him to keep stock off land when its not suitable

Again, an underground tunnel links up the grazing paddocks around the yard that run alongside the Fane river.

As a lot of the land slopes down to this river, Alan has to be ultra careful when using nutrients. All along the bank of the river, Alan has a no-go zone to keep as much run-off nutrients from reaching the river as possible.

New hedges planted throughout the farm make the 64ha farm a pleasant place to work, with the hills and valleys making the farm very picturesque.

Slurry is spread with LESS equipment, a sat-nav is used to help spread fertiliser and the farm is using water meters, heat exchangers and plate coolers to make energy usage as efficient as possible.

Suckers for punishment, the Nicholsans, with the help of their suckler farming cousins, cut their own silage

This year, about 20% of the urea used was protected urea. Breeding decisions are driven on EBI and calving start date is early February.

Spring is busy and its all hands on deck. Alan’s dad, William, is still active on the farm and Alan is also supported by his wife Andrea, who helps out with the administration and calf rearing. Mark Gibson and David Nicholsan also carry out duties on the farm.

Milking cows became the mainstay of the farm since the 1960s and Alan is the fourth generation to milk on this farm. It was a case of bad timing when the herd was depopulated in the early 80s with Brucellosis, so when quotas were established, stock numbers on the farm were low.

By purchasing quota, Alan has developed the farm to where it is today, milking over 120 cows, delivering 765,800kg of milk or 58,500kg of milk solids in 2021.

Suckers for punishment, the Nicholsans, with the help of their suckler farming cousins, cut their own silage and Alan’s niece Selina keeps everyone on their toes and well informed. Teagasc adviser Trevor Dunwoody and the Rolling Hills Discussion Group also keep Alan focused and on top of his game.