Robert English farms in partnership with his parents Mervyn and Breda at Clonkeen, the Pigeons, near Athlone, Co Westmeath, in the picturesque Shannon catchment area. When the water levels of the nearby Lough Ree are high, up to 24ha of the 130ha farm is susceptible to flooding. They began supplying milk to Lakeland Dairies from their spring-calving herd in 2014. Before that, they kept a flock of 200 ewes (Charollais, Texel and Suffolk cross) and a herd of 50 suckler cows (Charolais and Limousin crosses).

Robert has a civil engineering degree from Galway NUI. He worked as an engineer for over three years with Coffey Construction and then Jons Civil Engineering Company, both of whom have done a lot of work on our new motorways. However, the lure of the land was too strong and Robert decided to come home to be a full-time dairy farmer, so the cattle and sheep had to go.

A major investment in farm infrastructure was required. Sixty-six acres have been reseeded, with 25 more to be done in spring. There are 950m of 5m-wide new roadways, a new well (170ft deep) with a water supply to serve the paddocks, three-phase power installed (€6,000), along with a new milking parlour on a greenfield site.

Robert applied for a milk quota as a new entrant. Both Mervyn and Robert went to see lots of parlours in 2013 over a six-month period in counties Galway, Tipperary and Westmeath. Robert even went milking cows for three months to ensure he had the practical experience required to make the best decision on the type of parlour most suitable for their situation.

The 50 heifers which calved down in 2014 are a mix of Holstein Friesian and Jersey cross. They were bought in three batches from farms in Tipperary and Wexford. The target when purchasing was to achieve a high-EBI herd (average of €170), with high fertility and milk solids sub indices. Since then, an additional 73 in-calf heifers have been purchased, which leaves a total of 121 to calve this February. Two heifers didn’t go back in calf last year.

Robert is a member of the Teagasc dairy discussion group in Moate with local dairy adviser Patrick Gowing. Top-quality grass and grass silage is an integral part of the milk production system. They make all their own silage using their own baler and wrapper. They make two cuts of top-quality baled silage and have done so for 22 years. Mervyn said: “We were one of the first in the area to make baled silage and we make about 800 bales each year.”

Milking equipment

Building work took three months before the parlour was commissioned for milking. Local builder Lawlor and Hynes Construction did the concrete work and slurry tank.

Robert said: “There were very few teething problems – it only took a week to train in the heifers.”

Robert and Mervyn did all the groundwork, welding and roofing the milking parlour themselves. It helped that they got a grant for the milking parlour and the bulk milk tank.

DeLaval milking equipment

The new DeLaval parlour has 14 units, with stallwork in place for an additional 10 units as the herd size expands. They installed cluster removers, manual drafting, swing-over arms and a low-line wash system. The parlour also contains batch feeders supplied by a 12t meal bin. Robert purchased a 10,000-litre Liscarrol bulk tank.

DeLaval area manager Seamus Goggin said: “No cow will be over-milked or under-milked with this ACR system in place. The recommended retail price for the milking equipment in this type of installation is about €4,200 per unit.”

So why did Robert choose DeLaval? “Well they have a good track record and the price was competitive,” he said. “We know the service from our local dealer Christy Pender is going to be good and they have a very strong reputation.”

The cows are at a 50° angle while being milked and Robert says this makes for a faster exit. The parlour has lots of natural lighting, excellent ventilation and the pit has ample room for two milkers to pass each other.

The parlour is bright and cheerful and an interesting feature is the non-slip red floor which is attractive, easy-to-clean, more hygienic and long lasting. Carborundum dust was incorporated to make it a non-slip surface.