Suckler farming sometimes struggles to attract young blood into the industry for a variety of reasons – but then, just like a Dublin bus, three come along all at once. Meet brothers Oisín and Rian Kennedy and farm manager Colin Gavaghan, who farm 100 acres in Killasser on the Mayo-Sligo border between Swinford and Aclare.
Oisín and Rian Kennedy, with farm manager Colin Gavaghan.
This year the farm calved down 36 cows and 12 heifers which are predominantly Stabiliser and Stabiliser crosses. The plan is to run a 50-cow herd, finishing all male calves as under-16-month young bulls with heifers in excess to requirement sold as breeding replacements.
Expansion
The farm, which is in Mayo, was purchased by the Kennedy family in 2017. The brothers, who live just over the border in Sligo, discussed expanding the family farm for some time and decided that if they were to build a sizable cow herd, more acres would be required. The option then was either to buy fewer acres of well-maintained ground or take on a bigger challenge of a farm that had been idle for nearly 20 years.
“It’s not often you can buy a 100 acre farm [around here] all in one block – in fairness, it was dad that initially saw the potential here and encouraged us to go for it” Oisín explains.
This field was reseeded after being cleared of scrub and rushes.
The farm is around 70 acres of grazing or ‘workable’ ground with the remaining 30 acres heather bogland. The initial job was to remove the huge build-up of briars, gorse, rushes and bushes that had consumed the grazing ground over the years.
“We started out with the tractor, topper and a good few bags of shearbolts! In one field the briars had taken over the field. We cut nine widths with a 9ft topper just to get to the hedgerow.”
A local digger driver was brought in to clear some areas and clean some of the drains. This work has been done in stages over the years and even now there is a digger working a couple of fields away on the next project. There has also been a huge investment in fencing, with local contractors used to make the farm stock proof with electric fencing.
“Whatever work we are getting done on the farm we are adamant that it is all local contractors and suppliers that are used as much as possible,” says Rian.
Preserving habitats
Mature trees and hedgerows were left untouched at all times in order to preserve as many habitats across the farm as possible.
“We have been working with our local agricultural adviser Siobhan Ward who has guided us through the entire process. We have given a lot of consideration to wildlife and habitat protection. This year we have planted a couple of acres of wild-flower meadow for the pollinators,” Oisín says.
Agroforestry can sometimes be seen as a negative
There are also plans to introduce 13 acres of agroforestry at the end of the year. There will be 7m strips between each row of trees which will allow for grazing with cattle.
Oisín explains: “Agroforestry can sometimes be seen as a negative but it will actually enhance the farm from a livestock point of view. With trees being a water-hungry crop they will actually dry up the land in between and we are confident that this area will be used in the shoulders of the year to help extend the grazing season.”
Carbon
The farm is a focus farm for Devenish Nutrition for measuring the carbon output and capture of the entire system. The brothers want the farm to be a blueprint for carbon-neutral beef farming for the west of Ireland in the future.
The 30 acres of bog here are just as valuable to us as the 70 acres of grass growing ground
“Farming is changing and we have to change the way we think about what we do. If we can be carbon neutral here, there is no reason why anyone else on any other farm can’t do the same,” says Rian.
“The 30 acres of bog here are just as valuable to us as the 70 acres of grass growing ground. We have left this area untouched as this bogland is a huge carbon sink.”
Education
With Oisín currently in UCD studying Agri-environmental science and Rian doing a PhD in sustainable beef finishing strategies in Teagasc Grange, the day-to-day running of the unit is left to farm manager Colin.
Colin studied Drystock Management in Mountbellew Agricultural College and is now putting what he learned to good use on a daily basis.
Cows start calving the first days of April with the hope of getting freshly calved cows out to grass 24 hours after calving.
It is my first time working with Stabilisers and I find the cows are very easy-calving
“Once we see a calf up and sucking they are tagged and get straight out to grass if the weather allows. This stops any build-up of disease in sheds and calves are much healthier for it,” Colin explains.
“This spring we had 90% of the herd calved in the first month which is great in terms of a nice even batch of calves.
“It is my first time working with Stabilisers and I find the cows are very easy-calving.We only pulled two calves this year. They are also very fertile, so having a tight calving is quite possible.”
The plan for this year is to wean gradually by weight
This is evident on the farm – with breeding not due to begin until late June, already there were a couple of cows bulling in the field.
“The plan for this year is to wean gradually by weight. Calves will be creep grazed out on to the kale and stubble turnip mix and we will remove the cows from the group rather than the calves as we stagger weaning. This should reduce the stress levels on the calves. They will also get creep feed from August onwards depending on weather conditions.”
Once weaned, the bulls remain on the kale and stubble turnip mix until the turn of the year when they are housed in a straw-bedded shed for finishing. They spend roughly 100 days on a growing diet and a further 100 days on the finishing diet.
Rian and Oisín were keen to point out the Trojan effort Colin has put into the farm since joining the business
The target is to have bulls slaughtered at around 15 months old, between 670 and 700kg liveweight, giving them a carcase weight of around 360-380kg. Total lifetime concentrate intake is around 1.5 -1.7t/hd.
Rian and Oisín were keen to point out the Trojan effort Colin has put into the farm since joining the business as well as the advisory role of their parents Richard and Jacqueline and help from their sister Molly at weekends.
It is always great to see young people coming into the industry with drive, determination and new ideas to challenge the status quo.
Suckler farming is the very heartbeat of many parts of rural Ireland, if this is to continue into the future then fresh thinking is going to be required.
Farm facts:
Location: Killasser,
Co Mayo.100 acre farm.70 acres grazing.30 acres bog.48 cow herd.April/May calving to grass.Bulls finished under 16 months.
Suckler farming sometimes struggles to attract young blood into the industry for a variety of reasons – but then, just like a Dublin bus, three come along all at once. Meet brothers Oisín and Rian Kennedy and farm manager Colin Gavaghan, who farm 100 acres in Killasser on the Mayo-Sligo border between Swinford and Aclare.
Oisín and Rian Kennedy, with farm manager Colin Gavaghan.
This year the farm calved down 36 cows and 12 heifers which are predominantly Stabiliser and Stabiliser crosses. The plan is to run a 50-cow herd, finishing all male calves as under-16-month young bulls with heifers in excess to requirement sold as breeding replacements.
Expansion
The farm, which is in Mayo, was purchased by the Kennedy family in 2017. The brothers, who live just over the border in Sligo, discussed expanding the family farm for some time and decided that if they were to build a sizable cow herd, more acres would be required. The option then was either to buy fewer acres of well-maintained ground or take on a bigger challenge of a farm that had been idle for nearly 20 years.
“It’s not often you can buy a 100 acre farm [around here] all in one block – in fairness, it was dad that initially saw the potential here and encouraged us to go for it” Oisín explains.
This field was reseeded after being cleared of scrub and rushes.
The farm is around 70 acres of grazing or ‘workable’ ground with the remaining 30 acres heather bogland. The initial job was to remove the huge build-up of briars, gorse, rushes and bushes that had consumed the grazing ground over the years.
“We started out with the tractor, topper and a good few bags of shearbolts! In one field the briars had taken over the field. We cut nine widths with a 9ft topper just to get to the hedgerow.”
A local digger driver was brought in to clear some areas and clean some of the drains. This work has been done in stages over the years and even now there is a digger working a couple of fields away on the next project. There has also been a huge investment in fencing, with local contractors used to make the farm stock proof with electric fencing.
“Whatever work we are getting done on the farm we are adamant that it is all local contractors and suppliers that are used as much as possible,” says Rian.
Preserving habitats
Mature trees and hedgerows were left untouched at all times in order to preserve as many habitats across the farm as possible.
“We have been working with our local agricultural adviser Siobhan Ward who has guided us through the entire process. We have given a lot of consideration to wildlife and habitat protection. This year we have planted a couple of acres of wild-flower meadow for the pollinators,” Oisín says.
Agroforestry can sometimes be seen as a negative
There are also plans to introduce 13 acres of agroforestry at the end of the year. There will be 7m strips between each row of trees which will allow for grazing with cattle.
Oisín explains: “Agroforestry can sometimes be seen as a negative but it will actually enhance the farm from a livestock point of view. With trees being a water-hungry crop they will actually dry up the land in between and we are confident that this area will be used in the shoulders of the year to help extend the grazing season.”
Carbon
The farm is a focus farm for Devenish Nutrition for measuring the carbon output and capture of the entire system. The brothers want the farm to be a blueprint for carbon-neutral beef farming for the west of Ireland in the future.
The 30 acres of bog here are just as valuable to us as the 70 acres of grass growing ground
“Farming is changing and we have to change the way we think about what we do. If we can be carbon neutral here, there is no reason why anyone else on any other farm can’t do the same,” says Rian.
“The 30 acres of bog here are just as valuable to us as the 70 acres of grass growing ground. We have left this area untouched as this bogland is a huge carbon sink.”
Education
With Oisín currently in UCD studying Agri-environmental science and Rian doing a PhD in sustainable beef finishing strategies in Teagasc Grange, the day-to-day running of the unit is left to farm manager Colin.
Colin studied Drystock Management in Mountbellew Agricultural College and is now putting what he learned to good use on a daily basis.
Cows start calving the first days of April with the hope of getting freshly calved cows out to grass 24 hours after calving.
It is my first time working with Stabilisers and I find the cows are very easy-calving
“Once we see a calf up and sucking they are tagged and get straight out to grass if the weather allows. This stops any build-up of disease in sheds and calves are much healthier for it,” Colin explains.
“This spring we had 90% of the herd calved in the first month which is great in terms of a nice even batch of calves.
“It is my first time working with Stabilisers and I find the cows are very easy-calving.We only pulled two calves this year. They are also very fertile, so having a tight calving is quite possible.”
The plan for this year is to wean gradually by weight
This is evident on the farm – with breeding not due to begin until late June, already there were a couple of cows bulling in the field.
“The plan for this year is to wean gradually by weight. Calves will be creep grazed out on to the kale and stubble turnip mix and we will remove the cows from the group rather than the calves as we stagger weaning. This should reduce the stress levels on the calves. They will also get creep feed from August onwards depending on weather conditions.”
Once weaned, the bulls remain on the kale and stubble turnip mix until the turn of the year when they are housed in a straw-bedded shed for finishing. They spend roughly 100 days on a growing diet and a further 100 days on the finishing diet.
Rian and Oisín were keen to point out the Trojan effort Colin has put into the farm since joining the business
The target is to have bulls slaughtered at around 15 months old, between 670 and 700kg liveweight, giving them a carcase weight of around 360-380kg. Total lifetime concentrate intake is around 1.5 -1.7t/hd.
Rian and Oisín were keen to point out the Trojan effort Colin has put into the farm since joining the business as well as the advisory role of their parents Richard and Jacqueline and help from their sister Molly at weekends.
It is always great to see young people coming into the industry with drive, determination and new ideas to challenge the status quo.
Suckler farming is the very heartbeat of many parts of rural Ireland, if this is to continue into the future then fresh thinking is going to be required.
Farm facts:
Location: Killasser,
Co Mayo.100 acre farm.70 acres grazing.30 acres bog.48 cow herd.April/May calving to grass.Bulls finished under 16 months. 
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