Kevin Collins took over the farm in Ballineen, Co Cork, from his parents in 1997 and is the sixth generation farming. Kevin’s father Ger is still very active on the farm and helps out with milking and is always there for backup and advice.

Kevin is married to Liz and they have two children, Ellen (10) and Tommy (four). As well as working three days off-farm, Liz is very involved in the farm, especially with calf rearing and paperwork.

Kevin was the Lisavaird winner in the 2021 Carbery milk awards and would always be in the 10% of farms for milk quality.

There were 57 cows milking in 2022 with a split of spring and autumn calving. A move to all spring milking would require capital investment and Kevin is happy to keep milking over the winter.

The cows are pedigree Friesian and there are a few pedigree Shorthorns in the mix also. The focus with breeding is to breed a good solid cow with a combination of solids and volume with good feet and longevity.

The herd has been milk recorded for over 20 years. Manual cleaning of the milking machine takes place with hot water used every evening and cold wash every morning.

The water temperature used is 75OC, which is heated using a Dairy Geyser. Turoclean is used with cold water and Turbosan is used with the hot water, with no recycling of detergent for further washes. Peracetic acid is used ( 60ml of Serpent in 150 litres water) in the final rinse both morning and evening.

Kevin Collins setting up grass for the cows

A descale wash is used twice weekly. Avalksan Gold is the detergent used for the bulk milk tank.

The Collins work with the ethos of “give every animal its chance”. The beef calves are kept on the farm to finish.

Kevin has served two terms on the co-op board and outside of farming, Kevin is an active member of the Ahiohill Vintage Club and the West Cork Vintage Club.