MILJO is a new nutritional management and feed-ordering platform helping dairy and beef farmers to manage the dietary needs of their animals and improve environmental impact.
Founder and COO of MILJO, Aoife Drennan, grew up on a dairy and beef farm in Co Kilkenny. While she had a strong interest in agriculture, Aoife originally studied biomedicine at Maynooth University, thinking she would go down the medical route.
“Farming around our area is big. I was always outdoors feeding calves and doing whatever was needed on the farm.
“Growing up in the country, it’s really ingrained in you, and with any family farm, there is a sense of pride and tradition,” says Aoife.
During her final year while studying a human nutrition module, Aoife developed an interest in animal nutrition and decided to do an MSc in Agricultural Extension and Innovation at University College Dublin in 2020, when COVID-19 hit.
“The opportunity just came up to further my education. Obviously having an interest in these areas, I ran with it. I started working at Howard Farms [one of Munster’s leading feed and nutrition providers] and completed my thesis with them on farmers’ attitudes to dietary modifications for methane reduction. At the time, the review for the 2030 emissions was being done, and methane was heavily targeted,” she explains.
Through her research she discovered that reducing methane is not being accounted for correctly.
“Greenhouse gases are usually measured using GWP100 (Global Warming Potential over 100 years), which calculates how much heat a gas traps over a century. However, methane only stays in the atmosphere for about 10-12 years before breaking down,” explains Aoife.
As a result she was inspired to develop a platform to help farmers increase production while monitoring environmental impact. The production gains and optimisation are where feed mills came into it.
“The fact that there’s so much data out there means that if we could find a platform to pull that all together and make it useful and easily managed, that would make optimisation as simple as possible,” Aoife explains.
With the support of Enterprise Ireland, InterTrade, and NovaUCD, Aoife co-founded MILJO, launching the app last June. The nutritional management and feed-ordering platform helps farmers manage the dietary needs of their animals to improve herd performance for livestock.
It uses data such as weather, grass availability and quality to identify the best feed specifically for that farmer.
“We’ve been lucky and have had a lot of support. A big part of it is also having the belief that the product is going to do what it’s meant to do. We were at the Ploughing the last two years in the innovation arena, and at the National Dairy Show awards in Millstreet, where we picked up three out of the five awards, winning best startup, best technology and best sustainability initiative. We have a great team and great developers to keep it going,” says Aoife.
Aoife Drennan co- founder of Miljo.
The dairy show was a big win for Aoife and MILJO, as it acknowledged the hard work they have been doing to develop the platform along with its practicality.
“Seeing farmers download the app and orders coming through on the platform has been fantastic.
“Moving forward, we are getting the co-ops up and running on the app, as the aim of any company is to keep progressing,” she says.
She is working closely with three main developers, a designer, a nutrition advisor, and now that it has been rolled out, Howard Farms and their sales reps.
“It allows farmers to order balanced meals from feed suppliers so they can improve herd performance for livestock such as cows.
“It uses data such as weather, grass availability and quantity to decide what is best for each specific farm,” she explains.
Importance of nutrition
Calving season is a critical time of the year for farmers and nutrient management is essential.
“Nutrition for animals is crucial. You want to get the best in – to get the best out, especially with the price of calves at the moment; it’s vital to feed accordingly,” says Aoife. “Sometimes it can be simple swaps or even the quality of silage, knowing your silage, knowing what you’re given, and complementing what’s already been done.
“We’re not talking massive changes but feeding according to what’s there and available,” says Aoife.
In November, MILJO partnered with Proveye to integrate AI-driven, satellite grass monitoring into its nutrition and feed management platform. The collaboration enables feed mills and farmers nationwide to access advanced grassland measurement, grass cover insights, and nutritional advisory services.
The rollout is already underway, with Howard Farms, offering the service to 1,000 dairy and beef farmers. Additional feed companies are also joining the platform.
The biggest learning curve for Aoife through it all has been learning to adapt as a result of testing and feedback from farmers in a bid to tailor the platform to their needs.
See miljo.ie
MILJO is a new nutritional management and feed-ordering platform helping dairy and beef farmers to manage the dietary needs of their animals and improve environmental impact.
Founder and COO of MILJO, Aoife Drennan, grew up on a dairy and beef farm in Co Kilkenny. While she had a strong interest in agriculture, Aoife originally studied biomedicine at Maynooth University, thinking she would go down the medical route.
“Farming around our area is big. I was always outdoors feeding calves and doing whatever was needed on the farm.
“Growing up in the country, it’s really ingrained in you, and with any family farm, there is a sense of pride and tradition,” says Aoife.
During her final year while studying a human nutrition module, Aoife developed an interest in animal nutrition and decided to do an MSc in Agricultural Extension and Innovation at University College Dublin in 2020, when COVID-19 hit.
“The opportunity just came up to further my education. Obviously having an interest in these areas, I ran with it. I started working at Howard Farms [one of Munster’s leading feed and nutrition providers] and completed my thesis with them on farmers’ attitudes to dietary modifications for methane reduction. At the time, the review for the 2030 emissions was being done, and methane was heavily targeted,” she explains.
Through her research she discovered that reducing methane is not being accounted for correctly.
“Greenhouse gases are usually measured using GWP100 (Global Warming Potential over 100 years), which calculates how much heat a gas traps over a century. However, methane only stays in the atmosphere for about 10-12 years before breaking down,” explains Aoife.
As a result she was inspired to develop a platform to help farmers increase production while monitoring environmental impact. The production gains and optimisation are where feed mills came into it.
“The fact that there’s so much data out there means that if we could find a platform to pull that all together and make it useful and easily managed, that would make optimisation as simple as possible,” Aoife explains.
With the support of Enterprise Ireland, InterTrade, and NovaUCD, Aoife co-founded MILJO, launching the app last June. The nutritional management and feed-ordering platform helps farmers manage the dietary needs of their animals to improve herd performance for livestock.
It uses data such as weather, grass availability and quality to identify the best feed specifically for that farmer.
“We’ve been lucky and have had a lot of support. A big part of it is also having the belief that the product is going to do what it’s meant to do. We were at the Ploughing the last two years in the innovation arena, and at the National Dairy Show awards in Millstreet, where we picked up three out of the five awards, winning best startup, best technology and best sustainability initiative. We have a great team and great developers to keep it going,” says Aoife.
Aoife Drennan co- founder of Miljo.
The dairy show was a big win for Aoife and MILJO, as it acknowledged the hard work they have been doing to develop the platform along with its practicality.
“Seeing farmers download the app and orders coming through on the platform has been fantastic.
“Moving forward, we are getting the co-ops up and running on the app, as the aim of any company is to keep progressing,” she says.
She is working closely with three main developers, a designer, a nutrition advisor, and now that it has been rolled out, Howard Farms and their sales reps.
“It allows farmers to order balanced meals from feed suppliers so they can improve herd performance for livestock such as cows.
“It uses data such as weather, grass availability and quantity to decide what is best for each specific farm,” she explains.
Importance of nutrition
Calving season is a critical time of the year for farmers and nutrient management is essential.
“Nutrition for animals is crucial. You want to get the best in – to get the best out, especially with the price of calves at the moment; it’s vital to feed accordingly,” says Aoife. “Sometimes it can be simple swaps or even the quality of silage, knowing your silage, knowing what you’re given, and complementing what’s already been done.
“We’re not talking massive changes but feeding according to what’s there and available,” says Aoife.
In November, MILJO partnered with Proveye to integrate AI-driven, satellite grass monitoring into its nutrition and feed management platform. The collaboration enables feed mills and farmers nationwide to access advanced grassland measurement, grass cover insights, and nutritional advisory services.
The rollout is already underway, with Howard Farms, offering the service to 1,000 dairy and beef farmers. Additional feed companies are also joining the platform.
The biggest learning curve for Aoife through it all has been learning to adapt as a result of testing and feedback from farmers in a bid to tailor the platform to their needs.
See miljo.ie
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