On Thursday 29 June, Gearoid and Sarah Maher of the Killuragh Pure Friesian Herd in Cappamore, Co Limerick opened their gates to dairy enthusiasts from all over the country for the 2023 Pure Friesian open day.
The event was well-supported by those with an interest in the industry - from neighbours and fellow dairy farmers, to industry leaders and the general public.
Gearoid is a fourth-generation dairy farmer who farms in partnership with his wife Sarah alongside his two young daughters Sally Kate and Lily. Gearoid took over the farm in 2011 at the age of 26, with the ambition of making the farm a profitable enterprise.
Over the past 10 years, Gearoid has turned the farm from a once-derelict holding into a profitable and enjoyable enterprise.
The Maher’s are milking 110 cows on 220 acres, with a grazing platform of 110 acres across three divides.
Gearoid told the Irish Farmers Journal, “we could have more cows, but with the heavy soil we have you couldn’t graze as long”.
Why Pure Friesian?
Gearoid explained his position, telling the Irish Farmers Journal that his farm “is a tough farm to farm. We reckoned we needed a tough cow to match it.
"The Pure Friesian cow is a low maintenance cow, naturally high in fertility and you can run them on a low input system, and with that you get longevity. The cow you’re getting more lactations out of is a more sustainable cow."
“There was also an element of tradition to it,” Gearoid explained. “My father milked British Friesian’s and his father before him, and his father before him.”
“You can be breeding for solids and this, that and the other - but if the cow is not going back in-calf and you’re not getting more lactations out of your cow, then that is not sustainable,” he added.
Passion
The Maher’s are clearly passionate about their cows, their farm and the environment.
Gearoid and Sarah’s journey is remarkable; doing the best they can to farm in a way that is sustainable for their family, their cows, their farm, their pockets and our planet.
Gearoid is a farming for nature ambassador and an ambassador for the National Dairy Council, as well as having won numerous awards for milk quality and farming with nature.
Speaking to the Irish Farmers Journal at the event, Gearoid commented: “In a business-oriented farm, the cow becomes a commodity. If the cow becomes a commodity, you will run into all sorts of issues. I think people need to take more pride in their cows with a greater emphasis on cow health and breeding.”
Breeding
The Killuragh herd place a strong emphasis on breeding good quality, durable cows that will help them on their road to fully sustainable farming. Gearoid started with 40 cows and his took his time carefully selecting strong females to build his system over the last number of years.
Every breeding season, the Maher’s do three weeks of Pure Friesian AI. After that, they use a mix of beef bulls of all breeds.
They then sell the beef-bred calves to farmers who “go mad for them” and keep a share of the Friesian bull calves and sell them at a year old.
Success
From winning the Dairygold milk quality awards and being an ambassador for a number of organisations, Gearoid Maher is not short of success stories.
Gearoid started with 40 cows and his took his time carefully selecting strong females to build his system over the last number of years
A humble man, he told the Irish Farmers Journal his biggest achievement to date was achieving what he wanted to achieve by getting the family farm back to being a profitable enterprise and being able to enjoy that success with his wife Sarah and his young children Sally Kate and Lily.
Advice
Speaking to someone who has had so many different successes on so many different levels, despite a range of setbacks over the years, it seemed fitting to find out what advice Gearoid would give to a young person starting out.
“Start small and build your way up,” he said. “A lot of people rush in and think they have to start with 100 cows, but that’s not the case. You’re better off starting on a low number - find out what your farm can do and breed your own way up from there. Walk before you can run.”
“The farm you have could probably take more cows if you managed it better, as opposed to taking on more land too. There’s enough cost involved when you’re setting out without the cost of taking land,” Gearoid concluded.
The future
The future is clearly bright for this young farming couple, and their plans for the future are as follows.
Find out what your farm can do and breed your own way up from there
“The goal, I suppose, is to try and get as many lactations as possible out of the cows and mind them all the best we can.
"We hope to eliminate the use of chemical Nitrogen on farm - we’ve already cut it to 50% by introducing clover and multi-species swards and so on. And I suppose we’re just trying to constantly try to breed better cows.”
Location: Cappamore, Co Limerick.Pedigree prefix: Killuragh.Farm size: 220 acres.Grazing platform: 110 acres.Cow numbers: 110.Key figures: Yielding 6,600kgs solids, 4.08% fat and 3.56% protein.
On Thursday 29 June, Gearoid and Sarah Maher of the Killuragh Pure Friesian Herd in Cappamore, Co Limerick opened their gates to dairy enthusiasts from all over the country for the 2023 Pure Friesian open day.
The event was well-supported by those with an interest in the industry - from neighbours and fellow dairy farmers, to industry leaders and the general public.
Gearoid is a fourth-generation dairy farmer who farms in partnership with his wife Sarah alongside his two young daughters Sally Kate and Lily. Gearoid took over the farm in 2011 at the age of 26, with the ambition of making the farm a profitable enterprise.
Over the past 10 years, Gearoid has turned the farm from a once-derelict holding into a profitable and enjoyable enterprise.
The Maher’s are milking 110 cows on 220 acres, with a grazing platform of 110 acres across three divides.
Gearoid told the Irish Farmers Journal, “we could have more cows, but with the heavy soil we have you couldn’t graze as long”.
Why Pure Friesian?
Gearoid explained his position, telling the Irish Farmers Journal that his farm “is a tough farm to farm. We reckoned we needed a tough cow to match it.
"The Pure Friesian cow is a low maintenance cow, naturally high in fertility and you can run them on a low input system, and with that you get longevity. The cow you’re getting more lactations out of is a more sustainable cow."
“There was also an element of tradition to it,” Gearoid explained. “My father milked British Friesian’s and his father before him, and his father before him.”
“You can be breeding for solids and this, that and the other - but if the cow is not going back in-calf and you’re not getting more lactations out of your cow, then that is not sustainable,” he added.
Passion
The Maher’s are clearly passionate about their cows, their farm and the environment.
Gearoid and Sarah’s journey is remarkable; doing the best they can to farm in a way that is sustainable for their family, their cows, their farm, their pockets and our planet.
Gearoid is a farming for nature ambassador and an ambassador for the National Dairy Council, as well as having won numerous awards for milk quality and farming with nature.
Speaking to the Irish Farmers Journal at the event, Gearoid commented: “In a business-oriented farm, the cow becomes a commodity. If the cow becomes a commodity, you will run into all sorts of issues. I think people need to take more pride in their cows with a greater emphasis on cow health and breeding.”
Breeding
The Killuragh herd place a strong emphasis on breeding good quality, durable cows that will help them on their road to fully sustainable farming. Gearoid started with 40 cows and his took his time carefully selecting strong females to build his system over the last number of years.
Every breeding season, the Maher’s do three weeks of Pure Friesian AI. After that, they use a mix of beef bulls of all breeds.
They then sell the beef-bred calves to farmers who “go mad for them” and keep a share of the Friesian bull calves and sell them at a year old.
Success
From winning the Dairygold milk quality awards and being an ambassador for a number of organisations, Gearoid Maher is not short of success stories.
Gearoid started with 40 cows and his took his time carefully selecting strong females to build his system over the last number of years
A humble man, he told the Irish Farmers Journal his biggest achievement to date was achieving what he wanted to achieve by getting the family farm back to being a profitable enterprise and being able to enjoy that success with his wife Sarah and his young children Sally Kate and Lily.
Advice
Speaking to someone who has had so many different successes on so many different levels, despite a range of setbacks over the years, it seemed fitting to find out what advice Gearoid would give to a young person starting out.
“Start small and build your way up,” he said. “A lot of people rush in and think they have to start with 100 cows, but that’s not the case. You’re better off starting on a low number - find out what your farm can do and breed your own way up from there. Walk before you can run.”
“The farm you have could probably take more cows if you managed it better, as opposed to taking on more land too. There’s enough cost involved when you’re setting out without the cost of taking land,” Gearoid concluded.
The future
The future is clearly bright for this young farming couple, and their plans for the future are as follows.
Find out what your farm can do and breed your own way up from there
“The goal, I suppose, is to try and get as many lactations as possible out of the cows and mind them all the best we can.
"We hope to eliminate the use of chemical Nitrogen on farm - we’ve already cut it to 50% by introducing clover and multi-species swards and so on. And I suppose we’re just trying to constantly try to breed better cows.”
Location: Cappamore, Co Limerick.Pedigree prefix: Killuragh.Farm size: 220 acres.Grazing platform: 110 acres.Cow numbers: 110.Key figures: Yielding 6,600kgs solids, 4.08% fat and 3.56% protein. 
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