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Sean Kelly, along with his parents Margaret and Patrick, run a 110-cow dairy farm near Nenagh, Co Tipperary.
Today, he manages an impressive operation, consistently achieving key performance targets that many aspire to reach.
The milking platform is stocked at 3.6 cows per hectare. Land quality is excellent and the farm grew an impressive 15t DM/ha last year.
Management
When the judges visited the Kelly farm, Sean was finishing up a hectic calving season. His six-week calving rate stood at 82%, down from 90% in 2024 due to the culling of several cows following a TB outbreak. Despite this, calf mortality remained low, at just 0.7%.
Spring is an all-hands-on-deck period, with each newborn calf separated at birth and given three litres of colostrum, while the cow receives a calcium bolus to reduce the risk of milk fever. Last year, Sean invested in a new calf shed with a capacity for 160 calves, further improving efficiency during this busy time.
During the judging process, the importance of farm discussion groups and the value they play in aiding and improving farm management became clear. Sean is part of three discussion groups, each focusing on different aspects of farm management, but for him it’s also a social outlet, the value of which can sometimes be overlooked.
Genetics
Sean’s herd is predominantly Holstein Friesian, with an impressive average EBI of €238. He is close to achieving the ideal balance between kilogrammes of milk solids produced per kilogramme of liveweight, with his cows averaging 563kg and producing 550kg of milk solids per cow.
Before Sean took over full-time, the 40-cow dairy herd consisted of high-performing animals, but struggled with fat, protein and fertility levels. Since then, he has focused on building on the herd’s strengths while improving these key metrics.
Before installing behaviour-monitoring collars, Sean carried out full pre-breeding scans on his herd. With the help of this technology, he reduced the need for these scans to just 10% in 2024.
On the Kelly farm, heifers are synchronised and sexed semen is used on both heifers and cows. In 2024, Sean achieved conception rates of 65% in heifers and 68% in cows using sexed semen.
Animal health
Sean’s herd is vaccinated against IBR, salmonellosis, leptospirosis, BVD and rotavirus. However, for him, maintaining good herd health goes beyond vaccinations; it requires a solid herd health plan and the right facilities for both cows and calves.
Sean actively seeks advice from Summerhill Vets, who guide him on all aspects of herd health, including selective dry cow therapy and vaccinations.
Milk recording takes place five times a year, providing crucial data for breeding decisions and selective dry cow therapy. Sean has been using selective dry cow therapy for six years and last year, 60% of his herd received sealer only.
His approach is data-driven, with any cow recording a somatic cell count (SCC) of 150,000 or less qualifying for selective dry cow therapy.
Nutrition
For the Kellys, good nutrition starts with silage analysis. Sean uses this data to make informed decisions and consults his vets for additional guidance. Last year, his silage had a dry matter digestibility (DMD) of 71%, but it was low in sodium, so he supplemented it with salt licks to maintain the herd’s mineral balance.
At the time of the judges’ visit, Sean had his cows grazing by day and housed at night to avoid getting too far ahead of his spring rotation planner, using PastureBase to record and monitor farm performance.
To support production and maintain body condition, the herd was receiving 4.5kg of concentrates per day.
“Sean is a great example of a farmer who is making informed decisions regarding his herd on the back of data and technology. Sean never cuts corners on any aspect of his system and we constantly work with Sean to analyse this data in relation to both herd health and individual cow performance. Sean has a robust herd health vaccination plan at both cow and calf level, which is greatly helping him achieve these results.” – Eamon O’Connell from Summerhill Vets.
Four key pillars of profitability
The Technology For Profit competition is aimed at innovative dairy farmers who are using technology to maximise their profitability by focusing on the four key pillars of production; nutrition, genetics, management and animal health.
For this competition, a panel of judges went on farm to assess the farm’s level of productivity and profitability. The overall winner will be selected from this on-farm assessment.
