Robert and Mary Troy from Newtownshandrum in north Cork have been announced as the winners of the Kerry Agribusiness Milk Quality and Sustainability Award for 2023.
Robert and Mary are the fifth generation of Troys to farm at Newtownshandrum and they impressed the judges with the quality of the milk they produce, alongside the care they are showing for the environment and their own work-life balance.
The herd of Holstein Friesian cows delivered 465kg of solids last year from 850kg of feed. All calves received whole milk.
There is a strong focus on grassland management, with the farm consistently growing in excess of 14t DM/ha. Cows calve to grass and the herd is fully dried off at the start of December, and cows are then dry for two months.
The farm is part of the Deel River European Innovation Programme (EIP) and a new farm pond has been created too, which will act as a settlement pond for water running off the land before it enters the watercourse. Fields nearest to the watercourse have been reseeded with red and white clover, and will not receive any additional nitrogen.
Other fields have been oversown with white clover and clover is used in all reseeds. Last year, the Troys spread an average of 220kg N/ha across the milking block, but are hoping to reduce this further over the coming years. The Troys have planted over 200 trees in recent years.
Labour efficiency is a key part of the Troy farming philosophy, and Robert and Mary have a really efficient system of calf-rearing, use contractors for most machinery-related tasks, and they have a very efficient rotary milking parlour to milk their 440 cows.
“We have the equivalent of two full-time people on the farm and our own family labour as well. They can all do cows and calves, and it works well.
“We contract out most of the machinery work, including slurry, silage and fertiliser. All we have to do is manage the stock and the grass,” Robert says.
There are a total of nine cattle grids located around the farm and this means that contractors can access most parts of the farm without having to open wires and it also means that there is no risk of cows escaping if wires are not put back up again.
Working life
A typical day on the Troy farm starts at 6:30am for morning milking, with the evening milking starting at 3:30pm, meaning all tasks are finished by 5:30pm.
Off-farm activity, particularly sport, is a big element of the family life – with Mary, Rory, Rob, Fiona and Orla all active in local sporting circles.
The Troys have always been breeding good cows and have had 10 or more bulls progress to AI sires. The herd EBI is €224, with €65 for milk and €101 for fertility. This year’s crop of calves have an EBI of over €300. Beef AI bulls are used on cows that they don’t want to breed heifers from.
Genetics
Mary is very focused on the breeding and genetics side of the herd. Tail paint is used to identify the cows in heat, and Robert inseminates the cows on the rotary. Surplus dairy replacements are sold as calves, with 100 heifers kept and reared on the outfarm.
In 2010, the Troys made the decision to move their milking platform to what was then an outside farm. The milking parlour on the existing farm needed to be replaced, and Robert said that there was more and better quality land on the outside farm – so they built the rotary parlour there.
Since then, additional cubicles, calf sheds and all associated facilities have been constructed on this farm, with the original homefarm now used for rearing heifers and growing silage. The farms are located very close by.
Stocking rate
The stocking rate on the milking platform is 3.3 cows/ha but the overall stocking rate is 2.6 cows/ha, which Robert thinks is an appropriate stocking based on the amount of grass the farm is growing. The farm is growing enough winter feed for all the cows and youngstock.
‘low’ carbon footprint
For last year, the herd averaged 4.35% fat, and 3.7% protein, with an average cell count of 121,000.
The farm’s greenhouse gas footprint was recorded as being exceptionally low, at 0.79kg C02 per kilo of fat and protein-corrected milk.
Awards
Speaking at an awards ceremony in Adare earlier this week, Pat Murphy, CEO of Kerry Group’s dairy business congratulated all of the contestants: “It’s a fantastic achievement to be nominated and one that reflects the excellence in how you manage your farm from a quality and sustainability perspective,” he said.
The runner-up award went to Clare farmer, Brendan Collins. Other contestants in the competition include:
James O’Keeffe, CorkDerek Ryan, LimerickJames Slattery, ClareSeamus Cronin, KerryTom Shanahan, KerryTim Leahy, KerryFlor O’Connor, Kerry.
Robert and Mary Troy from Newtownshandrum in north Cork have been announced as the winners of the Kerry Agribusiness Milk Quality and Sustainability Award for 2023.
Robert and Mary are the fifth generation of Troys to farm at Newtownshandrum and they impressed the judges with the quality of the milk they produce, alongside the care they are showing for the environment and their own work-life balance.
The herd of Holstein Friesian cows delivered 465kg of solids last year from 850kg of feed. All calves received whole milk.
There is a strong focus on grassland management, with the farm consistently growing in excess of 14t DM/ha. Cows calve to grass and the herd is fully dried off at the start of December, and cows are then dry for two months.
The farm is part of the Deel River European Innovation Programme (EIP) and a new farm pond has been created too, which will act as a settlement pond for water running off the land before it enters the watercourse. Fields nearest to the watercourse have been reseeded with red and white clover, and will not receive any additional nitrogen.
Other fields have been oversown with white clover and clover is used in all reseeds. Last year, the Troys spread an average of 220kg N/ha across the milking block, but are hoping to reduce this further over the coming years. The Troys have planted over 200 trees in recent years.
Labour efficiency is a key part of the Troy farming philosophy, and Robert and Mary have a really efficient system of calf-rearing, use contractors for most machinery-related tasks, and they have a very efficient rotary milking parlour to milk their 440 cows.
“We have the equivalent of two full-time people on the farm and our own family labour as well. They can all do cows and calves, and it works well.
“We contract out most of the machinery work, including slurry, silage and fertiliser. All we have to do is manage the stock and the grass,” Robert says.
There are a total of nine cattle grids located around the farm and this means that contractors can access most parts of the farm without having to open wires and it also means that there is no risk of cows escaping if wires are not put back up again.
Working life
A typical day on the Troy farm starts at 6:30am for morning milking, with the evening milking starting at 3:30pm, meaning all tasks are finished by 5:30pm.
Off-farm activity, particularly sport, is a big element of the family life – with Mary, Rory, Rob, Fiona and Orla all active in local sporting circles.
The Troys have always been breeding good cows and have had 10 or more bulls progress to AI sires. The herd EBI is €224, with €65 for milk and €101 for fertility. This year’s crop of calves have an EBI of over €300. Beef AI bulls are used on cows that they don’t want to breed heifers from.
Genetics
Mary is very focused on the breeding and genetics side of the herd. Tail paint is used to identify the cows in heat, and Robert inseminates the cows on the rotary. Surplus dairy replacements are sold as calves, with 100 heifers kept and reared on the outfarm.
In 2010, the Troys made the decision to move their milking platform to what was then an outside farm. The milking parlour on the existing farm needed to be replaced, and Robert said that there was more and better quality land on the outside farm – so they built the rotary parlour there.
Since then, additional cubicles, calf sheds and all associated facilities have been constructed on this farm, with the original homefarm now used for rearing heifers and growing silage. The farms are located very close by.
Stocking rate
The stocking rate on the milking platform is 3.3 cows/ha but the overall stocking rate is 2.6 cows/ha, which Robert thinks is an appropriate stocking based on the amount of grass the farm is growing. The farm is growing enough winter feed for all the cows and youngstock.
‘low’ carbon footprint
For last year, the herd averaged 4.35% fat, and 3.7% protein, with an average cell count of 121,000.
The farm’s greenhouse gas footprint was recorded as being exceptionally low, at 0.79kg C02 per kilo of fat and protein-corrected milk.
Awards
Speaking at an awards ceremony in Adare earlier this week, Pat Murphy, CEO of Kerry Group’s dairy business congratulated all of the contestants: “It’s a fantastic achievement to be nominated and one that reflects the excellence in how you manage your farm from a quality and sustainability perspective,” he said.
The runner-up award went to Clare farmer, Brendan Collins. Other contestants in the competition include:
James O’Keeffe, CorkDerek Ryan, LimerickJames Slattery, ClareSeamus Cronin, KerryTom Shanahan, KerryTim Leahy, KerryFlor O’Connor, Kerry. 
This is a subscriber-only article
