The Derinsallow Herd in Co. Tipperary are driving for 600kg milk solids (MS)/cow this year through effective breeding and grassland management.

Jim and Brenda Murray’s herd on the Tipperary/Offaly border near Birr was the centre of attention at the Irish Holstein Friesian Association’s Focus Farm Walk.

The event highlighted six different farms from across the country, all of whom displayed their farm system and were IHFA herds. Yet, every system was different, as every farmer had their own way of making money and milking cows.

IHFA chief executive, Laurence Feeney said: “Irish dairying is built on the black-and-white cow, and the Holstein Friesian breed also displays huge variation, and this means that there is a black-and-white cow to suit all farming systems”.

The six herds and farm systems on display on the day were as follows:

Jim and Brenda Murray – Derrinsallow Herd, Co. Tipperary;
TJ and Ryan Meegan – Munta Herd, Co. Louth;
Maurice Harty – Ballylongane, Co. Kerry
PJ Brennan – Monataggart Herd, Co. Waterford;
Henry and Sam Dudley – Dekeana Herd, Co. Tipperary – Agriland visited the Dekeana Herd a couple of weeks ago and talked to Sam about his system on ‘The Dairy Trail’ podcast. Click here to listen
Michael McNamara – Barna Herd, Co. Cork.

The host farmer, Jim Murray was the first to explain to attendees how he farms, with grass and breeding the focus.

He said: “An ounce of breeding is worth a tonne of meal”.

The Derrinsallow Herd – Breeding and grass

Jim and Brenda Murray are currently milking 72 cows through a 12-unit parlour with help from their two daughters when they are home.

The calving season started on February 6 and finished up on April 22 this year with a calving interval of 362 days, reflecting strong fertility performance from the herd.

In 2024, the herd produced 7,155kg of milk/cow with 4.42% fat and 3.66% protein, which added up to 576kg of MS/cow.

Jim commented that they already 30kg of MS/cow ahead from this time last year and he is predicting that they will break the 600kg MS/cow mark with an extra 150kg of milk/cow.

Jim Murray talking to attendees about his farm system

Jim believed that this improvement is stemming from the better weather conditions, grass growth, and the improved genetics coming through the herd.

The farmer believes that everyone should have more heifers than what is recommended.

“To improve your herd, have too many heifers and pick from the best”.

Jim also mentioned that “everyone should be thinking of joining the genotyping programme” as it gives a true reflection of the breeding in your herd.

In terms of the breeding programme on the farm, Jim uses eight genomic bulls in an effort to improve fat and protein in the herd as well as the health sub-index.

Jim uses SireAdvice to match up bulls to cows as he said “no two cows are the same”.

He matches high solids percentages to high yielders and put more milkier bulls to low yielders with high percentages and is aiming to move from a milk sub-index of €80 to €100.

Keeping things simple and utilising as much grass as possible is extremely important to the Murrays, as they only fed 1t of concentrates/ cow last year despite the challenging conditions.

The conformation average of the herd is 81 points and the average parity of the herd is 3.67 with a lifetime value/day of €3.51, proving that the cows are doing the business.

A number of cows were highlighted on the day for having strong dairy traits, capacity, and udders

Aine Murray – who is one of two daughters involved on the farm as well as a research officer with Teagasc – explained how focused the Murrays are on utilising grass and converting it to a profitable milk output.

Aine explained that a couple of years ago they upped the amount of grass walks on the farm from 20 to 30 a year.

They also began updating soil tests on a regular basis and using them effectively towards a nutrient management plan.

From the soil test results, the Murrays have been able to go out spreading with targeted applications, which lead to more grass grown in economically sustainable fashion.

The farm is now reseeding more and more every year, targeting paddocks that are underperforming, with 20% less tonnage grown/year then the rest.

Aine Murray talking about the grassland management on the farm and the steps to incorporating more clover

The farm is currently growing around 14.5t DM/ha each year.

According to Aine, “Any paddock growing around 12t DM/ha will be earmarked for reseeding.”

Every reseed will be targeted with at least 2kg/acre of clover as a lot as Aine claimed that a farm with 20% of an average clover content, it will lead to a 30% increase in milk solids, can reduce nitrogen inputs by up to 100kg N/ha and increase profits by €504/ha.

A big change on the farm was also an upgrade of the farm infrastructure, as the paddock sizes were increased to allow for optimal clean outs and more access points added to allow for grazing in more challenging conditions.

Between a range of different measures to improve grazing and grass intake on the farm, the Murrays are achieving eight to nine grazings in each paddock per year and are now ready to break that 600kg of milk solids/cow target.

The Derrinsallow Herd – Breeding and grass

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Drive for 600kg MS/cow through breeding & grass in Co. Tipperary