2012 Archives - Nuffield Ireland

Sean Cummins

Amii . — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 21:14:30 +0000

Sean Cummins from Inistioge in Co Kilkenny is a dairy farmer. Having completed a PhD in dairy cow fertility in Teagasc, Moorepark, he returned to his first love, dairy farming. He is in a milk production partnership with his father. They operate a mixed beef (100 cattle) and dairy (70 cows) enterprise on a 67 ha farm. They expanded their dairy enterprise after EU milk quotas ended in 2015.

Sean travelled to Australia, New Zealand, Taiwan and the Netherlands to study key mechanisms/platforms that best aid farmers to up-skill and manage larger herds, and/or changed farming enterprise, and adopted new technologies to ensure farm profitability.

Digital Knowledge Transfer Platforms to Initiate On-farm Change

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Micheál McCarthy

Amii . — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 21:09:05 +0000

Micheál McCarthy and his wife Mairéad and three children operate an OAD milking low cost grass based dairy farm in West Cork. The farm consists of 140 cows and 90 replacement heifers. They are also in a Milk Production Partnership with 150 cows on another milking block.

Micheál studied “Once a Day Milking and its application to Ireland”. This was a relatively new concept to Ireland which was a huge benefit to farmers both pre and post Quotas abolition in 2015. He travelled to the UK, France, South America and New Zealand.

Once A Day milking and how it benefits Irish farmers Pre and Post Quota

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Andrew Gow

Amii . — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 21:02:09 +0000

Andrew Gow, from near Glenstal Abbey, Co. Limerick in the heart of Munster Rugby, is married to Sharon, and they have 3 children. They operate a low cost grass based seasonal dairy farm. The farm currently milks 120 Fr and Fr/Jer cows with an EBI of 131 (in top 5% in Ireland), rearing all dairy replacement and sells stock bulls, some to AI stations. The farm, 80% leased, is 80 hectare in size, and is in two 2 blocks.

Andrew examined the relationship between co-op shareholders/farmers, their committees, boards, government and public. He investigated how internationally successful co-ops have educated their members to realise the potential of fully integrating their joint businesses under one common goal.

He travelled to New Zealand, Denmark, Sweden, Holland, UK and Chile, to assess the lessons which may be applied in order to encourage greater and more rapid integration between dairy co-ops in Ireland.

Andrew was appointed to the Nuffield Ireland board in October 2023.

Report name: How Co-ops grow and work together.

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