Owned by Irish Cement and located on the land surrounding the company’s factory on Castlemungret, County Limerick, Cooper Hill Farm is certainly a dairy enterprise with a difference. We caught up with farm manager John Holton to find out more about this unique enterprise.
With production facilities at Castlemungret, County Limerick and Platin, County Meath, Irish Cement – which is rapidly approaching its 80th anniversary – has established itself as the leading supplier of cement in the country. But this doesn’t even tell half of the story…
As well as producing a wide range of high-quality cements to the highest Irish and international standards, Irish Cement is also fully committed to sustainable development in all its business activities. Nowhere is this more evident than in the long-term commitment to Cooper Hill Farm – an on-site dairy enterprise on the company’s land in Limerick that has been going strong since the middle of the last century.
The story of Cooper Hill Farm is a very interesting – and admirable – one. Farm manager for the past decade, John Holton was kind enough to give us some insight into the history of the operation as well as outlining daily activities and the future prospects of the business:
“The farm was established here during the 1950s,” he explains. “Irish Cement was formed in 1938 and they bought up to 1,700 acres in the area, primarily limestone, for the manufacture of cement. As there are limestone reserves here for up to three hundred years, they set up three dairy farms to make use of the land in the meantime. In the 1990s, those three farms were amalgamated into one.
“We currently farm on 775 acres. There are also 600 acres of quarries here as well as a number of clay ponds. The farm is 100% owned by Irish Cement and is a completely self-sufficient operation which has to stand on its own two feet and turn a profit. While obviously these are difficult times for dairy farming due to depressed milk prices, Cooper Hill Farm always makes a profit over any given ten-year period. You have to take a long term approach and the dairy herd is definitely the best way to maximise the potential of this land.”
The award-wining Cooper Hill herd produces consistently high milk yields, thanks largely to the automated Fullwood rotary parlour which was installed at a significant cost in 2006/07. It was one of the most modern units in the country at the time and remains a superb parlour almost a decade later.
“A lot of money was invested back then and it was money well spent,” John confirms. “At that point, we put in the 50-unit Fullwood rotary parlour as well as accommodation for 350 cows. Those facilities still serve us extremely well today.”
While herd numbers remain well down from the peak levels of 850, Cooper Hill farm is currently enjoying a period of fresh growth. “We’ll milk 420 cows this summer, having expanded from 310 last year,” says John.
The herd is Holstein Friesian and all milk produced goes to Kerry Agribusiness.
Strategic changes are afoot at Cooper Hill Farm. “We’re currently calving one hundred in the autumn and two hundred in the spring but next year we are going to calve four hundred in the spring,” the farm manager reveals. “We will change our cow type and put in place a new management system because we need to produce milk with better solids.
“We’re averaging 7,500 litres with 530 kilos of solids at the moment and our aim is to produce 6,000 litres with 500 kilos of solids, and also to produce a lot more of it off grass as well. That transition is gradual and has been ongoing for a couple of years and it’s going to take us a couple more to get to where we want to be. Next winter will be the last one where there is a bonus for producing winter milk, so we need to do things differently.”
Cooper Hill Farm is as labour-intensive as any dairy enterprise anywhere on the island. John Holton is hands-on, seven days a week. “It’s a full-time job and we have four full-time employees,” he reveals.
“The staff are an integral part of the enterprise. Frank Ryan is in charge of young stock, while Paul Stanley and Adam Czyzak look after feeding and milking. They are excellent, dependable staff and they make a massive contribution to the business.”
John has been involved in dairy farming all his working life. He grew up on a dairy farm in Longwood, County Meath, which is now run by his brother Peter. He took over the management of Cooper Hill Farm ten years ago and is more than happy in his new environment in the Treaty County.
Despite the challenges currently facing the dairy sector, Irish Cement remains fully committed to Cooper Hill Farm. “Historically, dairy farming is returning the best profit per hectare of any enterprise out there. It’s a very capital intensive business so you don’t take a short-term view. You have to commit yourself long term and that’s what Irish Cement has done.”
The abolition of quotas has led to an increase in herd size and further expansion is on the cards. “We have already gone from 310 to 420 and there is scope there to go from 420 to 500 on a 157-hectare grazing platform,” John notes. “There are about 2.54 cows per hectare at the moment so we can definitely go up another bit.
“There was also a beef enterprise here before and we converted some of the beef sheds into cubicles for cow accommodation and we are in the process of converting some more. You will always find somewhere that money needs to be invested in order to maximise your efficiencies.
“Two-thirds of the grazing platform is on top of limestone and is excellent grassland. The remainder is on blue mud on the banks of the Shannon and is fantastic in dry years but very challenging when it’s wet.”
Such are the variables of dairy farming. While Cooper Hill Farm is distinct from every other dairy farm in Ireland in that it is owned by the country’s largest cement producer, it is also a typical labour-intensive, high-quality milk production enterprise, exposed to factors and elements beyond its control.
Despite this, the farm has a great tradition and is currently undergoing a reinvention of sorts under John Holton’s guidance. One gets the distinct impression that this particular success story is set to run for many more decades!
Cooper Hill Farm,
Clarina,
Castlemungret,
County Limerick.
Tel: 086 8206624
Taken from Irish Tractor & Agri magazine Vol 4 No 3, March 2016
