The Roulston family in Newtowncunningham, County Donegal have been producing high-quality milk dating back to the early 1960s. We caught up with partner Keith Roulston to find out more about this exceptional family-run dairy enterprise, which currently milks close to 500 purebred Friesians.
Nobody said it was going to be easy. The life of the Irish dairy farmer is extremely challenging at the best of times and depressed milk prices mean that primary producers are currently being pushed to the pin of their collars. For over five decades the Roulston family have come through many lows; by virtue of their proven durability, one gets the distinct impression that they will also weather the current storm and push forward, continuing to produce premium produce through their exceptional self-sufficient operation.
The addition of 150 acres in the autumn of 2014 brought the total land famed by Roulston Brothers Dairy Farm close to 700 acres. With post-quota cow numbers having climbed to 470, siblings Keith, John and George oversee a significant operation. There’s no doubting the quality of the milk produced, but maintaining the business as a viable commercial entity is a tough, tough station – a challenge which requires incredible fortitude, perseverance, organisation and determination.
“I’ve been milking cows for 35 years now and you are on a journey the whole time,” says Keith. “You have to set yourself targets to reach and, as you achieve them, you have to keep setting new ones. Circumstances and conditions are always changing and you need to be able to adapt and cope with whatever is thrown at you.
“We’re at the stage now where output might increase but income doesn’t. You are running to a standstill. As we produce more milk, we are finding that profits are not going up, due to falling milk prices. Ironically, we were better off when we were milking 250 cows. Our profits were bigger. The dairy market is being squeezed at the moment but you have to dig your heels in and hope that the market improves.”
Reflecting on the genesis of the business, Keith continues: “Our parents Robert and Florence married in 1959 and they started to sell milk to Lagan Creameries in ’61. That continued up until 1969, when they installed one of the first herringbone milking parlours in County Donegal.”
Keith started studying at The Royal School in Raphoe in 1973. In ’76, the home farm got hit with brucellosis and they were completely wiped out, losing a herd of over 60 dairy cows. After finishing at Raphoe, Keith went on to attend Gorteen Agricultural College. In 1981, along with his father, he purchased 34 heifers from Moy Park in Dungannon, County Tyrone and the dairy enterprise was resurrected.
“The quotas in ’83 was the next thing,” he recounts. “We were milking up to 70 at that time and the quota didn’t really affect us too much through the ‘80s. However, in 1988/89, we had a major superlevy bill and we bought a second farm some 60-70 miles away to keep us milking.
“We continued along those lines and were battling the quota every year as there were three of us here and two farms. It was difficult every year but we kept growing as much as we could and kept milking. It was a gradual, steady growth and we had time to adjust. But, of course, as numbers go up, your problems change…”
The second farm was sold in 2000. Incredible levels of patience were needed to find a replacement… “We were trying to find one closer to home and waited almost 15 years to get the right one. In September, 2014, we bought 150 acres. We had become too dependent on rental land, where somebody else is dictating terms to you. We’re in a good place now in that the whole platform is all surrounding the home farm, although we are still somewhat exposed to rented land, which is volatile.”
All of the milk produced by Roulston Brothers Dairy Farm goes to Lakeland Dairies. With the first quota-free twelve-month term coming to an end, Keith predicts output of approximately three million litres for the period from April 1st – March 31st. “This will be our first year with complete freedom. The quota system was keeping people in shackles but we are seeing now what can be done if you have reasonable grass. Our cows are predominantly grass-fed but we also include some whole crop maize and wheat in their diets – another necessity which comes with increased numbers. When you are milking cows, you have to keep them fed and happy and content.”
The levels of science involved in dairy farming today are unrecognisable from when Robert and Florence Roulston started milking 55 years ago. “From soil management right through the entire production process, everything has to be right,” says Keith. “The cows need to be properly fed and you have the potential for things to go wrong on a very large scale if the soil, the grass, the lime etc. aren’t all right.
“At the moment, we are doing butterfat at 4.8-5% and protein at around 3.9. You have to try to keep the constituents up – that’s the only way to make up the gap on milk price.”
Rearing their own calves each spring and producing all their own silage, Roulston Brothers Dairy Farm is a wholly self-sufficient operation. Continuous investment in accommodation and machinery ensures complete animal comfort and optimal performance, while the BouMatic milking parlour delivers a milking time of two hours twice a day (28 double-up or 56 rapid-exit).
Regarding the ongoing challenge of not alone producing high-quality milk but also turning over a healthy profit, Keith concludes: “You can only cut your costs so far. At some point, you can’t cut them anymore. For example, it you stop feeding them minerals, you can make short-term savings but will end up with a long-term nightmare. You can only go so far before you are damaging the business.
“Obviously, you need to be taking enough money out of it to be making a profit but unfortunately at the moment we are not at a level where we can do that. If the price of milk doesn’t increase during 2016 then a lot of dairy farmers will have their bank managers asking them serious questions.
“Our overheads are constant. Every year there’s something else that has to be done. If it isn’t cow housing, then it’s housing for the young calves or in-calf heifers. You are constantly spending. You have to if you want to maintain high standards.”
Roulston Brothers Dairy Farm is synonymous with the very highest standards. But, like every dairy enterprise the length and breadth of the country, they could do with some help from factors outside their own control to maximise the sustainability going forward of this enduring and resolute family business.
Roulston Brothers Farm
Moneymore,
Newtowncunningham,
Co. Donegal
Taken from Irish Tractor & Agri magazine Vol 4 No 3, March 2016
