Foyle View Farm has seen rapid growth since it first started milking cows two decades ago, as its owner Jack Porter explained to Irish Tractor & Agri when we caught up with the Donegal native lately.
These are heady times for Foyle View Farm in Carrigans, Co Donegal and one would imagine it’s how Jack Porter would have enthusiastically envisioned things going when he and his wife first started milking cows 20 years back.
Make no mistake. Jack and Judith Porter had to work hard to bring their herd count up to the current 360 total but both will tell you that the long journey has been thoroughly worthwhile.
Jack, for one, wouldn’t have it any other way and was able to take time from and increasingly busy schedule to explain to Irish Tractor & Agri what Foyle View Farm is all about, as well as the latest developments up Lifford way.
“We’re in Carrigans, Lifford, Co Donegal and the farm was bought in 1990. We started milking cows here in 1997,” Jack outlined.
“It’s a family run farm between myself and my wife Judith and our children Shannon (19), Luke (16) and Justin (13).”
Since, commencing at Foyle View Farm with extinction of milk quota, major expansion is now taken place.
Last September saw Jack and Judith taking on a new lease of land which has increased their holding to 800 acres.
That’s a far cry from the days when the pair first started out, but both know that spending money to make money is essential on any dairy farm.
We raise all our calves, bull to beef and dairy herd is still expanding. Fertility and milk yields are important. All of the semen is purchased from Progressive Genetics in Munster. My son and daughter are fully trained AI technicians this year.”
“We have increased our employees and have agriculture student in training.
All of the milk produced on the Foyle View Farm is supplied to Aurivo Co-op (formerly Donegal Creameries), which is an innovative multipurpose agricultural co-operative with business interests in Dairy Ingredients, Consumer Foods, Agri Stores, Animal Feed Milling and Livestock Marts and Trading and our working relationship with Aurivo co-operative has been excellent.
“I grew up on a dairy farm so milking has always been in my life since I was a young lad,” he said. Despite a bad injury due to a work accident a few years back, “I’m lucky to be alive, and while recovering I am very grateful for the encouragement I got from Judith, my family, employees and friends.”
This made us more aware of the importance of Farm Safety. We hosted a successful evening last year in conjunction with Aurivo and Teagasc which was well attended.
Indeed Jack and Judith seem to have the husband-wife working partnership down to a tee, with the experience of two decades in dairy farming.
At silage time, we share our machinery working with my brother and cousins. As the weather was good this year, the team worked long hours harvesting the crop.
Right now the couple are focussing on re-seeding for the current season, “we are fairly occupied with that,” said Jack.
“I’d also like to mention we now have a 26-unit Dairymaster which was installed in 2011 which was purchased from a local supplier, Danny Doherty. We choose Dairymaster because they offer a good back up service.”
Dairymaster is undoubtedly the obvious choice for a professional outfit like Foyle View Farm, with some of the world’s most advanced milking parlour systems.
As for the Porters’ own machinery, they tend to buy local and don’t feel the urge to go over the top when it comes to tractors they require on the farm.
“We keep to the basics,” said Jack. “We have New Hollands and JCBs here and we get our tractors from Cowan’s.
“Our farm buildings have been erected by Ethvan Ltd, Agriculture, Industrial, Building Contractors.
Now milking 360 cows, Jack and Judith have turned their farm into a real success story and it has definitely developed a long distance from the time when it was first purchased.
With the next generation now well on its way, it seems Foyle View Farm’s future is looking bright and certainly in safe hands.
A success story indeed.
Foyle View Farm
Carrigans,
Lifford,
Co Donegal
Taken from Irish Tractor & Agri magazine Vol 5 No 6, September 2017
