Clare man David Melody, who has efficiently and progressively managed the exceptional dairy enterprise Beech Grove Farms in Kilkenny for more than five years, was a worthy winner of the Career Farm Management award at this year’s FBD Young Farmer of the Year Awards. In an unprecedentedly tight photo finish, David was also a very close runner-up in the overall award.
The best farmers in Ireland were recognised and celebrated at the 2024 FBD Young Farmer of the Year Awards night in The Heritage Hotel in Killenard, County Laois on Tuesday night, September 10th. Amongst the big winners on the night was dairy farm manager David Melody, originally from Clare but farming in Kilkenny, who prevailed in the prestigious Career Farm Management category.
Since July, 2019, David, who hails from a beef and suckler farming background in Bodyke, County Clare, and completed the Level 6 Advanced Dairy Herd Management course at Salesian Agricultural College followed by the Level 7 Professional Diploma in Dairy Farm Management at Moorepark, has been farm manager at Beech Grove Farms at Dunbell on the outskirts of Kilkenny city, where he oversees the overall and day-to-day management and running of a high-performance 330-strong crossbred grass-based dairy herd.
The farm is owned by the Phelan family and David lives off-farm. He agrees that winning the Career Farm Management award is a significant achievement, not least as it highlights the important role farm managers have to play in modern-day Ireland.
“It was a great award to receive,” he told Irish Tractor & Agri after the dust had settled on one of the biggest dates in the annual agri social calendar. “I would hope this award might encourage or incentivise others who maybe thinking of going down the same path. Even if you don’t inherit a farm, you can still have a great career in farming.”
Despite growing up on a beef farm, the Clare man realised at an early age that the dairy sector was the area he was interested in and this was where his future lay. His education saw him placed on dairy farms in counties Cork, Limerick, Kilkenny and New Zealand. The more he experienced dairy, the more he enjoyed it. When the opportunity arose to manage Beech Grove, he grasped it and has never looked back…
“I enjoyed farming at home and knew I wanted to pursue a career in it. When it was announced in 2012 that milk quotas were going to be abolished, I knew dairy was the area to be in. I also loved working with livestock, so it made perfect sense to follow this path.”
For over five years, David has been meticulously managing every aspect of the dairy farm, running it as a business, like any other, striving to minimise costs and maximise profits, always keeping a close eye on animal welfare, which of course is a key component of the overarching sustainability / viability / profitability equation.
“Two are working here full time and I bring in relief workers at weekends, during summer holidays and when the need arises. I also bring in night-time calvers for six-weeks during the calving period.”
The spring-calving herd (330 cows on 290 acres) is 100 per cent AI / selective breeding and
grass-based, achieving 280 days of grass per year and 550 kilos of milk solids per cow. AI, scanning, silage, slurry, hedge-cutting etc. are all outsourced. Having experienced both on-farm living and
off-farm living, David prefers the latter. “I live in Kilkenny city and it’s great to get that balance. It’s like managing any other business, it’s nice to get away from it and recharge.”
But will the young Clare native ever go all in and run his own farm? “I think dairy is going the right way with the price rising globally with strong demand, so if the right opportunity came along to get involved in an equity partnership, this is something I would consider.”
For David, managing a dairy farm is not just a case of planning for today and tomorrow but he thinks six months ahead to make sure everything is moving forward coherently and efficiently. He’s already putting plans in place to make sure everything is right for calving season early next year.
“Silage stocks are okay after a good second cut. We had poor grass growth all year but it balanced out as we never hit any real heights. We’re about one tonne back on last year and it will cost us but it was still an easier spring to manage this year than last.”
In terms of aiming for maximum output and productivity, David notes: “At the end of the day, it’s a business and I have to ensure it is run as efficiently as possible. While I’m very focused on KPIs, I still have to look after all livestock to the best of my ability because everybody knows that a happy and healthy animal will perform better. In that respect, it’s exactly the same as a family farm as the welfare of the cows is still the main priority.
“People seem to get hung up on the whole idea of family farms and I get that but as time goes on in Ireland, we have to make sure we are producing good, motivated, educated and talented farmers to take over these businesses.”
As for finishing second in one of the closest-ever Young Farmer of the Year competitions, David concludes: “It was fantastic, a major achievement. It was great for me, for my family, for the farm owners and for Kilkenny Macra.
“I was straight back into my routine the next morning and for me it was never about the award. What matters is that I enjoy farming, I get to work outside in a great environment, I enjoy all the challenges of seeing the animals and the business progress.”
First published in Irish Tractor & Agri magazine Vol 12 No 4, November/December 2024
