The 2015 Irish Holstein Friesian Association (IHFA) national open day was held on the beautiful 700-acre dairy and suckler Hannan family farm in Friarstown, Crecora, County Limerick on Wednesday, July 8th … an unforgettable and historic occasion for all concerned. We caught up with Paul Hannan, who manages the spectacular Lisnalty herd, to find out more.
There were at least three major causes for celebration at the IHFA’s open day this year as 50th anniversaries abounded: the Association itself marked its golden jubilee; while it was also 50 years since the establishment of the Lisnalty herd; and Jimmy and Marie Hannan – who founded the herd – celebrated 50 years of marriage.
The magnificent herd is now managed by their son Paul, whose brother John looks after the beef and suckler unit as well as a successful baled silage contracting business.
The landmark occasion attracted a massive crowd of in excess of 4,000 (the largest ever attendance at an IFHA open day sale), including dairy farmers from all over Ireland and the UK. A celebratory mood pervaded – despite the strain being placed on dairy farmers by low milk prices – and the quality of the coveted Lisnalty herd was underlined as 33 deep-pedigreed young heifers fetched an average of €3,000 in the sales ring.
All in all, the day was a massive success for the Irish Holstein Friesian Association, the Hannan family and Ireland’s most high-profile, award-winning herd.
“It was a massive success,” Paul confirms. “It was a dream come true for us to host the 50th-anniversary IHFA open day. On such a massive year, it was a huge honour to be asked. A big crowd turned out and it was the biggest event to take place in this area since the ploughing championships were held in Crecora in the early 1990s. Tom Ryan Centra, Raheen and parents from the local [Carnane] National School did the catering for us and the day went really well.
“What with it being the 50th anniversary, we were actually asked 18 months in advance. They wanted a high-profile herd and we’ve never been out of the Top Two herds nationally in the past ten years, finishing first on five occasions and runners-up the other five times.” 90% of Paul’s herd are classified in the top two grades – Lisnalty was the perfect fit for the Association’s big birthday bash!
The genesis of the enterprise goes back almost exactly half a decade to September 1st, 1965 when Jimmy Hannan purchased 18 acres in Friarstown upon getting married. Since then, the farm has grown to 700 acres (150 acres of which are rented).
The average yield per cow is over 12,000 litres per annum – over twice the national average, with milking daily at 6am and 5:30pm. A brand-new 20-unit DeLaval parlour was built in 2012, with automatic cluster removers, which halved milking time compared to the old nine-unit parlour (from four hours to two, plus 30 minutes clean-up).
The dairy herd comprises 120 cows with replacements, supplying around 1.35 million litres of liquid milk to Kerry Co-op per year, for sale by Dawn Dairies. The Hannans also have 60 sucklers (Charolais x Limousin) and 150 cattle are finished as beef. All the Holstein bull calves are finished as beef at 18 months of age and sold to ABP Nenagh or Charleville Foods.
Calving is split 60/40 between autumn and spring. The herd is on a TMR diet which includes top-quality baled silage, straw, fodder beet (grown locally on contract) and forage maize (48 acres grown on the home farm).
“My father used to sell clothes, believe it or not,” Paul reflects. “Any time he made a few pounds, he either bought a new cow or a bit of land. He eventually sold his drapery shop and bought more land. My mother worked at home and reared six children. Between them, they got the farm up and running.”
Of the six Hannan offspring, two were boys. Paul and John took to farming like proverbial ducks to water. “This is all I ever wanted to do,” says the former. “I got involved in ’86, straight from school. After I did my Leaving Cert, all I wanted to do was be a farmer.” Paul, who singlehandedly oversees every aspect of the dairy enterprise, is married to Eileen and the couple have three children of their own – Bill, Jane and Claire.
Going forward, Paul’s goals are modest – a 25% increase in herd size: “I’m not aiming to double in size or anything like that,” he notes. “Our aim is to milk 150 good cows. It’s like a football team, everybody has to perform. And I’m a harsh coach: a heifer has to milk five gallons after six weeks. We don’t sell any of our heifers at mart – we keep them all.”
The herd is 100% Holstein Friesian. The switch dates back over 25 years to when the first cow was purchased in England in 1989. “It produced higher volumes and there was more inside the bulk tank,” says Paul. “That mean more money and that’s where my love of them came from, to be honest.” Paul adds that dairy farming is his passion in life. He loves looking after the cows and would do it for free … but the money helps!
The Hannans produce their own baled silage, with no additives. “John looks after this. We only do bale silage. We cut it at seven weeks, ted it out, row it in and bale it. He also contracts that work as well. We run all Massey Ferguson tractors and Lely baling equipment.
“Roches Feeds in Limerick do our diets for the cows. Paddy McCarthy and Paul Hennessy look after that for me. Apart from buying the feed in, we are totally self-sufficient. We have one other lad working with us. Sean has been here 18 years and is part of the furniture at this stage. He even gets up with us on Christmas morning!”
As the man whose vision has brought the Hannan family farm’s dairy enterprise to the next level upon assuming the reins from his father, Paul says there will be no let-up in the relentless quest for maximum quality: “We’ve had our open day and had a very successful sales day but we’re not going to rest on our laurels,” he concludes. “We’ll keep it going.
“We’ll get up to 150 cows inside the next three years and that will be it in terms of growth. But we’ll continue to focus on quality. If I could have 150 good cows, I’d be delighted with that.”
Hannon Family Farm
Friarstown,
Crecora
Co. Limerick
Taken from Irish Tractor & Agri magazine Vol 3 No 9, October 2015
