pure friesian open day 2023

Gearoid & Sarah Maher & family KILLURAGH herd host Irish Pure Friesian Club Open Day 2023 on Thursday June 29th.

The Killuragh Pure Friesian herd of Gearoid & Sarah Maher is situated near Cappamore in east Limerick. The Maher family are delighted to be chosen by the Irish Pure Friesian Club to host this year’s Open Day. Gearoid and Sarah have two daughters Sally Kate and Lily. The Open Day is sponsored by Dairygold, FBD and the NDC.

A fourth-generation dairy farmer, Gearoid took over the farm in 2011 aged 26. In the years prior the farm had been leased out due to his father being in ill health. Graduating with an honors degree in Agricultural Science Gearoid had always planned to return home to the family farm and re-commence dairy farming. The task ahead was challenging as the infrastructure on farm was outdated and not fit for purpose and the quality of the grassland swards was poor. Heavy invest- ment was required to modernise the farm. However, through determination, grit and a positive mindset Gearoid progressed forward. A new herd of cows was assembled, he re-established the Killuragh prefix with IHFA and thus started a new chapter for the herd, building for a better and progressive future.

Gearoid comments:

“The land here is a very heavy clay type soil. Our average grazing season would range from 200 to 240 days. I knew I couldn’t change the land so I focused on the cow. The cow was going to be the engine of the farm. I considered all the different breeds but I felt that due to the type of land and the length of farm road I had, that a pure Friesian cow would suit the farm. My stocking was always going to be limited so I felt that my cull cow has a huge value to me as do my bull calves. There was also an element of tradition in my decision as my father and his father before him all bred pedigree Friesian cows. So, I purchased 40 pedigree pure

Friesian cows, the majority from the Dunum herd and some from the Gortfadda herd. This was the foundation of my farm and these cows were the establishment of my pedigree herd. Some of these cows are the mainstay of the herd to this day - which now stands at 107 cows.”

“Being a new entrant, the advice out there was to focus on EBI and only breed a cow from a number on a page. I thought this was mad. A suckler farmer would never buy a bull from just looking at a book! I decided to look at what the Dams and Grand Dams were producing and from there I focused on breeding for milk and protein because every other trait is a given. I joined the Irish Pure Friesian club. I was nervous enough joining the club because here you had experts breeding cows for generations and I was very new to the scene. However the club members and officers were very welcoming. Whether you are milking 20 cows or 500 cows or you had good or bad land, everybody in the club is just passionate about breeding excellent cows. Today my herd is producing 6,600kgs @ 4.08 % fat and 3.56% Protein. This has been achieved from marginal land and all from cows that are minus for milk! I also have heifers bred from the club’s bulls producing an average of 5,600kgs. My calving interval is close to 365 days and the empty rate is generally 4 to 5% with a submission rate to first service consistently over 90% and 70 % conception rate to first service. Currently there are three EX cows 23 VG cows. There eight cows of 8th lactation and older in the herd, demonstrating fertility, health and longevity attributes.”

“In 2016 I was placed third in the senior cow in milk class at the Emerald Expo with Dunum Blossom she also won Reserve champion at Cappamore show. I also won the most kgs of protein in the Friesian club competition with Dunum Sneachta. This just highlights the calibre of stock that is available for sale. My farm has turned full circle from an almost derelict holding to a profitable enterprise in just one decade. My cows and cow type are the pillar to my success. The pure Friesian is probably the most underrated breed in the country but to me the pure Friesian cow is a high producing, highly fertile, low maintenance cow”.

A Farming Ambassador

The quality of the herd is such that Gearoid was a national finalist in the Kerrygold and National Dairy Council Quality Milk awards 2022. Gearoid is active and involved as a farming ambassador across many public platforms. He is an ambassador for the Farming with Nature organization and hosted an open day on the farm last year. The public could see how Gearoid farms in harmony with nature with management strategies adopted to positively impact on nature and the environment. He is also a farming ambassador for the National Dairy Council having recently featured as a discussion panellist on the NDC stand at the Bloom festival.

Fundraiser for Temple Street Hospital

Gearoid and Sarah are very grateful to Temple Street Hospital whose expert care of their eldest daughter Sally Kate when she was sick as a young baby is greatly appreciated. A fundraiser for the Temple Street charity is to take place as part of the open day with all donations going to this very worthy cause. Donate online using the QR code!

The Maher family and the Pure Friesian Club look forward to welcoming you to Cappamore on the 29th of June.