Friesian Open Day - Saturday 25th July '09

Firoda Herd - Peadar Healy,
Castlecomer, Co. Kilkenny.

Peadar Healy and family are farming in very difficult conditions in Firoda near Castlecomer Co. Kilkenny. The land is very heavy, to the extent that most of it needs draining as often as more free draining soil would need re-seeding. If neglected for any length of time the land would very quickly revert to rushes and furze. Hundreds of tonnes of drainage stone have been put into the soil over the years with mole ploughs and diggers in an attempt to make the ground more suitable for Dairy Farming. Grassland management on this soil type is very challenging, especially in a wet spring. Peader tries to keep cows out as much as possible but young stock had to be rehoused a number of times this spring as conditions were just too wet. Cows also had to be fed extra concentrates this spring to keep up production and to hold cow condition. It is in these conditions that the Firoda Pedigree herd of Pure Friesian cows has survived and even flourished over the last 60 years. Peader and his father before him have stuck with a Pure Friesian herd of cows over the years as this is the type of cow most suited to dealing with the conditions experienced on the farm. There is always a huge demand for breeding stock from the farm. As herd fertility and survivability is very good, 20 to 30 heifers can be sold after calving each year. About the same number of bull calves are reared on each year and sold as Stock Bulls. Satisfied customers come back year after year with very little advertising needed, a huge endorsement for Peader's breeding policy. The income from these sales helps to increase overall farm output annually so this is an 80 cow herd punching well above it's weight. This year Peadar has been selected by the Irish Pure Friesian Club to host their open day. All cows are Pedigree Registered, Milk Recorded and Type Classified so there will be a lot of information about hows the cows are performing on the day. Peader has a 12th lactation cow in the herd as well as 3 10th lactation cows which will be on view on the day to show how well the breed wears and survives, even in difficult conditions. Also on view will be 4 generations of the same cow family all milking in the herd with excellent conformation and production. EBI figures, Fertility and production performance and an explanation of the Type Classification system will all be on view on the day and everyone is welcome to attend.

The farm is situated between Castlecomer and Ballyragget and will be signposted from both. The Open Day will be held on Saturday 25th July at 2pm.