Donal Howard

Donal Howard, Ballynoe, Co.Cork

Donal is farming 33ha just outside of the village of Ballynoe, in East Cork.  He runs a silage contracting business alongside his contract rearing enterprise.  The facilities on the farm are excellent, with both weanling and in-calf heifers housed on cubicles over the winter period.  He is contract rearing for a local dairy farmer that was highly stocked and was short of wintering accommodation for the heifers.  The calves move to Donal’s farm from 10 days of age.  Kevin Moloney, the dairy farmer, provides Donal with 1 ¾ bags of milk replacer per calf.  Donal covers all the other costs except for breeding, vaccinations and transport. 

Generally 70+ calves move onto Donal’s farm from February onwards.  Kevin was anxious that his livestock were not mixed with other herds.  He has been able to provide Donal with sufficient heifers to stock the whole farm until 2024.  Due to a reduced number of replacement heifers being born, Donal discussed possible options with Kevin.  It was agreed that Donal would purchase 20 bull calves from the Kevin at an agreed price to ensure that the farm was fully stocked and as a result, all the stock were from the one farm.  It is at Donal’s discretion as to when he chooses to sell these bulls.  Donal feel’s in hindsight that it may have been easier for him to have purchased beef heifer calves as all the calves could have been run as a single group therefore not increasing the number of grazing groups on the farm.

Donal is very good at managing grass on the farm and ensures that the silage made is of excellent quality.  He therefore manages to keep meal feeding to a minimum while still maintaining a high level of animal performance on the farm.