Michael was recognised by judges for his dedication to animal welfare, excellent milk quality, and sustainable farming practices.
Michael has been farming in Crossmolina since 1998. He converted from beef to dairying in 2018 and now milks 75 crossbred cows on 50 hectares.
Michael’s wife Ita and their children, Emily, Kevin, Ciara and Aoife, are all involved in the farm. Michael enjoys working with his family and seeing the herd progress. The family take great pride in their herd and practice the highest standards of animal welfare from calf to cow.
Michael will now represent Aurivo at the NDC and Kerrygold Quality Milk Awards which set out to celebrate the best milk suppliers in Ireland.
In addition to the overall award, Michael received the Excellence in Udder Health award. Michael credits his success in this category to his continuous and close monitoring of his herd’s cell count.
Michael utilises data available to eliminate the spread of infection, by using culture and sensitivity testing to ensure cows receive the correct treatment and reduce the use of antibiotics on farm.
Also taking home a top prize was Dolan Farming Ltd., a fifth-generation family farm in Hollymount run by Louis, his wife Bernie, and their son David who were recognised for their continuous focus on sustainability and the farm’s low emission trajectory.
Louis credits the Champion of Sustainability Award to their focus on crossbreeding to produce high protein and fat output, which allows them to have less reliance on feed.
The family have also reduced the use of nitrogen on the farm by using protected urea and 30% of their grazing platform has clover included and they hope to increase this year on year.
Other sustainable farming practices utilised by the Dolan’s include rainwater harvesting and biological pest control by the way of owl boxes.
Donal Tierney, chief executive of Aurivo, acknowledged the huge commitment to quality and standard of the winning dairy farmer entrants.
He said: “Now in its 16th year, the Aurivo Milk Quality Awards is an annual award programme which recognises a degree of excellence in dairy farming. I am delighted to be here to congratulate our eight Milk Quality Award winners, who exemplify commitment to the highest quality of milk supply for both liquid and manufacturing milk.
“Our farming families’ remarkable commitment and dedication allows us to produce the best quality milk and we are proud of the quality milk pool of our almost 1,000 suppliers in both the Republic and Northern Ireland.”
