Today the National Dairy Council and Kerrygold Quality Milk Award winners Richard and Wendy Starrett are hosting a virtual open day and webinar on their Lifford, Co Donegal farm.
Before Covid the family would have hosted a busy open day to show what it takes to win the accolade. Richard is lucky the judges were able to make it to the farm last summer.
“The judges were out in September and Donegal was going into lockdown that night — if it had gone past that, the judges would not have been able to come out,” he says
The Starretts’ farm had won the sustainability award in Aurivo last year and the co-op asked to put them forward for the NDC awards.
“I thought they would get better than me to put foward and said that to the advisor. But they said ‘we’re asking you because you are at the top’,” Richard says.
When the announcement was made that the Starretts had won the national award, on The Late Late Show, Richard was not prepared.
“We sat down to watch the Late Late Show. We got no heads up and it came up that the winner was the Starrett family. I froze — my phone was ringing and I could hardly answer it,” Richard says.
“It’s nice to get the award to this part of the country — it’s never been up here before.”
Richard farms with his wife Wendy and their three children David (10), Holly (8) and John (4), while his parents John and Audrey live alongside the family home.
His father took the Early Retirement Scheme in 1994 and Richard took over the family farm, milking 70 cows.
“I developed it from there, building up cow numbers gradually to the 160 spring-calving herd we milk today,” he says.
Over the years Richard has focused on perfecting the basics and has put a huge emphasis on grassland management and herd breeding, using the top EBI bulls to produce high-quality milk.
The farm consists of 64ha, made up of owned and leased land. The milking platform is 54ha. The overall farm stocking rate is 2.45 LU/ha and the milking platform stocking rate is 2.9 LU/ha.
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Grassland management
This has been a huge focus for the Starrett family, particularly since Richard took over. It has been a key element of driving stock performance and milk quality.
Grass growth is managed in a paddock grazing system. Grass is measured weekly.
In high growth periods, the paddocks ahead of the cows are measured mid-week to ensure that cows are entering paddocks at the target pre-grazing height.
A grass wedge is produced on PastureBase; Richard finds the app particularly useful in the day-to-day management of grass.
In 2020, 34 grass covers were measured on the farm. The total dry matter produced was 13.9t DM/ha: 11t DM/ha of grazing grass and 2.9t DM/ha from surplus bales. Grazing began on March 6 and finished on November 14, a total of 253 days at grass for the year. Peak growth for the full block was achieved on June 27, when an average growth rate of 101 kg DM/ha per day was recorded.
Richard has his own sub-soiler on farm and soil is aerated as required. The poorest-performing fields are identified through PastureBase and are targeted for reseeding on an annual basis.
There are a number of reseeding methods used, including conventional plough and min till/direct drill.
Sustainable grass growth is achieved using soil fertility tools such as soil sampling, nutrient management planning, and slurry and protected urea.
Richard maximises the proportion of grass in the diet of his milking cows, and improved soil fertility and grassland management have allowed for a targeted concentrate input over the years.
Attention to detail: Richard in his milking parlour
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Attention to detail: Richard in his milking parlour
Richard has been part of a discussion group since 1996 and credits a lot of the improvements on his farm to his Teagasc advisor.
Carbon navigator, E-profit monitor, milk recording reports and bacterial culture and antibiotic sensitivity testing are all tools that are used for decision making, while one third of the farm is soil tested every year so “we know where to put the Ps and Ks”.
“It’s very important to be environmentally friendly, that the consumer sees that what we are doing is benefitting the countryside and the environment.”
The herd
Richard grew the herd to over 170 cows before pulling it back to 160.
“It’s a high-EBI black and white herd. We are in the top 1pc in the country, and while the herd has always been good we have improved it over the years,” he says.
“We use 11-12 genomic bulls every year for breeding and we are targetting the best of the bunch.
“I would say there is room for improvement on breeding on most farms. It might take a few hours to pick the right bulls, but the data is there from ICBF.”
Genetics: Richard says his high-EBI herd is ‘in the top 1pc in the country’
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Genetics: Richard says his high-EBI herd is ‘in the top 1pc in the country’
The heifer calves are contract-reared off-farm after weaning, by Richard’s brother George, who also takes half of the 1-2-year-old heifers, with the other half reared at home.
Richard also has a full-time employee, David Blackburn, who has worked with him for 11 years.
Good labour, he says, is a vital element in the success of the farm; in spring, he engages an agricultural college student on work experience.
Richard harvests most of the silage on the farm himself, with 30pc done by contractors, who also spread slurry using an umbilical system.
Breeding and performance
When Richard took over the running of the farm, he was a member of a Teagasc discussion group facilitated by then local advisor Seamus Culhane.
There was a strong emphasis on EBI and breeding within this group. This has had a long-lasting effect on the quality of genetics and success of breeding in the Starrett herd. Richard attributes his farm’s success to his breeding strategy and focus on genetic merit over the years.
Performance: Richard attributes his success to breeding strategy
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Performance: Richard attributes his success to breeding strategy
Table A outlines his current herd EBI. A big focus is placed on milk, fertility and health sub-indices.
Richard does not strive for massive kgs of milk; instead he is looking for high percentages of fat and protein.
Expansion and milk quality
Table B details the annual milk volume and composition for the Starrett farm between 2014 and 2020.
Milk solids produced increased by 161kg per cow over the period. This was achieved through a range of factors including quota abolition, improved genetics, grassland management and targeted inputs of concentrates/bales in poor weather conditions.
Chlorine-free detergent has been adopted across the milking plant, and selective dry cow therapy (SDCT) has been carried out on farm since 2017.
Richard selects cows for SDCT based on milk recording results and on whether they have a SCC of less than 150,000 cells/mL and no clinical signs of mastitis.
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How the Starretts make their farm as environmentally friendly as possible
Environmental sustainability is a key focus for the Starretts.
“Consumers want to know more about local, sustainably produced food,” says Richard.
“We are producing some of the most sustainable food in Ireland — and if we don’t produce it here, it will be produced elsewhere with a higher carbon footprint.”
The Starretts are carrying out a number of measures to make the farm as environmentally friendly as possible.
Farm family: Richard with his wife Wendy and their three children, David (10), Holly (8) and John (4)
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Farm family: Richard with his wife Wendy and their three children, David (10), Holly (8) and John (4)
Soil testing
Soil sampling is carried out annually, with fields sampled in a bi-annual rotation.
Analysis is used to monitor pH status and P and K indices. Where deficits or maintenance are identified, corrective action such as liming or applications of slurry or fertiliser is carried out.
The farm has participated in the soil P build-up programme since 2018.
Nutrient Management Planning (NMP)
Richard’s farm has an NMP which is updated regularly with new soil samples.
This plan outlines the soil fertility requirements of the farm and recommends most efficient use of slurry and fertiliser on farm.
It also maps the land block and identifies fields with lime, P or K requirements.
“We have been doing LESS for five years and I would not go back to a splash plate,” says Richard. “Everything is so much cleaner with LESS.”
Richard has his own LESS equipment and all slurry on the farm is spread using a dribble bar.
Around 70pc of slurry spread on the farm is applied in the spring for most efficient use of nutrients. Slurry is also used to maintain P and K index in silage swards.
Protected urea
The farm has used protected urea since 2018. Richard spreads it throughout the grazing season.
Water supply
The farm water supply is serviced by two wells — a deep borehole and a shallow well at the top of the farm. These two sources are sufficient to maintain the water supply throughout the farm.
The water from the borehole is used in the plate cooler to cool the milk in the bulk tank and is then recycled to service cow drinkers.
Energy efficiency
The milk collected in the bulk tank is cooled by a three-stage plate cooler .
There are also solar panels, which were installed in 2019 and have brought a saving €900 a year. The majority of electricity they generate is used on the farm and household.
The 5kw solar panel system provides electricity to operate the coolers in the parlour as well as heat the water.
Protection of farm waterways
Livestock have no access to farm waterways in fields. All waterways are fenced off to protect the water quality and avoid pollution.
All farm roadways have the correct camber and surface to prevent runoff to waterways. Water passes through the ultraviolet treatment system on the farm.
Leak-free system Lights installed in the yard allow Richard to measure water use. He is also participating in the ASSAP programme.
Hedgerow and conservation areas for habitat protection
Hedgerows are managed on an annual basis to promote biodiversity and to provide shelter to livestock.
The farm has a significant number of large mature trees and also has a protected habitat at the lower end of the land block close to the River Finn — 2.72 hectares of conservation area is preserved for wildlife and habitats. Dandelions grow here and grass is unfertilised.
