Greenmount Association Held Its Autumn Farm Walk at Kilvergan Holsteins
The Haffey family—Aaron, David, Timothy and Stephen—welcomed members of the Greenmount Association to Kilvergan Holsteins for the annual farm walk. Lisa Burrows, the association’s president, opened the event, while Patrick Fee served as public-relations officer. Judith McCord, a senior dairy adviser at the College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE), led visitors around the farm and provided technical commentary.
The gathering was organised as an opportunity for former students to renew professional contacts, share practical knowledge and review developments in dairy herd management and technology. Burrows thanked the family for opening the farm and said that bringing former students together supported continued learning from one another and from progressive farm businesses.
The first part of the visit covered calving facilities and the management of cows during the transition period. Guests saw purpose-built accommodation and discussed nutrition, body condition, animal health and monitoring before and after calving. Aaron Haffey described the farm’s breeding aims, including higher milk production, improved functional traits, greater longevity and overall herd efficiency. He said that bull selection was made with the longer-term requirements of the business in mind.
David Haffey explained the role of transition-cow nutrition and close health monitoring in supporting fertility and a regular calving pattern. The herd has a pregnancy rate of 30% and a calving interval of 380 days. McCord said the family’s use of informed decisions, detailed monitoring and business data had supported herd performance and created learning opportunities for other dairy farmers.
Visitors then examined calf rearing and youngstock management. Calves are housed in individual igloos and straw-bedded accommodation intended to provide clean, dry and well-ventilated conditions. Discussions covered colostrum quality, hygiene, nutrition and routine checks, with the family reporting average calf growth of about 1kg a day. Gareth and Stuart of Moss Veterinary Services discussed vaccination schedules and respiratory disease in calves. They highlighted the possible lasting effects of pneumonia and described prevention measures including vaccination, ventilation, biosecurity, stress reduction and early recognition of illness.
The final stop focused on the milking herd and the farm’s use of automation. Six Lely robots milk the farm’s 340 cows. Aaron Haffey outlined how robotic milking had been introduced and the management changes required to use the system. The robots produce real-time information about individual cows’ health and performance, which the farm uses in its herd-management decisions. Maurice Wylie of Lely discussed the capabilities of robotic milking and its relationship with labour efficiency, productivity and working conditions. The event concluded with thanks from Burrows and Fee to the Haffey family, CAFRE staff and the other contributors. The association said the walk also demonstrated its role in maintaining links among former students and supporting continued professional learning across the agri-food industry.
