Liam Rochford Expands Dairy Enterprise Alongside Tillage and Sheep
Liam Rochford returned to Ireland in late 2017 after studying agricultural science at University College Dublin and spending time working with dairy farms in New Zealand. He joined his mother, Mary, and uncle, John, in a partnership operating a herd of slightly more than 50 cows. By 2026, the dairy herd had tripled in size and the farm had been reorganised as a company.
The farm’s dairy platform covers 56ha and carries 2.62 livestock units per hectare. At the end of September, cows were averaging 18.5 litres of milk a day, with milk containing 4.9% fat and 4.0% protein. That represented 1.7kg of milk solids per cow each day from a grass-based diet supplemented with 2kg of meal.
In 2025, the herd delivered 500kg of milk solids per cow, at 4.36% fat and 3.76% protein, using 1.2 tonnes of meal per cow. The corresponding figures for 2024 were 424kg of milk solids, 4.32% fat and 3.58% protein. Rochford attributed the performance to stockmanship, grassland management and breeding. The herd’s average Economic Breeding Index was €181, including a milk sub-index of €31 and a fertility sub-index of €92.
Heat-detection collars are used on the farm. Rochford recorded an 86% six-week calving rate in 2026 and a 9% rate of cows not in calf after the breeding season. He also received the overall winner’s award in the 2025 Pasture Progress Awards for grass production. The farm’s soils vary, and Rochford said: “We do our best with the soil type we have.” Cows remain outdoors for an average of 260 days each year, including grazing periods in February and November that he described as additional opportunities.
The farm has produced 9.9 tonnes of dry matter per hectare so far in 2026, despite being affected by the summer drought. In late September, grass growth was measured at 63kg of dry matter per hectare, while average farm cover stood at 999kg per hectare. Cows were entering paddocks with a pre-grazing yield of about 1,600kg of dry matter per hectare, and the rotation length was 37 days. The farm completed 33 grass walks in 2026, compared with 41 in 2025, 31 in 2024 and 22 in 2023. Total dry-matter production was 9.9 tonnes per hectare in 2026 to date, against 11.9 tonnes in 2025, 11.7 tonnes in 2024 and 11.2 tonnes in 2023.
Rochford uses soil testing every two years and applies fertiliser, slurry and lime according to the results. On the milking platform, 76% of the area is at optimal soil pH, while 65% is optimal for phosphorus and 72% for potassium. Clover has been included in reseeding mixtures, and the farm’s nitrogen-use efficiency has reached 42%. Slurry is spread with a dribble bar. About 10% of the platform is reseeded annually, with spring preferred; methods include ploughing, direct drilling and discing, depending on the paddock.
The main grass mixture is Tipperary 4A, applied at 14kg per acre, although other mixtures are also used. One paddock followed a spring-barley crop and was reseeded on August 30 using a rotavator and power harrow. Rochford said reseeding could be delayed by grass supply, labour, cash flow or weather, but remains a priority. Clover can be difficult to manage in the farm’s heavy soils, particularly where winter covers are high. He uses bloat oil and strip fencing in pastures with high clover content, and planted red clover for the first time in 2026. He said clover reduced fertiliser use and helped the farm during the drought. The wider holding also includes land for finisher cattle, store lambs and a tillage block. Rochford said: “Dairy is our bread and butter here.”
