A Ballingarry farmer has scooped a top prestigious award for a second year in a row. John O’Connor of Ballykennedy Ballingarry Co Limerick has again scooped the top award at the National Irish Pure Friesian Herd of Year awards for 2024. While the west Limerick farmer scooped just the overall award last year, this year he completed a treble as well winning the top accolade also scooping the Heifer Class and the Best Group by the one Sire.
John, who farms with his brother Michael, runs a 150 herd of Pure Friesian cows on a grass-based system. John’s dad Michael, who sadly passed away this May, started dairying on 83 acres back in 1983 the first year of milk quotas. Today the brothers own and farm 330 acres with a further 200 rented. All male calves are reared to beef with the top 20% retaining for breeding bulls many of which are sold to repeat customers.
In 1988 the O’Connors acquired the Munster Herd of British Friesians which comprised of 50 full pedigree cows and heifers from the Allott family at Odeville Ballingarry.
A.I. was a big part of their breeding policy but for the last 10 years breeding bulls have been sourced from the top Pure Friesian Herds in the UK which has been a great success and has helped in getting the quality needed to gain the awards.
The O’Connors’ present bull was purchased from the Nerewtaer Herd in the UK and was selected from the best family line, the Janice family with the Dam and G dam both Classified 93points with over 10,000 kgs of milk and high fat and protein.
Adam Lawson of the Lismulligan Herd in Scotland was the judge and was very impressed with the herds he judged throughout the country. There was an increased number of entries on 2023 this year. “The Ballykennedy Herd was very uniformed with excellent udders,” Mr Lawson noted.
“We have entered the competition since its introduction a few years back, we have been there or thereabouts since, we are really delighted with our success this year,” John O’Connor said.
Paddy Healy’s ‘Firodo’ Herd, Kilkenny was second.