Family Farming, Cow Health & Four Years of BoPro Teat Spray
Richard Greene farms with his family in Killeen, Multyfarnham, Co. Westmeath, where family involvement, animal health and long-standing relationships with suppliers are at the heart of the farm.
We recently visited Richard on his family dairy farm to hear more about his farming system, the challenges facing the farm and why he has chosen to use BoPro Vitamin Enhanced Teat Spray for the past four years.
Family farming at the heart of the operation
Richard farms alongside his wife Joan and their four children, Helena, Luke, Hannah and Alice. The family aspect of farming has always been important to Richard, having grown up on the farm himself.
“The big focus here is on family farming and always has been over the years when I was growing up here. I love to give the kids the opportunity to get involved in the farming, if they want to.”
The farm operates a spring-calving system, with 180 cows currently being milked. The herd has grown considerably over the years, from around 30 cows when Richard started farming to the 180-cow herd they manage today.
As the herd has grown, so too have the requirements and challenges of managing the farm.
“With a bigger herd comes different challenges, needing different vaccines and whatnot. We have used the same suppliers over the years and we like to stay loyal with our people, for servicing milk machines, feed suppliers, teat spray and everything else needed on farm.”
For Richard, these long-standing relationships are important because he believes that working closely with suppliers can benefit both sides.
“We like to work with the same people, if we can, as we feel it works both ways when you work together to make good progress.”
Sharing the workload on the family farm
The family plays an important role in keeping the farm running throughout the week.
Richard takes responsibility for milking on Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, while his children Luke and Hannah will help when they are not in school. Contract milker Reese Boland looks after the milking on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday and has been working on the farm for the past three years.
“Everyone needs a break from the farming, so Reese has been a great help.”
For Richard, having a system that allows the workload to be shared is important.
“Day to day, every day is different, but the cows have to be milked twice per day anyway no matter what else happens. I wouldn’t expect anyone else to do it seven days per week, so the way we operate it between us works well and hopefully we can continue to do that.”
Why Richard chose BoPro Vitamin Enhanced Teat Spray
Richard has been using BoPro Vitamin Enhanced Teat Spray for approximately four years.
“I don’t like to change when I’m happy with something, but then we did try the BoPro barrel to see what it was like... and we never looked back.”
Following the trial, BoPro Teat Spray became part of the farm's routine, and Richard says the farm has noticed a positive difference in mastitis performance.
“Everyone gets a bit of mastitis, I suppose, but we would have noticed a big reduction in mastitis after moving onto BoPro, especially in the back end of the year and in spring.”
Richard also highlights the condition of the cows' teat skin as another benefit he has noticed.
“It’s quite good for the skin, which I can really see, so very happy with it overall.”
After four years of using the product, Richard says he has no plans to move away from it.
“We actually wouldn’t move away from it now.”
What has been the biggest challenge on the farm this year?
Like many dairy farmers, weather has been one of the biggest challenges for Richard this year.
“The biggest challenge was the long winter and spring was slow. It was quite wet and I just thought, when is this going to end?”
By August, however, the situation had changed considerably, with a period of warm weather in July bringing temperatures of up to 30°C.
“Now in August we’re here after a good spell with days up to 30 degrees and then you’re looking for a bit of rain, but wouldn’t want to be heard complaining about the heat either!”
Despite the challenging start to the year, calf rearing has gone well on the farm, with Richard's wife Joan and daughter Alice taking responsibility for the calves.
“Some years you run into trouble with calf rearing, but this year calves were easy moved on.”
What are the biggest factors in keeping cows healthy?
For Richard, maintaining cow health is about adapting to the challenges that arise each year and taking preventative measures where possible.
The farm uses a number of vaccines, including vaccination for IBR and, this year, Blue Tongue.
“Every year is different with cows, but I suppose we are lucky enough. Our cows are middle-of-the-road sort of cows, not hugely high-yielding cows.”
Richard believes that early intervention and good communication with the farm's veterinary team are also important.
“In general, if you can pick stuff up on time and keep communicating with your vet, you shouldn’t run into too much trouble.”
After the last couple of years, Richard is happy with how the herd is performing.
“I’m happy with the way they are going here on this farm over the last couple of years.”
Looking to the future of family farming
For Richard, the future of the farm is not just about herd size or production. A key priority is encouraging the next generation to get involved in agriculture if they have an interest in it.
“Longer term, especially for the family farm, is to encourage younger people to take it up if they are in any way interested.”
That focus on family involvement has been central to Richard's farm since he was young, and today he is giving his own children the opportunity to experience farm life and decide whether it is something they would like to pursue themselves.
A family farm built on relationships
From growing the herd from approximately 30 cows to 180, to developing a family-based milking system and maintaining long-standing relationships with trusted suppliers, Richard's approach to dairy farming is centered around consistency, collaboration and looking after the herd.
We would like to thank Richard and his family for their time speaking with us. It was a pleasure to witness the family working together on farm!