Dale Farm Herd Efficiency Awards celebrated at Winter Fair

Supported by independent dairy consultants Kingshay for the third consecutive year, the awards recognise those dairy producers who manage efficient herds by improving milk volume whilst making best use of purchased feed. The judges were looking for herds which maximised Margin over Purchased feed per cow in the past year.

Taking home the top award were Harry and Simon Stevenson from Kilkeel, Co Down who manage a 180-cow Holstein/ Friesian herd. The herd averages 9,052 litres/cow and is fed an average of 3.1 tonnes of concentrate per cow resulting in a feed rate of 0.34kg/ litre meaning 2,997 litres is produced from forage. Margin over Purchased Feed was £2,612/ cow over the most recent 12 months.

The runner-up was Stuart Simpson and family from Lisburn, Co Antrim who manage a 166-cow Holstein/Friesian herd. The Simpsons herd averages 8,528 litres/cow and is fed 2.41 tonnes of concentrate per cow, which is a feed rate of 0.28kg/ litre resulting in 3,850 litres being produced from forage. In the past 12 months the Margin over Purchased Feed was £2,596/ cow.

Congratulating the winners, Dale Farm Chair Fred Allen said: “The Winter Fair is a real highlight of the agricultural calendar and is always a great opportunity to showcase the great work of our producers and catch up with colleagues across the industry. Our Dale Farm Dairy Herd Efficiency awards at the fair have gone from strength to strength in recent years and I was delighted to present this year’s winners with their awards.

“Across our network of 1,300 dairy producers who own our cooperative and supply us with milk, farmers are demonstrating a commitment to continuous improvement across their operations. In particular, both the Stevensons and Simpsons are operating productive farm enterprises, dedicated to operating in the most efficient and sustainable way. On behalf of the entire team at Dale Farm I want to congratulate both families for their hard work over the last year. “

Felicity Gale, Kingshay, added: “This is our third year supporting the awards and each year we are seeing excellent results from farms across Dale Farm cooperative. The awards are all about achieving excellence in dairy production and as this year’s winner and runner up demonstrate, efficient herds make for more sustainable, productive farm businesses. Our congratulations to both farms on their success.”

The 38th Royal Ulster Winter Fair took place on Thursday, December 12 at the Eikon Exhibition Centre, Lisburn. The event attracts over 5,000 visitors every year. For further information visit www.winterfair.org.uk