Carlow dairy farmer Michael Nolan, has been farming near Borris for the past 22 years and his pedigree holstein Coolnamara herd currently stands at 170 head.
Michael feels he really gets the most out of the cows thanks to the farm’s KEENAN diet feeder and advice from InTouch nutritionist Mj Doran.
Michael is feeding his herd on a high-input, high-output system with a total mixed ration (TMR) of grass and maize silage.
Over the last 305-day lactation period, the herd sold 10,300L of milk per cow, with 4.2% fat and 3.55% protein.
In 2023, each cow consumed 3.3t of concentrates, which Michael distributes through the parlour and his newest KEENAN diet feeder, the MechFiber380+.
Diet feeding
19 years on from his first KEENAN diet feeder, Michael found the MechFiber380+ continues to improve feed efficiency; one of the main goals on farm.
“The TMR mix quality in my 380+ is excellent,” he said. “We want to get the very most production possible out of the feed we give the cows, and the consistency of the mix is crucial to this.”
Michael also utilises InTouch software and says that “being able to measure feeding accuracy” is his favourite component of the technology.
“The feed usage reports on InTouch allow me to calculate exactly how much feed was fed at any given time, and I can plan fodder budgets for the upcoming year,” he explained.
Michael’s system is quite different from many, as he houses his cows indoors all year.
“Having a young family means we need to be as time-efficient as possible,” he said. “Having cows indoors with good facilities saves me a lot of time,” he said.
Michael is assisted by Cathal Mulhall, a student at University College Dublin (UCD) on work placement. Additionally, a relief milker is hired during peak times of the year.
Carlow herd health
Michael’s breeding programme has produced a herd of animals with strong genetic potential for high milk production, but making sure cows fulfil this genetic potential is all down to management.
“Milk production has increased every year for us, and a lot of that is down to using the KEENAN diet feeder,” the Carlow farmer said.
“It is a highly reliable machine, and without it, I couldn’t get the same amount of concentrates and feed into the cows through the parlour. It fuels the cows to reach their genetic potential.”
In terms of Michael’s calving strategy, he operates an all-year-round calving operation, with an average three-week pregnancy rate of 28%.
Michael’s relationship with Alltech and InTouch began several years ago, when he was experiencing mycotoxin issues on-farm.
“I noticed individual cow milk performance was dropping dramatically overnight and couldn’t figure out why,” Michael explained. “I gave InTouch a call, and it was suggested mycotoxins may be the problem.”
Michael trialled feeding Mycosorb to address this issue; he was also feeding Yea-Sacc to the cows at this time.
The Mycosorb stopped all issues of milk production dropping, and cows were overall healthier and happier, so Michael decided to incorporate Mycosorb into the diet full-time.
He moved to Alltech’s Rumenate mix, which includes both Yea-Sacc and Mycosorb.
“It’s been in our milking cow diet for three years now, and I don’t ever plan to take it out,” he continued. “It’s a wonderful product that’s really helped our herd production and health.”
Silage
Silage production on-farm was difficult this spring due to elevated levels of rainfall. Michael is always conscious that good silage is needed to fuel cows year-round through the TMR.
“Making top-quality silage is a priority for us. We decided to use Egalis Ferment on our first-crop silage this year for the first time,” Michael said.
“I wasn’t happy with how other inoculants worked previously. Having discussed it with Mj, I felt it was the best move to ensure we made quality silage to see us through the winter period.”
Egalis Ferment is a silage inoculant applied at harvest that maximises nutrient protection in the silage and reduces dry matter losses by driving more efficient and faster fermentation of the sugars in the crop.
KEENAN Ireland sales manager Adam Hanratty gets huge satisfaction from seeing the difference KEENAN makes on farm for farmers.
“Michael is an progressive farmer who wants to run an efficient, productive farm with animal health always at the fore,” Adam said.
“We are delighted that KEENAN plays such a big part in achieving these goals for Michael. The MechFiber380+ currently in the yard is the fourth machine Michael has bought from us, which shows the trust he has in our brand.”
For Michael, it was the only choice he was ever going to make when choosing a diet feeder for his herd in Carlow.
“I like to support local business, and KEENAN has been a huge part of the community in Borris for years,” Michael explained. “But beyond that, it is a highly reliable machine, and I wouldn’t be without it on the farm.”
Michael’s goal is to continue improving his feed efficiency and herd production, with KEENAN, Alltech and InTouch supporting him every step of the way.
For further information about KEENAN’s diet feeders and inoculants click here.
