NMR to host Open Day at Hollybank Holsteins

Stephen Cargill and his son David comprise the management team behind the ‘Hollybank’ pedigree Holstein herd. The father and son team were recent winners of the Lakeland Dairies’ Milk Quality Award for 2023.

Their farm is located on the outskirts of Parkgate in Co Antrim.

The Cargills are committed to breeding cows of the highest genetic merit with an inherent ability to produce large volumes of high quality milk in an extremely sustainable manner.

David commented: “There are 180 cows in the herd with 150 going through the milking parlour three times daily at the present time. The average milk yield is 11,200L/cow with 4,000L coming from forage.”

The history of Hollybank Holsteins can be traced back over 10 years.

“One of the fundamental management decisions taken when we switched to dairy was that of committing to monthly milk recording,” David continued.

“And it’s an investment that has delivered a more than a worthwhile payback. The service provides real time information on individual cow yields, butterfat, protein and cell count levels.”

NMR’s regional manager for Northern Ireland, Ivor Hyndman, takes up that story.

“A single milk sample can provide an insight into a wide range of performance and health related criteria, where individual cows are concerned.

“Information relating to milk yield and constituent is critically important for dairy farmers. However, milk recording can also deliver critically important information on a number of potential diseases that can impact on dairy cows. These include Johne’s Disease, BVD and IBR.”

According to Ivor, approximately 30% of dairy farmers in Northern Ireland milk record on a regular basis.

“The scope to increase this figure is obvious,” he added.

“The potential for those dairy farmers who milk record on a semi regular basis to commit to the service on a monthly basis is also significant .”

Demonstrating the benefits that regular milk recording can deliver for all dairy farmers will be one of the themes highlighted at next Thursday’s Open Day.

Ivor Hyndman again: “Four presentations will be given at next Thursday’s event, covering the following topics: dairy cow nutrition, dairy breeding; the growing role of genomics within the milk sector and, finally, the threat posed by Johne’s Disease to Northern Ireland’s dairy sector.

“Each presentation will be given at a separate location on the farm.”

Events get underway at 10.30am with a general introduction to Hollybank Farm. Groups of 40 people will then be taken to the various presentation points.

Ivor concluded: “The Open Day will continue through until 2.00pm. Refreshments will be provided.”

“All visitors will be made more than welcome on the day.”

NMR delivers an innovative range of milk quality, herd health and genomic testing services, generating data and building robust insights that empower farmers to make informed decisions on cow productivity.

The business is a comprehensive service provider working for both farmers and milk buyers as well as an independent source of data from advisors such as vets, farm consultants and breed societies.

NMR currently tests 10 million samples of milk annually.

Hollybank Farm is located on Hollybank Road, Parkgate, BT39 0DP. For further information, contact Ivor Hyndman on 07825 177348.