Virtual dairy farm visit event

James Brown of Seaview Farm in Ballywalter is always looking for new ways to improve the sustainability of his farm and do his bit for the environment. James has miles of hedgerows and planted several trees on his farm to boost biodiversity and carbon sequestration

Over 30 people attended the EU Sustainable Dairy Farm Visit hosted by the Dairy Council for Northern Ireland in conjunction with the European Milk Forum, and were given the opportunity to take a virtual look at Seaview farm and hear about the Sustainable Youngstock Rearing Project that James took part in with AFBI.

James was joined by Conail Keown, Dairying Adviser from CAFRE and Neville Graham, Head of Farmer Services at Dale Farm.

James spoke to the audience about the benefits he saw on his farm from taking part in the AFBI youngstock research project, which helped him achieve a first calving age of 24 months.

Earlier calving means James can keep 30 less animals on the farm thus lowering emissions, as well as improving animal health.

James said: “The feedback from Hillsborough was terrific, I got a report on how well my calves were performing compared to other farms, and being involved in the research project helps you keep your eye better on the ball and makes you sure you’re doing the job right. I keep a closer eye on the calves since taking part in the project.”

Chief Executive at Dairy Council NI Dr Mike Johnston said: “The Northern Ireland dairy sector is incredibly focussed on tackling its carbon footprint.

“In the last three decades the volume of milk produced locally has more than doubled, but the efficiency savings being made on farms are so significant our emissions intensity has reduced by a third.

“This environmental improvement is due in no small part to the hard work and dedication of the farmers and the researchers at AFBI and CAFRE who take an evidenced based approach to dairy farming and helping transfer that knowledge so it can be applied on farms across Northern Ireland.”

Environmental sustainability is a key element of James’ business and he spoke about other sustainability initiatives on his farm such as switching to LED lighting, as well as the use of an energy efficient heat recovery system that recovers heat from the bulk tank cooling system.

He uses the hot water for washing the milk tank and the dairy milking equipment. He also spoke about the biodiversity benefits he has achieved by tree planting and growing out hedgerows.

James said: “I look at the farm and see what areas of the farm I can plant to increase sequestration, capture ammonia and do a bit more for the environment.”

Conail Keown stated that investing in environmental sustainability on farms is a “win-win” for farmers, and that sustainability, efficiency and profitability are all linked, and Neville Graham spoke about the importance of sustainability to Dale Farm buyers, and how sustainability is on their customers’ agenda right across the supply chain.

James ended the farm visit by sharing his future plans for Seaview Farm which included the continuation of the sustainability work he has been carrying out.

James plans to reduce his herd size to 150 cows and is looking at reseeding with multispecies leys to boost soil health and improve animal nutrition, as well as applying to take part in an upcoming Environmental Farming Scheme.

To read more about the EU Sustainable Dairy Programme visit the Dairy Council website www.dairycouncil.co.uk.