CAFRE’s Business Development Group farm walks return

September 29, 2020

Co Tyrone farmer Conail Daly is a recent recruit to the Business Development Groups (BDGs) which are organised and run by the College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE).

Conail is a member of the Beragh Dairy Business Development Group which is facilitated by CAFRE Dairy Development Adviser Jane Sayers who said: “Before joining the group, Conail worked on dairy farms in the USA and Australia – most notably the Moxon Dairy Farm in New South Wales that has over 7,000 high yielding Holstein Friesian cows.

After gaining this exceptional experience Conail decided to return home to his roots on his family’s farm at Granagh near Carrickmore where his father Sean used to run a highly efficient small dairy herd. He began by modernising the milking parlour and the dairy cow accommodation already in place on the farm. Conail also purchased mainly Friesian heifers and some dairy cows that calved down last winter and started milking.

Conail recently hosted his first BDG farm walk. This was fully conducted outdoors because of the current Covid-19 restrictions.

I facilitated a discussion on the sustainability of the dairy business for the future emphasis on Conail’s recent set-up in dairying. The BDG looked at various systems of milk production, identifying the pros and cons of each and their relevance to the host farm. And, Conail fully recognises that as part of his local group he and the other members can learn from each other’s experiences

Jayne Sayers, CAFRE Adviser

CAFRE’s Business Development Groups are part funded by the EU under the Rural Development Programme.