The 2nd National Dairy Awards take place in the Midlands Park Hotel in Portlaoise next week and four Laois farmers are in the running.
The Kerry Dairy Ireland Biodiversity Dairy Farmer of the year category has a Laois finalist in Bruce Thompson from Ballyfin.
Making biodiversity and a profitable, commercially run farm enterprise work together, are Bruce Thompson’s key ambitions.
Acting as a bridge between ecology, production, biodiversity and profit, Bruce has worked with other farmers and groups to gain and share knowledge with others.
Bill George represents Laois in the AHV Ireland Animal Health Dairy Farmer of the year category.
The Ballickmoyer man has demonstrated a clear dedication to sustainable farming through his willingness to embrace modern technologies to benefit the health, welfare and performance of his herd. This farm began its conversion to organic farming in 2001.
Martin O’Reilly is the finalist in the Mullinahone Co-op Young Dairy Farmer of the year category.
The Killeshin man is in a partnership with his mother on free draining ground placing a big focus on breeding and grassland management, especially to improve clover and nitrogen efficiency use.
Martin has also placed a emphasis on his own education and works hard to upskill himself through Continuing Professional Development.
Ballyfin’s David Kerr is an entry in the Germinal Responsible Dairy Grassland Manager of the year category.
Sustainability for the future is one of the main focuses on the farm of David Kerr’s. There is a constant learning curve of balancing sustainability and grass growth performance.
He is open to trying new grassland practices, but is very keen on ensuring they work before going large scale with new practices.
In the Cormac Tagging Dairy Discussion Group of the year category, the Royal Tara Group is represented.
The group is an all-female dairy discussion group facilitated in the Teagasc Laois, Meath, Kildare, Dublin and Louth region.
The group has members that are full and part time dairy farmers. The group collaborates closely with Teagasc and their group facilitator to bring in specialists to delve into relevant topics and to work with other groups in the region.
The second National Dairy Awards gala evening presentations will take place in the Midlands Park Hotel, Portlaoise on Thursday June 13.
