Kieran O'Sullivan runs a 107 hectare dairy farm with his wife, Catherine, and 18 year-old son, Cathal. Their milk is supplied to Drinagh Co-op and processed through Carbery to make products ranging from Dubliner cheese to Kinetica in the sports range. The O'Sullivans are the 5th generation of their family to farm at Dunmanus in a beautiful part of West Cork with views of the ocean from the farm.
Kieran says he always wanted to farm and he inherited how his father used to do things - but is still learning every day.
Kieran sees how Cathal is learning the ropes now and is proud to be able to pass on his knowledge and expertise to his son. Cathal is in college studying farming and also hopes to do a Green Cert while working on the farm, but says he’ll have to pay particular attention to his father now that he has won this national award.
Kieran’s parents, Donal and Mary, live on the farm also in a house beside the parlour. Donal, who is 81 now, says that every generation wants to prove to the previous generation how they can improve and put their stamp on the farm.
“We are producing a food product here and we put the quality of the milk we produce on our farm as the number one priority. That is why the milking of the cows and the washing of milking parlour inside and out is the most important job we do every day,” says Kieran. The plant washing routine on this farm is described as ‘perfect’ by the national judges of the NDC & Kerrygold Quality Milk Awards.
Kieran says that he hopes any consumer could walk into his milking parlour any day and be happy with the way the cows are milked and how the milk is handled before it is collected.
Catherine, who helps in the milking parlour when Cathal is away, says it’s important to go at the pace of the animals and make sure they are as relaxed as possible. She enjoys the nature and wildlife in the area, accompanied by Lass, their dog, for daily walks along the beach or pier.
Kieran has been running the farm full time for over three decades, since 1984. He increased numbers over in recent years while maintaining high standards. He milked 124 cows in 2014 increasing to 136 cows in 2015, based on using 65 hectares for grazing and with an 18 unit milking parlour.
The farm has modern facilities and is registered with the Sustainable Dairy Assurance Scheme.
Kieran has the grazing platform and capacity to build more cubicle housing to expand further in the future should the herd expand.
Kieran, who is a keen GAA fan, received the Animal Health Ireland CellCheckAward in 2013 and previously won the Drinagh Milk Quality Awards and the Carbery Milk Quality Awards.
Farm Fact File:
Farm: 107 hectares, 67 grazing
Average herd yield: 4,717 litres
TBC: 6
SCC: 71
Butterfat: 3.92%
Protein: 3.48%
Lactose: 4.82%
Find out more about all the winners.