Donegal farmer Richard Starrett on championing high quality milk

NDC & Kerrygold milk quality award winner, Richard Starrett, and his Teagasc dairy advisor, Tommy Doherty, join Emma-Louise Coffey on the latest Dairy Edge podcast to give an insight into Richard’s farm system and how good management decisions over the last 25 years has culminated in recognition in the prestigious milk quality awards. Richard documents the growth in cow numbers from 70 cows in 1994 to 160 cows today and while expanding, he explains that he focused getting the basics right: grass growth, days at grass, high genetic merit cows and cow health as a means to maintaining a sustainable family farm business. Tommy acknowledges the huge achievement of Richard and the Starrett family and credits Richard as a leader in adopting key technologies such as selective dry cow therapy, use of LESS, protected Urea and automation such as auto calf feeders and batt latch. Richard explains he is using selective dry cow therapy for 5 years and in 2020, just 15% of the herd was dried off using antibiotics and the use and reliance on antibiotics has reduced significantly over this time. For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at: https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/ The Dairy Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.com