Killeen Farm — NDC & Kerrygold Quality Milk Awards

Dara Killeen, of Bawnmore Dairy Enterprise in Meelick, Eyrecourt, Co. Galway, is no stranger to success. Beginning his milking journey in 2019, Dara has quickly risen through the ranks. He won the FBD Young Farmer of the Year in 2020, in his first year of dairy farming, as well as a CellCheck award and now is the Aurivo representative in the NDC & Kerrygold Quality Milk Awards.

A fourth-generation farmer on the Bawnmore land, Dara is the youngest of seven children. He is supported in his efforts by his father Charlie, who handles tractor work and herding, and his mother Mary, who assists with calf rearing. His wife, Beatrix, contributes to the business planning, while his daughter Isabella helps manage calves and grass measurement, making this very much a family-run enterprise. Even young Oliver, their baby, plays his part by keeping Dara company on the farm.

Though all of Dara’s siblings pursued third-level education, he took a different route, gaining hands-on experience by milking cows in New Zealand and completing his Green Cert at Gurteen College. His practical knowledge, combined with a summer working in the USA, solidified his belief that dairying was the best commercial path forward. With meticulous research into dairy systems and infrastructure, Dara established his herd and quickly gained recognition for his professionalism and commitment to best practices.

The Bawnmore herd consists of 154 cows, which are milked in a 20-unit parlour. The cows deliver an impressive average of 465 kg of milk solids per year, with milk recording taking place four times annually to monitor performance and milk quality. During the hectic calving season, Dara shares a night worker with a neighbouring farmer, allowing him to focus on the cows during the day without becoming exhausted. Relief milkers Emily and Colin, both college students, help maintain smooth operations.

The farm’s facilities include a well-designed collecting yard with grooved concrete to prevent cow slipping, and half of the cubicles are covered but are sheltered from the wind. Dara outsources all fertilizer spreading, slurry management, silage cutting, and hedge maintenance to contractors, ensuring precision farming by ultilising GPS-guided fertilizer application. This outsourcing allows Dara to focus on herd management, where he excels.

Animal health is a priority at the Killeen farm. The farm participates in bulk milk disease testing and is part of the Irish Johne’s Control Program. Dara’s approach to mastitis is careful and measured, with 15 cases treated in 2023 based on sensitivity testing. Impressively, 75% of the herd receives sealant-only treatment, with no more than 20 cows sealed in one session to allow meticulous attention to detail.

The herd also benefits from MSD Cow Collars, which assist in heat detection and provide health alerts. Dara’s breeding strategy involves using sexed semen to generate 50 heifer calves from his best cows and heifers. One-third of his AI breeding is for dairy replacements, while the remainder is focused on high-DBI beef sires.

Environmental sustainability is at the core of Dara’s farming philosophy. The farm’s carbon footprint stands at 0.77 kg, and the grazing platform is stitched with white clover. Dara has also dedicated 30 acres to red clover silage and has planted five acres of multispecies swards. His commitment to enhancing the local landscape is evident in the six-foot trees—mountain ash, maple, silver birch, and alder—that he has planted along the farm roadway. A significant portion of the farm, 100 acres along the Shannon Callows, is a designated Special Area of Conservation (SAC), an important habitat for breeding bird species. Cattle are strictly removed during key months to protect these fragile ecosystems.

Dara credits much of his success to the support and mentorship of his peers in the West Awake Discussion Group, especially mentor Matt Ryan. His willingness to share knowledge is also reflected in his participation in the Farmer Time Schools Program, as well as his hosting of numerous farm walks, including events for ag colleges, Macra na Feirme, and the Aurivo Farm Profitability Program. Dara also documented his dairy conversion journey in a series of engaging articles for the Irish Farmers Journal, and he remains active on X (Twitter), where he shares updates and insights.

Although Beatrice comes from a non-farming background, she has undertaken the Green Cert at Salesian Agricultural College and now serves on the board of Dairy Women Ireland. Her professional background as a solicitor complements her role in business planning on the farm, ensuring that Dara stays focused on his key performance indicators.

Interestingly, Dara’s connection to the awards extends beyond his own farm. He played hurling for Meelick-Eyrecourt alongside his neighbour and fellow finalist Michael Larkin, who is representing Arrabawn in this year’s NDC Kerrygold Quality Milk Awards. Their long-standing friendship—each was a groomsman at the other’s wedding—underscores the close-knit nature of this farming community.

The Killeens embodies the spirit of innovation, environmental stewardship, and commitment to quality that the NDC & Kerrygold Quality Milk Awards seeks to recognise. Dara’s passion for dairy farming, paired with his forward-thinking practices, has secured him a well-deserved spot among the country’s top milk producers.

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