How Club Chairpersons are HERD PROFILES Progressing the Breed BREFFNI ORIEL Edwin Bennett CHURCHLANE HERD Edwin is married to Sandra and, together with their three children - twin boys Craig & Aaron, age 13, and Keith age 7, run the family farm “Churchlane Holsteins” at Ballintemple, Ballinagh, Co. Cavan. The Bennett family have farmed at Ballintemple for over 100 years. I took over the running of the farm from my late father John in 1987, with the help of my mother and brother Winston who farms his own Pedigree Registered Holstein Friesain herd under the “Dillagh” prefix. In 1987 the herd consisted mainly of British Friesian & Shorthorn crosses, apart from one Pedigree cow that my father had bought for me from the “Clonswords” herd. She was a “Rosemary”. I had a great interest in pedigree breeding and this is where the “Churchlane” prefix started. I continued to introduce new pedigree lines to my own breeding herd. One in particular was a cow, purchased in 2007 as an 8 year old, called “Zachariah Nina EX”. She went onto produce 5 more calves (naturally) 4 of which
are females. She went on to classify EX93 6E and was our first Gold & Diamond Award Winner. Her descendants play a major part in today’s herd. Other dominant cow families include “Beatrice”, “Marions” and “Farrahs”. My focus has always been to improve on Type, mainly feet & legs and udders to enhance longevity. Production plays a Sandra & Edwin Bennett Expo Show itself but to see some big part in my herd and I try to maintain this by look- largescale dairy operations in the ing for a balance of milk volume US. The level of management on and kilos of solids. The herd is 40% these farms is mind-blowing. autumn calving & 60% spring. We supply Lakeland dairies with win- Being a member of the IHFA helped me grade-up my herd in ter contract for Bailey’s cream. the early 1990s. This then lead In 2002 the opportunity arose me to Classification, which I now for me to become Breeding Sales use regularly to help me make my Advisor with Eurogene AI. This breeding decisions. The benefits gave me a great insight into dif- of this became apparent in the ferent breeding patterns. Today, last number of years. In the last as Breeding Advisor for World three classification inspections Wide Sires, I have increased my a total of thirty three 2 year-old appetite for good breeding cow heifers averaged 84.4points. We families. A recent trip to Madison also enjoyed success in the Breffni was a magnificent experience, Oriel’s Club’s Herds Competition not alone to see the World Dairy winning overall in Production Elite 63