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Seamus farms a total of 120 acres on a peninsula on Lough Erne.
Windbrook, Nathanvale Mel and Let it Snow.
Calves are reared on fresh whole milk and fed a homemade ration of rolled peas, flaked maize and calf pellets up to weaning at three months. Following this they move on to an 18% dairy heifer nut with rolled peas and flaked maize and at six months change to a 16% mixed blend with rolled peas.
On the forage front he prefers to feed straw to heifers. “I find straw gives heifers a better fill, if they eat straw as young stock then they will always eat straw. In the summer heifers are grazed, with heifers under 12 months topped up with a dairy heifer nut.”
In their second year they are fed round bale silage and straw mixed with a 16% blend. Heifers are calved between 28 and 30 months, “I feel they need time to grow to allow them to perform once they join the main herd. With only one group of cows the heifers need to
be able to compete in the herd. I have tried calving heifers at 25 months, but found they took longer to get back in-calf – so any time gained at first calving was lost quickly.” Being a smaller herd Seamus can’t justify having a diet feeder, so feeds cows a mixture of round bale, precision chopped silage and straw, they are topped up with a 21% nut and at mid-day a mix of blends and minerals over the silage.
And with a clear focus on type he finds showing both a way of promoting the herd and also a social event to meet like minded people who are passionate about cows. “Showing is good craic, but it is also beneficial with leads coming back days, weeks and months after. I rely on selling cattle as an extra income and there have been numerous people who have purchased on the back of having seen our cattle at shows. We had lots of enquiries at The Royal Ulster Winter Fair last winter, with people interested in stock and embryos, this makes you realise that showing is a major shop window to promote your herd.
Recent show successes include Ernevale Destry Triuna standing second intermediate heifer at the Royal Ulster Winter Fair, she also stood junior champion at Armagh Show and Fermanagh Show, and at
the Winter Fair Ernevale Jody Rosina EX93-3E stood third in the 50t class. Over the summer Ernevale Dest Rosina won Northern Ireland maiden dairy heifer champion at Clogher Show, she is now in-calf to Lindenright Megawatt. Previous highlights have included Ernevale MJ Rosina EX95-8E winning interbreed champion at Fermanagh Show three times and interbreed champion at Clogher Show. Kilbline Stormy Corona EX91- 3E was twice interbreed champion at Fermanagh Show and Ernevale Sept Mydeal EX92 stood champion at Armagh and Fermanagh Shows. Meanwhile, Ernevale MJ Rosina EX95 and Ernevale Astre Rosina EX93 won champion pairs at Fermanagh Show. As well as showing, Seamus has taken part in Breffni Oriel, a herd competition for Cavan and Monaghan, with the herd being third placed elite herd in 2014. The Rosinas have won the best family section on numerous occasions, as well as best heifer, best junior and senior cow awards.
“I get a great deal of
enjoyment out of breeding good cows, running a smaller herd allows me to be hard on cows that aren’t performing. I can pay attention to detail on each individual. I’ve always had a lot of luck getting heifer calves which has helped to develop cow families,” he adds.
The 60-head Ernevale herd average 89.5 points, they are fed round bale and clamp silage during the winter and are grazed during the summer.
Young stock are reared in original stone buildings and fed on hay and a homemade mix until three months and then a dairy nut.
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