This Kerry Farmer uses Herdwatch to maintain her full time job!
In County Kerry, Ireland, Karen Moynihan tends to her family’s suckler farm with dedication and resilience. A full-time worker turned part time suckler farmer, Karen’s journey into agriculture was not a planned one but a response to a sudden turn of events that altered the course of her life and her family’s livelihood. As with so many young farmers in Ireland today, Full time employment outside the farm is sought after. Watch how this Kerry farmer uses the Herdwatch App to maintain her full time job!
Ten years ago, tragedy struck when Karen’s father, Gerry, was involved in an workplace accident that left him wheelchair-bound. Overnight, Karen found herself thrust into the role of managing the family farm, which primarily consisted of spring calving and finishing a few beef cattle. Karen faced a steep learning curve but approached the challenge with determination and a willingness to adapt. Working alongside her father, Karen learned the intricacies of running a suckler farm. From managing farm machinery to handling calving season, she immersed herself in every aspect of farm life. Karen admitted “I didn’t realise what I was getting myself into at the time, it was a big change for us with a steep learning curve”.
However, Karen’s resilience was tested further when the farm faced a setback due to a TB lockdown back in November 2023. Karen explained how “the cattle are mixing with the deer and we see the deer walk through the herd”. After having 1 clear test so far Karen remains hopeful but insists that the wildlife are the problem as they have not purchased any cattle outside the herd in years.
In order to streamline farm management and optimise productivity, Karen turned to technology as a valuable ally. Working full time has its challeneges so she adopted the Herdwatch farm management app which helped her maintain her full time job. This revolutionised her approach to record-keeping and data management. From calf registration to tracking remedies and treatments, and even weighing her cattle for their average daily gains, the app provided Karen with real-time insights and actionable intelligence, empowering her to make informed decisions and enhance efficiency on the farm.
Weighing the cattle is a major practice on the farm for Karen. She prioritises tracking average daily gains of the young stock to ensure they are reaching their targets. She explains “While I’m putting them up on the scales dad is putting them into Herdwatch- it’s great to be able to see how they’re coming along”. Karen enjoys showcasing clips from her farm on TikTok, YouTube and Instagram to a combined 150 Thousand followers! She loves to showcase Irish farming but also explains that “I don’t try and hide anything, I like to show it all and I think people appreciate that- people feel like they’re not in it alone”. Having Herdwatch has made the choice of holding a full time job manageable as well as remaining compliant for her Bord Bia Inspection.
“Herdwatch gives us all the information we need when and where we want it improving compliance and performance on the farm”.
EID Reader and Ezi Weight6/7i Compatibility!
The Herdwatch App is now compatible with the Trutest Ezi Weight 6/7i Weigh head which connects via Bluetooth in your Herdwatch App! Click Here to access the help Article below on getting set up! -> Multi-Task Weighing | Herdwatch Help Centre
Watch the Video below!
