Farm Smart: Farm paperwork should not impact on quality family time.

Pat O’Brien farms in Tullamore, Co. Offaly, running a spring-calving dairy herd of pedigree Holsteins and British Friesian crosses. He is also the county chairman of the ICMSA. With farming, family, and a demanding public role all competing for his time, finding ways to reduce the paperwork burden was a priority. Two years ago, after some research by his wife Alma, he signed up to Herdwatch. Two years on, he has not looked back.

Pat O’Brien on his spring-calving dairy farm in Tullamore, Co. Offaly.

Regulation as a friend — not a burden

Pat has a considered view of farm compliance that sets him apart from many. Rather than seeing regulation as something imposed on farmers, he views it as a competitive advantage — particularly in the context of trade deals like Mercosur.

Consequently, having a reliable system for capturing and presenting those records is not just about convenience. For Pat, it is about protecting the value of what Irish farmers produce. Both a Bord Bia and a Department inspection since joining Herdwatch have reflected that approach.

Remedy recording — withdrawal dates without counting on your fingers

Pat records all animal remedies in Herdwatch as he uses them. One of the features he values most is the automatic withdrawal date calculation. Previously, working out withdrawal periods meant manually counting forward from the date of treatment — always with the risk of getting it wrong during a busy period. Now, the app handles it automatically.

Calf registration — tagged and registered there and then

Before Herdwatch, calving season registrations were often left until late at night — when mistakes were more likely and the records were less reliable. Now, Pat registers each calf at the moment it is tagged. As a result, the record is always accurate and the card goes out in the post without any chasing up.

Movement certs — done in the yard, standing at the calf pen

Animal movements are handled just as efficiently. When a buyer arrives to pick up calves, Pat completes the movement cert from his phone while standing in front of the pen. Furthermore, for regular customers, their details are already saved — making the process even faster.

Breeding — aAa ratings, ICBF sync, and pre-breeding heat checks

Pat uses mostly AI on the farm and takes a detailed approach to breeding. This year, he used aAa week ratings — having each cow analysed and rated individually, with bull recommendations made on that basis, to produce balanced and durable offspring. Herdwatch handles all the recording and management that goes with this. Moreover, all breeding events sync automatically with ICBF.

One of his favourite features is being able to identify quickly which cows have not cycled since calving — particularly useful in the lead-up to the breeding season when intervention decisions need to be made early.

Pat uses Herdwatch across the full dairy operation:

• Remedy recording — logged at time of purchase and treatment
• Automatic withdrawal date calculation — no manual counting required
• Calf registration — tagged and registered in real time at calving
• Animal movements — cert completed from the phone at the calf pen
• Regular customer details — saved for faster repeat movement certs
• Breeding records — serves, bull details, and aAa data all recorded
• Pre-breeding heat tracking — cows over 40 days without heat flagged
• ICBF sync — all breeding events transferred automatically
• Bord Bia and Department compliance reports — ready on the phone

You can read more real farmer stories on our farm case studies page.