Farm Smart: Wexford dairy farm using Herdwatch for award-winning herd

Patrick and Carmel Banville farm at Barry’s Cross in Co. Wexford — a family farm with deep roots, farmed continuously since 1919. They use Herdwatch as their dairy farm management app, keeping their 140-cow spring-calving dairy herd across 90 hectares organised, compliant, and performing. In addition, they run a small tillage enterprise alongside the dairy.

Their son John is currently studying Agricultural Science at Waterford Institute of Technology. When he finishes, the plan is to return home and farm. In the meantime, he is already an active part of the operation — and one of Herdwatch’s most enthusiastic advocates on the farm.

Patrick, Carmel and John Banville at Barry’s Cross Farm, Co. Wexford.

Award-winning milk quality — and the work behind it

In April 2021, the Banvilles were nominated for the NDC and Kerrygold National Quality Milk Awards by their Glanbia representative. They went on to win the milk quality category outright — with the lowest total bacterial count and the lowest cell count of all 12 finalists.

However, winning the award involved more than milk quality alone. Sustainability, facilities, and environmental measures all formed part of the judging process. Furthermore, the farm has cut its carbon footprint by 20% over the last four years. Patrick explains how.

For the Banvilles, doing the small things right every day is what underpins everything else on the farm.

How the Banvilles found Herdwatch

Patrick and Carmel first heard about Herdwatch from a friend. Shortly afterwards, they signed up at the National Ploughing Championships. The process was straightforward from the start.

Day-to-day dairy farm management: remedies, calves and movements

Before Herdwatch, Patrick handled most of the medicine recording — all done by hand into a book, usually in the evening when tired. It was time-consuming and easy to make mistakes. Now, recording happens on the go throughout the day.

Calf registration is equally straightforward. John handles a lot of this on the farm. He describes the process simply.

For farm-to-farm movements, the family uses Herdwatch every time they sell calves or cull cows. In contrast to the old process — which involved contacting the Department and waiting — it now takes seconds.

Bord Bia compliance — the dairy farm management app that does the work for you

Because the Banvilles record medicines and treatments throughout the year as they go, Bord Bia inspection preparation has effectively disappeared from their workload. By the time the auditor arrives, everything is already there.

Performance data and the Watchboard feature

The Banvilles also make extensive use of Herdwatch’s performance features. As a dairy farm management app, Herdwatch gives a full history of each cow — all treatments over the years, serving dates, calving dates, and milk performance including somatic cell count. John describes how the breeding records work in practice.

Furthermore, the performance section gives a full history of each cow — all treatments over the years, serving dates, calving dates, and milk performance including somatic cell count. That data, in turn, supports better decisions around selective dry cow therapy.

The key features the Banville family uses on the farm include:

• Remedy scanning and automatic withdrawal date tracking
• Calf registration — tag scan, barcode, done in seconds
• Farm-to-farm movement certs — instant, emailed directly to buyer
• Bord Bia inspection reports — generated from year-round records
• Watchboard — reminders for repeats, dry-off dates, and calving
• Performance section — full cow history including SCC and milk data
• Missing tag recording — one click on the animal

Watch the Banville family’s story

Patrick, Carmel, and John walk through how Herdwatch fits into the daily running of their award-winning dairy farm in Co. Wexford.

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