Farm Smart: Managing a full-time job and a purebred Limousin herd in Co. Laois

Brian Campion and his father Ger run a herd of predominantly purebred Limousin cows on 80 acres near Rathdowney, Co. Laois — 66 acres of grassland for the herd and the remainder in tillage. The farm was transferred to Brian four or five years ago. Since then, significant investment has gone into infrastructure to make the operation manageable by one person. Brian works full time off-farm and relies on his father Ger to carry out the day-to-day tasks.

Infrastructure built for efficiency — slatted house and paddock system

Among the improvements Brian made was a new slatted house, which is home to the autumn-calving herd and their calves over winter. The shed holds approximately 25 cows and includes a straw lie-back area for the calves. As a result, managing cows and calves through the winter — and during the breeding season — is significantly easier.

In addition, a paddock system has been developed over recent years. Adding paddocks annually has made the management of stock considerably more straightforward. Consequently, the farm can now be run safely and efficiently by one person for most tasks.

Starting with Herdwatch — compliance was the driver

Brian started using Herdwatch about three years ago, initially on a trial basis. The main driver was Bord Bia’s Sustainable Beef and Lamb Assurance Scheme (SBLAS) — specifically the compliance requirements around remedy recording and animal movements. However, once he got started, the benefits quickly spread beyond that.

Weight recording every six weeks — catching problems early

Brian weighs his younger stock approximately every six weeks during the grazing season. As each animal crosses the scales, the weight is logged in Herdwatch and the daily live weight gain is calculated automatically. This allows him to spot underperformers immediately — whether the issue is poor performance, a worm burden, or a poor milker on the cow side.

Breeding management — serves, repeats, scanning, and calving reports

From a breeding perspective, Herdwatch handles the full cycle on the Campion farm. Serves are recorded on the spot as they happen. The Watchboard then notifies Brian when cows are due their first serve or due a repeat. Scanning information is also logged — including weeks in pregnancy — which in turn generates a calving report for both spring and autumn. As a result, Brian always knows which cows are due and when, well in advance.

Brian uses Herdwatch across all key areas of the farm:

• Remedy recording — logged on the spot at the time of purchase or treatment
• Animal movements — used for selling bulls and compliance with SBLAS
• Calf registration — completed from the phone as calves are born
• Weight recording — daily gain calculated automatically every six weeks
• Animal history — full treatment and performance record for each animal
• Breeding records — serves, repeats, and AI recordings in real time
• Scanning records — weeks in pregnancy logged, linked to calving report
• Watchboard — notifications for first serves, repeats, and calving dates

Watch Brian’s story

Brian explains how Herdwatch fits into managing a part-time Limousin beef farm — from SBLAS compliance and weight recording to breeding management and calving reports.

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