A CLONAKILTY farmer has been honoured for his contribution to the Irish Holstein Friesian Association.
Richard Helen from Kilgarriffe was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the recent National Dairy Show in the Green Glens Arena, Millstreet.
Richard, who farms with his wife Marion, alongside his son Mervyn and his wife Marian, is well known and highly respected in the agricultural community.
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The second generation farmer has a dairy herd of 300, and said he’s been interested in breeding cows since a young age.
‘My parents Richard and Bella started the herd in 1964 and I got my interest from them,’ said Richard.
He invests a lot of time into research and has the results to prove it: ‘When we started out in the mid 60s we would have had an average of 1,000 gallons per cow, now that’s up to 2,200 gallons,’ he said.
Last year, the family had two EX95 pointed cows with the IHFA, and over the past decade they’ve had 10 diamond awards from the IHFA, which is given to an animal that produces over 3,000 kilos of protein over her lifetime and is classified EX. The Kilgarriffe herd is also listed in the top 50 highest producing in the country.
Judges and organisers at the National Dairy Show with Kayla Mulcahy (fourth from left) with ‘Honourable Mention’ winner Knockbrown Davinci Ivory (exhibited by the O’Sullivan family, Bandon); Stacey O’Sullivan with the Reserve Champion Mohoncross Pet 63 (exhibited by Jerry Hegarty, Skibbereen); and Brendan Greenan with the Champion, Ballytigue Mogul Rager Penny (exhibited by Aidan and Sally Ann Frawley, Bruree, Co Limerick), and Aidan Frawley.
The Helen’s annual farm sales, held every April for the past four years, always attract large numbers because of their reputation.
Richard was very involved in the Cork Friesian Club and the National Dairy Show, and was part of its committee from when it started in the 80s for nearly a decade.
He’s always been a regular competitor, enjoying considerable success, and a supporter of the show.
‘Winning the award was a big surprise,’ he said modestly. ‘I do all of this quietly and because I enjoy it but it’s a very nice honour.’
Richard was not the only champion at the weekend’s show, as the Hynes family in Aherla enjoyed fine success.
Young Georgina took first place in the Class A category, while her sister Becky took third in the Class C category of the Irish Holstein Friesian Association’s Young Members’ Association Showmanship League Final.
Among other awards, the Hynes took was first in the Class 15J Jersey Cow in Milk Class with Rathard Kasey; the same cow was also crowned the Jersey Champion.
Meanwhile, the O’Sullivan family of Bandon took fourth with Knockbrown Choices Eileen in the Class 8 Heifer category, but came home with the top prize in the Class 10 Confined Heifer in Milk with Knockbrown Davinci Ivory.
The same cow was also awarded an Honourable Mention in the Confined Championship.
The O’Sullivans also exhibited Mohoncross Meg EX90, who took second in the Holstein Cow Class, and was also named Reserve Champion at the show.
