Brian Keating

Knockmealdown and Galtee mountains, Co. Tipperary

My name is Brian Keating, and I have a farm in the scenic ‘V’, at the foothills of the Knockmealdown and Galtee mountains in Co. Tipperary.

I am a third-generation farmer, and I took over the farm from my father in 2011. When I first took over the farm, I was doing sucklers, but I work off farm and the system just wasn’t working for me. I decided to go down the route of the dairy beef system, which my father initially didn’t agree with, but I haven’t looked back since.

I have mainly Irish Hereford on the farm, I have experience of other breeds from when we had sucklers and from a handling and docility point of view, I’ve just found that the Herefords are great. They are easy to handle and have around the farm.

From a finishing point of view, the Herefords are easy to finish off grass which makes them the perfect fit for our enterprise here.

Looking to the future, we are cognisant of where our farm is situated, in this beautiful part of the country, so we work hard to preserve the features around the farm, the natural stone walls and the hedgerows.

The biggest challenge we face is to provide the next generation with a business that is sustainable and not just simply an asset to be sold.

From a finishing point of view, the Herefords are easy to finish off grass which makes them the perfect fit for our enterprise here.

Hereford will continue to be the cornerstone of our farm going forward, they’ve been very successful on the farm to date and the schemes available from Irish Hereford Prime have been very helpful. I think the future for our farm is bright and long may it continue.