The Troy family farm at Corrough, Newtownshandrum, Co. Cork, has won the 2026 NDC and Kerrygold Quality Milk Awards, Ireland's top prize for dairy farms often called the "Dairy Oscars", announced by Ornua and the National Dairy Council on 30 September. In this Agriland video, Robert and Mary Troy talk about what the win means to them.
Robert is the fifth generation milking on the farm, and their children Rory, Robert Junior, Fiona, Orla and Eimear, the sixth, are all involved. Robert said the family is "immensely proud" and credited years of effort and the generations who laid the foundations; Mary said the farm has given the family "a good way of life and a good work ethic".
Three judges, Dr David Gleeson, formerly of Teagasc, Prof Karina Pierce of UCD and Prof Patrick Wall, former head of the Food Safety Authority of Ireland, visited the 12 finalists over the summer, looking at grass management, animal health and milk quality and much more.
The Troys milk 425 spring-calving Holstein Friesian cows that averaged 498 kg of milk solids per cow at 4.49% fat and 3.73% protein on 950 kg of meal, supplying Kinisla. The somatic cell count was 89,000 cells/ml and the total bacteria count 8,000 CFU/ml, which lets them use teat sealer on only 30% of the herd and also won them the Milking Hygiene and Facilities Award. The herd is in the national top 1% for economic breeding index, averaging €194, and 11 home-bred bulls have gone to AI stations.
The farm grew 15 tonnes of grass dry matter per hectare in 2025 with 285 days of grazing, using clover across the whole farm and only protected urea. Through Kinisla's Evolve programme and two European Innovation Partnerships the family plants trees each winter, has dug two ponds and a reed bed and fenced off watercourses, and its carbon footprint has fallen from 0.92 kg CO2 in 2017 to 0.77 kg in 2026.
Source: Agriland
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