Irish Hereford Prime Farmer of the Year 2025 Awarded to Kilkenny’s Edward Delahunty and His Proven Calf-to-Beef System
Edward Delahunty who farms with his father Martin in Freshford, Co. Kilkenny has been awarded the 2025 Irish Hereford Prime Farmer of the Year title. A long-term Irish Hereford Prime beef producer and a strong advocate for the commercial benefits of the Hereford breed, makes Edward a worthy winner of this annual award. Married to Lucy, with three children, son Conor and daughters Olivia and Eve and having a successful contracting business, with a mix of dairy, tillage and beef enterprises means the Delahuntys rely on their strong team of staff and family members to function efficiently and effectively.
Originally a winter milking herd, with one hundred dairy cows on the milking platform, they are a 70% Holstein – 30% Friesian type cow which are achieving 6,500 litres on average with 520kg milk solids. This spring will see Edward’s herd become a fully spring calving only herd. In terms of sire selection, the Delahuntys buy in all their replacement heifers which in turn allows them to run three Hereford stock bulls on their farm. Rotating one bull at every milking and running one with replacement heifers. When Edward goes to purchase a new Hereford stock bull, he says that he looks at the animal first and foremost but then looks at its figures also. Interestingly, two of the bulls on the farm that sired the 2025 born calves showed impressive Carcass Weight figures on the ICBF Indexes at +24kg and +16.3kg for carcass.
Edward uses a Hereford bull over other traditional breeds as he believes they are about 10% heavier at finish when reared through his system. His opinion on the Hereford breed is very positive, and he believes there will be more Herefords born in Ireland in the coming years. Edward runs a considerable agricultural contracting business and has his own tillage enterprise. For this reason, the Delahuntys use 100% stock bulls on their farm due to the busy spring that they tend to encounter every year.
Edward also buys in thirty to forty Hereford cross calves, both male and female from neighbouring farmers every year. He brings all stock through to finish, and with the average value of each animal having increased by approximately €800 more due to the rise in beef prices, this has boosted the profitability of his beef enterprise significantly. He mentions that the late spring in 2024 and the resulting late turnout caused the carcass weights of his cattle in 2025 to be 13kg less than those achieved in 2024.
Why Hereford for the Delahuntys?
Edward says “they are a very docile breed, my father Martin is getting older, but he is still out around the farm, so for us having bulls that are easy handled is important. Hereford cattle are always very saleable stock, combined with ease of calving and excellent calf vigour, a great ability to suck soon after they are born.”
The Delahuntys are very loyal Irish Hereford Prime suppliers over the years, with a huge affinity to the Hereford breed and its positive attributes. Edward has a very positive outlook on farming with the current demand for protein both in a beef and a dairy context. He believes profitability in farming is more positive now and it is in fact regulations that are the biggest barrier for young people starting out.
Edward’s fondness for Herefords and their role in his beef system is very clear when he says “I could have more cows here but I love the beef side of farming especially the calf to beef which is ideal with docile Hereford cattle.”
The beef cattle are generally at grass from St. Patrick’s day until November each year, on a paddock based rotational system and once off grass, are housed on slats with rubber Mayo Mats. Edward notes that paddocks are key to management and performance meaning “lots of grass and regular moves”. The soil on his farm is medium to light free draining without being sandy. A strong advocate of maintaining a fertile soil, Edward regularly soil samples with the aim of maximising overall farm production. Sugar beet, a home-grown crop, is fed to cattle in the finishing period to help with growth rates and ultimately animal performance.
This award-winning Kilkenny farmer proves that when Irish farmers work together, while also embracing the strengths of the Hereford breed they can achieve top results and promote their beef with pride.