Top performers honoured at Dale Farm Herd Efficiency Awards
County Tyrone dairy farmers John and Derek Edgar have secured the overall winner title at the Dale Farm Herd Efficiency Awards 2025 held at the RUAS Winter Fair.
Delivered in partnership with independent dairy consultants Kingshay, the awards celebrate dairy producers who are driving efficiency on-farm by increasing milk output while carefully managing feed costs. Judging focused on herds achieving strong performance maximising margin over purchased feed per cow over the previous year.
The top accolade was awarded to John and Derek Edgar from Trillick, Co. Tyrone who run a 115-cow pedigree Holstein herd. The herd achieves an average yield of 10,213 litres/cow and is fed 4.1 tonnes of concentrate per cow resulting in a feed rate of 0.40kg/litre and producing 2,985 litres from forage. Over the most recent 12-month period, the herd delivered a margin over purchased feed of £3,314/cow.
Congratulating the winners, Dale Farm Chair Fred Allen said:
“The RUAS Winter Fair is a key date in the farming calendar, and it provides a great platform to recognise the hard work and dedication of our Dale Farm dairy farmers. These awards continue to highlight the progress being made across our suppliers, and it was a pleasure to recognise this year’s top performers.
“Across our cooperative, farmers are striving to achieve higher standards of sustainability and efficiency. The Edgar family demonstrate what can be achieved through focused management and long-term commitment. On behalf of everyone at Dale Farm, I want to congratulate them on their achievements.”
Paul Deakin, Dairy Services Key Account Manager, Kingshay, added:
“This is our fourth year supporting the awards alongside Dale Farm and the standard continues to rise. The results achieved by this year’s winning farm show that efficiency is central to building resilient and sustainable dairy businesses. We are delighted to support the awards and congratulate all those recognised.”
The 38th Royal Ulster Winter Fair took place on Thursday 11th December 2025 at the Eikon Exhibition Centre, Lisburn. The event attracts over 5,000 visitors every year. For further information visit https://winterfair.org.uk/.
L-R Herd Efficiency award winners John Edgar pictured with Megan Morrow, United Feeds, Fred Allen and Marcus Graham, Dale Farm and Paul Deakin, KingShay.
