Andrew and his wife, Elaine, are fourth-generation dairy farmers who raise their girls along the east coast of Ireland. Their farm isn’t just any patch of pasture—it’s one of several Irish farms where Vital Farms Butter begins.
Andrew and Elaine care for their 135 dairy cows and the grass they graze. Three of them — Moo Moo, Slaney, and Delilah — have the honorary status of beloved family pets.
A typical day kicks off a dawn. Andrew is up at 6am milking cows, setting up paddocks, and checking on the grass to ensure the girls have enough to munch on for the day. It’s a nonstop rhythm that only briefly pauses for breakfast. Then, it’s back to work until around 4:30pm.
“I don’t think people realize how much hard work goes into farming on a daily basis. We don’t put our hours down in a book. We love what we do, and I think that’s the only way farmers can keep going,” Andrew shares.
Like many modern farms, Andrew and Elaine aren’t just focused on their cows — they’re thinking about the climate, too. Their farm is invested in solar panels and sustainable farming practices such as sowing clover into their pastures to reduce nitrogen usage and rotating the cows to a new section of the pasture every day on their 21-day rotation.
For Andrew and Elaine, the farm isn’t just a job. It’s a lifestyle and a bit of a love story (for farming, that is).
“People who produce milk in this country absolutely love producing quality products and seeing them on shelves,” Andrew says, speaking for his passionate community of dairy farmers.
Elaine jumps in, “It’s nice to see our milk on consumers’ tables. It’s going full circle from the field, to the tank, and to the carton.”
Andrew and Elaine also have an affinity for butter. “We would be lost without butter!” Elaine laughs, “We go through two pounds a week! I love cooking and baking, especially homemade sausage rolls with homemade butter. Irish grass-fed butter makes such a difference!”
