FARM with CLARITY and CONFIDENCE while INCREASING PROFITS

POSITIVE FARMERS Next Event: 14th Jan, 2026

Michael Murphy International Dairy Farmer & Founding Member of Positive Farmers Michael Murphy is a dairy farmer and one of the founding members of Positive Farmers. Farming in Co. Cork, Michael has been a long-standing advocate of grass-based, low-cost milk production and has played a central role in shaping the Positive Farmers philosophy since its earliest days. Michael focuses on simplicity, grass utilisation, labour efficiency and profitability without unnecessary pressure. His approach is grounded in consistency — making steady improvements year after year, while maintaining a strong emphasis on family, sustainability and farmer well-being. Michael’s deep experience, practical mindset and commitment to farmer-to-farmer learning have made him a trusted voice within the organisation. He continues to contribute to strategic direction, conference development and mentoring the next generation of progressive dairy farmers.

Denis Finnegan

Dairy Farmer, Lee Valley Farm

Denis Finnegan farms with his family in the Lee Valley, where he runs a grass-based, highly efficient dairy system. Denis is known for his practical approach to farming — focusing on growing and utilising as much grass as possible, managing costs tightly and keeping the system straightforward and resilient. His farm is built around strong fundamentals: good soil fertility, herd health, compact calving and disciplined grazing management. Denis emphasises profitability through simplicity rather than expansion or complexity, demonstrating how smaller and medium-sized family farms can thrive in a volatile environment. At the Positive Farmers Conference, Denis will share his real-world experience of running a profitable, sustainable dairy system, highlighting the daily decisions and discipline that drive long-term success.

Cathal McAleer

Share Milking in Co. Kilkenny

Cathal grew up on a family farm in Dromore, Co. Tyrone, Northern Ireland, which ran a suckler-beef herd and contracting business. He studied at Greenmount Agricultural College (HN D agriculture) before completing an honours degree at Harper Adams University in the UK. He gained overseas experience: a dairy farm placement in New Zealand (720 cows) and later in the USA (Missouri). He spent several years as a grass-land advisor before moving into full-time dairy farm management, specialising in grass-based, high-utilisation systems. Today Cathal is share milking in Kilmanagh, Co Kilkenny with Brendan Muldowney and brings a strong focus on profitability through grass, measurement, and efficient dairy systems. He brings an international outlook (NZ, USA) and will share insights into how the next generation of dairy farms can thrive with grass-rich systems and remain resilient in a changing environment.

Peter Farrell & Ciara Lynch

Peter Farrell

Dairy farming on 3 units in Co Meath Peter Farrell farms in Kilmessan, Co. Meath, and brings real world experience in building a modern, grass rich, low input dairy business. He holds a degree in structural engineering (2008) but returned home to farm in 2009 milking 100 cows. He became a Glanbia Monitor Farmer from 2012 – 2015. In 2016 Peter was awarded and completed a Nuffield Ireland Scholarship titled “Risky Business: Managing Dairy Volatility”, travelling internationally and exploring producer, processor and risk-management models for dairy farming. In recognition of his grassland management and business performance, he was awarded Regional Winner North in the Grassland Farmer of the Year 2018 competition. In 2019 he also attended the Rabobank Global Farmers Masterclass in Brazil to study farm business governance and succession. Today, he and his wife Ciara farm 550Ha (22Ha of which is owned) milking 950 cows plus followers on 3 dairy units.

Ciara Lynch

Dairy Farmer, Co Meath

Ciara was working in a marketing role when she met her

future husband, Peter Farrell, who was already a dairy farmer.

Initially unfamiliar with the agricultural lifestyle, she grew to

love the farm life and decided to change careers to join Peter

in their farming enterprise in County Meath, Ireland. The

decision was a strategic move driven by a desire for a more

fulfilling lifestyle and to escape the exhaustion of a

demanding corporate job and long daily commutes. She

realized the significant financial and personal cost of her

corporate life and was inspired by the contrast with her

husband Peter Farrell's farm life.

She and her husband decided to commit to the change. She

completed a distance learning agricultural course (Green Cert)

at Ballyhaise College while raising two babies, and was

awarded "Student of the Year".

She was the inaugural chairperson of Dairy Women Ireland for

its first two year term and also sits on the Tírlán Northern

Regional Advisory Committee.

She now farms in partnership with her husband, Peter, in

County Meath, managing the daily operations of their dairy

farm business.

Dr. Doreen Corridan CEO at National Cattle Breeding Centre (NCBC) | Veterinary Surgeon | Genetics & Herd Health Specialist. Doreen is a veterinary surgeon, scientist, and agri-business leader with over 30 years’ experience in cattle breeding, genetics, and herd health. Since February 2024, she is CEO of the National Cattle Breeding Centre (NCBC), jointly owned by Munster Bovine and Progressive Genetics. She is a highly respected dairy advisor with extensive experience working with progressive, grass-based dairy farms across Ireland. Her work focuses on the practical links between herd health, system efficiency, and long-term profitability, particularly in high-performing herds where hidden losses can often go unnoticed. Doreen has a strong reputation for translating data and research into clear, actionable insights for farmers. She works closely with herds to improve outcomes around cell count, lameness, and cow longevity, helping farmers reduce wastage, protect output, and improve lifetime performance. At the Positive Farmers Conference 2026, Doreen will speak in Session 3: Herd Wastage – the hidden leak in our milk tanks, exploring how silent losses in herd health are quietly draining profitability and what farmers can do to address them in a practical, cost-effective way. Her approach is firmly evidence-based, realistic, and farmer-focused, aligning closely with the Positive Farmers ethos of clarity, confidence, and sustainable profitability.
Mella Briscoe Mella Briscoe runs a 360 cow dairy farm with her husband Kevin Muldoon and their two sons Jack and Naise near Portumna in County Galway. For Mella and Kevin, farming has always been about resilience and teamwork – embracing new skills, technology, and opportunities as they arise. Her leadership in agriculture extends far beyond her own farm. As the current Vice Treasurer — and soon-to-be Vice President — of Dairy Women Ireland (DWI), Mella has become a passionate advocate for women in farming. Focusing on efficiency, Mella prefers a more compact cow to keep inputs down with the ultimate goal to feed under 800Kg of meal per cow per year. Last year the herd averaged 495Kg of milk solids with 1,200Kg of meal but Mella feels this can be improved, in particular, the herds average protein percentage. With these goals in mind, Mella now prioritises the milk sub-index of her selected dairy sires with special focus on protein percentage, and tries to only select sires with a maintenance sub-index of €15.
Dr Brendan Horan is a Senior Research Officer at Teagasc Moorepark and one of Ireland’s leading experts in grass-based, low-cost dairy systems. His research focuses on profitability, environmental sustainability and resilience in pasture-based farming, with a particular emphasis on how family farms can remain productive while adapting to policy and climate pressures.
Over the past two decades, Brendan has led numerous national studies on grazing efficiency, milk production systems, nitrates, emissions and farm performance trends. His work underpins many of the key practices adopted by Ireland’s most progressive dairy farmers. Brendan also works directly with farmers across the country, translating research into practical on-farm decision-making.
Highly regarded for his clarity, data-driven approach and balanced perspective, Brendan brings context and evidence to every discussion making complex issues accessible to all farmers.