On the farm
	In addition to the house and gardens, Ballywalter Estate comprises 1100 acres of land at Ballywalter, along with 270 acres at Kearney and a further 300 acres at Downpatrick. The lands at Ballywalter and also at Kearney remain under the direct management of Dunleath Estates, with an award winning state-ofthe- art dairy unit under livestock manager, Leslie Beacom; arable production under manager, Robert Bell, and a very successful horticultural unit under horticultural manager, Trevor Mc Cullough. Dairy complex Lord Dunleath is rightly proud of his dairy complex, which was officially opened by Lord Dubs, then Minister for Agriculture and the Environment, in 1999. The complex encompasses almost two acres of ground under cover, with two 200-cow capacity cubicle houses opening into a central unit with further cow accommodation and 40 stall Westfalia rotary milking parlour. From planning to completion, the building of this unit took some two years, indicating the thought, care and planning that went into every stage of creating what must be one of the most impressive dairy units in Ireland. The unit was built on a green field site adjacent to the old steading, which is now used for followers and young stock. Meanwhile, the new unit, where priority has been given to cow welfare, hygiene and ease of operation, houses the main diary herd, at 450 head of Holstein Fresian pedigrees thought to be the largest in the north. Every		convenience has been thought of, with matresses for the cows, wide feeding passages with a mechanical device that keeps food within easy reach and underfloor slurry collection. The parlour itself is a sight to behold in operation and, indeed, there is an excellent viewing gallery above the parlour, where 200 cows can be milked per hour. The system is fully automated with auto identification and recording system and cluster removal - the only part of the process that requires direct manpower is attaching the clusters at the beginning of the cycle. The entire complex is scrupulously clean, with an automatic water spray keeping the rotating stalls free from any mess. The cows enter and leave the parlour through automated gates along a slatted circulation passage, with an option to divert cows into a handling area if individual attention is required. The unit is designed not only with the comfort of the cows in mind, but also with due regard to the needs of Livestock Manager, Leslie Beacom and his staff. Mess room, data room, shower and wash-up facilities are all housed in the central area of the unit and, for veterinary visits, a medical care room has also been included in the design. Environmentally, the unit is also very efficient, with a water recovery system that collects water from the 6000 square metres of roof area. This recovered water plus bore hole water is used for cattle drinking, milk cooling and general washdown and, with an estimated recovery of £12,000 per annum, gives a speedy payback on the initial investment.
					Robert Bell and Ozzie
					At the "nerve centre" Sharon Graham
					Horticultural manager Trevor McCullough is also well known for his Old English Game Fowl
Countrysports and Country Life Summer 2002
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