Events
Maximising the Value of Every Weanling Webinar Series
The Teagasc FutureBeef Programme is hosting two Autumn webinars to help farmers protect the health, performance and value of their cattle from weaning through to winter finishing.
Click here to register for the webinars!
Topics include:
Maximising Profit from Weanlings
Wednesday, 9 September | 8pm
The first webinar in the series takes place on Wednesday, 9 September at 8pm and will focus on getting weanlings properly prepared for sale or for the next stage of production.
Click here to register for the webinars!
Weaning, vaccination, dosing and castration can all place pressure on a calf. Getting the timing and management of these tasks right is essential to minimise stress, protect health and maintain weight gain.
Chaired by Aisling Molloy, FutureBeef Advisor, the webinar will bring together a strong mix of research, veterinary expertise and practical farming experience.
The panel will include:
- Dr Bernadette Earley, Teagasc Grange
- Conor Geraghty, veterinary practitioner with FarmGate Veterinary Group
- Michael Biggins, Co. Mayo weanling producer
Michael Biggins will share how he prepares high-quality weanlings for sale, including his approach to weaning, feeding and herd health. Dr Bernadette Earley will explain the science behind weaning stress and immunity, while Conor Geraghty will provide practical veterinary advice on preventing health problems during this critical period.
Together, the panel will explore the steps farmers can take to keep calves healthy and performing, whether they are selling weanlings or retaining them on their own farms.
The discussion will cover:
- Reducing stress at weaning
- Vaccination and pneumonia prevention
- Castration and correct timing
- Parasite control and dosing
- Introducing concentrates before weaning
- Preparing calves for sale
- Maintaining health and performance after weaning
The message is simple: protect health, maintain performance and maximise the value of every weanling.
Getting Winter Performance Right
Thursday, 8 October | 8pm
The second webinar in the series takes place on Thursday, 8 October at 8pm and will focus on managing weanlings and finishing cattle during the winter housing period.
Click here to register for the webinars!
The panel will discuss winter nutrition, silage quality, concentrate feeding, water availability, feed and lying space, ventilation and animal health. It will demonstrate how the right diet, good daily management and a suitable housing environment work together to improve performance and profitability.
FutureBeef National Farm Walks 2026
The FutureBeef team, along with the Advisory Regions have organised a series of FutureBeef National Farm Walks, taking place in different locations across the country this summer.
See dates and venues below
Friday, 11 September | 5pm | James Skehan – Clare
Please note that this event was originally scheduled to take place on Friday, 4 September.
Farm of James Skehan, Ballynevin, Bridgetown, Killaloe, Co. Clare. Eircode: V94 VW1H.
Topics to be covered include:
- Financials
- Breeding
- Soil health
- Herd health
- Red clover and grazing infrastructure
- Finishing cattle demonstration
Refreshments will be provided on the evening.
Previous events
Friday, 29 May | John Pringle – Wicklow
Farm of John Pringle, Kilacloran, Aughrim, Co. Wicklow.
Topics that were discussed included financial, breeding, calving heifers at 24 months, soil fertility and much more.
View John Pringle’s 2026 Farm Walk Booklet here
Friday, 5 June | John and James Dunne – Offaly
Farm of John and James Dunne, Tinnacrannagh House, Portarlington, Co. Offaly.
Topics that were discussed included financials, breeding, red clover, new handling unit, feeding home-saved grain and much more.
View the Dunne’s 2026 Farm Walk booklet here
Wednesday, 29 July | Olivia Hynes – Roscommon
Farm of Olivia Hynes, Jamestown, Kilcash, Co. Roscommon.
Topics discussed on the evening included financials, breeding, soil health, herd & flock health, TAMS grants, planning exemptions for sheds, demos for ram NCT, sheep handling unit & mobile TAMS equipment.
The Role of Clover on Beef Farms
Date: Tuesday, 14 April
The FutureBeef team hosted a webinar on Tuesday, 14 April which highlighted the role of clover on beef farms.
The webinar demonstrated the cost savings of €170/ha off fertiliser, improved animal performance and the do’s and don’ts around sowing and management to maximise output and improve persistency.
The webinar was chaired by Pearse Kelly, Head of Drystock Knowledge Transfer, Teagasc.
Panellists and topics included:
- Grass-clover systems, costings and N savings
Dr Peter Doyle, Research Officer in Teagasc Grange - Grazing and feeding clover on-farm
Shane Keaveney, FutureBeef Programme Participant, Roscommon
Watch webinar recording below
What you’ll learn
- Does grass-clover outperform grass-only on beef farms?
- Real nitrogen savings – not just theory
- Animal performance: grass-clover vs grass-only
- How to establish red & white clover successfully
- Practical tips to manage grass-clover swards
- Common mistakes costing yield & persistence
FutureBeef Breeding Webinars 2026
Building a More Profitable Suckler Herd
For the third year running, the Teagasc Future Beef Programme hosted a series of practical Breeding Webinars for 2026.
Click on the links below to find out more about each webinar:
- Tuesday, 24 March | Maximising Output on the Suckler Farm
- Tuesday, 31 March | Breeding the Ideal Cow for Your System
- Tuesday, 7 April | Breeding Technologies in Practice
These timely online events were designed to help Irish suckler farmers maximise profit through improved output, focusing on the key drivers of a successful beef enterprise:
- A calf per cow per year
- A heavier, high-quality weanling
- A factory-fit animal at a younger age
Achieving this requires excellent genetics, good management and the right breeding decisions.
Successful suckler farmers know that the ideal cow does not happen by chance. She is built through careful breeding decisions, good herd management and the use of modern tools and technologies.
Many Irish suckler farmers rely primarily on stock bulls, and these webinars also highlighted the importance of selecting the right bull to match the cows in your herd and your production system – whether you are finishing bulls, steers, heifers, or breeding replacement females.
While stock bulls remain the backbone of breeding on many farms, AI can also be used alongside stock bulls to introduce high genetic merit sires, simplify breeding decisions and accelerate genetic progress.
Other technologies that were discussed included:
- Synchronisation programmes
- Automated heat detection systems such as SenseHub
- Myostatin breeding strategies
- Embryo transfer technologies
Many Irish suckler farmers also work off-farm, meaning labour efficiency is critical. These webinars explored how breeding and management can help develop a cow that works with the farmer – one that is fertile, docile and capable of calving herself.
Alongside the practical benefits, breeding also brings real satisfaction and pride, with more farmers now breeding a portion of their herd for show or pedigree purposes, helping maintain interest and progress in herd genetics.
These webinars are ideal for:
- Suckler farmers aiming to improve herd performance
- Farmers looking to breed their own replacement heifers
- Farmers interested in AI, synchronisation and breeding technologies
- Producers wanting to reduce labour and improve efficiency
Night 1 – Maximising Output on the Suckler Farm
Date: Tuesday, March 24
Chair: Aisling Molloy, Future Beef Programme Advisor
Speakers:
- Alan Kelly, University College Dublin (UCD)
- Frank O’Sullivan, Veterinary Practitioner
- Ruairí Cummins, Future Beef farmer
This webinar focused on one of the most important drivers of profitability in suckler systems – maximising output while minimising inputs and labour. A central theme will be achieving a calf per cow per year, which remains the foundation of a successful suckler enterprise.
Watch back the webinar recording below
Key discussions included:
- Achieving a calf per cow per year
- Genetics for fertility and management
- Key management factors affecting cow and bull fertility
- Nutrition, body condition score and herd health considerations
- Bull management, acclimatisation and bull:cow ratios
- Observation and breeding management during the breeding season
Also discussed on the night included:
- Culling empty cows and whether it is viable to retain non-pregnant animals
- Calving heifers at 24 months, including target weights, bull selection and common issues.
- Benchmarking your herd performance using ICBF reports and comparing your herd with the top 10% of suckler farms.
Night 2 – Breeding the Ideal Cow for Your System
Date: Tuesday, March 31
Chair: Chris Daly, Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF)
Speakers:
- Rose Goulding, National Cattle Breeding Centre (NCBC)
- Donnchadh McCarthy, Future Beef Programme participant who produces bulls for finishing
- John Barry, Future Beef Programme participant and weanling producer
This webinar focused on how farmers can develop a cow that truly works within their system – one that is fertile, docile, milky, efficient to maintain and capable of producing a high-value calf each year. As you know, the cow contributes 50% of the genetics of every calf born, so breeding decisions are central to long-term herd performance.
Watch back the webinar recording below
The webinar also explored how different breeding goals suit different production systems, including:
- Under-16-month bull systems producing – ~400kg carcasses at 15–16 months
- Weanling production systems – targeting a 400kg, well-shaped weanling at 9–10 months
Attendees of the webinar gained a better understanding of:
- Matching cows to the appropriate bull
- Selecting replacement heifers
- Interpreting star ratings and herd performance data
- The role of myostatin and other breeding considerations
- Analyse herd figures and select a stock bull.
Night 3: Breeding Technologies in Practice
Date: Tuesday, April 7
Chair: James Mullane, Future Beef Programme Advisor
Speakers:
- Daire Markham, Veterinary Practitioner
- Edwin Carroll, Teagasc Grange
- Aonghusa Fahy, Future Beef farmer
This webinar focused on how breeding technologies can be used in practical farm situations to improve genetic gain, simplify breeding management and improve labour efficiency – an important consideration for many suckler farmers who are also working off-farm.
Watch back the recording of the webinar below
Key technologies that were discussed included:
Synchronisation
- What it is and how it works
- Planning synchronisation programmes within a herd
- Costs involved
- Differences in application between heifers and mature cows
Fixed-Time AI
- How the system works
- Benefits for labour efficiency and breeding management
Heat Detection Methods
- Vasectomised bull with chin-ball harness
- Tail paint and heat detection stickers
- Activity monitoring collars
- The role of automated systems such as SenseHub
Embryo Transfer
- What it involves
- Situations where it may suit commercial farmers
- Its potential to accelerate genetic gain
The aim of this webinar was to give farmers a practical understanding of how these technologies can fit into real farm systems and how they can be used alongside traditional breeding methods to improve herd performance.