Beef

Vigilance required as liver fluke prevalent across many areas
Livestock owners have been urged to be vigilant for liver fluke infestations of cattle and sheep following the publication of this year’s Liver Fluke Forecast by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.
14 November 2023

Date change for ICBF Terminal and Replacement Index publication
Changes to both the Terminal and Replacement Index, which were set to be published next Tuesday, November 21st, have now been rescheduled to go live on Tuesday, November 28th.
14 November 2023

Outlining the changes to the breeding indexes
Teagasc and the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF) held an online webinar to explain the upcoming improvements that are being made to both the Terminal and the Replacement beef indexes.
14 November 2023

'Where are the women?'
During the opening and closing of her address to the recent conference on Irish Agriculture and the EU 50 years on, a journey through 50 years of Ireland’s EU membership, EU Commissioner Mairead McGuinness posed the question 'where are the women?'
12 November 2023

The Terminal and the Replacement Beef Index changes explained
To explain the upcoming improvements that are being made to both the Terminal and the Replacement beef indexes, Teagasc Beef Enterprise Leader Paul Crosson, in Teagasc Grange, and Dr Margaret Kelleher from ICBF, are on this week’s episode of the Beef Edge.
10 November 2023

Teagasc Dairy Calf to Beef Course
A new advanced dairy calf to beef course will commence in December. The course is designed for new and existing dairy calf to beef farmers who wish to upskill and learn what it takes to run an economically and environmentally sustainable dairy calf to beef system.
10 November 2023

Changing calving period with Cathal Irwin, beef farmer, Co. Mayo
Cathal Irwin farms at Mountgordon, Westport Road, Castlebar, Co. Mayo. He is farming 27.7ha, which is fragmented. There are heavy clay/peaty type soils on the farm, which are typical of the area.
09 November 2023

Changes in multi-species swards
Sarah Burke, Mark McGee, Paul Crosson and Edward O’Riordan examined multi-species swards: annual changes in botanical composition under rotational grazing at Teagasc Animal & Grassland Research and Innovation Centre, Grange, Co. Meath.
09 November 2023

Teagasc Beef Conference focuses on improving the Sectors Green Credentials
The theme of this year’s Teagasc National Beef Conference is ‘Improving our Beef Sectors Green Credentials’ to reflect the changing environmental landscape in which farmers play a key role.
08 November 2023

Diary date: What to expect at the Teagasc National Beef Conference
This year's Teagasc National Beef Conference will take place on Tuesday, November 21, in the Shearwater Hotel, Ballinasloe, Co. Galway. Commencing at 5pm, the theme of this year’s conference is ‘Improving our Beef Sector’s Green Credentials’.
08 November 2023

Best practice for animal health and performance over the winter
Teagasc in conjunction with Animal Health Ireland recently held a farm walk on the farm of Future beef farmer, Oliver O'Hara. Gabriel Trayers tells us the topics for the walk centred around the best practice for animal health and animal performance over the winter period.
08 November 2023

Making use of ICBF reports on suckler farms
Mícheál Kelly, B&T Drystock Advisor, Teagasc Galway/Clare, discusses the use of ICBF reports on suckler farms and how they may be of use when identifying the best and worst performing cows in your herd.
07 November 2023

Watch: Clipping an important winter management task on this Future Beef farm
Oliver O’Hara farms full time with help from his children Shane and Karen in Gortnaskeagh, Leckaun, Co. Leitrim. Farming 43ha of owned and leased land, plus mountain commonage, his soil type is typically heavy clay with some peaty areas adjacent to the mountain.
05 November 2023
Winter arrives on Newford Farm as cows and finishing stock move indoors
Stephen Frend, Farm Manager of the Newford herd, tells us what’s happened on the Newford Farm over the month of October and how heavy rain has seen animals moved indoors.
04 November 2023

Preparation for the winter months
Due to the weather, many farmers have already had to house some livestock, so it is important to keep a close eye on the supply of fodder. Ciara Collins, Drystock Advisor, tells us how to prepare for the winter.
04 November 2023

Improving heart health for farmers - tips and advice from Croí
With farmers seven times more likely to have cardiovascular disease, on this week’s Beef Edge podcast, Catherine Egan is joined by Croí’s, Annie Costelloe, Head of Patient & Community Engagement and Community Nurse, Caroline Dermody, to discuss tips and advice relating to farmer health.
01 November 2023

Creating a unique advantage with beef and tillage in east Cork
Located just outside Castlemartyr, Co. Cork, Pat Collins operates a sizeable calf to beef and tillage enterprise, which centres on the use of home-grown feeds - whether grazed or ensiled grass or tillage crops – to create a resilient and profitable farming business.
29 October 2023

Balancing silage quality and concentrate feeding on calf to beef farms
Grass silage is an important winter feed in calf to beef systems. Balancing this forage with the correct quantity/quality of concentrate is key to achieving the desired winter weight gains.
28 October 2023

What steps can I take to protect my farm?
On this week's Beef Edge podcast, An Garda Síochána Crime Prevention Officer, Sergeant John Fitzpatrick discusses top tips and the steps you can take to reduce the possibility of theft on your farm.
25 October 2023

Animal performance, red clover silage and finishing with DairyBeef 500 farmer Aidan Maguire
Like the rest of the country, ground conditions have deteriorated rapidly since the middle of October on Aidan Maguire’s farm in Navan, Co. Meath. In this article, Fergal Maguire, DairyBeef 500 Advisor to the farm, provides an update on grassland management, animal performance and silage quality.
25 October 2023

Teagasc Fodder Survey Update October 2023
National situation stable, but 10% to 15% of farms require corrective action.
25 October 2023

Maximise all beef and suckler scheme payments this year
There was a number of new beef schemes introduced in 2023, namely the Suckler Carbon Efficiency Programme (SCEP), the National Beef Welfare Scheme (NBWS) and the National Dairy Beef Welfare Scheme.
25 October 2023

Selecting AI sires for autumn breeding on Future Beef farms
A number of farmers enrolled in Teagasc’s Future Beef Programme operate either entirely autumn-calving or a combination of spring and autumn-calving herds. In this article, Aisling Molloy, Future Beef Programme Advisor, looks at sire selection on a number of the farms enrolled.
24 October 2023

Keeping dairy beef animals healthy this winter
This year’s wet and mild summer has resulted in higher parasitic burdens in dairy beef animals. With housing underway in many parts of the country, it is important to eliminate these burdens to ensure animals remain healthy to optimise performance during the indoor period.
24 October 2023

Advancements in feed and manure additives research to reduce methane emissions
New scientific advancements in feed additives to reduce livestock methane have been welcomed by the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue and Minister of State with special responsibility for research and innovation, Martin Heydon.
23 October 2023

The successful control of liver fluke
Liver fluke is a parasite of cattle and sheep. Like most parasites, it can only be picked up off grass. It has a 12 week life cycle within the animal’s liver, in which time it can cause severe damage. Martina Harrington gives advice on how to manage it.
20 October 2023

What should you do when you get the IBR test results?
By participating in the National Beef Welfare Scheme, herd owners will avail of funding to investigate the IBR status of their own herds, providing information to better manage risk, improve biosecurity and inform decisions on vaccination at herd level.
19 October 2023
Growing Organics: Establishing an organic suckler enterprise in Kerry
Thomas and Noreen Kavanagh joined the Growing Organics Monitor Farm Programme in 2023. Their participation will run for five years and is aimed at promoting the adoption of best practices at farm level to increase the future viability and sustainability of the Irish Organic sector.
19 October 2023

Controlling lice at housing
Alan Dillon, DairyBeef 500 Campaign Co-Ordinator, tells us about lice treatment and what can happen if we fail to treat.
18 October 2023

Winter management of Gareth Peoples' DairyBeef 500 farm
DairyBeef 500 farmer Gareth Peoples is on this week's Beef Edge podcast to discuss winter management on his dairy-beef system in Co. Donegal.
18 October 2023