Beef
Expressions of interest welcomed for dairy-beef course
Are you interested in commencing a dairy calf to beef enterprise or seeking skills and advice to make improvements to your existing enterprise? Fergal Maguire, Advisor on the Teagasc DairyBeef 500 Campaign, writes on an Advanced Dairy Calf to Beef Course, due to commence in December 2024.
23 October 2024
5 steps to becoming an organic farmer
As the Organic Farming Scheme (OFS) has recently reopened for applications, Teagasc Organic Advisor, Orla Walsh provides five key steps farmers must follow when transitioning from a conventional to an organic farming system.
22 October 2024
Maximise weanling performance at housing
Martina Harrington, Manager of the Teagasc Future Beef Programme, provides guidance on preparing weanlings for housing by focusing on disease prevention and minimising stress.
19 October 2024
International Dairy Calf to Beef Conference
An International Dairy Calf to Beef Conference, organised by Teagasc in partnership with ABP and BSAS, is taking place in Co. Wexford.
17 October 2024
250,000 fewer suckler cows since June 2015
The number of suckler cows present on Irish farms in June 2024 declined by over 250,000 head when compared to the same period in June 2015, provisional figures released by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) have shown.
17 October 2024
How this suckler farmer is going the extra mile to protect water quality
Shane Keaveney, a suckler farmer from Ballinlough, Co. Roscommon, is going above and beyond to lessen the impact of his farming practices on water quality – specifically the watercourse bounding his farm.
16 October 2024
Udderly realistic: How calving simulators are ‘moo-ving’ education forward at Kildalton College
Jamie Cahill, Lecturer in Teagasc Kildalton College, writes on the college’s recently acquired calving simulators – valuable pieces of equipment that allow students to practice the calving procedure in a safe environment.
16 October 2024
Comparing dairy beef farming in New Zealand and Ireland
Bob Thomson, a New Zealand Farm Consultant specialising in sheep and beef, joins Catherine Egan on this week’s Beef Edge podcast to discuss some of his insights into dairy beef in Ireland compared to New Zealand.
16 October 2024
Can straw help to buffer tight silage supplies this winter?
It has been a difficult year on grass growth and therefore silage supplies are tight on some farms. Could straw fill some of the gap this winter? Martina Harrington tells us more.
16 October 2024
Have you weighed for SCEP?
The Suckler Carbon Efficiency Programme (SCEP) has a number of key requirements, one of which is the weighing of cow and calf pairs on your farm.
15 October 2024
Making CBV data more accessible
Since its launch, the Commercial Beef Value (CBV) has grown in importance as a tool to allow the purchasers of beef animals - whether they are calves destined for a dairy-beef system or continental weanlings or stores destined entering a finishing system – to make more informed decisions.
14 October 2024
Teagasc National Farm Survey 2023 - Cattle Finishing Enterprise Factsheet
The Agricultural Economics and Farm Surveys Department at Teagasc has recently released a Cattle Finishing Enterprise Factsheet for 2023, which analysed farm financial data, and variability in farm financial and technical performance as witnessed in the 2023 National Farm Survey.
13 October 2024
National Farm Survey 2023 - Single Suckling Enterprise Factsheet
The National Farm Survey 2023 Single Suckling Enterprise Factsheet provides analysis of single suckling enterprises across Ireland, focusing on financial performance, production variations, and emerging trends within the sector.
11 October 2024
Give your stock a clean start before winter housing
Eliminating parasites at housing will ensure optimum livestock performance over the winter. Niall Kerins, Teagasc Beef Specialist, discusses parasite treatment strategies for livestock during the winter housing period, focusing on the importance of proper product use and diagnostics.
10 October 2024
The key things to consider if you’re interested in renting a shed
Niall Kerins, Teagasc Cattle specialist, is on this week’s Beef Edge podcast to discuss winter cattle housing arrangements.
09 October 2024
Award winning Meath dairy-beef farmer prioritises farm-to-farm sourcing
Aidan Maguire, a dairy-beef farmer from Co. Meath, was crowned the winner of the Dairy Beef Category of the Teagasc/FBD Environmental Sustainability Awards 2024 last week.
09 October 2024
Weaning suckler calves: Insights from Michael & Niall Biggins
Michael & Niall Biggins share practical strategies for weaning suckler calves and managing red clover grazing in this farm update.
09 October 2024
A weaning and scanning update from Newford
Focusing on weanling performance and scanning results, Michael Fagan provides an update from the Newford Farm, where the sunshine over the last two weeks has contributed to better grass growth and cattle thrive.
09 October 2024
The October Grass10 Update
Grass10 Advisor, Niamh Doyle joins Catherine Egan on this episode of the Beef Edge podcast with grassland management tips for the month ahead.
08 October 2024
Recap: NZAGRC and Teagasc on breeding low methane emitting animals
A recent webinar highlighted the research ongoing to investigate the potential of breeding for low emissions animals as a methane mitigation approach in both Ireland and New Zealand.
08 October 2024
Teagasc Launches New National Farm Survey Dairy Beef Factsheet
Teagasc has published a range of farm enterprise factsheets for the year 2023. For the first time, the release includes a new Dairy Beef Factsheet, providing insights into the financial and technical performance of dairy beef enterprises on cattle farms across Ireland.
08 October 2024
Maximizing Farm Efficiency on Wesley Browne’s Farm
In this update, Wesley Browne shares insights on how targeted lime spreading, careful dosing, and feed planning have significantly improved the efficiency and productivity of his farm.
05 October 2024
Farmers warned of bluetongue risk
Following the spread of bluetongue widely across Eastern England and the detection of isolated cases in south-west England and north-west Wales, Irish farmers have once again been reminded of the risks of bluetongue.
04 October 2024
Don’t lose valuable slurry storage capacity
As the slurry spreading season has now come to pass, farmers have been urged to focus their attentions on clean water – particularly limiting its ingress into slurry stores or slatted tanks.
03 October 2024
Budget 2025 – here’s what beef farmers need to know
Teagasc Financial Specialist, Kevin Connolly is on this week’s Beef Edge podcast to discuss the main headline items arising from Budget 2025, from tax cuts to increased spending.
02 October 2024
Silage testing - the starting point in making winter gains
Stemming from poor quality silage and inadequate feeding programmes, the winter period often marks a period of underperformance on dairy-beef farms.
02 October 2024
Solar powered water pumps and nose pumps available under TAMS
Fencing off watercourses to prevent cattle access is recognised as one of the ‘8-Actions for Change’ within the Teagasc Better Farming for Water Campaign. To achieve this though, an alternative water supply must be available.
30 September 2024
Slurry Spreading - Advice for Farmers and Slurry Contractors
As the slurry spreading season comes to a close across the country over the coming days, Noel Meehan and Sinead Devaney of the Teagasc ASSAP Programme explain why it is very important that farmers and agricultural contractors apply slurry very carefully so as to prevent nutrient losses to water.
27 September 2024
Herd Performance Update with John Barry Co. Tipperary
John's farm reports strong breeding success, stable grassland management, and impressive animal growth, despite challenges. Aisling Molloy, Future Beef Programme Advisor, tells us more.
27 September 2024
Striking a balance between suckler farming and off-farm work commitments
Limited economic returns have forced many of the current generation of Irish beef farmers to seek off-farm employment. By allocating the majority of their working time elsewhere, beef farming has become an early morning, late evening and weekend activity for many.
26 September 2024