Beef
Farmers’ and vets’ opinions sought on animal health disease and biosecurity for European study
Farmers and veterinarians in Ireland are being asked to add their voices to a cross-European exercise to find out what animal diseases are of most concern to the agricultural community.
10 September 2024
Autumn finishing - to feed at grass or not?
Martina Harrington, Manager of the Future Beef Programme, looks at the key variables farmers have to consider when opting to feed cattle at grass this autumn in order to have animals finished prior to housing.
10 September 2024
2024 Beef Welfare Scheme application deadline approaches
Farmers wishing to apply to the 2024 Beef Welfare Scheme, a programme which incentivises meal feeding pre and post weaning and the vaccination of suckler calves, have just two weeks left to submit their applications.
10 September 2024
Monthly Grass10 Update including grassland management tips for September
It was a very challenging August this year and for the monthly Grass10 update, Niamh Doyle discusses how farmers have fed silage out over the past few weeks.
07 September 2024
Sustainable practices on Kay O'Sullivan's beef farm in Co. Cork
Kay O'Sullivan's beef farm is making strides in pollinator support, maintaining animal health, and managing nutrition to ensure a successful transition into the winter months.
07 September 2024
Building covers, breeding and weaning at Kildalton
Noeleen Brereton, Beef Technician at Kildalton, provides an update on the college’s herd, focusing on building covers for the autumn, animal performance and weaning, and the sires used over the course of the breeding season.
05 September 2024
Listen: Future Beef Farmer, Shane Keaveney on his suckler to beef system
Roscommon Future Beef farmer, Shane Keaveney features on this week’s Beef Edge podcast to discuss the management of his suckler to beef system and the upcoming National Beef walk taking place on his farm on Wednesday, September 11 at 6pm.
04 September 2024
Shane Keaveney’s bull finishing system
Beef Specialist at Teagasc, Catherine Egan takes a closer look at Shane Keaveney’s bull finishing system, the host of an upcoming Future Beef Programme Farm Walk on Wednesday, September 11 at 6pm.
04 September 2024
Weekly Grass10 Update with Denis and Liam Kenny from County Wexford
For this week’s Grass10 grazing management update, Joseph Dunphy discusses PastureBase data, Dry Matter % and Predicted grass growth, rainfall & soil temperatures for the week. Joseph also has a grazing update from Denis & Liam Kenny, Camolin, Co. Wexford.
01 September 2024
Preparing for weaning: Follow the rule of thirds
Limiting the stress experienced during the weaning process is critical to ensure suckler calves remain healthy in the post weaning period.
01 September 2024
Preparing for weaning: Timelines for dosing, castration and vaccinations
Suckler farmers have been reminded of the key timelines for dosing, castration and vaccinations to ensure health is protected when weaning their spring-born suckler calves.
31 August 2024
Reducing Your Farm’s Impact on Water Quality This Autumn
Richard Gill writes about how farmers can protect water quality by implementing a range of practices, from optimal fertiliser application to investing in infrastructure like fencing and solar-powered water pumps.
31 August 2024
Preparing for weaning: The ‘why’ of concentrate feeding
Through participation in the 2024 Beef Welfare Scheme, suckler farmers are being supported to feed calves concentrates pre and post weaning, but what benefits does it bring?
30 August 2024
Breeding for low methane emitting animals – what’s possible?
An upcoming webinar will highlight the research ongoing to investigate the potential of breeding for low emissions animals as a methane mitigation approach in both Ireland and New Zealand.
29 August 2024
Preparing for weaning: Don’t be tempted to delay
Poorer liveweight gains on suckler beef farms, owing to a challenging spring and a summer of below average grass growth rates, has resulted in some beef farmers being tempted to delay weaning in order to make up lost ground.
29 August 2024
Making the winter gains
Aidan Maguire, DairyBeef 500 farmer from Navan, Co. Meath, is on this week’s Beef Edge podcast to discuss management on his farm and his upcoming National Beef open day taking place on September 5 at 6pm.
28 August 2024
DAFM urges vigilance on Bluetongue
Following confirmation of Bluetongue virus serotype 3 (BTV-3) in a sheep in South Norfolk, England on August 26 2024, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) has urged Irish livestock keepers to be vigilant of the virus.
28 August 2024
Perfecting a dairy-beef system
Focusing on key areas such as grassland management, animal performance and health, Aidan Maguire has implemented steps to perfect his dairy-beef system in Navan, Co. Meath. DairyBeef 500 Advisor to the farm, Fergal Maguire shares details of these changes and previews an upcoming event on the farm.
28 August 2024
How is your Suckler Herd Performing?
Austin Callaghan discusses optimizing suckler cow herd performance to maximize profitability while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
27 August 2024
Decision support tools can facilitate more sustainable beef-on-dairy systems
Siobhan Ring, Senior Geneticist at the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF), tells us how tools such as the Dairy Beef Index and Commercial Beef Value can facilitate most sustainable beef-on-dairy systems.
25 August 2024
Earlier finishing the goal on DairyBeef 500 farms
One of the DairyBeef 500 Programme’s objectives is to reduce age of finish without compromising on carcass weight and quality, Tommy Cox, DairyBeef 500 Advisor, tells us more while also detailing the performance of steers, heifers and bulls on programme farms over 2023.
25 August 2024
Concrete slats versus rubber-covered slats
Researchers in Teagasc Grange have assessed the effect of concrete slats versus rubber-covered slats on the performance and welfare of finishing and weanling cattle.
24 August 2024
Listen: Billy Gilmore’s farming system
Billy Gilmore, Grass10 Sustainable Grassland Farmer of the Year Drystock Category Winner, is on this week’s Beef Edge podcast to discuss his farming system and grassland management on his farm.
21 August 2024
Making the most of weight recording in SCEP
Aidan Murray, Beef Specialist at Teagasc, looks at the weighing actions farmers enrolled in the Suckler Carbon Efficiency Programme (SCEP) must take and, once completed, how to make the most of the valuable information generated.
21 August 2024
Use the Beef Welfare Scheme to limit stress at weaning
Over the next few weeks, suckler farmers will be turning their attention towards the preparation of calves for weaning. Enda Maloney, Drystock Advisor in Teagasc Westport, tells us how the recently launched 2024 Beef Welfare Scheme can ease the stress on weanlings come weaning time.
19 August 2024
Finishing underway at Tipperary Dairy Calf to Beef Demonstration Farm
With an ambition of producing in-spec steer and heifer beef originating from the dairy herd under a grass-based system, finishing of 2023-born animals has commenced on the Tipperary Dairy Calf to Beef Demonstration Farm.
18 August 2024
August management tips on beef farms
As we move towards autumn, there are a number of tasks that need to be completed before the winter housing period, Catherine Egan, Teagasc Beef Specialist, shares five key tips.
18 August 2024
200 farmers wanted for earlier finishing research project
Over 200 beef farmers will have the opportunity to partake in the recently launched Beef-Quest research project. Along with identifying the barriers to achieving an earlier age of finish for beef cattle nationally, participating farmers can avail of a range of benefits.
16 August 2024
Autumn calving delivering results on a west Cork suckler farm
The Kingston family switched from a spring to mainly autumn calving system seven years ago and say they haven’t looked back since, Aisling Molly, Future Beef Programme Advisor, tells us more of their journey.
15 August 2024
All you need to know about the Beef Welfare Scheme
Margaret Brennan, Assistant Principal Officer for Beef Schemes with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, discusses and explains the 2024 Beef Welfare Scheme on this week’s Beef Edge podcast.
14 August 2024