Securing your future – a preview of BEEF2024

Teagasc’s beef open day remains a vital element of Ireland’s robust beef sector, explain Paul Crosson, Beef Enterprise Leader, and Pearse Kelly, Head of Drystock Knowledge Transfer.

The beef sector is a key contributor to Ireland’s rural economy, supporting more than 70,000 beef farmers with an export value of approximately €2.7 billion. In addition to supporting farm families, the beef industry is a major employer in the processing, distribution and transport sectors. The strength of the beef sector lies in its pasture-based production systems, underpinning its strong sustainability credentials.

Still, there are challenges for the sector; beef farm incomes are stubbornly low, input price volatility has been a worrying feature in recent years, and farmers must factor in ongoing requirements to reduce their farms’ environmental footprint.

Linked to this is the question of farm succession; intergenerational renewal is an essential prerequisite for a vibrant, energetic and innovative sector, making it critical to provide a roadmap for farm families to navigate these ongoing challenges. A key positive is that the market remains strong for grass-fed beef as a high-quality, sustainable human food protein source, and Irish beef farming is well-placed to serve this market.

Best practice

For BEEF2024, the beef open day in Grange on 26 June, the theme is Securing your future. There will be a focus on the practices that help beef farmers increase the profitability and environmental sustainability of their family farm businesses.

Best practice in relation to grazing management remains a core element of efficient production systems and these remain a central element of open days across the livestock enterprises. The direct contact that farmers get to advisors, for example, in the grazing demo where grazing practices that maximise animal performance are highlighted has proven to be a very effective technology transfer tool.

Equally, the visual impact of livestock displays is an important support to the technical information being discussed. It is often the case that animals with different genetic potential for production traits can be visually similar, particularly for fertility traits. Thus, such displays highlight the importance of matching visual assessments with information on animal genetics.

The format of our open days presents information in a practical manner within technology villages. This is ever evolving in tandem with new research and technology but the fundamental principles remain: practical demonstrations and live displays of the management practices that are key to the sustainable development of the sector.

For example, the recently arrived cow simulators will be used to demonstrate the principles of safe calving and handling of livestock. Staff and farmer participants from the Signpost Programme, our multi-annual campaign to lead climate action by Irish farmers, will be present to outline the steps being taken to reduce the environmental impact of beef systems using technologies and management practices that typically also improve profitability.

Farmers like to hear from other farmers and from those who are informing policy formation. Several panel discussions will be held, covering key topics across a range of beef cattle production systems, as well as the main opportunities and challenges facing the sector and beef farm families.

Farmer participants in our demonstrations programmes and stakeholders from the beef sector will outline the strengths of the sector and the potential to enhance profitability, sustainability and lifestyle through the deployment of latest technologies.

This article first appeared in the Summer edition of TResearch. Access the full publication here.

Find out more about BEEF2024 here.

Also read: Improving beef systems with clover - insights from the Derrypatrick herd

Also read: Refine your drafting skills at BEEF2024

Also read: Exploring the opportunities in dairy beef

Also read: What's new in dairy-beef systems?