Dairy
Reducing spring workload pressures on dairy farms
Spring is always a challenging time for dairy farmers and spring 2024 was particularly difficult. So what lessons can be learned and what actions can be taken to reduce the pressure and stress during spring 2025?
15 January 2025
Minimising the risk of milk fever and associated risks this spring
Careful management of the transition cow will set the animal up for a successful start to lactation, Ruminant Nutrition Specialist, Aisling Claffey takes a closer look at nutrition during the transition period.
13 January 2025
How to prepare for the busy spring period without compromising on performance
Monaghan dairy farmer, Paddy Traynor joins James Dunne on this week’s Dairy Edge to outline his simple grass-based, block spring-calving system that is capable of producing a good economic return.
13 January 2025
CalfCare events reconvene
After weather disruptions last week which resulted in the postponement of a number of CalfCare events, the series of on-farm events organised by Teagasc and AHI, and supported by Feed for Growth, have recommenced this week.
13 January 2025
Why dietary whey proteins are good news for women
Research has found women respond better to whey protein than men when it comes to weight management. As part of a recent RTÉ Brainstorm article, Kanishka Nilaweera, VistaMilk Research Ireland Centre, explores whey protein's role in reducing fat.
11 January 2025
Focus on soil fertility and review grassland performance now
As we enter 2025, assessing the soil fertility of your farm and reviewing your 2024 grassland performance are key before the busy spring period gets underway on Irish farms, John Maher, Joseph Dunphy and Niamh Doyle from the Teagasc Grass10 team tells us more.
07 January 2025
Listen: Planning for grass growth in 2025
John Maher, Manager of the Teagasc Grass10 Programme, joins Stuart Childs to discuss the grass growing year of 2024 and what we can learn from it for 2025.
06 January 2025
A refresher on colostrum management
As the busy spring calving season fast approaches, dairy farmers are reminded to prioritise colostrum management – an essential practice to ensure calf health is protected in early life.
04 January 2025
Parlour preparations for the cold snap
With freezing temperatures forecast, keeping the milking parlour operational during this cold spell is key, especially for winter milk herds or those herds having started the spring calving season.
03 January 2025
What farmers need to know about the New Veterinary Medicine Regulations
Joanne Masterson, Soils & Environment Advisor, discusses new regulations requiring veterinary prescriptions for anti-parasitics to combat antimicrobial resistance and promote responsible medicine use.
02 January 2025
Driving more milk from good practice
Teagasc Aurivo Farm Profitability Programme participant, David Gannon is focusing of having the right cow and building soil fertility to increase milk production on his farm. John McCabe tells us more.
02 January 2025
The dairy year in review
Laurence Shalloo, Emer Kennedy and Joe Patton examine 2024 on dairy farms, focusing on production, breeding, nutrient use and costs and margins.
30 December 2024
Trends in TB, reducing risk for dairy herds
At the National Dairy Conference 2024, Damien Barrett, Niamh Field, and Derek O’Donoghue, presented the latest trends in bovine TB and practical strategies to reduce the risk for dairy herds, ensuring healthier livestock and a stronger industry.
29 December 2024
Recap: Preparing your calves for sale in 2025
The Teagasc DairyBeef 500 team recently hosted the first in a series of two webinars, which focused on preparing the cow now to produce a healthy and viable calf for sale next spring and devising a breeding plan to continue increasing the genetic merit of dairy beef calves into the future.
29 December 2024
Dairy outlook for 2025
An analysis completed by Trevor Donnellan and Emma Dillon, Agricultural Economics and Farm Surveys Department, Teagasc, has examined the prospects for dairy farming in Ireland in 2025.
28 December 2024
Signpost dairy farmer seeing the benefits of solar installation
Richard Starrett, a dairy farmer participating in the Teagasc Signpost Programme, has returned to the market and installed a second batch of solar panels on his farm. In this article, he shares his reasons why.
28 December 2024
Get the transition right to set the herd up for success in 2025
During the dry cow period, there are a number of key pillars to get right to ensure the successful transition of the herd into early lactation, Aisling Claffey, Teagasc Ruminant Nutrition Specialist, tells us more.
23 December 2024
New cost control tool for dairy farmers
Dairy farmers attending the Teagasc National Dairy Conference were given a first look at a new tool to enable better cost control on their farms.
20 December 2024
No chlorine, No problem
The implementation of minimum chlorate technologies across the dairy chain has facilitated the production of milk and dairy products with levels of chlorate residue superior to European Union and customer demands, whilst maintaining microbiological quality.
18 December 2024
Fertiliser planning: Soil sampling is essential
Reminding us that now is the ideal time of the year to soil sample your farm, Dairy Specialist at Teagasc, Mark Treacy explores its role in effective nutrient management and fertiliser planning for the year ahead.
16 December 2024
Listen: The key messages from the Dairy Conference workshops
The coverage of the Teagasc National Dairy Conference in Limerick continues of this week’s episode of the Dairy Edge podcast.
09 December 2024
Start now for good calf immunity
Calves are born without their own immunity and rely on the colostrum received from their dams to gain it. However, this process is fraught with risk. Dairy Specialist at Teagasc, Stuart Childs takes a closer looks at these risks and highlights actions farmers can take to avoid them.
09 December 2024
Dairy Farm Management class of 2024 graduate
The 2024 graduates of the Teagasc/UCD level 7 Professional Diploma in Dairy Farm Management were presented with their diplomas at an awards ceremony at Teagasc Moorepark on Tuesday, 3 December.
07 December 2024
2024’s final grassland challenge
With cows returning indoors and the dust settling on the 2024 grazing year, the unforgiving nature of the year that’s been could have one final grassland management challenge to give – lower grass availability next February.
05 December 2024
Practice change required to improve water quality
All sectors of Irish agriculture will have to implement practice change to achieve the desired improvements in Ireland’s water quality status, Director of Research in Teagasc, Professor Pat Dillon told a packed house at the Teagasc National Dairy Conference in Limerick on November 27.
04 December 2024
Listen: Robust dairy farming for future challenges
This week’s Dairy Edge brings you some of the main insights from this year’s Teagasc National Dairy Conference.
03 December 2024
Farm incomes forecast to rise in 2025
Published today, December 3 as part of the Outlook 2025 Conference held in Teagasc Ashtown, the Teagasc Outlook 2025, Economic Prospects for Agriculture Report, looks ahead to future prospects by forecasting farm incomes in 2025.
03 December 2024
Farm incomes move up in 2024
A new report, by economists at Teagasc, provides the latest estimates of average incomes for various farm types in 2024 and looks ahead to future prospects by forecasting farm incomes in 2025.
03 December 2024
Preliminary findings point to more slurry and soiled water storage needs
Preliminary findings from year one of the Teagasc National Slurry Storage Monitoring Programme were shared with the gathered masses at the Teagasc National Dairy Conference on November 27.
02 December 2024
Are your Standard Operating Procedures fit for purpose?
The next number of weeks might be a good time to review your Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) on farm or even creating some new ones ahead of the new production year, explains Padraig O’Connor.
02 December 2024