Dairy
Harvesting the benefits of clover swards
Patrick O’Neill farms in partnership with his father Tom, 5km north of Edgeworthstown, Co. Longford. They milk approximately 115 cows, supply Lakeland Dairies, and rear their own replacements.
07 April 2023
Let's Talk Dairy: Tirlán Focus Farmer update
On this episode of Let's Talk Dairy, George Ramsbottom, Teagasc Dairy Specialist, was joined by Steven Fitzgerald, Co. Waterford dairy farmer and Teagasc/Tirlán Future Farm Programme participant, to get an update on what's been happening on the farm.
06 April 2023
Setting a clear breeding strategy in Co. Kilkenny
As part of Dairy Breeding Week, Teagasc hosted a farm walk on the farm of Philip Donohoe, Goresbridge, Co. Kilkenny. In this article, Teagasc Dairy Advisor, Kevin Brennan, Oak Park, Carlow, outlines the main topics discussed.
06 April 2023
3 tools to breed better beef from the dairy herd
A historical preference of selecting beef sires for use on the dairy herd based solely on calving ease and short gestation resulted in the deterioration of the beef merit of the resulting calves.
04 April 2023
Watch: The advantages of sexed semen usage
Sex-biased semen is a revolutionary technology that provides many potential advantages for the Irish dairy industry, which Dr. Stephen Butler, Teagasc Principal Research Officer in reproductive physiology, discussed during Teagasc Breeding Week.
04 April 2023
Correct fertiliser application rates and cutting dates for first-cut silage
What happens on farm over the next few weeks will have a significant impact to silage stocks on dairy farms for next winter. James Dunne, Teagasc Dairy Specialist, offers key advice on fertiliser application rates in this article.
03 April 2023
Breeding quality calves for repeat custom in Co. Meath
Conor Smith milks 250 cows with his parents in Carlanstown, Co. Meath, producing 530kg of milk solids per cow last year from a herd of predominately high EBI Holstein Friesian cows. The herd’s average EBI value is €184.
03 April 2023
The EBI: An Economic Breeding Index for the future
Breeding boasts the advantage of being a proven technology that has clearly been demonstrated over decades to be able to deliver changes in performance.
02 April 2023
Improving beef potential from the dairy herd
Regardless of cow type, there is the potential within dairy herds for a better beef breeding policy, Dr. Nicky Byrne, dairy beef researcher in Teagasc Grange, told the recent DairyBeef 500 Spring Conference in Navan, Co. Meath.
01 April 2023
TAMS 3: Animal Welfare and Nutrient Storage Scheme open
Applications are now open for the TAMS 3 Animal Welfare and Nutrient Storage Scheme (AWNSS), which provides grants to farmers to build and/or improve a specified range of farm buildings and equipment on their holding.
31 March 2023
Deadline for dairy ‘banding’ submissions
Today, March 31st, 2023, is the final day for farmers to submit information to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, to validate a farmer’s nitrogen excretion band.
31 March 2023
Selecting beef sires on more than calving ease and short gestation
On many dairy farms, the decision of what beef bull to use on their cows is often based on having a very low calving difficulty along with having as short a gestation as possible.
29 March 2023
Weaning calves successfully and target weights
During the first weeks of life, the calf is entirely dependent on milk as a source of nutrition, with the digestion of milk occurring in the abomasum.
29 March 2023
Watch: Identifying your herd’s strengths and weaknesses ahead of breeding
With the calving season entering its final phase on many dairy farms, the next task on the horizon is breeding.
28 March 2023
Keeping grass in the cow's diet with on-off grazing
The last two weeks have been tricky when it came to grazing, Sandra Hayes, Co-ordinator of the Teagasc/Tírlán Future Farm Programme, explained in a recent update.
28 March 2023
Let's Talk Dairy - nutrition of the spring-calving cow ahead of breeding
On this episode of Let's Talk Dairy, George Ramsbottom, Teagasc Dairy Specialist, was joined by Joe Patton, Head of Dairy Knowledge Transfer, Teagasc, to discuss the nutrition of the spring-calving cow ahead of breeding.
27 March 2023
Mike’s clover road
Thanks to white clover, this Cork farm is on track to dramatically reduce its use of bagged nitrogen. John Maher, Grass 10, and Padraig McCormack, Dairy KT, Cork East, explain more in this article from the March/April edition of Today’s Farm.
27 March 2023
Future-proofing through breeding
The Economic Breeding Index (EBI) has revolutionised dairy breeding in Ireland. It has become the go-to tool when selecting dairy sires. Robert Prendeville, Alan Twomey and Adrian Curtin explain more in this article from the March/April edition of Today’s Farm.
26 March 2023
Everycalf project - contract rearing of dairy beef calves
Increased cow numbers on dairy farms coupled with increased adoption of improved breeding technologies have resulted in consistent improvements in the six-week calving rates on Irish dairy farms in recent years, resulting in large numbers of additional male calves being born each spring.
25 March 2023
CAP 2023-2027: How is your farm affected?
On the 1st of January this year, a new five-year CAP period started. Andy Ryder, Drystock Advisor, tells us there are a number of important changes occurring in relation to the distribution of CAP payments that farmers need to know about.
24 March 2023
Getting Ready for weaning
Weaning can be a stressful time for calves as they make the change from a liquid to a solid feed diet and move from a pre-ruminant to the ruminant phase. Much of the skill in calf rearing is making this diet transition as smooth as possible, without set-backs to the calf’s performance.
22 March 2023
Breeding Considerations for the 2024 Calf Crop in Dairy Herds
Imagine milking a herd of cows and selling 550kg of milksolids from each with an annual profitability of €500 per cow more than the Irish Base cow. All that prevents you from achieving this, is your management and breeding decisions.
21 March 2023
How pedigree herds are preparing for future challenges through their breeding
Laurence Feeney, CEO of the Irish Holstein Friesian Association (IHFA), is on this week’s Dairy Edge podcast to discuss how pedigree herds are preparing for future challenges through their breeding.
20 March 2023
Teagasc Dairy Breeding Week 2023
The breeding season on Irish dairy farms has become increasingly concentrated in the late April to June period. Teagasc and ICBF have organised a series of 14 information events during ‘Dairy Breeding Week’ which is running from today, Monday, 20 March to Friday, 24 March.
20 March 2023
Let's Talk Dairy - Less than 100 SCC in first 100 days
On this episode of Let's Talk Dairy which took place on Thursday, 9th March, George Ramsbottom, Teagasc Dairy Specialist was joined by Don Crowley, Teagasc to discuss less than 100 Somatic Cell Count (SCC) in the first 100 days.
19 March 2023
Planning for good grazing infrastructure
Improved grassland management relies upon robust grazing infrastructure; suitably sized and shaped paddocks with multiple access points, serviced by roadways of sufficient quality and adequate drinking water.
18 March 2023
TAMS for Organic Farming
Joe Kelleher, Organic Specialist, tells us; the recent announcement that the opening of the TAMS 3 scheme is imminent has been greatly welcomed by organic farmers and it is great to see the list of eligible investment items that organic farmers can avail of has been greatly increased.
15 March 2023
Ensuring the health and success of your replacement heifers
Managing pre-breeding replacement heifers in spring after turnout to grass can be a critical component of a successful dairy cattle operation. George Ramsbottom, Teagasc Dairy Specialist, highlights some key considerations and practices to keep in mind.
13 March 2023
Let's Talk Dairy - Kerry Monitor Farms update - 1/3 through first rotation
On this episode of Let's Talk Dairy which took place on Thursday, 2nd March, host George Ramsbottom, Teagasc Dairy Specialist is joined by Denis Brassil, Teagasc to give an update on the Kerry Monitor Farms where 1/3 are through their first rotation.
13 March 2023
The Importance of the 1st spring grazing
This week, Sandra Hayes, co-ordinator of the Teagasc/Tirlán Future Farm Programme, visited John and Shane Fitzgerald of Portlaw, Co. Waterford, Teagasc Tirlán Future Farmers, to assess how well the first grazing rotation of 2023 was going.
12 March 2023