Dairy
The future of the grass seed industry
Germinal Technical Director, Mary McEvoy joins Stuart Childs on this week’s Dairy Edge podcast to discuss the future of the grass seed industry.
29 May 2024
How milking efficiency facilitates an off-farm job
Patrick Gowing, Teagasc Dairy Specialist, recently visited two farms with varying milking systems to find out how both systems work for them and their families in tandem with off-farm employment.
28 May 2024
Managing grass and herd nutrition in mid-season
A recent webinar organised by the Teagasc Dairy Specialist team looked at managing grass and herd nutrition in mid-season.
27 May 2024
The Importance of a good Milking Routine
Pádraig O Connor discusses the importance of a good milking routine for efficiency, hygiene, and cow productivity.
27 May 2024
Are you leaving milk solids behind?
Failing to provide dairy cows with grass at the optimum pre-grazing yield could be hitting the income potential on some dairy farms.
26 May 2024
Quality over Quantity - Silage 2024
Nollaig O’Dowd, B&T Drystock Advisor, Teagasc Galway/Clare, discusses the importance of creating a fodder budget, ensuring high-quality silage for optimal animal performance, and timing the harvest correctly to balance quality and quantity.
25 May 2024
Don’t obsess about peak milk, obsess about grass quality to drive milk solids
Many dairy farmers have raised questions on how best to feed their cows to optimise milk production during the mid-season, especially after a challenging spring, which has tapered milk yield peaks on some farms.
24 May 2024
Maintaining grass and silage quality on Teagasc/Tirlán Future Farms
After a good recovery in grass growth last week, Co-Ordinator of the Teagasc/Tirlán Future Farm Programme, Sandra Hayes tells us how the monitor farmers are maintaining grass quality and are planning to balance silage quality and quantity.
21 May 2024
Over 13,000 sign up to improve dairy-beef breeding
A total of 13,155 applications were received for the CSP Dairy Beef Welfare Scheme, a scheme which offers a financial incentive to dairy farmers to use sires of higher genetic merit.
21 May 2024
A deep dive into pasture quality with Dr Mike Dineen
The improvement in growth rates and grazing conditions has turned the focus to correcting grass quality to make sure herds meet their nutritional needs throughout the breeding season.
20 May 2024
Optimising your summer stocking rate
Grazing conditions have been difficult this spring and, as a result, grass quality on a lot of farms needs correction, writes James Dunne, Teagasc Dairy Specialist, who offers tips on optimising your summer stocking rate for the June to August period to maximise herd performance.
20 May 2024
FRS Training: Best Practice in Milking
Attracta Dooley from FRS Training and Chloe Walsh, a secondary school teacher who helps her husband Pat on their farm outside Durrow in Co. Laois, join Stuart Childs on this week’s Dairy Edge podcast to talk about the upcoming FRS Training Best Practice in Milking Courses.
18 May 2024
Silage 2024 - quality and quantity needed
Recent weather reinforces the need to have quality silage reserves. Do not delay first-cut silage in order to bulk up the crop and replenish diminished silage stock.
18 May 2024
Producing quality silage
As silage season commences it is important to consider the key requirements for producing quality silage. Mark Treacy tells us more.
13 May 2024
'Once you have breeding targets to follow, you can select suitable bulls'
Richard Starrett and his wife Wendy farm in Killendarragh, Lifford, Co. Donegal. With calving coming to a close, Richard highlights his farm’s transition to breeding in this update, emphasising the importance of EBI in steering bull selection.
12 May 2024
Adding continental sires to the dairy breeding mix
After mastering their replacement heifer breeding strategy, Kevin and Enda Farrell have doubled down on their beef breeding strategy to produce quality calves.
11 May 2024
Once-a-day milking: the impacts on Cheddar cheese
Research into milking frequency and Cheddar cheese production has produced some fascinating insights into such a move, Richard Page, a PhD student and Walsh Scholar at Teagasc, tells us more.
10 May 2024
Challenging March hits milk supplies
Recently released data from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) have pointed to a decline in both the volume of milk and its contained protein delivered to processors and co-ops over the month of March.
09 May 2024
Producing high Commercial Beef Value calves - a guide
This year’s spring calving period has ended on most dairy farms and the breeding season is underway or about to start. Tom Murphy, B&T Dairy Advisor, Teagasc, Galway/Clare, looks at the tools available to dairy farmers to breed quality beef calves from the dairy herd.
09 May 2024
Budgeting feed for next winter
The prolonged and challenging winter has depleted a lot of the silage stocks across the country. An effective tool at quantifying the fodder requirements for your farm this winter is completing a fodder budget, writes Stephen O’Callaghan, Walsh Scholar, Teagasc Meath.
08 May 2024
Bovine Fencing and Meal Bins TAMS 3 Options for Drystock Farmers
The last twelve months has been a year like no other with a number of individual months being the wettest on record. Keith Fahy B & T Drystock Advisor, discusses the challenges faced by farmers, the importance of good forage management, and details on how farmers can access grants under TAMS3.
08 May 2024
Scoring clover and progressing through breeding with John Ryan, Teagasc/Tirlán Future Farmer
Sandra Hayes, Co-Ordinator of the Teagasc/Tirlán Future Farm Programme, recently visited monitor farmer John Ryan, where they undertook clover scoring on his farm in Tipperary.
07 May 2024
How to achieve a high level of milk performance over the coming months
With the difficult grazing conditions throughout the spring, it’s no harm to reflect on the last number of months as to what worked well and what can be improved for the future.
07 May 2024
Summer stocking rate effects on cow performance & silage stocks
With Spring milk supply down on many farms due to poor weather conditions this Spring, focus must be on maintaining good cow performance over the next few months. Martina Gormley tells us that summer stocking rate can have a big effect on cow performance.
06 May 2024
A breeding plan to improve beef merit and maintain calving traits
Limerick dairy farmer, Niall Moloney places a firm focus on calving ease and gestation length when selecting beef sires for use on his dairy herd, but that doesn’t mean the beef merit of the calves produced can’t be improved.
04 May 2024
Podcast: Weekly Grass10 Update
On this week’s Grass10 grazing management update, Joseph Dunphy discusses PastureBase data, Dry Matter % and Predicted grass growth, rainfall & soil temperatures for the week.
03 May 2024
Minister Hackett attends first Growing Organics farm walk of 2024
The first in a series, the opening Growing Organics Farm Walk of 2024 was held on the farm of Bill George, Coolanowle Organic Farm, Arles, Co. Laois on May 1, a dairy farmer supplying milk primarily to the Village Dairy.
03 May 2024
Bull teams: Equal usage required to lessen risk
With the breeding season kicking into gear on many farms, Teagasc and ICBF recommend that teams of AI bulls are used when breeding dairy cows and heifers.
01 May 2024
A game of thirds - splitting the beef team by gestation
Milking 170 cows on a 55ha grazing platform in Kilconieron, Co. Galway, David Gannon will follow a beef breeding programme to enhance the beef characteristics and merit of his calves – especially those born in the shoulders of the calving season.
01 May 2024
Shedding light on the cost of lameness
A recent paper published in the Veterinary Ireland Journal has shed light on the potential costs associated with lameness in Irish dairy herds.
30 April 2024