Watch: What to expect at Moorepark ‘23
Final preparations are underway for the Teagasc Moorepark Open day, which takes place tomorrow, July 4th. The theme of this year’s event is ‘Securing a Sustainable Future’.
This open day will highlight the various technologies and practices available to farmers to underpin the economic, environmental and social sustainability credentials of their farms. Moorepark '23 provides attendees with the opportunity to see and learn about the results of the comprehensive, broad-spectrum research programme undertaken by Teagasc, and to meet research, advisory, education staff and industry partners.
In the below video, Dr. Laurence Shalloo, Head of the Animal & Grassland Research and Innovation Programme, provides an overview to the event, highlighting the challenges and opportunities facing the Irish dairy industry.
Along with the tradition of having four main boards, where revalent topics such as sustainability challenges, grassland, breeding, and dairy farming systems will be discussed, Moorepark '23 features a number of key and relavent villages.
Grassland Village
The extensive area of research undertaken by Teagasc in grassland will be presented in the Grassland Village at Moorepark ’23. Along with white clover and the benefits it brings in terms of reducing a farm’s artificial nitrogen requirement and increasing animal performance, a focus will be placed on new research in the fields of multispecies swards and alternative legumes such as red clover and the role they may play in Irish dairy farming going forward. In addition, the benefits of using protected urea on your swards will be demonstrated with interactive plot trials, highlighting the differences between nitrogen fertilisers.
Caitlin Looney, Teagasc Researcher, provides an insight as to what to expect at the Grassland Village at Moorepark '23. There will be essential information on the best management practices to optimise production from your pasture.
The reseeding demo and Clover150 boards will highlight the dos and don'ts when it comes to incorporating clover on your farm. Additional updates from the Pasture Profit Index and the Teagasc grass and clover breeding programmes will also be presented on the day. Michael Egan tells us more on the grassland demonstration below:
Breeding and Reproduction Village
The breeding technologies available to farmers to optimise the reproductive performance of their herds will feature heavily in the Breeding and Reproduction Village. Updates on the EBI, beef breeding advice – including the dairy-beef trilogy of the Dairy Beef Index, Sire Advice and Commercial Beef Value – and optimising sexed semen use will be provided. Stephen Moore, Teagasc Research Officer, provides an insight into what to expect at the Breeding and Reproduction Village at Moorepark '23 in the below video:
Skills Village
The Skills Village at Moorepark ’23 features live animal demonstrations, showing how to mobility and condition score, as well as practical techniques to ensure high quality milk. On the machinery side, you can learn how to properly calibrate fertiliser spreaders or change a PTO shaft cover. There will also be tractor simulators available to test your driving skills. There are five different hands-on sessions that each last 15 minutes, so you can go to one or all five. Dr. Emer Kennedy gives an overview of this village below:
The Environmental Village
Jonathan Herron provides an insight as to what to expect at the Environmental Village at Moorepark '23 in the below video. As you walk through the village, you will see the extensive research programmes within Teagasc, and essential information on how to improve the environmental sustainability of dairy farms. Information on the Signpost Programme, the Signpost Advisory programme and AgNav - the new digital platform for agriculture - will also featue.
Food Research Village
Muireann Egan provides an insight as to what to expect at the Food Research Village at Moorepark '23. The theme of this year's village is what’s in your milk? Come to the Food Research Village to learn about the dairy processes that produce household favourites like cheese, yogurt and butter, as well as the many valuable powders and concentrates that Ireland exports.
Infrastructure Village
John Upton provides an insight as to what to expect at the Infrastructure Village. At the village, there will be essential information on how to effectively plan and complete any farm infrastructure development, including milking parlours, solar panels, grazing infrastructure, land drainage and calf housing.
Additional attractions
Along with the above, other villages featuring at the event include the One Health, One Welfare Village and the Working Effectively Village. Other attractions include a forum titled ‘The People Challenge’, which will discuss the wide range of opportunities, as well as various career paths, in the dairy industry. A number of students, farm managers, young farmers and established farmers will discuss their journey within the dairy industry. The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue, TD, will address the forum. In addition, Teagasc Together, industry representatives and an international discussion will also feature.