Teagasc Signpost Programme Newsletter October 2021
This months Signpost newsletter has a particular focus on where a farmer can access the carbon footprint for their farm. We feature some highlights of Moorepark Open Day. Catherine Keena provides a video and short note on hedgerow management. See Farmer profiles, monthly climate actions and updates
Issue 5 - October 2021
Knowing your carbon footprint - Todays Farm
In order to reduce the carbon emissions on your farm, you need to know what the carbon emissions are for your farm. The starting point for many people (54,000 farmers) will be their Bord Bia Farmer Feedback Report. After each audit, all certified dairy and beef farmers receive a Farmer Feedback Report from Bord Bia with their farm’s carbon footprint. The carbon footprint is the ratio of total greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) to total outputs of the farm enterprise.
Climate Actions for October
Each month, we will present climate actions that farmers can take to reduce gaseous emissions. These actions will be practical and timely. See below climate actions for the month of October.
How is your farm carbon footprint calculated
Click on the video below to watch
Farmers need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions so its important to know where you are starting from. Knowing the carbon footprint for your farm is the starting point. In this clip, Dr. Eleanor Murphy from Bord Bia explains more about the Farmer Feedback Report which farmers receive after a Bord Bia audit. Dairy farmer, Alex McCarthy explains how completing the sustainability survey helps him to get an accurate picture of the carbon footprint from his farm.
Meet three of the Signpost Farmers
Government Ministers lend their support to the Signpost programme at a recent Tillage Farm Walk on the farm of Tom Tierney, Prosperous, Co. Kildare.
Stan Lalor (Teagasc), Pippa Hackett (Minister of State), Tom Tierney (Farmer), John Spink (Teagasc), Ivan Whitten (Teagasc), Martin Heydon (Minister of State).
Timely advice for hedge cutting at this time of year
Enhancing the biodiversity on your farms starts with the correct management of hedgerows. It’s a good time of the year to have a chat with your contractor before he / she starts cutting, providing the contractor with clear guidelines. Learn more about the simple steps to improving the quality of your hedgerows.
Research Updates
At the recent Moorepark ’21 Open Day the Signpost Village focussed on environmental sustainability in Irish dairy farming. Here we present the main boards from the village and summarise the papers.
Signpost Webinar - Do you know the carbon footprint for your farm?
Join us on Wednesday, 20 October at 7.30pm for an interactive informative online webinar to guide you through using the carbon footprint figure to make decisions on reducing emissions on your farm.
Signpost Programme Update
Teagasc has established a National Agricultural Soil Carbon Observatory to provide the knowledge required on soil carbon sequestration. The Signpost farms will be an integral part of this Observatory. Deep soil samples will be taken on the Signpost farms to establish baseline soil carbon levels, with the sampling process repeated in a number of years’ time to monitor any changes. In addition, flux data from long-term eddy covariance towers will provide detailed information on carbon exchange at an ecosystem level; these towers will be located on a subset of the Signpost farms. Soil sampling will begin in these farms over the next few weeks. Samples will be taken at 0 – 10cm, 10- 20 cm and 20 – 30 cm by Teagasc technicians.
The Environment Edge Podcast
The Environment Edge podcast went to the Moorepark open day recently where Cathal Somers and Deirdre Glynn spoke to farmers, researchers, students and advisors in the Signpost programme village.
Listen in to hear from Tom O’Dwyer, head of the Teagasc Signpost programme and other topics such as how carbon and methane is measured, can clover change the game, the MACC curve and research in Johnstown Castle. Most interesting of all, hear from Waterford farmer John Leamy and his son Darragh who tells us about an interesting sustainability project he carried out in school.
Signpost Programme Partners
The Signpost Programme is a collaborative partnership of farmers, industry and State Agencies, working together for climate action.
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The Teagasc Signpost Programme e-Newsletter will issue monthly and you can read it here each month on on Teagasc Daily.