Grassland
Dealing with current weather conditions on beef farms
As grass supplies have tightened on many farmers over the last few weeks, Martina Harrington, Manager of the Teagasc Future Beef Programme, shares key tips on building grass covers and fodder budgeting for the winter ahead.
05 July 2024
Time to review your winter feed situation
With PastureBase Ireland showing a 1.2t DM/ha reduction in total grass growth for the first six months of the year when compared to the previous five-year average, the Teagasc Grass10 team is advising farmers to complete a fodder budget to review their winter feed situation.
03 July 2024
Dairy advice: Dealing with the current low in grass growth rates
Grass growth continues to be stubbornly slow on many farms this year, writes Mark Treacy, Dairy Specialist at Teagasc, who looks at the three important areas of dairy cow intake, maintaining average farm cover and fodder budgeting for the winter ahead.
01 July 2024
Grazing update from 2023 winner of the Sustainable Grassland Farmer of the Year
For this week’s Grass10 grazing management update, Joseph Dunphy discusses PastureBase data, Dry Matter % and Predicted grass growth, rainfall & soil temperatures for the week.
28 June 2024
Safety during Busy Times on the Farm
The summer is some of the busiest times on Irish farms with many essential activities taking place. Children are on holidays from school and may be out and about on farms. Martina Donnelly discusses ways to stay safe during this busy time.
27 June 2024
Weekly Grass10 Update with featured farmer John Phelan Co. Waterford
For this week’s Grass10 grazing management update, Niamh Doyle discusses PastureBase data, Dry Matter % and Predicted grass growth, rainfall & soil temperatures for the week.
20 June 2024
From house guests to farm pests: The hidden impact of Daddy Long-Legs on agriculture
Have you ever noticed the delicate, spindly-legged insects known as ‘Daddy Long-Legs’ fluttering around your home?
16 June 2024
The many benefits of applying lime
With the deadline for spreading lime under the National Liming Programme extended out to 31 October 2024, John Enda Flannelly, ACRES Advisor, Teagasc Claremorris, looks at the many benefits applying lime on your farm can bring.
15 June 2024
Further extension to liming programme announced
A further extension to the date by which lime must be spread under the National Liming Programme has been announced.
13 June 2024
Refining emissions from grassland peat soils
Patrick Tuohy, Owen Fenton, Lilian O’Sullivan and Conor Bracken tell us about Teagasc research which has revised estimates of greenhouse gas emissions from grassland peat soils, reducing them from 9Mt to 3.9Mt CO₂e annually.
10 June 2024
Red clover - the dos and don’ts
Kevin O’Hara, Drystock Advisor, Teagasc Claremorris, writes about the Red Clover Silage Measure, which many farmers have recently applied for. He also discusses the benefits and drawbacks of red clover.
09 June 2024
Answering the questions on ensiling mixed swards
More diverse swards have the potential to make a high-quality silage crop from reduced fertiliser input in the correct conditions. But high clover swards can be more challenging to ensile than typical perennial ryegrass crops.
08 June 2024
Summer Management of Grassland and Cattle
John Galvin, B&T Drystock Adviser, Galway Galway/Clare, discusses grassland management, breeding and herd management, reseeding, parasite control in cattle, and farm safety.
07 June 2024
Listen: Grass10 Update - Growth Predictions, and Farmer Insights
On the latest Grass10 grazing management update, Joseph Dunphy covers PastureBase data, predictions for grass growth and rainfall. He also provides grazing management advice, including an update from featured farmer Arthur Sweetman in Co. Wexford.
07 June 2024
Doing the simple things right on the road to clover
The recently crowned Sustainable Grassland Farmer of the Year, Patrick O’Neill first commenced establishing white clover on his dairy farm in Co. Longford in 2018 – long before high fertiliser prices brought this legume’s nitrogen fixation benefits back into vogue.
06 June 2024
Weed control - more to consider than just chemicals
Grassland weeds are set to escalate over the next few weeks. Mary Roache, Teagasc Advisor, Westport, tells us why there is more to consider than just chemical control, highlighting the important role of integrated pest management.
04 June 2024
Think slurry safety when fertilising second cuts
Typically used to provide valuable nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium when growing first-cut silage crops, a challenging spring meant slurry applications were delayed on many farms.
03 June 2024
Water systems – very big troughs not the solution
Along with suitable paddocks and roadways, the role of a suitable water system in good grazing infrastructure can’t be overlooked. Factors such as adequate pipe sizes, suitable ballcocks, the size and location of water troughs, and the water flow rate all needed to be factored.
01 June 2024
Significant increase in grass growth predicted
With high pressure expected to dominate over the bank holiday weekend, the Moorepark St. Giles Grass Growth (MoSt GG) model is predicting a significant increase in daily grass growth rates for the coming days.
31 May 2024
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
The role of NBPT protected urea
Colm Kelly, Climate Action & Sustainability Advisor, Teagasc Galway/Clare, looks at the role NBPT protected urea will play in grass growth throughout the summer, its significant positive contribution to greenhouse gas and ammonia emission reductions, and how it achieves cost reductions at farm level
28 May 2024
Red clover's role in silage swards
Red clover can contribute substantially to organic, low-input and conventional animal production systems due to its ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen and support of higher animal performance.
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
The lime, silage and slurry quandary
Untrafficable ground conditions hindered lime applications on many farms up until now. For some, it will be the first time lime will be applied in the summer months. With this comes questions on lime’s interactions with silage, slurry and even grazed grass.
26 May 2024
A guide to storing silage and managing effluent collection
After a long winter farmers are replenishing silage stocks. Storage capacity, silage quality, effluent management and safety are all vital considerations. Tom Fallon, Teagasc Farm Buildings & Infrastructure Specialist, tells us more.
25 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
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
A reminder on silage bale stacking rules
With the harvesting of first-cut silage crops edging ever closer, farmers need to make themselves aware of the Conditionality rules – the baseline requirements for farmers in receipt of CAP payments – relating to the stacking of silage bales.
14 May 2024
The principles of reseeding
Reseeding levels in Ireland are low. Less than 2% of our national grassland area is reseeded annually. As grass is our dominant feed during the main grazing season, and the primary source of winter forage in the form of grass silage, the low level of reseeding must be addressed.
13 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