Grassland
Watch: Reaping the benefits of red clover with Future Beef farmer Ken Gill
Farming full-time in Clonbullogue, Co. Offaly, Ken Gill operates an organically-certified beef and tillage enterprise, along with 22ha of forestry.
03 May 2023
Why you must use less bagged nitrogen
Farmers are being tasked with reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, but what steps can be taken at farm level to achieve this?
30 April 2023
Establishment of multispecies swards
Many farmers may be establishing multispecies swards for the first time in 2023. These swards – which contain a mixture of grasses, herbs and legumes – offer a range of benefits, including: improved soil health; enhanced biodiversity; and increased livestock productivity.
30 April 2023
Planning your silage strategy – tips for making quality bales of silage
Although grazing conditions were excellent on many farms during the month of February, with many taking the opportunity to get stock out to grass early, unsettled conditions in March and April did delay grazing plans for many.
28 April 2023
No time like the present for white clover incorporation
Apart from the benefits associated with lower levels of artificial nitrogen use, the inclusion of white clover into grassland swards has also been shown to improve animal performance.
27 April 2023
Planning your silage strategy - factors affecting silage quality
As part of a three-part series on planning your silage strategy, Teagasc Beef Specialist Martina Harrington discusses the factors that affect silage quality on your farm.
27 April 2023
Grass10: Watch grazing targets as growth rates increase
As growth rates increase, the Teagasc Grass10 team advise to keep an eye on the grazing targets which have been established to work for all farms to keep a balance between grass supply and grass quality. The targets outlined below work very well when monitored weekly and acted on.
26 April 2023
Planning your silage strategy – more to consider than just fertiliser
The old adage of ‘fail to plan, plan to fail’ always jumps to mind around silage time. Often, however, the only planning is around fertiliser and how much to apply.
26 April 2023
Oversowing white clover in sheep swards
White clover has the potential to reduce the amount of chemical nitrogen fertiliser required for grass production and also has been shown to improve lamb performance when included in grazing swards.
25 April 2023
Summer decisions affect winter performance on organic farms
Although the differences between organic and conventional farming are numerous, one key aspect is central to both – the importance of silage quality.
23 April 2023
Increasing sward and animal performance with red clover
High artificial nitrogen costs have sparked a renewed interest in red clover silage. When grown in conjunction with a companion grass, these crops have the potential to provide a winter feed to livestock production systems from zero chemical nitrogen input.
22 April 2023
Maintaining grass quality as we approach May
Every year, farmers get caught moving from spring to summer grazing management. This week as part of their weekly newsletter, the Teagasc Grass10 team ask are you ready for the change?
19 April 2023
Grass margins in grass fields
Grass margins provide corridors of movement and networks for nature through the countryside, as well as habitats of high biodiversity value. Good structure is as important as species present. Lumpy and bumpy is good for associated invertebrates.
17 April 2023
Tips on establishing white clover in grassland swards
The benefit of clover in grassland has previously been reported through increased animal performance, increased herbage production and potential saving in chemical nitrogen (N) fertiliser, as well improved N use efficiency and N farm gate surplus.
15 April 2023
Let's Talk Organics - Growing red clover silage to finish beef cattle
Elaine Leavy and Joe Kelleher, Teagasc Organic Specialists hosted a Let's Talk Organics webinar on Wednesday, 5th April which focused on growing red clover silage to finish beef cattle.
15 April 2023
Don’t delay! Fertilise silage swards today
Weather conditions over the last number of weeks have resulted in delayed applications of fertiliser to silage fields. In addition, livestock have been housed for longer than normal, eating into farm silage stocks.
14 April 2023
Rebuilding of fodder stocks a priority
A challenging March has caused issues for dairy, drystock and tillage farmers, attendees heard at yesterday’s meeting of the Fertiliser Sub-group of the National Food and Fodder Security Committee in Teagasc Oak Park, Co. Carlow.
14 April 2023
Grass10: Heavy rainfall making grazing conditions difficult
Most farms, particularly those on the western seaboard and in the border, midlands and west region, have received significant rainfall volumes over the past weekend, the latest Grass10 newsletter explains, while also offering advice for the week ahead.
13 April 2023
Red clover silage and multispecies sward measures open
Measures to promote the uptake of red clover silage and multispecies swards at farm level were today announced by the Minister of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue.
12 April 2023
Watch: April assessment of clover content
Assessing the clover content of your swards now will enable you to tailor nitrogen fertiliser applications, while also allowing the identification of paddocks which may require reseeding or over sowing to increase clover content.
12 April 2023
Reseeding checklist: spring or autumn?
Regular reseeding of pasture allows farmers to grow increased yields of higher quality grass. Despite this, reseeding levels in Ireland are low with less than 2% of our national grassland area reseeded annually.
08 April 2023
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
Watch: The multiple benefits of multispecies swards
High nitrogen fertiliser prices, combined with a drive to farm in a more environmentally sustainable way, has seen the interest in multispecies swards peak at farm level.
05 April 2023
Grass 10 weekly checklist: Transitioning from the first to the second rotation
With huge variability in the percentage grazed and regrowth across farms, it is important to calculate what area is remaining to graze in the first rotation.
05 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
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
Establishing clover this year?
With price variability continuing to exist in the artificial fertiliser market as we approach the second quarter of 2023, the inclusion of clover in grazing and silage swards may be an option to reduce the dependence on chemical nitrogen applications on some farms.
28 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
The benefits of grass measuring
Grass is the cheapest form of feed available, so the objective is to maximise the amount of grass in the animal's diet, while conditioning the sward for future grazing. Eamonn Dempsey, Teagasc advisor in Tralee, discusses the benefits of grass measuring in this article.
22 March 2023
Signpost Series: Scenarios exploring the national herd and grassland management targets to achieve climate targets
On this episode of The Signpost Series which took place on Friday, 24 February, Pat Murphy, Head of Teagasc Environment KT was joined by Daniel Henn, Solohead Farm, Teagasc Moorepark to discuss scenarios exploring the national herd and grassland management targets to achieve climate targets.
18 March 2023