200th Edition of the Grass10 newsletter
The 200th edition of the Teagasc Grass10 newsletter was published yesterday, Tuesday, 14th June. The Grass10 newsletter has been published every Tuesday since 2018, using the grass measurements taken by grassland farmers around the country, and data obtained from PastureBase Ireland.
This newsletter is distributed to the industry stakeholders, PastureBase Ireland users and farmers weekly. It is, and has been, a very successful communication tool for the Grass10 programme, whose objective is to promote excellence in grazing.
The Grass10 programme, led by Teagasc, is a multi-year campaign to increase grass utilisation on Irish livestock farms (dairy, beef and sheep), with the objective of achieving: 10 tonnes grass DM/ha/year utilised; and 10 grazings/paddock/year.
The Grass10 partners are Grassland Agro, AIB, FBD, Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and the Irish Farmers Journal.
The Grass10 partners gathered in Teagasc Moorepark, Fermoy on Tuesday, 14 June. Speaking on the day Joseph Dunphy and John Douglas of the Grass10 Team said; “The Grass10 newsletter provides useful insights every week to help the thousands of farmers who read it, to manage their grassland. There is nothing else like it for farmers involved in grassland management, which is the cornerstone of profitable livestock production systems in Ireland.”
Micheal O’Leary, from PastureBase Ireland, who compiles the data every week said; “The Grass10 newsletter gives PastureBase Ireland users a snapshot of grass supply around the country and sets out what tasks need to be undertaken in the following few days.”
Manager of the Grass10 Programme, John Maher said; “We are always engaging with our farmers and stakeholders to improve our communication with them. The most recent change has seen the newsletter moved to a web based eNewsletter format which is easier to read and facilitates the use of other communication media like videos and infographics.”
The content in the eNewsletters has evolved over the last 18 months including the addition of predicted grass growth rates, rainfall and soil temperatures using the innovative MoSt Grass Growth Model from Teagasc Moorepark.
As part of the Teagasc initiative to encourage greater use of clover in grass swards, a new “Clover Reporter” section has been added. It gives farmers the best advice with establishing grass clover swards on their farms. This is an essential piece of reading for grassland farmers every week.”
PastureBase Ireland is the number one tool to help Irish dairy, beef, and sheep farmers manage their grass production and utilisation. See https://www.teagasc.ie/crops/grassland/pasturebase-ireland/
Sign up for the Grass10 eNewsletter by scanning the QR code or by visiting www.teagasc.ie/grass10
