Dairy Newsletter - June 2022

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In this month's edition:

• Get to grips with grass quality in June
  Grass quality can be poorer in June due to increased stem content. This will decrease the digestibility of each kg of grass grazed. Grass stem is also difficult for cows to graze. The total energy intake of the cow will decrease and then herd milk performance will decrease as a result.
• Managing young calves at grass
  Successfully managing young calves at grass requires a high level of stockmanship. Your ears and eyes are the best tools that you have. Faecal samples are a good means of monitoring for stomach worms and need to be taken fresh on a Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday for immediate posting to a lab for assessment.
• Don’t get caught out with burn-out
  One of the biggest causes of conflict on farms is due to not having time off the farm. Along with this, starting capital projects like a new building or reclaiming land, and not having extra help planned to cover some of the extra hours of work creates massive pressure for the farmer and family members.
• CellCheck Farm Guidelines for Mastitis Control
  Do you continue to have high somatic cells counts (SCC) with ongoing clinical mastitis cases on your farm? If you do, then the CellCheck Farm Guidelines for Mastitis Control are a very useful resource for you. They are available free of charge on the Animal Health Ireland website, and are divided into the five key stages of the cow’s lactation cycle for ease of use.
• Ballyhaise ‘22 – Futureproofing Irish dairy systems
  Invitation to all Irish dairy farmers and dairy industry stakeholders. Teagasc is delighted to invite all dairy farmers and dairy industry stakeholders to Ballyhaise ‘22, on Wednesday, July 13, at Ballyhaise Agricultural College, Ballyhaise, Co. Cavan. The theme of this year’s event is ‘Futureproofing Irish Dairying’. Find out more
• Health & Safety - Keeping children safe on the farm
  The health and safety of children is paramount on farms, especially during the busy summer months. In recent years, there has been an increase in children dying on farms. What can be done? Firstly, a farm childhood safety code of practice is available on the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) website, giving authoritative guidance. The Teagasc Jessy’s Smart Kids newsletter series for children can be downloaded from the Teagasc website.