19 February 2025
Events: my take-home message
Teagasc’s researchers attend many events throughout the year, sharing the findings from their research with national and international audiences. Here, we capture the take-home messages – key pieces of information that our researchers want people to remember – from recent events.
Targeted actions for water quality
Event: Farming Consultative Group Visit to the ACP, Co. Wexford
Date: 25 November 2024
European regulations have set out target objectives for water quality by 2027 under the Water Framework Directive, and the Environmental Protection Agency has reported agriculture as a significant pressure impacting water quality. Teagasc has gained a thorough understanding of the processes that influence water quality in an agricultural landscape through 16 years of research undertaken by the Agricultural Catchments Programme (ACP) at six strategically located and contrasting sites across the country.
Representation from all the major farm organisations gained an understanding of the different impacts that soil type, weather and farming practice have on the various aspects of water quality while visiting two ACP catchments in Co. Wexford. The reasons and options for targeted actions (mitigation measures) for nitrate and phosphorous were demonstrated.
Edward Burgess, Agricultural Catchment Specialist, explains: “It is well established that a ‘one size fits all’ approach of the Good Agricultural Practice regulations need support from a more targeted advisory service with incentives. This support is being delivered by the Agricultural Sustainability Support Advisory Service, jointly funded by the government and industry, with EU funding for extra on-farm actions available now through the Farming for Water EIP.”
The group visits one of the ACP water-monitoring stations. Credit: Teagasc
For further insights into these initiatives and to hear more about targeted solutions for water quality, listen to the latest discussions here:
Sustaining the future of tillage crops
Event: Teagasc National Tillage Conference 2025, Lyrath Hotel, Kilkenny
Date: 29 January 2025
The main theme of the 2025 Teagasc National Tillage conference was sustainable crop production. The latest results were presented on carbon stocks in tillage soils, along with discussion around the impact of reductions of pesticide use due to regulation.
Richie Hackett, Crops Research Officer at Teagasc Oak Park, explains: “The soil carbon results showed higher than expected levels of soil carbon in tillage soils, comparable to some grassland enterprises, with higher levels associated with soils with a higher clay content. In terms of soil carbon stocks, differences between plough-based and minimum-tillage systems were reported to be small – as were differences in winter wheat yield, except following very wet autumns when the minimum tillage systems tended to have lower yields.”
Check out the Teagasc National Tillage Conference 2025 highlights video below:
Delegates heard that work examining the effects of reductions in pesticide inputs showed that yield reductions were likely to occur. Two workshops on weed and disease control further highlighted the importance of retaining access to as wide a range as possible of pesticides in Ireland. Speakers strongly emphasised the importance of using alternative means of pest, weed and disease control as part of an integrated pest management regime.
Overall, the conference showed that crop production had good environmental sustainability credentials but highlighted that growers need to be aware of, and react to, a number of risk factors to maintain economic sustainability.
Speaker line-up for the National Tillage Conference 2025 in Kilkenny. Credit: Dylan Vaughan Photography
Don’t miss Teagasc’s upcoming events! Join us for the International Dairy Federation Joint Symposium on Dairy Drying Technology and Recombined Milk Products in Cork, Ireland, 13 to 15 May 2025. Visit our website for more information on this and all our upcoming events: www.teagasc.ie