300th episode of the Teagasc Beef Edge podcast
On the 300th episode of the Teagasc Beef Edge Podcast, Matt Dempsey joined host Catherine Egan to reflect on his outlook for the Irish beef industry and his esteemed career in Agri journalism.
Matt Dempsey, whose career spans multiple decades and various roles in agricultural journalism and beyond, has been instrumental in driving innovations in Irish agriculture through his work as a journalist, farmer and chairman of various industry groups.
On the podcast, Matt commented “The campaign that the Irish Farmers Journal and the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) carried out in relation to Brazilian beef, I can see this coming forward again, but we actually succeeded in getting the actual import regime changed at Brussels level, when the beef trade in Ireland and Europe looked as if it was going to be really fundamentally undermined. You could say inferior, but certainly beef production with any kind of lack of traceability or accountability. And that was changed by a farmer-led campaign with ourselves (Irish Farmers Journal) and the IFA. And I think, again, that whole attitude will be dusted down and the file re-examined as we go through the Mercosur debates.”
Matt outlined what the farming landscape looked like when Ireland joined the European Union and the impact this had on the Agri sector. There was a shortage of fodder, a build-up of stock numbers in anticipation of EU entry, and then a market collapse because the barriers to going to Europe, and full transitional levies also applied. Interest rates began to increase, and by 1980-81, they had gone from roughly 7%, 7.5% to over 20% by the middle of 1980-81. So, this caught farmers who had invested very heavily during the very good years to really very severe problems. Matt discusses intervention, suckler incentive scheme, beef tribunal, BSE and Foot and Mouth to name but a few. Matt identified the genetic merit of individual young animals, before their qualities become apparent in the store and finishing period, at birth is a huge breakthrough by the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF) and the emphasis on easy calving, and also of marbling of beef. He also commented on the emergence of grazing management, fertilizer, and especially grass varieties and reseeding that have been revolutionary developed by Teagasc. Matt discussed his own beef system and commended the high-quality, quality-assured beef that is produced in Ireland.
Celebrating this 300th episode of the Teagasc Beef Edge podcast milestone, over 300,000 listeners have tuned in to the podcast since it was first launched in December 2019. Farmers have tuned in to hear timely technical information and the latest research and advice from Teagasc and industry stakeholders. Presented by Teagasc Beef Specialist Catherine Egan, the Beef Edge podcast covers the latest news, information and advice to improve performance on beef farms. There have been regular updates in relation to grassland management, making quality silage and efficient fertiliser use. Key breeding tips, using Artificial Insemination and heat synchronisation options have also been discussed on previous podcast episodes, as well as animal health topics such as parasite control at the appropriate times. There are also regular updates from the Derrypatrick research farm at Teagasc Grange, research carried out at Johnstown Castle and Newford Demonstration farm. Farmer participants in the Future Beef programme and the Dairy Beef 500 programme feature regularly on the podcast as well as industry stakeholders.
Pearse Kelly, Teagasc Head of Drystock commented; “Knowledge Transfer is a key part of the work we do in Teagasc. The Beef Edge podcast is a great tool to get timely technical advice and research to farmers in an easily accessible manner. It can be listened to anywhere, be it in the tractor at any time. I would encourage all those that tune in to take some of the messages being communicated and adopt them on their own farms.”
Teagasc Beef Specialist Catherine Egan, host of the Beef Edge podcast said; “It is great that there has been such interest in the podcast to date, which has been made possible through the promotion of the podcast by Teagasc advisors and education staff to their clients and students. I would like to thank all the farmers, Teagasc staff and industry stakeholders for featuring in the podcast episodes. I’m looking forward to discussing more informational and insightful topics for the listeners.”
Teagasc offer a full suite of podcasts such as the Dairy Edge, OviCast, Pig Edge, Tillage Edge, Environment Edge and the Signpost Series, which can be accessed on the website here
You can catch up on all the episodes from The Beef Edge podcast on the Teagasc website here or you can listen on Apple and Google podcasts, as well as Spotify. Don’t forget to rate, review and subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode.