Tirlan Farmer Updates 2023
Teagasc/Tirlán 24th March 2023
| Farmer | County | Average Farm cover | Growth Rate | % calved | % grazed | Meal kg | Litres/ cow | Fat % | Protein % | MS/Cow | SCC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| *Donal Kavanagh | Wicklow | 864 | 32 | 85 | 60 | 5.0 | 25.0 | 3.79 | 3.10 | 1.77 | 78 |
| Francis Nolan | Kilkenny | 827 | 16 | 92 | 55 | 5.0 | 27.7 | 4.61 | 3.23 | 2.24 | 137 |
| Jack Kearney | Cork | 739 | 17 | 93 | 72 | 5.0 | 25.5 | 4.47 | 3.24 | 2.03 | 188 |
| John Ryan | Tipperary | 830 | 35 | 93 | 65 | 5.0 | 27.3 | 4.43 | 3.33 | 2.18 | 61 |
| Kevin Murphy | Wexford | 94 | 90 | 6.0 | 26.0 | 4.60 | 3.26 | 2.21 | 84 | ||
| *Mullen Farm | Meath | 809 | 24 | 75 | 85 | 5.0 | 28.0 | 4.23 | 3.33 | 2.18 | 206 |
| Shane Fitzgerald | Waterford | 1049 | 21 | 81 | 61 | 5.0 | 25.0 | 4.47 | 3.16 | 1.96 | 99 |
| Shay Ryan | Wexford | 942 | 35 | 85 | 65 | 4.0 | 27.0 | 4.30 | 3.35 | 2.13 | 113 |
| Steven Fitzgerald | Waterford | 830 | 22 | 96 | 82 | 4.0 | 26.0 | 4.54 | 3.34 | 2.10 | 43 |
| Tom Fennelly | Laois | 690 | 30 | 93 | 72 | 5.0 | 23.0 | 4.66 | 3.24 | 1.87 | 115 |
| * Winter milk | |||||||||||
| Average | 842 | 26 | 89 | 71 | 4.9 | 26 | 4.41 | 3.26 | 2.07 | 112 | |
| Average 21st Mar 22 | 926 | 15.2 | 82 | 55 | 4 | 26 | 4.6 | 3.4 | 2.10 | 103 | |
Comment
Tricky grazing situation
Well the last 2 weeks have been tricky when it came to grazing. What has worked well for the monitor farmers is on - off grazing. Once cows have been milked they have no access to silage and are held in the yard/shed if possible before being let out to graze. Good access to paddocks when weather is wet and windy is vital. Cows having multi access points can reduce poaching.
John Ryan
I was on farm with John Ryan in Gortnahoe, Co Tipperary, on Thursday March 23rd and I could see how on off grazing was working. John allocated enough grass for the 2-3 hour period and then cows came back into the cubicle shed. Cows had access to silage in the shed and he is feeding 5kgs meal in the parlour. It is an awkward time but with a little bit of work in allocating grass it does work. Another device that is useful for on off grazing is a back latch or one that you can open gaps with your mobile phone. As they say every little helps!
Clover150 Farm Walk
Tom and David Fennelly in Portarlington, Co Laois R32 YA21 will be hosting one of the Clover 150 farm walks on the 6th April at 11am. All are very welcome to attend. We will be covering clover establishment & management, fertiliser strategies to maintain clover and pasture production and a focus on how this works in improving water quality. Get details of all Grass10 / Clover150 farm walks here
Teagasc/Tirlán 10th March 2023
Teagasc/Tirlán 27th February 2023 