Beef
Beef-Quest: on a mission to reduce finishing age
Beef-Quest: on a mission to reduce finishing age Paul Smith, Mark McGee, Bernadette Earley, Edward O’Riordan, Paul Crosson and David Kenny, Teagasc Grange, and Alan Kelly (UCD), outline the new Beef-Quest Project. Reducing mean finishing age of prime beef cattle from 26 to 22-23 months by 2030 is fundamental to achieving Ireland’s […]
30 March 2024
Suckler herd breeding season success
Suckler herd breeding season success A successful breeding season within a suckler herd hinges on a number of key factors, Professor David Kenny, Head of Animal and Bioscience Department at Teagasc, told a recent Future Beef Webinar titled: ‘Getting your cow back in calf’. The starting point, Professor Kenny explained, is having […]
28 March 2024
DairyBeef 500 financial and slaughter performance update
DairyBeef 500 financial and slaughter performance update DairyBeef 500 Manager, Alan Dillon is on this week’s episode of the Beef Edge podcast with some tips for rearing calves at this time of year, the financial performance update for 2023 as well as slaughter performance. With a difficult spring to get cattle out […]
27 March 2024
Coping with another bad spring on beef farms
Coping with another bad spring on beef farms 2024 is starting on a similar bad note to 2023, writes Alan Dillion, DairyBeef 500 Manager, with incessant rainfall in the early part of the year leading to some serious issues on farm in terms of fodder supply, bedding supply, slurry storage and grazing. […]
27 March 2024
Slow and steady approach delivers for suckler herd fertility
Slow and steady approach delivers for suckler herd fertility The correct breeding policy lays the foundation for profitability within suckler systems. Once you get it right, you are heading in the right direction. A successful suckler breeding policy is underpinned by a number of key performance indicators (KPIs), which – when achieved […]
25 March 2024
Reducing age of slaughter in beef cattle
Reducing age of slaughter in beef cattle Dr. Peter Lawrence, Teagasc Tinahely, discusses strategies for farmers to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by lowering the slaughter age of cattle through improvements in genetics, nutrition, and health. Many farmers are aware of the Irish Governments Climate Action Plan and its strategies to reduce green-house […]
23 March 2024
10 years of experience in an organic beef system
10 years of experience in an organic beef system Ken Gill operates an autumn calving, organic suckler to beef system in Co. Offaly and he joins Catherine Egan on this week’s Beef Edge podcast to explain his system. He has 73 suckler cows calving from the end of July to mid-September and […]
20 March 2024
Time to bite the bullet on grazing?
Time to bite the bullet on grazing? On beef farms, Mícheál Kelly, B&T Drystock Advisor, Teagasc Galway/Clare writes, there is lots of grass available, but farmers have been unable to get cattle out to grass due to a combination of poor ground conditions and erratic, harsh weather. Feed bills are high with […]
20 March 2024
Getting ready for the calving season
Getting ready for the calving season Shane Devaney, Beef Advisor, discusses the importance of preparation for the calving season, emphasising organisation, proper equipment maintenance, calving pen readiness, the significance of colostrum for newborn calves, and the need for safety around calving cows to prevent accidents. While some people might be well into […]
20 March 2024
Webinar series to focus on profitable, functional cows and genetics for the future
Webinar series to focus on profitable, functional cows and genetics for the future The Teagasc Future Beef team will host a series of webinars over the month of March, which will centre on a farmers’ guide to suckler breeding. Commencing at 8pm on March 20, the first webinar will focus on farmers’ […]
19 March 2024