Beef

Planning your silage strategy – tips for making quality bales of silage

Planning your silage strategy – tips for making quality bales of silage Although grazing conditions were excellent on many farms during the month of February, with many taking the opportunity to get stock out to grass early, unsettled conditions in March and April did delay grazing plans for many. As a result, […]
28 April 2023

Planning your silage strategy – factors affecting silage quality

Planning your silage strategy – factors affecting silage quality As part of a three-part series on planning your silage strategy, Teagasc Beef Specialist Martina Harrington discusses the factors that affect silage quality on your farm. The biggest factor affecting silage quality is heading date. Looking at the diagram (figure 1) below, we […]
27 April 2023

Caution urged as ‘small number of local clusters’ of BVD identified

Caution urged as ‘small number of local clusters’ of BVD identified Caution has been urged as the Bovine Viral Diarrhoea (BVD) eradication programme approaches a particularly critical juncture. In the past number of weeks, epidemiological investigations have identified the emergence of a small number of local clusters of infection, with infection having […]
26 April 2023

Planning your silage strategy – more to consider than just fertiliser

Planning your silage strategy – more to consider than just fertiliser The old adage of ‘fail to plan, plan to fail’ always jumps to mind around silage time. Often, however, the only planning is around fertiliser and how much to apply. In this article, as part of a three-part series on silage […]
26 April 2023

Adding clover into the grazing sward

Adding clover into the grazing sward On this week’s Beef Edge podcast, we’re joined by Ciaran Lynch, host of the Teagasc OviCast podcast, for a joint episode to discuss all things clover with Dr. Mike Egan, Teagasc Research Officer. Mike starts by highlighting the potential role of clover in drystock systems, how […]
26 April 2023

Can oats, beans or peas play a role in beef cattle diets?

Can oats, beans or peas play a role in beef cattle diets? A recent trial in Teagasc Grange evaluated the role oats, field beans or peas can play when used in the rations offered to beef cattle on grass silage diets. The study aimed to examine how animal performance, nitrogen excretions and […]
23 April 2023

The importance of silage quality for beef production systems

The importance of silage quality for beef production systems Grass silage typically makes up around one quarter to one third of total feed dry matter (DM) consumed on drystock farms. Compared to grazed grass, it is quite expensive to produce (usually twice the cost per tonne DM). However, when taken as part […]
22 April 2023

Calving 100% of cows in a six-week window

Calving 100% of cows in a six-week window Ken Gill farms full time in Clonbullogue, Co. Offaly. A full symbol organic producer, Ken operates an autumn-calving suckler system, with all animals brought to beef. With 100% AI used to make use of the best genetics available, Ken aims to achieve a tight […]
21 April 2023

Completing a bull ‘NCT’ ahead of breeding

Completing a bull ‘NCT’ ahead of breeding We are now in April and while there is still a focus on getting the last of the cows safely calved, we should now also be looking at next year’s crop of calves. One very important half of this equation is the stock bull. Only […]
20 April 2023

Key aspects of a synchronisation regimen for a suckler beef herd

Key aspects of a synchronisation regimen for a suckler beef herd Dr.Colin Byrne, researcher in Teagasc Grange, is on this week’s Beef Edge podcast to discuss key aspects of a synchronisation regimen for a suckler beef herd. Current usage of artificial insemination (AI) is low in Irish suckler herds and this has […]
19 April 2023