Dairy
Examine costs early to make better financial decisions
Examine costs early to make better financial decisions Patrick Gowing, Teagasc Dairy Specialist, points the way to the use of the Teagasc eProfit Monitor Forward Planner as a tool to make better financial decisions for the remainder of the year. 2022 was a record year for dairy farm profitability. Although costs increased […]
29 May 2023
Actions to improve milk protein percentage in May and June
Actions to improve milk protein percentage in May and June John McCabe, Teagasc/Aurivo Joint Programme Advisor, looks at the factors affecting and the steps to take to improve milk protein percentage in May and June. Figure 1 below from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) indicates a few different things to us. Firstly, […]
28 May 2023
A win for grazing and a win for winter feed
A win for grazing and a win for winter feed Looking back to two weeks ago, conditions were closer to winter than they were summer. But the past week of sunshine has brought a well needed break from the thundery showers and heavy rainfall experienced across the country during March and April. […]
22 May 2023
Milking efficiency of rotary and herringbone parlours
Milking efficiency of rotary and herringbone parlours Milking efficiency is often defined as the number of cows milked per hour, or cows milked per operator per hour. In order to achieve optimum milking efficiency, there must be successful engagement between factors that can have most impact on the milking process such as […]
20 May 2023
Improving cow flow for efficient milking
Improving cow flow for efficient milking Labour studies undertaken by Teagasc have shown that milking represents up to one third of a dairy farmer’s daily workload. To point the way to practices that can make this daily task more efficient, Padraig O’Connor joined James Dunne on a recent Let’s Talk Dairy webinar, […]
18 May 2023
Delaying silage cutting date will have a negative effect on quality and quantity
Delaying silage cutting date will have a negative effect on quality and quantity James Dunne, Teagasc Dairy Specialist, outlines the reasons why you should avoid delaying silage harvesting and looks at the quality of silage needed on dairy farms this year. Grass silage makes up around a quarter of the annual feed […]
15 May 2023
Best Practice in Milking Courses start this week
Best Practice in Milking Courses start this week The first of a number of Best Practice in Milking Courses gets underway this week. Developed in conjunction with Teagasc, Animal Health Ireland, and FRS Network, participants will develop their skills as a milker to ensure all cows are milked effectively and efficiently. The […]
15 May 2023
Top five tips for May and the correct paddock size
Top five tips for May and the correct paddock size Joe Patton, Head of Dairy Knowledge Transfer Teagasc, gives his top five tips for May and offers advice on moving to 24-hour grazing blocks. Milk production costs have risen significantly in the last 24 months. This was masked last year by strong […]
14 May 2023
Let’s Talk Dairy – achieving grazing success through the Heavy Soils Programme
Let’s Talk Dairy – achieving grazing success through the Heavy Soils Programme On this episode of Let’s Talk Dairy, host James Dunne, Teagasc Dairy Specialist, is joined by Pat Tuohy, Teagasc, to give an insight into the Teagasc Heavy Soils Programme – Achieving Grazing Success. Elsewhere in the webinar, John Maher, Teagasc […]
13 May 2023
How to minimise nitrate loss in farming to help improve water quality
How to minimise nitrate loss in farming to help improve water quality On this week’s episode of the Dairy Edge, Edward Burgess, Agricultural Catchments Specialist, talks about minimising nitrate loss in farming to help improve water quality. Edward first explains the Agricultural Catchments Programme, what it does and how it contributes to […]
12 May 2023