Dairy
C.O.W – culling the right cows for you
C.O.W – culling the right cows for you The opportunity to voluntary cull cows has markedly increased in recent years due to improved reproductive performance. Since the removal of quotas, 6-week calving rate has improved by nine percentage units to 66% in 2022, reducing the need to involuntary cull empty or late […]
30 October 2023
Preparation is key for dry cow therapy
Preparation is key for dry cow therapy Katie Doyle, Dairy Advisor, tells us that with the upcoming drying off season and new regulations in place, preparation is key in our approach to dry cow therapy (DCT). In 2022 under the new Veterinary Medicines Regulation EU2019/6, changes were made in how veterinary practices […]
29 October 2023
Achieving sustainable workloads on dairy farms
Achieving sustainable workloads on dairy farms Understanding labour time use on dairy farms is key to identifying strategies to reduce labour demand and establishing sustainable workloads. In recent years, Irish dairy farms have expanded to meet increased demand for dairy products, resulting in larger farms with greater requirements for labour input. Simultaneously, […]
28 October 2023
Wet weather grazing practices back in play on Teagasc/Tirlán Future Farms
Wet weather grazing practices back in play on Teagasc/Tirlán Future Farms Sandra Hayes, Co-ordinator of the Teagasc/Tirlán Future Farm Programme, outlines how last week’s heavy rain has affected farmers, bringing about the rapid resumption of wet weather grazing practices. The weather has affected a number of things on all the farms. Many […]
24 October 2023
Assessing silage quantity and quality
Assessing silage quantity and quality Last week’s rainfall has forced many if not most dairy farmers to house cows on silage. In many cases, grazing will and should continue at least by day for a few weeks more, however conserved forage is now part of the cows’ diet until next spring. Joe […]
23 October 2023
Successfully implementing selective dry cow therapy
Successfully implementing selective dry cow therapy Pablo Silva Bolona, mastitis researcher at Teagasc Moorepark, is on this week’s Dairy Edge podcast to discuss his research and recommendations into successfully implementing selective dry cow therapy (SDCT) on farms for the drying off season in 2023. Pablo first explains the concept of selective dry […]
23 October 2023
How these dairy farmers more than halved chemical nitrogen applications
How these dairy farmers more than halved chemical nitrogen applications As part of Signpost Sustainability Month, dairy farmers John and Brendan Walsh detail the evolution in their farming practices in an effort to improve the sustainability of their farm system. Joining Emma-Louise Coffey on a recent episode of the Dairy Edge podcast, […]
23 October 2023
Evaluation of how chlorine-free cleaning protocols for milking equipment are applied on farms
Evaluation of how chlorine-free cleaning protocols for milking equipment are applied on farms A requirement for chlorine-free cleaning of milking equipment on-farm has been adopted by milk processors since January 2021. To address this scenario (and to compensate for the removal of chlorine), five new milking machine cleaning protocols have been developed […]
23 October 2023
How to achieve a greater work-life balance through reduced milking frequency
How to achieve a greater work-life balance through reduced milking frequency Dairy farmer Aidan Ahearne joins Emma-Louise Coffey on this week’s Dairy Edge podcast to discuss the practical implementation of 10 in 7 milking frequency on his farm. He outlines the benefits to work-life balance and animal welfare it brings, while also […]
16 October 2023
Impact of changes to Nitrates Derogation
Impact of changes to Nitrates Derogation The EU Commission decision to reduce the upper limit on organic N from 250kg N per ha to 220kg N per ha for Nitrates Derogation farms in designated catchment areas will have significant consequences for many dairy farms in 2024 and beyond. The Teagasc Nitrogen Report […]
16 October 2023