Dairy
Getting ready for the 2024 dairy season
0 Getting ready for the 2024 dairy season Decisions made over the next few weeks will have long-lasting consequences for the profitability for the dairy business in 2024, writes Michael Donoghue, B&T Dairy Advisor, Teagasc Galway/Clare. Most spring-calving herds are now 2-3 weeks away from calving. Hopefully cows on most dairy farms have […]
8 January 2024
How to maximise the value of slurry
0 How to maximise the value of slurry Pat Tuohy and William Burchill join Emma-Louise Coffey on this week’s Dairy Edge podcast to discuss how farmers can maximise the value of slurry through tactical use and having optimum storage facilities on farm. At the outset, William says, if you are not prepared to […]
8 January 2024
Teagasc in Tanzania
0 Teagasc in Tanzania Paul Maher & Padraig French discuss an agricultural development project, titled ‘Maziwa Faida’ funded by Irish Aid in collaboration with partners in Tanzania, aimed at enhancing dairy production research & extension capabilities in the Tanga region to benefit small dairy farming households. Teagasc staff have been working on an […]
7 January 2024
How some farmers are achieving an average 8 hour working day on farm
0 How some farmers are achieving an average 8 hour working day on farm Marion Beecher joins Emma-Louise Coffey on this week’s episode of The Dairy Edge to discuss a recent case study of farmers who achieve an average 8 hour working day on their dairy farm throughout the year. Marion explains that […]
6 January 2024
Achieving 100 SCC in the first 100 days
0 Achieving 100 SCC in the first 100 days Somatic cell count (SCC) is a key indicator of intramammary infection, which compromises udder health. SCC of less than 100,000 cells/ml is the objective to maximise milk production and milk revenues. Any increase in SCC above 100,000 is associated with a reduction in animal […]
2 January 2024
Wholefarm Nitrogen Use Efficiency
0 Wholefarm Nitrogen Use Efficiency William Burchill, FBD Lecturer in Soil Science in UCC, is on this week’s Dairy Edge podcast discussing Nitrogen Use Efficiency (NUE) from a wholefarm point of view but also from the point of nitrogen applied. William explains how wholefarm Nitrogen Use Efficiency works and then how NUE can […]
1 January 2024
Make safety at calving a priority for 2024
0 Make safety at calving a priority for 2024 Accidents relating to livestock on farms are not inevitable and can be prevented through careful planning and task organisation during the busy times of the farming year. Livestock-related incidents account for 25% of Irish farm accidents and 15% of farm mortality among older farmers. […]
1 January 2024
Future-proofing winter-milk systems
Future-proofing winter-milk systems The Johnstown Castle dairy herd was established in 2003 to provide a base for winter-milk research within Teagasc. Readily available, high-quality pasture during a long grazing season makes the Irish dairy industry highly seasonable. During the winter period, most spring-calving cows are non-lactating. As a result, winter-milk is a […]
31 December 2023
Part-time dairy farm employees – developing mutually beneficial working relationships
Part-time dairy farm employees – developing mutually beneficial working relationships To remain competitive with other sectors, it is necessary for dairy farms to become more attractive workplaces, and to meet the changing career-lifestyle expectations of the available workforce. The increase in dairy farm scale since milk quota abolition has created new employment […]
30 December 2023
Pre-calving feeding impacts on calf health – latest findings
Pre-calving feeding impacts on calf health – latest findings The effects of dairy cow feeding on calf health are mediated through colostrum formation and, consequently, calf immunity, and, ultimately, mortality. The nutritional adequacy of the forage and supplementary diet fed and the metabolic status and body condition score (BCS) of the dam […]
28 December 2023