Dairy
Managing Somatic Cell Count this spring
0 Managing Somatic Cell Count this spring Elevated Somatic Cell Count (SCC) is a hidden cost on dairy farms. Unless a clinical case of mastitis is seen and treated, raised SCC levels are rarely acted upon. James Dunne, Teagasc dairy specialist, outlines the steps farmers should take to manage SCC in freshly-calved cows. […]
8 February 2023
The importance of employer compliance and legislation
0 The importance of employer compliance and legislation Clarissa O’Nuallain, HR Services Manager with IFAC, joins Stuart Childs on the latest Dairy Edge podcast to discuss the legislation that affects employers and that is very important for farmers who are employing people to be aware of. Clarissa emphasised the importance of contracts being […]
7 February 2023
Options to limit summer scour in calves
0 Options to limit summer scour in calves Some farms have encountered problems with summer scour syndrome in weaned calves over recent years. On this week’s Let’s Talk Dairy Webinar, Teagasc Dairy Specialist Stuart Childs discussed the best practice around weaning and a number of steps farmers can take to limit this syndrome […]
6 February 2023
Age at slaughter and in spec traits added to DBI
0 Age at slaughter and in spec traits added to DBI Additional measures – including a carbon sub-index, age of slaughter and an in spec composite trait – have been added to the DairyBeef Index (DBI) as part of the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation’s latest evaluation of the beef breeding tool for dairy […]
3 February 2023
‘Our ultimate aim is to try and breed the best beef animals that we can’
0 ‘Our ultimate aim is to try and breed the best beef animals that we can’ Calf quality is often mooted as a reason for the high attrition rates of dairy-beef producers nationally, with just 39% of those engaged in this system in year one doing so at the end of year five. […]
3 February 2023
Let’s Talk Dairy – Housing guidelines for young calves
Let’s Talk Dairy – Housing guidelines for young calves On this episode of Let’s Talk Dairy which took place on Thursday, 19th January 2023, George Ramsbottom, Teagasc Dairy Specialist was joined by Patrick Gowing, Teagasc Dairy Specialist to discuss housing guidelines for young calves The webinar was run in conjunction with the […]
30 January 2023
Solving the mystery about grass-clover swards
Solving the mystery about grass-clover swards Over the last year, discussion has emerged around the adoption of new grassland management practices that have the potential to improve farm performance. A trending topic has been the introduction of clover into grazing swards. Despite efforts to promote its adoption, not much is known about […]
27 January 2023
Using slurry to grow grass in 2023
Using slurry to grow grass in 2023 Using slurry efficiently in 2023 will be essential in controlling input costs on Irish farms. Chemical fertiliser prices still continue to stay high and in this piece from this week’s Grass 10 newsletter, William Burchill, Teagasc/Dairygold Joint Programme, discusses three key points to maximising the […]
26 January 2023
Labour saving this spring
Labour saving this spring The workload in spring makes up over one-third of the total hours needed to run a farm per year. Many farm owners are working in excess of 80 hours per week in spring and overcoming this workload can be a challenge on many farms. The main spring labour […]
24 January 2023
A Game Changer for Calf Gut Health?
A Game Changer for Calf Gut Health? For the second part of the interview with Tommy the Vet, Stuart talks to Tommy about Precision Microbes, a complementary feed for calves that he thinks is going to be game changing for calf gut health. Tommy first discusses how he came to have an […]
23 January 2023