Dairy
Summer stocking rate effects on cow performance & silage stocks
0 Summer stocking rate effects on cow performance & silage stocks With Spring milk supply down on many farms due to poor weather conditions this Spring, focus must be on maintaining good cow performance over the next few months. Martina Gormley tells us that summer stocking rate can have a big effect on […]
6 May 2024
A breeding plan to improve beef merit and maintain calving traits
0 A breeding plan to improve beef merit and maintain calving traits Limerick dairy farmer, Niall Moloney places a firm focus on calving ease and gestation length when selecting beef sires for use on his dairy herd, but that doesn’t mean the beef merit of the calves produced can’t be improved. Niall, married […]
4 May 2024
Bull teams: Equal usage required to lessen risk
0 Bull teams: Equal usage required to lessen risk With the breeding season kicking into gear on many farms, Teagasc and ICBF recommend that teams of AI bulls are used when breeding dairy cows and heifers. Selected on the basis of breeding replacement heifers, a balanced team of dairy AI sires should be […]
1 May 2024
A game of thirds – splitting the beef team by gestation
0 A game of thirds – splitting the beef team by gestation Milking 170 cows on a 55ha grazing platform in Kilconieron, Co. Galway, David Gannon will follow a beef breeding programme to enhance the beef characteristics and merit of his calves – especially those born in the shoulders of the calving season. […]
1 May 2024
Shedding light on the cost of lameness
Shedding light on the cost of lameness A recent paper published in the Veterinary Ireland Journal has shed light on the potential costs associated with lameness in Irish dairy herds. Authored by Muireann Conneely, Teagasc Research Officer, and Eoin Ryan, Professor in veterinary science, UCD, the paper discussed the effects that lameness […]
30 April 2024
Producing quality beef calves to ensure repeat custom
Producing quality beef calves to ensure repeat custom Milking 75 Friesian cows in Pallasgreen, Co. Limerick, Seán Barry is following a dairy-beef breeding programme centred on the use of high Dairy Beef Index sires, with individual bulls selected for heifers, second calvers and mature cows. Seán, who works closely with his father […]
29 April 2024
Now is a good time to assess your cash flow
Now is a good time to assess your cash flow Hopefully the bad weather of spring 2024 is behind us and we will move into more favourable weather for the remainder of the year. Now is a good time to take stock of where the farm sits and the cash position of […]
29 April 2024
DairyBeef 500 Ambassador shares 2024 beef breeding plan
DairyBeef 500 Ambassador shares 2024 beef breeding plan On this week’s episode of the Dairy Edge, Stuart Childs is joined by David Gannon, Aurivo Joint Programme Monitor Farmer and DairyBeef 500 Ambassador, and John McCabe, Monitor Farm advisor with the Aurivo Joint Programme, to discuss the beef breeding plan for David’s farm […]
29 April 2024
Early May harvest essential for winter milk silage
Early May harvest essential for winter milk silage Profitable winter milk systems rely on the availability of high quality silage, with 75-80DMD targeted to lessen the requirement for concentrate feed over the winter months. Speaking as part of the recent ‘Protecting Margins on Winter Milk farms after a tough Spring’ webinar, Advisor […]
25 April 2024
The milk production benefits of incorporating white clover in grass swards
The milk production benefits of incorporating white clover in grass swards Since 2013, researchers in Teagasc Moorepark and Clonakilty have been looking at the benefits incorporating white clover into grass swards can bring. Along with reducing the requirement for chemical nitrogen, milk production benefits have been witnessed. The sustainability of Irish milk […]
24 April 2024