Dairy
Assessing roadway condition and associated cow flow
Assessing roadway condition and associated cow flow Irish dairy farming can maintain its global competitive edge by prioritising low-cost grass- based milk production and continuing with compact spring-calving systems. The temperate climate allows for high-quality pasture production over a long growing season; pasture-based diets offer environmental benefits and improved animal welfare, making […]
10 June 2024
Cow-calf contact systems in Irish dairying
Cow-calf contact systems in Irish dairying Alison Sinnott, Sarah McPherson, and Emer Kennedy recently undertook an experiment comparing two differing Cow-calf contact (CCC) systems to a more conventional Irish calf rearing system. Cow-calf contact (CCC) systems allow calves to remain with their mother post-calving and are regarded as a more favoured management […]
10 June 2024
Getting the best return from second-cut silage
0 Getting the best return from second-cut silage Ensuring that there are adequate fodder reserves in place for next winter is something each individual farmer needs to focus on throughout 2024 rather than being reliant on purchasing feed next winter to fill a deficit. Many farmers took early crops of first-cut this year, […]
9 June 2024
Feeding 3-NOP in Irish dairy systems
0 Feeding 3-NOP in Irish dairy systems Hazel Costigan, Laurence Shalloo and Ben Lahart tell us about research at Teagasc Moorepark which shows that the inhibitor 3-NOP can reduce enteric methane emissions by up to 22% in dairy cows. The majority of the agricultural sector’s total greenhouse gas emissions stem from enteric fermentation, […]
8 June 2024
Mid-season breeding decisions to improve farm profitability
0 Mid-season breeding decisions to improve farm profitability Effectively at half time, Michael Donoghue, B&T Dairy Advisor, Teagasc Galway/Clare, writes on the decisions farmers need to make in the second half of the 2024 breeding season to ensure it’s a success. Most spring-calving dairy herds are now entering the fifth week of the […]
5 June 2024
Patrick O’Neill, Sustainable Grassland Farmer of the Year, discusses his farming system
0 Patrick O’Neill, Sustainable Grassland Farmer of the Year, discusses his farming system Sustainable Grassland Farmer of the Year, Patrick O’Neill, and Teagasc Grass10 Manager, John Maher, join James Dunne on this week’s Dairy edge podcast to discuss Patrick’s award-winning farming system. Patrick outlines the farm performance, how he deals with adversity that […]
3 June 2024
Milk recording – take action to get value from the effort
0 Milk recording – take action to get value from the effort Dr Joe Patton, Teagasc Head of Dairy Knowledge Transfer, looks at the uptake of milk recording on farms nationally and explains why it’s essential to make use of the results. In the last 10 days alone, around 125,000 dairy cows in […]
3 June 2024
Celebrating World Milk Day with Teagasc Food Scientists
0 Celebrating World Milk Day with Teagasc Food Scientists World Milk Day was established by the FAO in 2001 to recognise the importance of milk as a global food. It is celebrated every year on the 1st of June. Irish dairy is famous worldwide for its grass-based production system which, as Teagasc research […]
1 June 2024
Water systems – very big troughs not the solution
0 Water systems – very big troughs not the solution Along with suitable paddocks and roadways, the role of a suitable water system in good grazing infrastructure can’t be overlooked. Factors such as adequate pipe sizes, suitable ballcocks, the size and location of water troughs, and the water flow rate all needed to […]
1 June 2024
The future of the grass seed industry
The future of the grass seed industry Germinal Technical Director, Mary McEvoy joins Stuart Childs on this week’s Dairy Edge podcast to discuss the future of the grass seed industry. Mary explains how the Pasture Profit Index (PPI) has changed the way farmers look at seed varieties and how the PPI, from […]
29 May 2024