Dairy

Best practices to lower GHG and ammonia emissions ‘no threat’ to dairy profitability
Best practices to lower GHG and ammonia emissions ‘no threat’ to dairy profitability Research conducted at Solohead Research Farm has evaluated the impact of adopting key technologies to lower greenhouse gas (GHG) and ammonia emissions on the economic performance of grassland-based dairy production systems. The results of this study, conducted by Owen […]
11 September 2024

Manage grass to extend grazing
0 Manage grass to extend grazing From early September, there is still 20-25% of the total grass growing season remaining for 2024. Therefore, it’s important to meet your grazing objectives for the remainder of the year. These include: to build grass supply in order to extend the grazing season into early November; and, […]
9 September 2024

Listen: An update from the Tipperary Calf to Beef Demonstration Farm
0 Listen: An update from the Tipperary Calf to Beef Demonstration Farm Building a sustainable outlet for the ever-increasing dairy and dairy-beef calves coming from the dairy industry is a priority. There is a requirement to develop profitable dairy calf-to-beef systems using excellent dairy-beef genetics and grassland management. On this week’s Dairy Edge, […]
9 September 2024

Listen: The risk factors and preventing and controlling lameness
0 Listen: The risk factors and preventing and controlling lameness Dr. Neil Chesterton, a New Zealand vet who has been investigating risk factors for lameness since the 1980s, and Ger Cusack, practicing veterinary surgeon with Comeragh Veterinary in Waterford, join Stuart Childs on this week’s Dairy Edge podcast. Ger, who is well known […]
2 September 2024

Breeding for low methane emitting animals – what’s possible?
Breeding for low methane emitting animals – what’s possible? An upcoming webinar will highlight the research ongoing to investigate the potential of breeding for low emissions animals as a methane mitigation approach in both Ireland and New Zealand. The webinar titled: ‘Breeding for low methane emitting animals – what’s possible?’ will highlight […]
29 August 2024

Variation in weather having an impact on grass growth and utilisation
Variation in weather having an impact on grass growth and utilisation Joseph Dunphy, Grass10 Team, discusses challenges faced by dairy farmers this August due to unusual grass growth and grazing conditions, resulting in the need for increased supplementation and strategic grazing management to prepare for autumn. August is normally a more relaxed […]
27 August 2024

Trends in production costs and drivers of profit on Irish dairy farms
Trends in production costs and drivers of profit on Irish dairy farms The financial landscape for dairy producers has been substantially altered during the last 3-4 years with unprecedented fluctuations in both dairy product prices and costs of inputs. Patrick Gowing, Teagasc Dairy Specialist, joins James Dunne on this week‘s Dairy Edge […]
26 August 2024

Are your replacement heifers on track?
Are your replacement heifers on track? Achieving weight for age targets in heifer calves is important for future productivity of the herd. When visiting farms, we see huge ranges in growth performance of heifer calves throughout the rearing period. Throughout the first summer, variations from 12kg to 30kg gain per month are […]
26 August 2024

Decision support tools can facilitate more sustainable beef-on-dairy systems
Decision support tools can facilitate more sustainable beef-on-dairy systems Siobhan Ring, Senior Geneticist at the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF), tells us how tools such as the Dairy Beef Index and Commercial Beef Value can facilitate most sustainable beef-on-dairy systems. The dairy and beef sectors are intrinsically linked. Approximately 75-80% of calves […]
25 August 2024

Bovine TB in dairy herds: Taking action to reduce the risk of breakdown
Bovine TB in dairy herds: Taking action to reduce the risk of breakdown Levels of bovine TB have been rising since 2016. In June 2024, 5.12% of herds had a breakdown in the preceding 12 months, with 32,118 reactors in that period. This has resulted in 5,242 herds being restricted. Dairy herds […]
25 August 2024