Environment
Assessing soil carbon stocks accurately
Assessing soil carbon stocks accurately New Teagasc research just published highlights the consequences of not measuring soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks in Irish grassland soils precisely. Quantifying changes in SOC, either carbon sequestration or losses into the atmosphere, requires accurate determination of soil bulk density, which is only achieved by accounting for […]
23 February 2024
Prioritise actions to improve water quality
Prioritise actions to improve water quality The Irish agricultural sector, encompassing both farmers and the wider industry, must prioritise actions to bring about an improvement in water quality, Dr David Wall, Enterprise Leader at Teagasc Johnstown Castle, told the recent Teagasc Water Quality Conference. “Actions on water quality are needed to protect […]
23 February 2024
Protected urea – protecting the environment and delivering for farmers
Protected urea – protecting the environment and delivering for farmers Áine Murray, Donal Patton, Philip Creighton and Brian McCarthy tell us how switching to protected urea reduces greenhouse gas and ammonia emissions, with plot experiments showing no significant difference in grass production between protected urea and conventional fertilizers. Although nitrogen (N) fertilisers […]
19 February 2024
Part 2: Dublin City farming in the 1950s
Part 2: Dublin City farming in the 1950s A thriving agricultural industry was going on in Dublin city in the 1950s, from pigs and horses to cows. In the second of a two-part series on the Environment Edge podcast, Mary Kennedy and Mick Denver chat to us about the pirates of Mud […]
19 February 2024
Watch: Signpost Series – Community led action for wetlands
Watch: Signpost Series – Community led action for wetlands On this episode of The Signpost Series, host Pat Murphy, Head of Environment Knowledge Transfer, Teagasc was joined by Dr. Mícheál Callaghan, Community Wetlands Forum to discuss community led action for wetlands: Lessons from the Community Wetlands Forum. A questions and answers session […]
18 February 2024
Farmers face additional water quality inspections
Farmers face additional water quality inspections An increased number of water quality inspections, relating to reducing the impact agricultural activities – both within the farmyard and on farmland – have on water quality, are on the cards for 2024. Speaking from the recent Teagasc Water Quality Conference, Ray Cullinane, Senior Inspector at […]
16 February 2024
Workshop to promote pollinator-friendly farming
Workshop to promote pollinator-friendly farming Farmland Biodiversity Research Officer, Saorla Kavanagh is the coordinating expert at the upcoming workshop Promoting pollinator-friendly farming that will take place in Ljubljana, Slovenia on June 18-19, 2024. Focussing on innovation, knowledge exchange and EIP-Agri, the EU CAP Network are looking for participants to contribute to the […]
16 February 2024
Interim ACRES payment rates confirmed
Interim ACRES payment rates confirmed Further details on the interim payments to participants in Tranche 1 of the Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES) who have not yet received their advance payments for participation in the scheme have been announced. Having previously announced that an interim payment would be made, the Minister for […]
15 February 2024
Organically farmed area triples since 2020
0 Organically farmed area triples since 2020 Following the announcement that 1,050 new applicants will participate in the Organic Farming Scheme this year, bringing the total to over 5,000, the area being farmed organically in Ireland is set to triple since 2020. As of the latest tranche of the Organic Farming Scheme, the […]
7 February 2024
Part 1: Dublin city farming and the big flood in the 1950s
0 Part 1: Dublin city farming and the big flood in the 1950s A thriving agricultural industry was going on in Dublin city in the 1950s, from pigs and horses to cows. In the first of a two-part series, Mary Kennedy and Mick Denver chat to us about the rare auld times as […]
6 February 2024