Farming for a Better Future 2026

Join us on Wednesday, 10^th June at Teagasc, Johnstown Castle, Co. Wexford for a Farming for a Better Future 2026 event.

The theme of this year’s open day is ‘Innovating for Healthy Soils and Clean Water’ and will focus on protecting soil health and improving water quality at the farm systems level.  The Open Day will demonstrate how to build resilient soils and improve water quality across dairy-beef, organic, spring and winter milk and tillage farming systems.

What to expect on the day?

Along the route at this years’ open day, visitors can expect to hear the latest research through practical demonstrations across a range of topics on assessing your soil health, building carbon stocks, actions for improving water quality, efficient nitrogen use, managing grassland swards, enhancing farmland biodiversity and manure management technologies.

Our team at Teagasc Johnstown will demonstrate actions and technologies in cross cutting themes in gaseous emissions, farmland biodiversity, grassland swards and manure management. The co-benefits of technologies and actions across the topics will be identified along the route on the day.

As well as demonstrating the technologies and research, the Johnstown Castle Open Day will showcase the supports available to farmers across a range of farm systems.  Farmers will get the latest information on sustainable fertiliser technologies and Better Farming for Water Campaign strategies to mitigate losses of phosphorus, sediment and nitrogen to water under three pillars of our water quality campaign: nutrient management, farmyard management and land management. In addition, the ASSAP programme advisors will be on hand to discuss practical methods to protect water quality on your farm and to prepare for seasonal changes in weather in the future.  The latest learnings from the Signpost Programme on climate action for all Irish farmers will also be on show.

Water Quality

Understand how farming practices influence water quality and what you can do to protect it

• Learn the 8 key actions to improve water quality
• Explore support from the Better Farming for Water Campaign and Water EIP
• Discover strategies to reduce nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment loss to water will be discussed under three pillars: nutrient management, farmyard management and land / soil management.

Soil Health

Understand the soils beneath our feet. Practices and technologies to protect and enhance soil health on Irish farms

• Get the latest information on how to evaluate and enhance soil health,
• Rapid methods to assess soil health
• Practices to prevent soil compaction and physical damage of soils
• Management options for promoting healthy soil biology and enhancing soil biodiversity

Soil Fertility

Understand how nutrients behave in different soil types.  Soil fertility management and new research on latest fertiliser and soil amendment technologies.

• Build your understanding of how nutrients/fertiliser inputs respond in different soil types and how to maximise their efficient use
• Find out about strategies for grassland and tillage crops nutrition and making the best use of organic manures
• Discover new fertiliser technologies
• Latest research on slurry additives and soil amendments

Gaseous emissions (GHGs & Ammonia)

Strategies to reduce gaseous emissions and adopting new strategies to help cope with changing weather patterns on farms

• Find out sources of GHG and ammonia emissions on your farm
• Practices to help reduce them, including strategies for grassland and tillage farms, for fertiliser management and manure management
• Experiences from farmers in the Signpost Programme will be discussed and what practical steps they have implemented on these  farms to reduce gaseous emissions

Carbon Sequestration

Understanding carbon farming schemes and initiatives and the potential for carbon sequestration in soils

• Find out about practices to sequester carbon in grassland and tillage soils and in hedges, forestry and habitats on farms
• Learn about how the Carbon Footprint is measured, and how carbon sequestration and GHG emissions will be reported and verified in future Carbon Farming Schemes / initiatives

Biodiversity

Learn about evidence-based actions to enhance farmland biodiversity that will positively impact farm resilience and productivity.

• Retaining and enhancing farmland biodiversity and creating new habitats

Grassland Management

Grass management in grazing rotations, including the management of swards with more diverse plant species

• Key management tips for maximising the production, quality and utilisation of grass in grazing animals diet
• Understanding how to manage grass-clover swards, multispecies swards and the benefits for the animal and environment of including different plant species in grassland swards, including plantain

Dairy Systems

Dairy cow nutrition management for winter milk production. Spring calving dairy herd performance and grassland management of multispecies swards and grass clover.

• Updates on animal breeding for productivity, health & fertility and environmental traits
• Insights on new research on dairy cow nutrition for winter milk production systems and new research on alternative protein sources in concentrate feeds
• Information of new feed additives to reduce biogenic methane emissions
• Update and information on spring milk production from multispecies swards – 6 years on!

Dairy Beef Systems

Optimising calf rearing and calf health. Setting targets and blueprints and performance of dairy-beef production systems

• Demonstrations of calf health and calf rearing
• New research finding from dairy-beef on different grass sward types and winter forages
• Latest blueprints for dairy-beef production systems will be presented including production, environmental sustainability and economic targets

Tillage Systems

Tillage soil management and crop nutrition for resilient tillage systems.

• Information to help maintain tillage soil health and maximise the efficiency of nutrient inputs for crop production
• Understanding the Carbon footprint of Irish grain and practices which reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve water quality on tillage farms

Organic Farming Systems

Principles of organic farming explained

• Optimising soils and grassland swards for organic production
• Organic weanling-to-beef production system update
• Build understanding on how successful organic farms operate
• Information on successful production of winter fodder crops for organic farms, including red clover and combi-crops
• Information on the organic suckler weanling to beef production research from Johnstown Castle

Advisory, Education & Policy

How advisory services can support your business

• Understanding agri-environmental policy for your farm
• Information on agri-environmental schemes and farming supports
• Training and education in agriculture
• Meet advisors and training providers to find out what supports are available for you and your farming business
• Find out about the supports and income available through agri schemes and grants
• Discuss agri-environmental policy that may affect your far
• Get the latest information on training and education courses to improve your skills and knowledge in agriculture or to further your career

Farming Lifestyle and Farm Safety

Come and see the Health and Safety demonstrations concerning animal handling, machinery operation, and get information and find out about resources to support the health and wellbeing of farmers