Articles

Focus on wool quality and shearing

Focus on wool quality and shearing Jayne Harkness-Bones, Depot Manager with Ulster Wool, joins this week’s OviCast to discuss the factors that influence the quality of wool, the challenges in the marketplace in recent years and what happens to the wool from purchase until it reaches market. Joining OviCast host Ciaran Lynch, […]
11 June 2024

Watch: Steps to make shearing easier

Watch: Steps to make shearing easier As we approach mid-June, the shearing season is well and truly underway. In terms of annual workload, shearing is one of the busiest days on sheep farms. David Heraty of the Irish Wool Council provides some key tips in the below video to not only make […]
11 June 2024

What sets the top performing pig farms apart?

What sets the top performing pig farms apart? Compiled by the Teagasc Pig Development Department, an analysis of the performance of the pig farms that participated in the Teagasc Profit Monitor recording system in 2023 has highlighted some key trends. Based on the performance of 91 herds, the analysis is representative of […]
11 June 2024

Teagasc publishes Research Impact Highlights in 2023

Teagasc publishes Research Impact Highlights in 2023 Teagasc has highlighted the impact of some of its research in a new publication – Teagasc Research Impact Highlights in 2023. In any given year, the impact of Teagasc research is a combination of the continuing impact of past research and the new impact of […]
11 June 2024

Cashflow planning after a difficult spring

Cashflow planning after a difficult spring To say dairy farmers have endured a tough period on cashflow is an understatement. The last few months have been about doing the best we could with the conditions in front of us and generally this meant increased feeding with lower milk yield than expected. This […]
10 June 2024

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

Refining emissions from grassland peat soils

Refining emissions from grassland peat soils Patrick Tuohy, Owen Fenton, Lilian O’Sullivan and Conor Bracken tell us about Teagasc research which has revised estimates of greenhouse gas emissions from grassland peat soils, reducing them from 9Mt to 3.9Mt CO₂e annually. Greenhouse gas emissions from grassland peat soils were previously estimated at approximately […]
10 June 2024

Opportunity to correct BISS applications without penalty

Opportunity to correct BISS applications without penalty The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine has advised farmers of two important opportunities regarding corrections to their 2024 Basic Income Support for Sustainability (BISS) and other area-based schemes. The first of these are preliminary checks which will identify any over-claims, overlaps or dual […]
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