Articles
Newford update: Calving progress, replacement heifers and managing through a wet spring
0 Newford update: Calving progress, replacement heifers and managing through a wet spring 89% of the cows in the Newford herd had calved up to March 24, writes Michael Fagan, who also details the management of the replacement heifers and grassland management on the farm now based in Co. Roscommon. Commencing on January […]
5 April 2024
Risk mitigation advice for tillage farms
0 Risk mitigation advice for tillage farms Challenging ground conditions on account of high levels of rainfall, first occurring at harvest 2023 and persisting through the winter cropping campaign, have continued to pose challenges on tillage farms this spring. That’s according to Dr Stan Lalor, Teagasc Director of Knowledge Transfer, who briefed the […]
5 April 2024
Natural Regeneration in Irish Woodlands: Germination
0 Natural Regeneration in Irish Woodlands: Germination In this series of articles on natural regeneration, it has been shown that there are four important principals governing this process; seed production, seed predation, germination and establishment. In this article, Kevin O’Connell takes a closer look at the seed germination process. Germination consists of three […]
5 April 2024
Sow mortality: why, who, where, when, what?
0 Sow mortality: why, who, where, when, what? Ciarán Carroll addresses the increasing sow mortality rates in Ireland, highlighting factors contributing to these rates, and outlines strategies for reducing mortality, emphasizing the importance of accurate records. By international levels, the Irish figure is not high. Data from InterPig 2022 shows sow mortality levels […]
5 April 2024
Management advice as the difficult spring moves into April
0 Management advice as the difficult spring moves into April With weather continuing to make management difficult on farms and considerably more rain on the way, the Teagasc Grass10 team has offered some key advice to farmers as part of its weekly newsletter. Grazing has been disrupted on many farms this spring. Complicating […]
4 April 2024
Learnings from Ballyhaise – managing through a difficult spring
0 Learnings from Ballyhaise – managing through a difficult spring Like many farms across the country, the dairy research herd at Teagasc Ballyhaise has been dealing with the difficulties ensuing from a wet spring. As part of the ‘Managing the herd in current weather conditions’ webinar held on April 2, Donal Patton detailed […]
4 April 2024
How do we best feed the dairy cow in the current situation?
0 How do we best feed the dairy cow in the current situation? With difficult grazing conditions extending into early April, decisions made over the coming days and weeks will have either a positive or negative impact on the body condition score, milk production capacity and the success of the upcoming breeding season […]
4 April 2024
Time to reset and plan again
0 Time to reset and plan again Tillage farmers are in unchartered waters at the moment, writes Ciaran Collins, Teagasc Crops Specialist. We have had wet autumns and wet springs in the past, but the autumn 2023 / spring 2024 combination is new. 2023 came close but dry weather in February allowed most […]
4 April 2024
Jim McCarthy’s update from Romania
0 Jim McCarthy’s update from Romania Jim McCarthy joins the Tillage Edge again this week with the latest on managing the 16,000 hectare farm in Romania and to share some insights on the global grain trade. Jim discusses the agronomy of growing crops in Romania and how the farm is growing most of […]
4 April 2024
Fragmented farm? That shouldn’t prevent you managing grass for sheep
0 Fragmented farm? That shouldn’t prevent you managing grass for sheep It boils down to providing a constant supply of high quality grass to ewes and lambs throughout the grazing season. Damian Costello, Sheep Specialist, and Keith Fahy, Drystock Advisor, tell us more. A good rule of thumb for a lowland sheep enterprise […]
3 April 2024