Articles
Newford farm update – the move to Roscommon, calving preparation and performance review
Newford farm update – the move to Roscommon, calving preparation and performance review With the calving season underway, Michael Fagan, Teagasc Newford farm technician, is on this week’s Beef Edge podcast to give an insight into changes on the farm, preparation in advance of calving and a review performance of the herd. […]
21 February 2024
Malting barley continues to be in high demand from the Irish drinks industry
Malting barley continues to be in high demand from the Irish drinks industry The Teagasc/Boortmalt Malting Barley Conference was held yesterday, Tuesday, 20 February in Enniscorthy, Co. Wexford. The conference attendees included farmers and industry professionals involved in producing over 300,000 tonnes of malting barley to supply the Irish drinks sector every […]
21 February 2024
Four years of significant input price inflation in the horticulture sector
Four years of significant input price inflation in the horticulture sector Input price inflation in the horticulture sector in Ireland has been significant in recent years and 2024 is no exception, with average input prices rising across the horticultural sector. The Teagasc Horticulture Development Department has taken a snapshot of input prices […]
21 February 2024
Investigate birth deformities in calves or lambs – DAFM
Investigate birth deformities in calves or lambs – DAFM Farmers are advised to be vigilant and to ask their vet to refer any birth deformities in sheep or cattle to the nearest Regional Veterinary Laboratories (RVLs) for investigation. This follows an uptick in the number of confirmed cases of Schmallenberg virus (SBV) […]
20 February 2024
A busy calving and breeding season for Ken Gill, Future Beef Farmer
A busy calving and breeding season for Ken Gill, Future Beef Farmer Ken bred 14 heifers and 58 cows to AI bulls between November 1 and December 11, which amounts to a six-week breeding season. While it means that the replacement rate on the farm is closer to 30% than the target […]
20 February 2024
The importance of colostrum to suckler calves
The importance of colostrum to suckler calves As a means to protect the early-life health of calves, suckler farmers have been encouraged to prioritise the feeding of colostrum to their calves this spring. This message came from John Donlon, a Teagasc vet working in the area of beef herd health, who joined […]
20 February 2024
Scanning, condition score and preparing for lambing on the BETTER farms
Scanning, condition score and preparing for lambing on the BETTER farms For this week’s OviCast, host Ciaran Lynch is joined by Dr Frank Campion to get an update on the BETTER farm sheep flocks. They discuss this year’s scanning results, dealing with issues and benchmarking performance. Additionally, ewe condition score on the […]
20 February 2024
Controlling liver fluke – test don’t guess
Controlling liver fluke – test don’t guess The highly pathogenic nature of liver fluke, along with its complicated life-cycle and its ability to thrive in warm and wet summers, makes liver fluke a threat to sheep and cattle of all ages. That was a key message delivered by Dr Philip Skuce, Principal […]
20 February 2024
Hazell Mullins on how to achieve high herd health status
Hazell Mullins on how to achieve high herd health status ‘Vet on the Moove’ Hazell Mullins joins Emma-Louise Coffey on this week’s Dairy Edge podcast to discuss the priorities to achieve high herd health status and gives her tips to limit disease outbreaks this spring. Hazell identifies use of farm data, diagnostic […]
19 February 2024
Managing pregnant ewe lambs
Managing pregnant ewe lambs Many producers are lambing replacements at one year of age. These ewe lambs need to gain weight during pregnancy to enable them to progress in a timely manner towards mature body size. As a result, relative to a mature ewe of similar weight, a ewe lamb requires an […]
19 February 2024