Articles
Sustainability focus areas for 2024
Sustainability focus areas for 2024 Dr Siobhan Kavanagh from the Signpost Programme is on this week’s Beef Edge podcast to discuss what areas you can focus on to make your farm more sustainable in 2024. The Signpost Programme is a multi-annual campaign to lead climate action by all Irish farmers. The programme […]
24 January 2024
Watch: A guide on drafting cattle
Watch: A guide on drafting cattle Drafting cattle for slaughter when they are actually fit to kill is a key management component of successful calf-to-beef systems. At a fat score of 3+, the carcass weight potential of Holstein Friesian steers is maximised. Moving too early or too late can result in penalties […]
24 January 2024
Save slurry for your silage ground
Save slurry for your silage ground Although slurry spreading is now permitted in Zones A and B, farmers have been reminded to plan carefully and to apply slurry in the areas where it gives the best response. Speaking as part of an ASSAP / Signpost Programme webinar targeted at farmers in the […]
24 January 2024
Beef calves coming earlier in the dairy calving season
Beef calves coming earlier in the dairy calving season Due to the breeding policies in play on dairy farms, beef-sired calves from the dairy herd tended to reach the market in the second half of the spring calving season. Now through the adoption of key technologies such as sexed semen, the use […]
23 January 2024
Farmer Focus: Michael Forde on managing a sheep and beef system on a fragmented farm
Farmer Focus: Michael Forde on managing a sheep and beef system on a fragmented farm For this week’s OviCast, we head west to Corrandulla, Co. Galway, to hear from sheep and beef farmer Michael Forde. A participant on the BETTER Sheep Farm Programme, Michael first discusses his farming system and some of […]
23 January 2024
Drafting and scanning on the BETTER Sheep farms
Drafting and scanning on the BETTER Sheep farms Frank Campion of Teagasc AGRIC reports on lamb drafting and pregnancy scanning on the BETTER Sheep farms. On the Co. Carlow flock, store lambs were purchased in September for grazing forage brassica crops. These lambs were housed for 48 hours at first and went […]
23 January 2024
Views on dairy calf to beef action plan sought
Views on dairy calf to beef action plan sought Stakeholders of the beef and dairy sectors gathered in Portlaoise on Thursday, January 18th, for the launch of a 10-point action plan on supporting dairy calf to beef systems in Ireland. Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue T.D., addressed delegates […]
22 January 2024
NMP Online, helping to embrace change
NMP Online, helping to embrace change Dr. Padraig Foley, Technologist, Teagasc Johnstown Castle, joined Pat Murphy, Teagasc’s Head of Environment Knowledge Transfer, on the latest podcast version of the Signpost Series to discuss NMP Online, helping to embrace change. A questions and answers session took place at the end of the webinar […]
22 January 2024
Soil Sampling for ACRES Tranche 1
Soil Sampling for ACRES Tranche 1 Eamonn Dempsey, Teagasc Advisor, tells us that all participants in ACRES Tranche 1 must have valid soil sample results or soil sample exemption forms uploaded on the ACRES online system by the 15th May 2024. Under Conditionality the prohibited application period for chemical fertiliser and slurry […]
22 January 2024
Monitor ewe body condition score
Monitor ewe body condition score Despite relatively good grass growth last year, ewe body condition score (BCS) is back in many flocks. Maintaining ewe BCS mid pregnancy is essential for ewes that are in sub-optimal BCS at mating time. We have seen some flocks where 30-40% of the ewes are in sub-optimal […]
21 January 2024