Articles
Black grass and how to eliminate it from your farm
Black grass and how to eliminate it from your farm Grass weeds are a problem on almost all farms in Ireland and the scale of the increase and the measures necessary to control them is less well known. Black grass is in every county in the country and while it can be […]
28 December 2023
Weed control and monitoring the BYDV challenge
Weed control and monitoring the BYDV challenge Very few winter cereal crops have received any herbicides so far in 2023. In this article, Shay Phelan, Teagasc Crops Specialist, looks at the options for weed control in winter barley, wheat and oilseed rape. While many will opt for spring applications for winter barley, […]
28 December 2023
Managing out blocks to ensure overall farm performance
Managing out blocks to ensure overall farm performance Growing and utilising high-quality, home-produced feed rather than depending on purchased in concentrates or bought in feed remains the most cost effective option for dairy farms. Over the last number of years, feed costs have increased by approximately 30% on farms. Fertiliser, contractor, spray […]
27 December 2023
An ideal time to review performance on your beef farm
An ideal time to review performance on your beef farm Now is the time to reflect on the strengths of your beef farming enterprise in 2023, and to identify any changes or improvements that can be made in the year ahead, writes Catherine Egan, Teagasc Beef Specialist. Like many years, 2023 has […]
27 December 2023
Sheep grazing forage crops
Sheep grazing forage crops Eamonn Dempsey, Teagasc Advisor, discusses the utilisation of forage crops for feeding sheep during the winter months. He highlights suitable crops, grazing management practices and considerations for maximising crop utilisation. Forage crops are available for feeding mainly from October to February, replacing grass which is either closed off […]
27 December 2023
Alternative bedding options
Alternative bedding options On this episode of the OviCast podcast, Teagasc Sheep Specialist, Ciarán Lynch was joined by Dr. Liz Genever, an independent sheep and beef consultant, who spoke on an on-farm project that she was involved in that examined various bedding options. Liz gave a background to the project, what bedding […]
26 December 2023
Planning for winter housing of sheep
Planning for winter housing of sheep Damian Costello, Sheep Specialist, Teagasc Animal & Grassland Research & Innovation Programme, Mellows Centre, Athenry, highlights the key factors to consider when housing ewes over the coming weeks. The high rainfall, particularly in the second half of the year, has made 2023 a difficult year on […]
26 December 2023
Assessing options to make your farm more resilient
Assessing options to make your farm more resilient Judging performance in a year such as this can give a very negative view of a farm business, writes Shay Phelan, Teagasc Crops Specialist, but it’s an opportunity to identify areas to make your farm more resilient in the years ahead. While December is […]
26 December 2023
Making informed decisions regarding farm stocking rate
Making informed decisions regarding farm stocking rate Following the Teagasc National Dairy Conference where attendees heard how pasture utilised was fundamental to our dairy systems, Teagasc Researcher Donal Patton joins James Dunne on the latest Dairy Edge podcast to explain how to make informed decisions regarding farm stocking rate. More episodes from […]
25 December 2023
The production of free-range geese
The production of free-range geese The rearing of geese can be a profitable enterprise on a farm. In many other areas of poultry, the use of artificial heating and lighting has led to year-round production. However, this is not the case for the production of geese. Geese are generally hatched from February […]
24 December 2023