Articles
What five years organic has taught us
Brian Meredith and his father Keith quickly learnt that the sky was not going to fall in when they went organic, although the first couple of years did bring a certain amount of worry and anxiety for them both. Siobhan Kavanagh, Marianne Mulhall and Bernadette Bennett write on some of the changes they’ve witnessed.
10 August 2026
Farmers more worried about climate change than people think
Both farmers and non-farmers worry about climate change and say they are willing to take action. But they underestimate each other's worry and willingness, according to new research by the ESRI's Behavioural Research Unit.
7 August 2026
Signpost update: Harvest 2026, cover crop establishments and AgNav
Tom Barry, Signpost Programme Tillage farmer, brings us up to date with the latest happenings from his farm in Cork, focusing on the performance of winter crops, cover crop establishments and the carbon footprint of his oat crops.
5 August 2026
Grass to gas: A win for farmers and the environment
Fiona Thorne, Adriana Ferreira Maluf Braga and JJ Lenehan explore some of the opportunities available in anaerobic digestion and provide an overview of some of the research ongoing in Teagasc, Grange.
24 July 2026
Straw: to chop or not? Practical considerations for your farm
With the dry hot weather, harvest 2026 has started earlier than expected. Many winter barley growers have rows of golden straw ready for baling with no immediate panic on getting them baled and collected. But what about the remaining crops in a few weeks’ time; will the weather hold dry? Will there be buyers for this year’s straw? Are there alternatives to baling which make financial sense? John Mahon, Teagasc Signpost Tillage Programme Advisor, tells us more.
16 July 2026
Signpost update: Winter forage, breeding and finishing with Kay O’Sullivan
Very much a case of if it’s not broken, don’t fix it, Kay O’Sullivan, organic farmer and participant in the Teagasc Future Beef and Signpost Programmes, tells us about the benefits she’s seen from growing forage crops as a winter food source over the last five years.
14 July 2026
Signpost update: Silage and lamb sales plans
Michael Forde, a participant in the Teagasc Better Farm Sheep and Signpost Programmes, fills us in on lamb performance, silage harvesting and beef cattle performance.
25 June 2026
A Somers’ evening to remember
Hundreds of visitors of all ages attended the Somers family’s tillage farm in Oylegate, County Wexford today, June 17, for an open evening demonstrating how tillage farming and nature can work together.
17 June 2026
Four decades of missed opportunity
The challenges facing and opportunities available to the Irish agricultural sector were made clear to all who attended the Farming for a Better Future Open Day at Teagasc Johnstown Castle on June 10. Worryingly though, an effective solution that has been readily available for generations has largely been underutilised.
16 June 2026
Tips on improving your vegetable garden, from an award-winning farmer
In a recent RTÉ Brainstorm article, Siobhán Kavanagh and John Mahon share Don Somer's tips from his farm that can be applied to home gardens, especially by those wanting to grow their own vegetables.
12 June 2026