Articles
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
Farm fresh turkey production for the Christmas market
Farm fresh turkey production for the Christmas market Turkey production can be an additional enterprise to many farms and can increase farm income, writes Rebecca Tierney, Teagasc Poultry Advisor. Farm fresh turkey production refers to the growing of turkeys in smaller units, when compared to the large-scale contract commercial all-year-round production. Turkeys […]
23 December 2023
The Christmas tree – a festive focus
The Christmas tree – a festive focus As you decorate and admire the festive centrepiece that is your Christmas tree, you may not realise that its tradition originated in central Europe, particularly in Germany and the Baltic countries in the sixteenth century. Tom Houlihan, Teagasc Forestry Development Department, tells us more. At […]
22 December 2023
The strengths & opportunities for the Irish pig sector in 2024
The strengths & opportunities for the Irish pig sector in 2024 On this our 50th episode of the Pig Edge podcast, we reflect on the strengths of our industry and look to the opportunities that lie ahead. Heather Peppard, Nutritionist with Brett Brothers, and Roy Gallie, pig and tillage farmer and Chair […]
22 December 2023