Articles
Prioritise actions to improve water quality
Prioritise actions to improve water quality The Irish agricultural sector, encompassing both farmers and the wider industry, must prioritise actions to bring about an improvement in water quality, Dr David Wall, Enterprise Leader at Teagasc Johnstown Castle, told the recent Teagasc Water Quality Conference. “Actions on water quality are needed to protect […]
23 February 2024
Natural Regeneration in Irish Woodlands: Seed Production
Natural Regeneration in Irish Woodlands: Seed Production Kevin O’Connell discusses the process of natural regeneration of trees and woodlands from seeds produced and germinated on site, focusing on four key principles: seed production, seed predation, germination, and establishment, and details factors influencing seed production such as tree age and size Natural regeneration […]
23 February 2024
Water disinfection by chlorination
Water disinfection by chlorination Clean drinking water is essential for the growth and development of pigs and as such, plays a key role in animal performance, writes Emer McCrum. The provision of clean drinking water is therefore essential to support all stages and ages of pigs. Younger animals in particular however are […]
23 February 2024
Improvements to National Genotyping Programme to speed up blue card returns
Improvements to National Genotyping Programme to speed up blue card returns Despite 98% of samples being processed in less than seven days, the ICBF has confirmed that it will make a number of changes to the National Genotyping Programme to help speed up the returning of animal passports (blue cards). In a […]
22 February 2024
Does night-time feeding reduce night-time calvings?
Does night-time feeding reduce night-time calvings? Some farmers may be implementing a feeding strategy where silage is restricted to suckler cows during daylight hours, instead being offered at night time, to reduce the incidence of night-time calvings. However, the implementation of such a strategy is no guarantee of reducing the number of […]
22 February 2024
Research verifies low carbon footprint of Irish grain
Research verifies low carbon footprint of Irish grain New Teagasc research on the Tirlán grain pool has shown that Irish grain has one of the lowest carbon footprints in the world. Tirlán, in conjunction with Teagasc, invested in developing a new LCA model which was used to complete Ireland’s first carbon footprint […]
22 February 2024
Giving this year’s malting barley crop the best start
Giving this year’s malting barley crop the best start Malting barley plays an important role on many Irish tillage farms, from where 300,000 tonnes are produced to supply the Irish drinks sector annually. As part of the recent Teagasc/Boortmalt Malting Barley Conference, growers were reminded of the importance of having the correct […]
22 February 2024
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