Articles
Improving cow flow for efficient milking
Improving cow flow for efficient milking Labour studies undertaken by Teagasc have shown that milking represents up to one third of a dairy farmer’s daily workload. To point the way to practices that can make this daily task more efficient, Padraig O’Connor joined James Dunne on a recent Let’s Talk Dairy webinar, […]
18 May 2023
Spring cereal weed control and preventing resistance on your farm
Spring cereal weed control and preventing resistance on your farm Weed control is as important as ever in spring cereals and Ciaran Collins and Shay Phelan, both Tillage specialists in Teagasc, along with Vijaya Bhaskar, a weed researcher in Teagasc, are on this week’s Tillage Edge podcast to chat about the best […]
18 May 2023
Tillage advice: Challenging choices for some as growth kicks into gear
Tillage advice: Challenging choices for some as growth kicks into gear Michael Hennessy, Teagasc Head of Crops Knowledge Transfer, gives an update on crop performance and looks at some of the difficult decisions facing farmers who have planting outstanding. Crop growth has really kicked into the gear following the lovely weather over […]
18 May 2023
Watch: Using VESS for the visual examination of soils
Watch: Using VESS for the visual examination of soils Visual Soil Examination and Evaluation (VSEE) techniques are procedures for visually and tactilely evaluating soil structure. Techniques have been designed to examine both the topsoil and subsoil, focusing on the impact of management on soil structural quality. Some procedures are semi-quantitative and include […]
18 May 2023
Mid-season dosing for dairy-bred calves
Mid-season dosing for dairy-bred calves Dairy-bred calves may have been at grass for 5-6 weeks. Despite the poor weather, lungworm and gut worm exposure may result in the requirement for treatment for these animals at this stage of the year, Alan Dillon, DairyBeef 500 Campaign Co-Ordinator tells us more. Parasites of importance […]
17 May 2023
Grass10: Time to act as growth passes demand
Grass10: Time to act as growth passes demand Growth rates on both dairy and beef farms have passed demand this week. Figures from PastureBase Ireland show that growth rates of 73kg DM/ha/day have been recorded on dairy farms, with demand standing at 59kg DM/ha/day. Meanwhile, on drystock farms, the PastureBase figure for […]
17 May 2023
Making quality silage to offset the rising meal price
Making quality silage to offset the rising meal price It is difficult to predict next winter’s concentrate prices. Beef farmers who have been growing or finishing cattle will need to offset the rising meal price by improving the quality of silage they make, which will allow them to feed less meal per […]
16 May 2023
Establishing and managing companion forages in a sheep sward
Establishing and managing companion forages in a sheep sward For this week’s OviCast, we chat to post-graduate student Lisa McGrane about some of the factors influencing the establishment and persistency of companion herb and legume forages in sheep swards. Lisa discusses some of the work they have undertaken in the area, examining […]
16 May 2023
Nutrient management of white clover swards
Nutrient management of white clover swards The benefits of white clover tend to occur from May onwards, as sward white clover content increases. The main benefits of white clover inclusion in grass swards are: Increased herbage quality compared to grass-only swards in the summer months; Increased dry matter (DM) intake in summer […]
16 May 2023
Examining the collaborative farming options
Examining the collaborative farming options Collaborative farming options are attractive arrangements for young farmers to enter a farming business. Alternatively, there are also farmers who have no identified successor and are ready to step back or retire. In this article, Gordon Peppard, Teagasc Farm Business Structures Specialist, details a number of collaborative […]
16 May 2023