Articles

Decreasing age at slaughter

Decreasing age at slaughter Aidan Moloney, Edward O’Riordan, Mark McGee and Paul Crosson of the Animal and Grassland Research and Innovation Centre, Teagasc Grange, report on decreasing the age at slaughter of early maturing suckler heifers in the recent Teagasc Beef Advisory newsletter. Slaughtering animals at a younger age is one strategy […]
14 April 2023

Don’t delay! Fertilise silage swards today

Don’t delay! Fertilise silage swards today Weather conditions over the last number of weeks have resulted in delayed applications of fertiliser to silage fields. In addition, livestock have been housed for longer than normal, eating into farm silage stocks. Fertilising silage fields, once field conditions allow, will be critical in order to […]
14 April 2023

Using slurry to reduce the cost of growing cereal crops

Using slurry to reduce the cost of growing cereal crops Shay Phelan, Mark Plunkett, John Mahon and Gerard McCutcheon tell us that slurry is a valuable nutrient source and its efficient use can help off-set rising fertiliser costs. A major event to encourage farmers to make more efficient use of slurry and […]
14 April 2023

Research update: Fighting a threat to alder

Research update: Fighting a threat to alder Emma Fuller and Dheeraj Rathore report on the Irish Research Council funded ExAl project. Common alder (Alnus glutinosa) is a native tree species with remarkable ecological importance, particularly within wetlands. Alder has the ability to promote diversity due to its soil nutrient enrichment qualities and […]
14 April 2023

Unearthing best practices from New Zealand

Unearthing best practices from New Zealand Dr. Brid McClearn from Teagasc, a prominent member of the EuroSheep team, recently visited New Zealand with members from another EU thematic network – Sm@RT: Small Ruminant Technologies. The objective of Dr. McClearn’s visit was to identify best practices in flock health and nutrition from the […]
13 April 2023

Weather halting spring crop work

Weather halting spring crop work Mark Plunkett, Teagasc Soil & Plant Nutrition Specialist, tells us that over the last number of weeks, field operations in tillage fields has been reduced due to poor weather and soil conditions. Many winter crops still await their main N application which should be a priority once […]
13 April 2023

Critical crop agronomy for mid-April

Critical crop agronomy for mid-April All tillage farmers have a long list of crop management tasks which needs to be completed as soon as possible and on this week’s Tillage Edge podcast, Ciaran Collins and Shay Phelan, both Tillage Specialists in Teagasc, chat through the critical tasks which need addressing on tillage […]
13 April 2023

Grass10: Heavy rainfall making grazing conditions difficult

Grass10: Heavy rainfall making grazing conditions difficult Most farms, particularly those on the western seaboard and in the border, midlands and west region, have received significant rainfall volumes over the past weekend, the latest Grass10 newsletter explains, while also offering advice for the week ahead. This has hampered grazing conditions on many […]
13 April 2023

Identifying and rearing suitable replacement heifers to calve at two years

Identifying and rearing suitable replacement heifers to calve at two years The current national average age at first calving in suckler-bred heifers is 32 months, with only 23% of heifers calving for the first time at 24 months of age. When compared to 74% of dairy-bred heifers calving for the first time […]
12 April 2023

Red clover silage and multispecies sward measures open

Red clover silage and multispecies sward measures open Measures to promote the uptake of red clover silage and multispecies swards at farm level were today announced by the Minister of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue. First opened as a pilot in 2022, these measures are being reintroduced to promote environmentally […]
12 April 2023