Articles
The screech of the Banshee? No, it’s the mysterious Barn Owl
The screech of the Banshee? No, it’s the mysterious Barn Owl Listen in for a great insight into Ireland’s relationship with the Barn Owl and its important role on farms. John Carrig, the founder of the Barn Owl Project which was set up in 2019, joins Cathal and Deirdre for a bit […]
19 June 2023
Organic farming might be for you
Organic farming might be for you Organic farming has enjoyed increased interest from farmers in recent years. John Noonan, Teagasc Organic Advisor, outlines more in this article. This increased interest has occurred partly due to the rising costs of feed and fertiliser, and also the reduction in direct payments of a large […]
19 June 2023
Machinery the largest investment on farms
Machinery the largest investment on farms After a number of years of substantial growth, gross new investment on Irish farms declined by 11% in 2022, the 2022 National Farm Survey has revealed. This decline is evident across all systems, except for dairy where investment was up marginally (2%) compared to 2021. The […]
19 June 2023
Research update: Forage or concentrate?
Research update: Forage or concentrate? Researchers from Teagasc Grange Research Centre report on the effect of forage or concentrate beef production systems on farm profit, carbon footprint, land use and meat nutritional value. The effect of contrasting suckler weanling-to-beef production systems on steer performance, land use, farm economics and greenhouse gas (GHG) […]
18 June 2023
To plough or not to plough?
To plough or not to plough? Growers’ perceptions and results from trials looking at different crop establishment systems in commercial grower’s fields and in replicated experiments will be on display at this year’s Crops and Cover Crop Cultivations event in Teagasc Oak Park on Wednesday, June 21st. A survey spanning 154 growers […]
18 June 2023
Early life health of breeding bulls
Early life health of breeding bulls Across both beef and dairy sectors, genomic selection has increased the rate at which we can select young bulls that have superior genetics. High demand from farmers, for these high genetic merit, first-season bulls means that there is a high demand for their semen at a […]
17 June 2023
Using genetics to reduce methane emissions from the Irish sheep sector
Using genetics to reduce methane emissions from the Irish sheep sector Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine with special responsibility for research and innovation, Martin Heydon T.D., today, Saturday 17th June, launched new breeding values for sheep aimed at reducing methane emissions. The Minister launched the […]
17 June 2023
Tackling sterile brome through integrated weed management
Tackling sterile brome through integrated weed management With high seedbank populations, sterile brome is a persistent weed. Teagasc researcher Vijaya Bhaskar outlines some of the integrated weed management (IWM) options to prevent the weed from growing into yield-robbing infestations. In Ireland, there are five different brome types: sterile; great; soft; rye; and […]
17 June 2023
Low-input grassland and arable grass margins
Low-input grassland and arable grass margins Catherine Keena, Countryside Management Specialist, writes about scoring low-input grassland and arable grass margins. Scoring low-input grassland Approximately 100,000ha of low-input grassland was selected under the Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES). These fields will be assessed by ACRES advisors this summer to determine how they score […]
17 June 2023
Using digital advisory tools to help the adoption of improved farming practices
Using digital advisory tools to help the adoption of improved farming practices Teagasc hosts EU conference on new technologies that support European farmers in becoming more efficient and sustainable. The FAIRshare project, an EU, Horizon 2020, funded initiative focused on improving the uptake of digital technologies in agriculture, will hold its final […]
17 June 2023