Articles
Native woodland and water quality
Native woodland and water quality Ireland’s native woodlands have evolved with our watercourses since before the ice age. Róisín McManus and Michael Somers, Teagasc Nenagh, discuss how the re-emergence of these native woodlands will benefit water quality. Our townlands illustrate this close relationship between native woodlands and watercourses, whereby 14,000 out of […]
17 February 2023
Brighter days ahead
Brighter days ahead The last 18 months have been cited as the worst period in living memory for Ireland’s pig farmers, Micheal McKeon, Teagasc Pig Specialist, spoke with Helen on this week’s episode of Ear to the Ground to discuss the future for the sector. Over the past 18 months the average […]
17 February 2023
Clover reporter: Robert and Denis O’Dea, Co. Limerick
Clover reporter: Robert and Denis O’Dea, Co. Limerick Robert O’Dea is a dairy farmer in Kilteely, Co. Limerick, in partnership with his nephew Denis. The O’Deas are milking 259 cows on a 116ha milking platform, with an additional 16ha outfarm. Robert joined the Clover 150 Programme in 2020 and in that time […]
16 February 2023
Top 5 tips for February
Top 5 tips for February Joe Patton, Head of Dairy Knowledge Transfer Teagasc, gives his top 5 tips for February 1. Get calves off to the best start – start testing colostrum quality on your farm using a Brix refractometer (>22 = quality colostrum). Follow the 1-2-3 rule – every calf should […]
16 February 2023
Milk feeding and the effect of temperature on young calf performance
Milk feeding and the effect of temperature on young calf performance The colostrum 1,2,3 rule is considered best practice for the newborn calf, Teagasc Dairy Specialist George Ramsbottom discusses the important factors to consider with calf rearing this spring. Transition milk is milkings 2-6 from freshly-calved cows. Where there are no underlying […]
16 February 2023
Improving returns in hill sheep with flock health and production planning
Improving returns in hill sheep with flock health and production planning The concept of flock health planning is not new, however, the idea has had a variable history and opinion on how best to achieve widespread uptake remains divided. John Barley, AFBI Veterinary Science Division, told delegates at last night’s National Hill […]
16 February 2023
Nutrient efficiency and the 4 Rs
Nutrient efficiency and the 4 Rs Mark Plunkett, Soil and Plant Nutrition Specialist, outlines the four key aspects that need to be considered to help ensure that nutrients are applied and used efficiently; these are the 4 R’s – right product applied at the right rate, right time and in the right […]
16 February 2023
Buying urea will save thousands of euros on a typical farm
Buying urea will save thousands of euros on a typical farm The cost of nitrogen is stubbornly high, but the cost differential between CAN and urea can be exploited to cut costs this year on tillage farms. Dr. Richie Hackett from Teagasc joins The Tillage Edge podcast this week to chat about […]
16 February 2023
Winners of Ag College’s Day announced
Winners of Ag College’s Day announced Salesian Agricultural College in Pallaskenry, Co. Limerick, hosted the 2023 Macra and Teagasc Ag College’s Day, yesterday, February 15th. Teams of 12 students from Teagasc and private agricultural colleges around the country competed in sport, presentations, and skills learned during the college year – such as […]
16 February 2023
Beef farming and its challenges in Ireland
Beef farming and its challenges in Ireland Beef farming is a very important agricultural activity in Ireland contributing to over 25% of total agricultural output. There are almost 140,000 farms in Ireland, of which almost 100,000 have some form of a beef enterprise. The national breeding herd is made up of approximately […]
15 February 2023