Articles
How farmers can support biodiversity
How farmers can support biodiversity National Biodiversity Week Ireland 2023 takes place 19th – 28th May. National Biodiversity Week is all about connecting people with nature and communicating the importance of biodiversity. Conservation of Farmland Habitats Conservation and protection of farmland wildlife and habitats is an important dimension of environmental sustainability. In […]
19 May 2023
Forests and human health and well-being
Forests and human health and well-being Paul Butler, Teagasc Forestry Specialist, tells us about the importance of non-timber values of forests. I was lucky enough to work for several years as a young graduate in a huge forest reserve in the south eastern amazon of Peru. I remember one morning meeting a […]
19 May 2023
Improving gestation housing for sows benefits piglets
Improving gestation housing for sows benefits piglets Martyna Lagoda presented her research on gestation housing for sows at the recent Teagasc Pig Open Day. Here she tells us more about practical forms of sow enrichment, with knock-on benefits for piglet health. Conventional gestation housing for sows does not fully cater to their […]
19 May 2023
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
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