Articles
Controlling docks with Future Beef farmer Michael McGuigan
Controlling docks with Future Beef farmer Michael McGuigan Michael McGuigan has worked hard to control docks on his farm. Docks are the major weed of intensively-managed grassland. Despite the best efforts of many farmers to control them, their persistence is stubborn and unyielding. There are many species of docks, but the most […]
19 May 2023
Ticking the beef breeding boxes down Wicklow way
Ticking the beef breeding boxes down Wicklow way Located just outside Aughrim, Co. Wicklow, John Pringle operates a mixed suckler and sheep farm on 62.48ha of grassland. The suckler herd consists of 45 mainly Simmental-sired cows, while a lowland flock of 225 ewes are also carried. John, a participant in the Teagasc […]
19 May 2023
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