Dairy Newsletter – December 2021

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In this month’s edition:

• Profit Monitor revision
  A major revision of the Profit Monitor has been completed to reflect a changing industry. Details of some of the changes to the programme are outlined. Profit Monitor is a first-class benchmarking tool that will help you make better farm business decisions. Speak to your advisor about getting your farm analysed on the new system.
• Planning fertiliser requirements for 2022
  Indications are that fertiliser prices will remain at all-time highs for 2022. Compared to 12 months ago, nitrogen (N) has almost tripled in price, while phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) have nearly doubled. Now is the time to plan your fertiliser requirements for 2022 to reduce the impact of high fertiliser costs.
• Research Update – METH-ABATE
  Emily Roskam and Sinéad Waters of Teagasc Grange explain how the Teagasc research project METH-ABATE examined the development and validation of novel technologies to reduce methane emissions from pasture-based Irish agricultural systems.
• Breeding targets for winter milk herds
  Breeding goals for winter milk herds should be centred on improving milk solids output, while also improving fertility traits such as calving interval and six-week calving rate. Feed efficiency, health and longevity are also important goals. The Economic Breeding Index (EBI) balances these objectives.