The Dairy Edge

For this week’s Grass10 grazing management update, Joseph Dunphy discusses PastureBase data, Dry Matter % and Predicted grass growth, rainfall and soil temperatures for the week.

Joseph also discusses current grazing management and encourages farmers to focus on spring grass availability. Plus he has a grazing update from Eugene and Eoin Lawler, Co. Kildare.

Link to this week’s Grass10 newsletter: https://bit.ly/Grass10-12thNovember

 
For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at:

https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/

The Dairy Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.com

Joe Patton, Head of Dairy Knowledge Transfer in Teagasc, joins Stuart Childs on this week’s Dairy Edge to outline the factors that will make dairy more robust in the future in advance of the Teagasc National Dairy Conference entitled ‘Robust dairy farming for future challenges’, which is taking place at Limerick Racecourse on Wednesday November 27th.

Joe discusses the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that will make dairy farming robust, namely: grass utilised, understanding financials and cost control, excellent breeding, healthy cows, working efficiently and environmental sustainability. 

Joe outlines the significance of grass utilised as an indicator of profitability on farms and challenges farmers to look at this for their own farm. 

He then explains that cost control is another significant factor and encourages farmers to take a few days over the next while to take a look at the cost of running their businesses.

With an internationally-regarded breeding programme already in place, Joe recommends that people trust the science in terms of breeding in terms of milk production, fertility, maintenance and health.

 A less clear cut area but important nonetheless, is labour and work efficiency with Joe challenging people to look at taking more time off from the farm.

He finishes by outlining that all of what he has discussed will lend itself to delivering on the final KPI: environmental sustainability.

For further info on the Teagasc National Dairy Conference go to: 

www.teagasc.ie/dairycon24

For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at:

https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/

The Dairy Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.com

On this week’s Grass10 grazing management update, Joseph Dunphy discusses PastureBase data, Dry Matter % and Predicted grass growth, rainfall & soil temperatures for the week. 

Joseph also discusses current grazing management with super grazing conditions and above-average growth rates, plus he has a grazing update from Michael Walsh, Co. Kilkenny.

Link to this week’s Grass10 newsletter:

https://bit.ly/Grass10-5thNovember

For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at:

https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/

The Dairy Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.com

Padraig O’Connor, Dairy Technician at Teagasc Grange joins Stuart Childs on this week’s Dairy Edge to discuss the role of SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures) on farms.

Padraig explains that the SOP is a step by step guide to completing a task. They are suitable for many tasks on farms such as preparing for milking, milking itself, treating a cow with mastitis and how to wash the milking machine correctly amongst many others.

SOPs are an extremely useful way of communication and can help avoid mistakes being made due to misunderstanding. While often associated with farms that employ people, they have an equally important role to play on owner operator farms to help during holiday periods, during busy periods where help is needed which may be family or externally sourced, but most especially in the event of any incident which renders the farmer unable to do tasks with little or no notice requiring people to jump in to help to keep the show on the road.

Padraig says that it is as simple as taking a piece of paper and recording the steps to complete the task in question, then getting someone that is preferably not overly familiar with the task to follow the instructions and ‘road test’ them. They may need tweaking and once happy with it, it should be laminated to make it waterproof and robust and placed in a visible location near the point of use.

Padraig, Martina Gormley and Francis Quigley have some great information on SOPs and developing them for your own farm available at: 

https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/standard-operating-procedures/

For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at:

https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/

The Dairy Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.com

For this week’s Grass10 grazing management update, Joseph Dunphy discusses PastureBase data, Dry Matter % and Predicted grass growth, rainfall & soil temperatures for the week.  

As we approach 1st November, Joseph also discusses current grazing management and he has a grazing update from Robin Stevenson, Co. Donegal.

Link to this week’s Grass10 newsletter: 

https://bit.ly/Grass10-29thOctober

For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at:

https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/

The Dairy Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.com

Dr. Tomás Russell, Assistant Professor in Agricultural Extension and Innovation at the School of Agriculture and Food Science, University College Dublin, joins James Dunne on the latest Dairy Edge to discuss the considerations people should take when it comes to farm succession.

For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at:

https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/

The Dairy Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.com

For this week’s Grass10 grazing management update, Joseph Dunphy discusses PastureBase data, Dry Matter % and Predicted grass growth, rainfall & soil temperatures for the week. 

As we approach late October, Joseph also discusses current grazing management and he has a grazing update from Brian Meade, Navan, Co. Meath.

Link to this week’s Grass10 newsletter: 

https://bit.ly/Grass10-22ndOctober

For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at:

https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/

The Dairy Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.com

For this week’s Grass10 grazing management update, Joseph Dunphy discusses PastureBase data, Dry Matter % and Predicted grass growth, rainfall & soil temperatures for the week. 

With the excellent grazing conditions around the country, Joseph also discusses current grazing management as AFC holds and he has a grazing update from Danny Bermingham from Co Clare.

Link to this week’s Grass10 newsletter:

https://bit.ly/Grass10-15thOctober

 
For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at:

https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/

The Dairy Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.com

Helena Madden, Ruminant Veterinary Manager with MSD Animal Health, joins Stuart Childs on the latest Dairy Edge to discuss the new vaccine against Cryptosporidium, Bovilis Cryptium.

Helena first discusses how crypto is consistently one of the main causes of calf scour and then explains how cleaver the parasite is at surviving. Billions of eggs (oocysts) are shed by sick calves but only 17 are required to cause infection! 

Consequently, it can be a difficult disease to manage once it gets in the gate.

Helena says the new vaccine is the product of 23 years of research which clearly shows the challenge that crypto poses at farm level that such effort was invested into finding a solution. However, it is still only part of the solution. 

Cleaning and disinfection of sheds and good management of calf sheds is still important to minimise the challenge while the vaccine boosts the animals ability to resist infection.

The vaccine requires a primary dose so it is important that people are aware of this as the final dose has to be given at least 3 weeks before calving to be effective so that will require some planning for farmers to ensure they have the primary course given on time to ensure the 2nd shot is given in sufficient time.

Helena emphasises the importance of colostrum management both in terms of ensuring good quality and quantity of colostrum but also making sure the calves get the colostrum as early as possible and for this vaccine, it is recommended that they get colostrum/transition milk for the first 5 days at least to maximise the protection.

For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at:

https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/

The Dairy Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.com

For this week’s Grass10 grazing management update, Joseph Dunphy discusses PastureBase data, Dry Matter % and Predicted grass growth, rainfall & soil temperatures for the week. 

As we enter October, Joseph discusses getting the importance of closing the farm correctly and he has a grazing update from Michael Ahern, Co. Waterford.

Link to this week’s Grass10 newsletter: 

https://bit.ly/Grass10-8thOctober

For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at:

https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/

The Dairy Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.com

Pat Moylan, Teagasc Dairy Advisor based in Kilkenny, joins James Dunne on this week’s Dairy Edge for an update on the current grazing and winter feed situation within his client base.

For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at:

https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/

The Dairy Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.com

For this week’s Grass10 grazing management update, Joseph Dunphy discusses PastureBase data, Dry Matter % and Predicted grass growth, rainfall & soil temperatures for the week. 

As we enter October, Joseph also discusses autumn grass growth and the final grazing rotation, plus he has a grazing update from David Melody, Co. Kilkenny.

Link to this week’s Grass10 newsletter:

https://bit.ly/Grass10-1stOctober

For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at:

https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/

The Dairy Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.com

Hazel Costigan from Teagasc Moorepark joins Stuart Childs on this week’s Dairy Edge to discuss heifer rearing and the targets associated with it.

Hazel references a study done 10 years ago by Laurence Shalloo which put the cost of rearing a heifer at €1,545. A further study by Donagh Berry has shown that it takes 1.63 lactations to cover this cost and this may have increased since then.

Hazel says that the only way to manage heifer performance is to weigh them relatively regularly and at a minimum at key times throughout their lifetime to identify stock that are not on target and react to bring them back in line the rest of the group.

Hazel highlights the importance of doing this due to the impact in 1st, 2nd and 3rd lactation performance of lighter heifers in a study she did of Moorepark records from 2003 – 2017.

Finally, Hazel suggests that farmers weigh both their calves and heifers and act now to address weight deficits sooner rather than later especially as we move towards housing when average daily gain will inevitably drop due to the lower quality of the diet offered relative to the grass diet currently being consumed.  

The calf weights excel mentioned is available at:

https://www.teagasc.ie/media/website/animals/dairy/CalfWeightReadyReckoner.xls

For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at:

https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/

The Dairy Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.com

For this week’s Grass10 grazing management update, Joseph Dunphy discusses PastureBase data, Dry Matter % and Predicted grass growth, rainfall & soil temperatures for the week. 

Joseph also discusses autumn grass growth as cooler weather dampens grass growth and October 1st approaches; plus he has a grazing update from Evan Hunt, Co. Sligo.

For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at:

https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/

The Dairy Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.com

Ronan Mulligan, Teagasc Dairy Advisor based in Claremorris, Co Mayo, joins James Dunne on this week’s Dairy Edge with an update on the current situation on dairy farms within his catchment.

For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at:

https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/

The Dairy Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.com

For this week’s Grass10 grazing management update, Joseph Dunphy discusses PastureBase data, Dry Matter % and Predicted grass growth, rainfall and soil temperatures for the week. 

Joseph also discusses autumn grass growth as the weather improves significantly in time for the Ploughing Championships, plus he has a grazing update from Philip Donoghue, Co. Carlow.

Link to this week’s Grass10 newsletter: 

https://bit.ly/Grass10-17thSeptember

For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at:

https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/

The Dairy Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.com

Emer Kennedy and Kieran McCarthy from Teagasc Moorepark join Stuart Childs on the latest Dairy Edge to discuss the reduced milking frequency work that is ongoing there.

Emer first outlines the reduction in yield that farmers would be likely to see if they implement reduced milking frequencies. The milk solid percentages increase which helps to compensate for the reduced volume.

Emer then spoke about SCC and how it changes when the reduced frequencies are being done. 

Kieran explains how they manage these groups on the farm and while it is slightly different to a normal commercial farm going onto reduced frequency milking, they still have the same issues to handle when transitioning as commercial farms.

Emer and Kieran also highlight what people could do to ease the transition with Emer suggesting that the mindset of the person may be a bigger issue than the mindset of the cow.

Finally, Kieran says that this is something all farmers could consider but that they will need to manage their SCC well from the start of lactation.

For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at:

https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/

The Dairy Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.com

For this week’s Grass10 grazing management update, Joseph Dunphy discusses PastureBase data, Dry Matter % and Predicted grass growth, rainfall & soil temperatures for the week. 

Joseph also discusses autumn grazing targets as predicted growth rates start to drop and he has a grazing update from Jack Kearney, Rathcormac, Co. Cork.

Link to this week’s Grass10 newsletter:

https://bit.ly/Grass10-10thSeptember

For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at:

https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/

The Dairy Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.com

Building a sustainable outlet for the ever-increasing dairy and dairy-beef calves coming from the dairy industry is a priority. 

There is a requirement to develop profitable dairy calf-to-beef systems using excellent dairy-beef genetics and grassland management and on this week’s Dairy Edge, James Dunne is joined by Chloe Millar, Research Technologist with Teagasc, to give an update on the Tipperary calf to beef demonstration farm.

For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at:

https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/

The Dairy Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.com

On this week’s Grass10 grazing management update, Niamh Doyle discusses PastureBase data, Dry Matter % and Predicted grass growth, rainfall & soil temperatures for the week. 

Niamh also has tips to achieving adequate grass supply as growth rates are below normal for this time of year and she has an update from featured farmer, Killian Brennan, Co. Cavan.

Link to this week’s Grass10 newsletter: 

https://bit.ly/Grass10-3rdSeptember

For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at:

https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/

The Dairy Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.com

Dr. Neil Chesterton, a New Zealand vet who has been investigating risk factors for lameness since the 1980s, and Ger Cusack, practicing veterinary surgeon with Comeragh Veterinary in Waterford, and who is well known for his work on prevention and control of lameness, join Stuart Childs on this week’s Dairy Edge podcast.

Ger first explains the different levels of lameness while Neil explains the main issues on New Zealand farms and how they are quite similar to those we face here in Ireland.

They go on to discuss the importance of patience when moving stock and allowing the natural flow of cows into and out of the collecting yard and milking parlour and how this influences the level of lameness in herds.

They also discuss the importance of managing farm roadways to maintain the surfaces in optimum condition to encourage cows to want to walk on it. Neil is a strong advocate of a soft transition from the main road surface to the concrete of the collecting yard and that this should be used for 100-400 metres from the parlour yard entrance depending on the herd size to again encourage cows to walk on the surface but also to reduce the number of sole injuries associated with stones coming from the main surface to the concrete of the collecting yard.

Neil and Ger finish up by highlighting key things farmers can do to minimise lameness on their farms. 

More info is available on Neil Chesterton’s website at 

https://www.lamecow.co.nz/index.html 

And from the Animal Health Ireland article by Ger Cusack at: 

https://animalhealthireland.ie/assets/uploads/2024/08/AHI_Monthly_Newsletter_August_2024_FINAL.pdf?dl=1 

For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at:

https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/

The Dairy Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.com

For this week’s Grass10 grazing management update, Joseph Dunphy discusses PastureBase data, Dry Matter % and Predicted grass growth, rainfall & soil temperatures for the week. 

Joseph also discusses autumn grazing targets as poor weather and growth rates are leaving autumn build up and grazing conditions difficult on farms and he has a grazing update from Denis & Liam Kenny, Camolin, Co. Wexford.

Link to this week’s Grass10 newsletter: 

https://bit.ly/Grass10-27thAugust

For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at:

https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/

The Dairy Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.com

The financial landscape for dairy producers has been substantially altered during the last 3-4 years with unprecedented fluctuations in both dairy product prices and costs of inputs. 

Patrick Gowing, Teagasc Dairy Specialist, joins James Dunne on this week‘s Dairy Edge podcast to discuss the recent trends in production costs and drivers of profit on Irish dairy farms.

For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at:

https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/

The Dairy Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.com

For this week’s Grass10 grazing management update, Joseph Dunphy discusses PastureBase data, Dry Matter % and Predicted grass growth, rainfall & soil temperatures for the week. 

Joseph also discusses autumn grazing targets as poor weather and growth rates are leaving autumn build up difficult on farms, plus he has a grazing update from contract rearer Billy Gilmore, Tuam Co. Galway.

Link to this week’s Grass10 newsletter:

https://bit.ly/Grass10-20thAugust

For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at:

https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/

The Dairy Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.com

William Burchill, Lecturer in Soil Science in UCC, joins Stuart Childs on this week’s Dairy Edge podcast to discuss lower than normal growth rates in 2024 and advice on what to do over the next number of weeks to maximise growth.

William first outlines the factors that drive mineralisation with oxygen, wet and dry cycles and soil temperature all contributing to this process.

He discusses the importance of soil fertility in mineralisation and how pH is the gatekeeper for soil biology, which may have a role in alleviating some of the compaction that may have occurred early in the year but it is also the gatekeeper for mineralisation too, so the importance of lime can’t be stated enough with respect to grass swards but even more so with grass clover.

William finishes by explaining the rates of nitrogen for the autumn and the timing of them as well as discussing the role of organic nutrients such as slurry which has to be used by the end of September and soiled water in keeping adequate nitrogen available to deliver growth in the latter part of the autumn.

For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at:

https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/

The Dairy Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.com

For this week’s Grass10 grazing management update, Joseph Dunphy discusses PastureBase data, Dry Matter % and Predicted grass growth, rainfall & soil temperatures for the week. 

Joseph also discusses the importance of reviewing where your Average Farm Cover is as we approach mid-August and he has a grazing update from Oisin Gallen, Co. Donegal.

Link to this week’s Grass10 newsletter:

https://bit.ly/Grass10-13thAugust

For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at:

https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/

The Dairy Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.com

Increasing the level of grazed grass in the cow’s diet is a key driver of profitability on Irish dairy farms, and in order to achieve this, good grazing infrastructure is important to access all parts of the farm area and ensure cow performance isn’t compromised through lameness etc.  

This week on the Dairy Edge, James Dunne is joined by Paul Maher, Walsh Scholar, to discuss farm roadway infrastructure on commercial dairy farms and how it can be improved.

For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at:

https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/

The Dairy Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.com

Denis Brassil, Teagasc Kerry Joint Programme Monitor Farm Advisor, joins Stuart Childs on the latest Dairy Edge to discuss building grass cover for autumn grazing.

Denis first explains that the farms he deals with are across a range of land types and experience different levels of rainfall.  He describes the current situation for a few of the farmers on the programme and how it differs depending on their location and how growth has been for them in recent weeks.

Denis says farmers need to manage both the demand and supply side of grass for the autumn to deliver the cover of grass that is needed to extend grazing into the autumn for as long as is appropriate for the  farm and explains that this will vary depending on soil type.

He encourages people to look at their farm infrastructure and to identify any deficits and to begin addressing them to make sure that it is not an obstacle to grazing late in the autumn or grazing in the spring.

Finally, Denis recommends that farmers walk their farms and take the appropriate action for their farm and their stocking rate in the next few weeks to set the farm up to manage autumn grazing in late September, October and November where feasible.

For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at:

https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/

The Dairy Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.com

For this week’s Grass10 grazing management update, Joseph Dunphy discusses PastureBase data, Dry Matter % and Predicted grass growth, rainfall & soil temperatures for the week. 

Joseph also discusses the importance of getting autumn build-up correct on your farm and has a grazing update from Eugene and Eoin Lawler, Co. Kildare.

Link to this week’s Grass10 newsletter:

https://bit.ly/Grass10-6thAugust

For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at:

https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/

The Dairy Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.com

For this week’s Grass10 grazing management update, Joseph Dunphy discusses PastureBase data, Dry Matter % and Predicted grass growth, rainfall & soil temperatures for the week. 

Plus he highlights the increasing grass growth rates and preparing for autumn grass build-up.

Joseph is also joined by Áine Murray, Researcher on nitrogen & clover systems from Teagasc Moorepark to discuss soil mineralisation in 2024. 

The link to this week’s Grass10 newsletter is: 

https://bit.ly/Grass10-30thjuly

For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at:

https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/

The Dairy Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.com

Given the extended winter at the start of the year and the below average growth rates for 2024 to date, farmers must give priority to ensure they will have enough fodder stocks heading into the housed period.   

For this week's Dairy Edge podcast, James Dunne is joined by Dr Joe Patton, Head of Teagasc Dairy KT, to discuss the recent fodder survey and what options farmers should consider.

For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at: 

https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/

The Dairy Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.com

For this week’s Grass10 grazing management update, Joseph Dunphy discusses PastureBase data, Dry Matter % and Predicted grass growth, rainfall & soil temperatures for the week. 

Joseph also discusses grass growth rates and grass quality issues that are widespread on farms currently and the featured farmer this week is TJ Ryan from Rossmore, Co. Tipperary.

Link to this week’s Grass10 newsletter:

https://bit.ly/Grass10-23rdJuly

For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at:

https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/

The Dairy Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.com

Cathal Somers, Teagasc Water Quality Specialist, and Deirdre Glynn, Teagasc ASSAP advisor in Kilkenny, and hosts of the Environment Edge podcast, join Stuart Childs on this week’s Dairy Edge to discuss the recently launched Teagasc campaign for water quality, Better Farming for Water.

Deirdre first explains where water quality is currently and outlines the years of work that have gone into water quality from the start of the Agricultural Catchments Programme (ACP) back in 2008 to the launch of the ASSAP programme in 2019.

The Better Farming for Water campaign is based around 6 pillars: Stakeholder Engagement, Building of Awareness, Upskilling of all involved from students through to industry level, Knowledge transfer through the Teagasc and private advisory service and everyone in between, and Communication to get the messages from the Research Pillar out to where they are needed.

Cathal highlights the 8 actions for change in the strategy which are under the three headings of Nutrient Management, Farmyard Management and Land Management with these important for all farmers not just livestock farmers.

Cathal and Deirdre also expand as to why these points are believed to be the keys to the kingdom. Many of the solutions are practical and can be easily implemented without cost or with minimal cost.

Finally, Deirdre encourages farmers to engage with their advisors to develop a plan to contribute to improving water quality in their region.

For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at: 

https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/

The Dairy Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.com

For this week’s Grass10 grazing management update, Joseph Dunphy discusses PastureBase data, Dry Matter % and Predicted grass growth, rainfall & soil temperatures for the week. 

Joseph also discusses the 300th Grass10 newsletter, stagnant growth rates and has a grazing update from Joe Murphy, Co. Kilkenny.

Link to this week’s Grass10 newsletter: 

https://bit.ly/Grass10-16thJuly

For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at:

https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/

The Dairy Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.com

Maintaining farm productivity and profitability is always top of a farmer’s agenda but doing that in a reducing chemical N environment is challenging and requires the successful incorporation of clover within our grazed pastures. 

For this week’s Dairy Edge podcast, James Dunne is joined by Teagasc grassland researcher, Donal Patton, who outlines the current trial being carried out in Teagasc Ballyhaise which looks at transitioning to low chemical nitrogen perennial ryegrass white clover swards.

For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at: 

https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/

The Dairy Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.com

For this week’s Grass10 grazing management update, Joseph Dunphy discusses PastureBase data, Dry Matter % and Predicted grass growth, rainfall & soil temperatures for the week. 

Joseph also discusses managing grass quality during July and he has a grazing update from Jack Spillane, farm manager in Ballyvadin Research Farm, Co. Tipperary.

Link to this week’s Grass10 newsletter:

https://bit.ly/Grass10-9thJuly

For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at:

https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/

The Dairy Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.com

Ciaran Collins, Teagasc Tillage Specialist, joins Stuart Childs on this week’s Dairy Edge podcast to discuss the new herbicide for use in white clover swards and reseeds - ProClova XL.

Ciaran explains that this is new chemistry that has been in development with a number of years. It is the only product that is licenced for use in white clovers leys and reseeds replacing the emergency licence use of 2,4-DB products for white clover with the 2,4-DB still available for red clover swards in their first year as Proclova XL not suitable for red clover swards until they have over wintered.

Ciaran went on to explain that it is a broad spectrum herbicide covering most weeds of concern with the exception of thistles. It requires the use of an adjuvant which will be something new for most grassland farmers as this will have to be added along with the chemical. This is to increase the contact time of the spray to maximise its efficacy.

There are a few terms and conditions people need to be aware of before using ProClova XL:

1.       Must use at least 75% drift reducing nozzles when applying

2.       Don’t apply where there is an interesting watercourse

3.       Maintain a 3 metre buffer to all other watercourses

Ciaran also highlights a label change with 360 glyphosate products which are now reduced to 4l/ha max from the previous 6l/ha rates. This will apply to newly purchased products with old label products having a use up date out into 2025. There is also a 3m buffer required to be adhered to when using these products.

Finally Ciaran says that it is in the best interests if people stick to the recommendations when applying all herbicides as the long term availability of them will be dependent on these recommendations being followed and ensuring that pesticides and herbicides stay out of water sources.

For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at: 

https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/

The Dairy Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.com

For this week’s Grass10 grazing management update, Joseph Dunphy discusses PastureBase data, Dry Matter % and Predicted grass growth, rainfall & soil temperatures for the week. 

Joseph also discusses tips to increase your Average Farm Cover and improve grass quality on your farm, plus he has a grazing update from Michael Carroll from Co. Limerick.

Link to this week’s Grass10 newsletter:

https://bit.ly/Grass10-2ndJuly

For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at:

https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/

The Dairy Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.com

There has always been opportunities and challenges within the dairy sector and one of those immediate challenges is to continue to improve the environmental credentials of our dairy farms. 

Teagasc researcher, Dr. David Wall, joins James Dunne on this week’s Dairy Edge podcast to discuss the practices available to farmers to help them do just that.

For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at:

https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/

The Dairy Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.com

For this week’s Grass10 grazing management update, Joseph Dunphy discusses PastureBase data, Dry Matter % and Predicted grass growth, rainfall & soil temperatures for the week. 

As growth rates are static and behind target for late June, Joseph also discusses grazing management and he has a grazing update from 2023 winner of the SGFOY Patrick O’Neill from Co. Longford.

Link to this week’s Grass10 newsletter:

https://bit.ly/Grass10-25thJune

For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at:

https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/

The Dairy Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.com

DairyBeef 500 Programme Co-ordinator, Alan Dillon, joins Stuart Childs on this week’s Dairy Edge to discuss late breeding season bull choice.

Alan explains that late born calves are as much a hassle for the beef farmer as they are for the dairy farmer as they don’t fit into any system, so a defined breeding season is important to eliminate May/June calves as they are of no value to dairy beef farms nor to dairy farmers.

Alan then outlines the criteria for bull selection at this stage of the season with high carcass weight >10kg for traditional breeds such as Angus and Hereford and a minimum of 20kg for the continental breeds. The focus must be to deliver a quality calf that has potential to deliver a return. 

Gestation length and calving ease are the other two important criteria for dairy farmers particularly at this stage of the season where the objective must be to get the cow calved as early as possible at this late stage.

Alan says there are buyers for most calves throughout the season with a variation similar to that of calving start date to when calves are bought across the country. Dairy farmers should try to use the best beef genetics either through AI or the stock bull they buy to generate calves of quality to move into dairy beef systems. 

In the future CBV will have a significant role to play in deciding the value of the calf but all calves can leave a return as long as the purchase price is right. 

Alan advocates developing a relationship with a local buyer to ensure calves move off the dairy farm for a reasonable price and in an orderly fashion rather than being at the mercy of the market each week. This is very useful for the calf buyer as they have animals that have a health history behind them so dairy farmers should try to develop these relationships ahead of the calving season when time will be hard to come by.  Using a good beef animal is as easy as using a bad one and is to the benefit of the industry as a whole.

Finally, Alan invites all farmers to attend the BEEf2024 Open Day in Grange, Co. Meath on June 26th, to see all things dairy beef with something for everyone.

For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at:

https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/

The Dairy Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.com

For this week’s Grass10 grazing management update, Niamh Doyle discusses PastureBase data, Dry Matter % and Predicted grass growth, rainfall & soil temperatures for the week. 

As growth rates are lower than average, Niamh also discusses tips to increasing your AFC and she has an update from featured farmer, John Phelan, Co. Waterford.

Link to this week’s Grass10 newsletter: 

https://bit.ly/Grass10-18thJune

For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at:

https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/

The Dairy Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.com

Given the significant increase in input costs on dairy farms since 2021, along with the increased feed budget costs this spring due to poor weather, good cash flow management has never been more important to ensure the efficient running of the farm business. 

Dairy farmer Sean O’Donnell joins James Dunne on this week’s Dairy Edge to outline how he manages the financial aspect of his dairy business to ensure the correct financial decisions are made in an informed manner.

For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at:

https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/

The Dairy Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.com

For this week’s Grass10 grazing management update, Joseph Dunphy discusses PastureBase data, Dry Matter % and Predicted grass growth, rainfall & soil temperatures for the week. 

As growth rates suffer on Irish dairy farms, Joseph also discusses grazing management and he has a grazing update from Enda Armstrong from Co. Galway.

Link to this week’s Grass10 newsletter:

https://bit.ly/Grass10-11thJune

For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at:

https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/

The Dairy Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.com

Terry McElvaney, Veterinary Inspector at the Veterinary Medicines, Antimicrobial Resistance, Byproducts and TSE Division, joins Stuart Childs on this week’s Dairy Edge podcast to discuss residues in milk.

Terry first explains the role of the division in which he works and how it is important in facilitating trade.

 
Terry says that the division tests 15,000 samples annually and carries out 70,000 tests on these samples for many different types of residues in order to report to the EU on our compliance with the regulations around the use of veterinary products in animals that go into the food chain.

He says that while a miniscule percentage of samples test positive each year, this year there has been an increase in the positives associated with Ivermectin and Levamisole, active ingredients in wormers and flukicides.

Terry advises farmers to test before treating and to ensure the right product is used at the right rate at the right time. 

Observing withdrawals is important and people need to carefully record dates of administration to ensure those withdrawals are observed. Terry also warns people that stock will often calve ahead of time and when that does happen, the withdrawal period still needs to be observed.

He finishes by recommending people avoid unnecessary use of any veterinary medicinal products when possible and where they have to be used, to get good advice on the product to use.    

For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at: 

https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/

The Dairy Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.com

For the latest Grass10 grazing management update, Joseph Dunphy discusses PastureBase data, Dry Matter % and Predicted grass growth, rainfall & soil temperatures for the week. 

As the cooler weather dampens pasture growth throughout the country, Joseph also discusses grazing management and he has an update from featured farmer, Arthur Sweetman, Co. Wexford.

Link to this week’s Grass10 newsletter:  

https://bit.ly/Grass10-4thJune

For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at:

https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/

The Dairy Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.com

Sustainable Grassland Farmer of the Year, Patrick O’Neill, and Teagasc Grass10 Manager, John Maher, join James Dunne on this week’s Dairy edge podcast to discuss Patrick’s award-winning farming system.  

Patrick outlines the farm performance, how he deals with adversity that was the spring of 2024 and details the transition to grass clover swards. 

John also outlines what it takes to win the competition and highlights the areas where Patrick impressed the judging panel the most.

For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at:

https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/

The Dairy Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.com

For this week’s Grass10 grazing management update, Joseph Dunphy discusses PastureBase data, Dry Matter % and Predicted grass growth, rainfall & soil temperatures for the week. 

As we enter June, Joseph also discusses measuring every 5 days using PastureBase Ireland and he has a grazing update from Christopher Cahill who farms in Co. Westmeath.

Link to this week’s Grass10 newsletter:

https://bit.ly/Grass10-28thMay

For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at:

https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/

The Dairy Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.com

Germinal Technical Director, Mary McEvoy, joins Stuart Childs on this week’s Dairy Edge podcast to discuss the future of the grass seed industry.

Mary explains how the Pasture Profit Index (PPI) has changed the way farmers look at seed varieties and how the PPI, from a seed industry perspective, validated the breeding programmes that were in place.

Mary then spoke about the timeframe involved in bringing a seed to market and the hurdles that have to be cleared to get to that point. She explains how breeding is looking at other species to see what they might offer in a changing climate but that it is early days for many and the most reliable mix currently is going to be perennial ryegrass (PRG) and white clover and red clover with good PRG varieties for part of the silage block.

Mary says that there is no red clover recommended list in Ireland but that work has begun on it with the first of the red clover varieties being sown in 2024 for evaluation for the first time in 2025. 

She also outlines the challenge the industry faces in sourcing seed given the 1200% increase in red clover seed demand in recent years!   

For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at:

https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/

The Dairy Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.com

For this week’s Grass10 grazing management update, Joseph Dunphy discusses PastureBase data, Dry Matter % and Predicted grass growth, rainfall & soil temperatures for the week. 

Joseph discusses keeping grass under control as we approach peak growth on Irish farms & he has an update from Brian Meade, Co. Meath.

Link to this week’s Grass10 newsletter:

https://bit.ly/Grass10-21stMay

For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at:

https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/

The Dairy Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.com

There has been welcome improvement in both growth rates and grazing conditions over the last couple of weeks and much of the attention on farms now turns to correcting the impact the spring has had on grass quality and making sure herds meet their nutritional needs throughout the breeding season. 

For this week’s Dairy Edge podcast, Teagasc senior research officer, Dr Mike Dineen, joins James Dunne to highlight the true nutritional value of grazed grass and explain how farmers need to balance grass quality and quantity to maintain milk production through the summer months.

For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at:

https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/

The Dairy Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.com

For this week’s Grass10 grazing management update, as growth rates increase, Joseph Dunphy is joined by dairy farmer Michael Doran from Co. Wexford to discuss the management decisions he is making this week on his farm.

Link to this week’s Grass10 newsletter:

https://bit.ly/Grass10-14thMay

For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at:

https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/

The Dairy Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.com

Attracta Dooley from FRS Training and Chloe Walsh, a secondary school teacher who helps her husband Pat on their farm outside Durrow in Co. Laois, join Stuart Childs on this week’s Dairy Edge podcast to talk about the upcoming FRS Training Best Practice in Milking Courses which commence on May 22nd in Pallaskenry Agricultural college.

For Chloe, she wanted to learn more about the whole milking process which was her incentive to complete the course in October of last year, and she says that while she already knew how to milk, the course gave her much greater confidence in what she was doing, taught her skills that she didn’t have beforehand and has also helped her when it comes to training people who are new to their farm when they arrive.

Attracta and Chloe both agree that there is no shortage of work on dairy farms milking cows for people that are interested and that contrary to people’s perceptions, it is quite flexible work. There is also great earning potential for people who are willing to do it.

Finally, Attracta details the dates of the upcoming courses and gives details of how to book by going to: 

https://www.frstraining.com/sectors/agriculture-horticulture/

For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at:

https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/

The Dairy Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.com

On this week’s Grass10 grazing management update, Joseph Dunphy discusses PastureBase data, Dry Matter % and Predicted grass growth, rainfall & soil temperatures for the week. 

As grass growth is finally predicted to increase Joseph also discusses grazing management and he has a grazing update from Sustainable GFOY nutrient management category joint winner, Killian Brennan, from county Cavan.

Link to this week’s Grass10 newsletter:

https://bit.ly/Grass10-7thMay

For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at:

https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/

The Dairy Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.com

With the difficult grazing conditions throughout the spring it’s no harm to reflect on the last number of months as to what worked well and what can be improved for the future. 

It’s maybe more important though to identify the priorities in order to get back on track with the least impact, and on this week’s Dairy Edge podcast, James Dunne is joined by Teagasc Head of Dairy Knowledge Transfer, Dr Joe Patton.

Joe offers advice to farmers around pasture management to ensure a high level of milk performance throughout the summer months and how to best ensure sufficient feed reserves are secured for next winter.

For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at: 

https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/

The Dairy Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.com

On this week’s Grass10 grazing management update, Joseph Dunphy discusses PastureBase data, Dry Matter % and Predicted grass growth, rainfall & soil temperatures for the week. 

With grass growth stubborn to increase as we enter May, Joseph discusses grazing management and he has an update from Sustainable GFOY Nutrient management category winner, Michael Carroll from Co. Limerick.

Link to this week’s Grass10 newsletter: 

https://bit.ly/Grass10-30thApril

For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at:

https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/

The Dairy Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.com

On this week’s episode of the Dairy Edge, Stuart Childs is joined by Aurivo Joint Programme Monitor Farmer and DairyBeef 500 Ambassador, David Gannon, and John McCabe, Monitor Farm advisor with the Aurivo Joint Programme, to discuss the beef breeding plan for David’s farm for 2024.

David starts by outlining the background to his herd and then spoke about how he plans to use the beef bull team he has selected along with John and Tommy Cox of the DairyBeef 500 team on his herd this season.

David describes how for him it’s about making incremental gains in the quality of the beef stock he produces each year.  Using data from ICBF, John can confirm that there is an improvement in the quality in the beef calves being generated but suggests that people can do more.

David has a number of customers for his calves and this is a huge benefit to know that a particular number of calves will leave the farm on particular dates which frees up housing and labour for him at the busiest time of the year which is a very important piece of the jigsaw.

Finally David says it is his objective to deliver a better animal each year through improving genetics and also to assist the customers he has to get the maximum return from the stock they buy from him, not only through using better genetics but also discussing the health plan that he has for his own replacement calves with his customers so that they can benefit from any improvements he has made in his own calf rearing protocols.

For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at: 

https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/

The Dairy Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.com

On this week’s Grass10 grazing management update, Joseph Dunphy discusses PastureBase data, Dry Matter % and Predicted grass growth, rainfall & soil temperatures for the week. 

With surplus grass on many farms, Joseph also discusses grazing advice and he has a grazing update from County Sligo, with Young Category Winner of the Sustainable GFOY Evan Hunt.

Link to this week’s newsletter: 

https://bit.ly/Grass10-23rdApril

For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at:

https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/

The Dairy Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.com

David Quinn, Superintending Veterinary Inspector at the Department Of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, is on this week’s joint episode of the Dairy Edge and the Beef Edge with hosts James Dunne and Catherine Egan to dispel some of the myths around TB (Bovine Tuberculosis). 

David gives a detailed breakdown on Ireland’s TB statistics. He describes the testing methods and why they are used and outlines the issues around false positive and false negative animals. 

David also outlines the current strategies to manage TB risk within the wildlife population.  

For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at: 

https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/

The Dairy Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.com

For this week’s Grass10 grazing management update, Joseph Dunphy discusses PastureBase data, Dry Matter % and Predicted grass growth, rainfall & soil temperatures for the week. 

With an improving weather forecast, Joseph discusses getting back on track with grazing and fertiliser and has a grazing update from Sustainable Grassland Farmer of the Year Overall Winner Patrick O Neill, Co. Longford.

Link to this week’s newsletter: 

https://bit.ly/Grass10-16thApril

For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at:

https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/

The Dairy Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.com

With the difficult conditions at farm level, much of the conversation over the last number of weeks has centred around ensuring the milking herd are properly fed.

These conditions have also meant that maiden heifers have remained housed on a lot of farms for longer than normal this spring and on this week’s Dairy Edge, James Dunne is joined by Teagasc dairy specialist, Stuart Childs, who offers some advice to farmers around the management of heifers over the coming weeks and some tips for the breeding season ahead.

 
For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at: 

https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/

The Dairy Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.com

On this week’s Grass10 grazing management update, Joseph Dunphy discusses PastureBase data, Dry Matter % and Predicted grass growth, rainfall & soil temperatures for the week. 

Joseph explains the options for farmers starting their second rotation and those with low % grazed & we also hear from featured farmer Stephen Buttimer from county Cork.

Link to this week’s newsletter: 

https://bit.ly/Grass10-9thApril

For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at:

https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/

The Dairy Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.com

On this week’s episode of the Dairy Edge, Donal Patton, Teagasc Ballyhaise and Mike Egan, Teagasc , discussed at a recent Teagasc webinar the current weather conditions and scenarios facing farmers across the country and how best to deal with them.

Donal first talked through the current situation in Ballyhaise and then discussed trial work that was done over a 4 year period there which mimicked the situation that many farmers are now facing in terms of high proportions not grazed and how to deal with it in the short-term but also in the medium term to maintain grass quality and maximise performance through the main season when weather will hopefully much improve.

Donal highlighted that conditions are very challenging currently and consequently grazing is hard work but it is important that farmers try to make a start so get out and walk to see if there is some dry spot to get cows out for a few hours at least to reduce the silage demand and increase the level of performance through inclusion of grazed grass. He was quick to acknowledge that there are scenarios where it may not be possible to get out but that people need to be looking regularly.

Mike Egan spoke on fertiliser advice in these very trying weather conditions. Mike outline the various scenarios on farm from some fertiliser spread to none and how to respond to these, again similar to Donal’s advice, when the conditions allow.

Mike finished by discussing fertiliser advice for silage this year and emphasised the need for good cuts in order to replenish very much diminished stocks on farms. This will not be achieved by going for big bulk first cuts. 

Instead, early/mid/late May cuts depending on the starting point of the crop will be necessary to get ‘May growth’ into 2nd cuts in order to get the bulk many farmers require but with a much higher level than a big bulky first cut in June will deliver.

Mike emphasised that bulky first cuts actually undermine total silage production and cautioned farmers against being tempted to take this approach to silage production not just this year but any year.

You can also watch the webinar in full at:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8kQMPH73y0&t=4s&ab_channel=Teagasc 

For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at: 

https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/

The Dairy Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.com

For this week’s Grass10 grazing management update, Joseph Dunphy discusses PastureBase data, Dry Matter % and Predicted grass growth, rainfall & soil temperatures for the week.

As the wet weather continues, Joseph discusses grazing management advice and he has an update from Shane Seymour in county Tipperary.

Link to this week’s newsletter: 

https://bit.ly/Grass10-2ndApril

For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at:

https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/

The Dairy Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.com

Recognition of the high forage quality and the nitrogen (N) fixation benefits of grass-white clover pastures has led to a resurgence of interest in its use as a means of reducing the economic and environmental costs in livestock agriculture. 

On this week’s Dairy Edge podcast, Teagasc grassland researcher Caitlin Looney and Teagasc Grass 10 advisor Joseph Dunphy, outline the benefits of grass white clover swards, the findings from the Clover 150 commercial farm trials and how to set out incorporating clover on your farm. 

For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at: 

https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/

The Dairy Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.com

On this week’s Grass10 grazing management update, Joseph Dunphy discusses PastureBase data, Dry Matter % and Predicted grass growth, rainfall & soil temperatures for the week.

Joseph also discusses feeding the cow as poor weather forces farmers to house and he has an update from dairy farmer Kevin Murphy in county Wexford.

Link to this week’s Grass10 newsletter: 

https://bit.ly/Grass10-26thMarch

For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at:

https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/

The Dairy Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.com

Sean Coughlan, CEO of ICBF, joins Stuart Childs on this week’s Dairy Edge podcast to discuss the origins of ICBF, what it has done since its creation back in 1998 and what the future looks like for dairy breeding.

Sean first gives a brief description of how ICBF came into being under the stewardship of Dr. Brian Wickham as the first CEO in 1998 when it was formed.

He then explains the creases that had to be ironed out when ICBF started highlighting the variation in calving dates that existed initially due to the multiple layers at the time and how over time with the cooperation of all stakeholders, this has become a thing of the past with much more streamlined data flows ensuring accurate recording with no duplication.  

This has allowed ICBF to create the database that is the engine of dairy and beef breeding in Ireland. 

The links with the genetics and modelling departments of Teagasc have allowed ICBF to develop EBI initially, DBI and CBV more recently as well as suckler beef indexes all of which are created to drive genetic gain and ultimately profitability for Irish farmers.

Sean says that the power of genetics is enormous and that while the improvement is often perceived to be slow, it works and that the potential of new technology such as the genotyping scheme to further improve genetic gain is very real and a huge opportunity for the Irish dairy and beef breeding industry.  

For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at: 

https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/

The Dairy Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.com

For this week’s Grass10 grazing management update, Joseph Dunphy discusses PastureBase data, Dry Matter % and Predicted grass growth, rainfall & soil temperatures for the week . 

Joseph discusses current grazing management with the poor weather, the launch of the Spring clover events throughout the country and has a grazing update from farmer David Dolan in Co. Mayo

Link to this week’s newsletter: 

https://bit.ly/Grass10-19thMarch

For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at:

https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/

The Dairy Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.com

The need for enough quality silage in our dairy systems is often underestimated. 

With silage stocks reducing and average quality on a lot of farms there is a need for farmers to put a silage plan in place for 2024. 

Dairy advisor William Byrne, and dairy farmer, Michael Lally, join James Dunne on the latest Dairy Edge podcast to discuss some of the key aspects of making quality silage whilst also ensuring good yields.

For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at: 

https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/

The Dairy Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.com

On the latest Grass10 grazing management update, Joseph Dunphy discusses PastureBase data, Dry Matter % and Predicted grass growth, rainfall & soil temperatures for the week. 

Joseph also discusses the ‘3 checks’ of managing pasture on your farm during March and has a grazing update from William Dennehy from Co. Kerry.

Link to this week’s newsletter: 

https://bit.ly/Grass10-12thMarch

For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at:

https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/

The Dairy Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.com

New entrant dairy farmer, Liam Brophy, joins Emma-Louise Coffey on the latest Dairy Edge podcast to discuss the conversion process of his family farm as well as successes and challenges along the way.

Towards the end of Liam’s school years, milk quota abolition offered the opportunity to milk dairy cows on his home farm. Following extensive discussion with his father Mark, Liam set about completing the Dairy Herd Management course at Gurteen College and the Dairy Farm Management course at Kildalton College and Moorepark to gain the relevant knowledge and hands-on experience to prepare himself for the process of converting the home farm from drystock to dairy.

Prior to milking, investments included purchasing heifers, building a parlour, installing a water system and paddocks. The most recent building included a cubicle shed which replaced straw bed housing.  

Reflecting on the last 5 years, Liam explained that while they had planning approval to build the parlour almost a year prior to start milking in February 2020, the unanticipated impact of Covid-19 delayed the build of the milking parlour which forced them to milk in a temporary parlour for almost the full year. This delay presented the greatest challenge in the early days.

The Brophy family, now in their 4th season milking, have 142 high EBI black and white cows calving in 2024. In 2023, the cows produced 500 kg MS at 4.5% fat and 3.7% protein.

For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at: 

https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/

The Dairy Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.com

On this week’s Grass10 grazing management update, Joseph Dunphy discusses the latest PastureBase data, Dry Matter % and Predicted grass growth, rainfall & soil temperatures for the week.

Jospeh explains how an adjustment of your first grazing rotation will need to be made depending on your % grazed during February. 

He also has a grazing update from featured farmer, Joe Murphy from Co Kilkenny, and he discusses the importance of sulphur this spring.

Link to this week’s newsletter: 

https://bit.ly/Grass10-5thMarch

For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at:

https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/

The Dairy Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.com

As a joint episode between The Dairy Edge and The Beef Edge podcasts, dairy farmer, Paul Delaney, and Teagasc beef specialist, Catherine Egan, join Emma-Louise Coffey to discuss the importance of genetics in dairy-beef systems to maximise performance and profitability.

In 2024, Paul plans to use sexed semen on the top 35-40% of his herd followed by continental beef straws. When considering the impact of calving continental breeds, Paul says he focuses on calving difficulty and gestation length and has not encountered issues at calving. 

He compares his experience of calving suckler and dairy cows and explains that he finds the dairy cows ‘open up better’ to calf and they are fit rather than fat, given the difference in their body condition at calving.

Paul has two repeat customers since he began milking six years ago, one for his Friesian bulls and one for his continentals. He sets the price for the calves based on the market value in the given year. His priority is to sell a healthy, good quality calf that will provide a margin for the beef farmer.  

For farmers who are placing a greater focus on the dairy beef index this year, Paul encourages farmers to give it a go and try with a handful of their cows. Where it works well, it will give farmers the confidence to continue adding value to the dairy beef calves into the future.

For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at: 

https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/

The Dairy Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.com

For this week’s Grass10 grazing management update, Joseph Dunphy discusses PastureBase data, Dry Matter % and Predicted grass growth, rainfall & soil temperatures.

Joseph has a grazing update from the featured farmer from Co. Westmeath, Michael Martin, who is getting grazing despite the difficult weather. 

He discusses the importance of getting back into the weekly routine of completing a grass walk on PastureBase Ireland and an updated plan for chemical N and Slurry.

Link to this week’s newsletter: 

https://bit.ly/Grass10-27thFeb

For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at:

https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/

The Dairy Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.com

Coming off the back of the highs of 2022, the production year of 2023 has seen a sharp market correction in milk price. 

Plenty of farmers are budgeting forward and one question which is always asked is what’s the market outlook for the current year? 

On this week’s Dairy Edge, James Dunne is joined by Bord Bia Dairy Ingredients Sector Manager, Margaret Butler, to give some insights into the current market outlook.

For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at: 

https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/

The Dairy Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.com

On this week’s Grass10 grazing management update, Joseph Dunphy discusses PastureBase data, Dry Matter % and Predicted grass growth, rainfall & soil temperatures. 

Joseph also has a grazing update from featured farmer, Fergal Coughlan from Co. Cork, who has managed to graze 25% of his farm so far this spring. 

He discusses tips to get cows to grass and how to structure your daily workload so cows get out for a 2nd allocation of grass in the afternoon. 

He also discusses the PastureBase grazing calculator & early chemical Nitrogen.

Link to this week’s Grass10 newsletter: 

https://bit.ly/Grass10-20thFeb

For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at:

https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/

The Dairy Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.com

‘Vet on the Moove’ Hazell Mullins joins Emma-Louise Coffey on this week’s Dairy Edge podcast to discuss the priorities to achieve high herd health status and gives her tips to limit disease outbreaks this spring.

Hazell identifies use of farm data, diagnostic testing and hygienic facilities as target areas to promote herd health and prevent disease outbreak.

In relation to an effective vaccination programme, Hazell recommends that individual farmers assess their farm situation, whether there is movement of stock to out farms, contract reared where potentially in contact with other stock or disease markers are rising in diagnostics testing.

As the busy calving season progresses, Hazell explains that despite farmers best efforts, illness outbreak typically occurs when the infection pressure exceeds the immunity of animals, especially the young calves.

For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at: 

https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/

The Dairy Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.com

On this week’s Grass10 grazing management update, Joseph Dunphy discusses PastureBase data, Dry Matter % and Predicted grass growth, rainfall & soil temperatures.

Joseph has a grazing update from featured farmer, Enda Armstrong from Co. Galway, who is currently grazing by day and explains the techniques he is using to get grass in the diet when weather is difficult. 

Joseph also discusses the importance of early spring Nitrogen.

You can also read this week's Grass10 newsletter at:
https://bit.ly/Grass10-13thFeb

For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at:

https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/

The Dairy Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.com

Don Crowley, Teagasc Milk Quality Specialist, joins Stuart Childs on this week’s episode of the Dairy Edge to talk about how to take control of SCC in the early stages of lactation.

Don first outlines the importance of a fresh cow group to manage the transition to the main milking group which is a key step to set cows up for the year ahead.

This fresh cow group will allow added attention to be given to both cubicles and the cows themselves in terms of preparation and observation of milking.

Don also advocates using the Californian Milk Test (CMT) on all cows immediately prior to allowing their milk into the bulk tank. This step will allow for early identification of sub clinical mastitis and facilitates appropriate early intervention to control the infection. 

This process will cost time at what is a busy time of year already but it is time well worth investing and will set your cows up for their full lactation.

For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at: 

https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/

The Dairy Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.com

The Teagasc Grass10 team are bringing Dairy Edge listeners a new, weekly Grass10 update and for this week's grazing management update, Joseph Dunphy discusses PastureBase data, Dry Matter % and Predicted grass growth, rainfall & soil temperatures.

He also discusses the importance of getting your opening Average Farm Cover, grass budget & spring rotation planner completed.

Plus, Joseph has an update from the Clonakilty Research Farm in Co. Cork where grazing has started, as well as the dos and don’ts in relation to early spring slurry and N application.

You can also read this week's Grass10 newsletter at:
https://bit.ly/Grass10-6thFebruary

For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at:

https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/

The Dairy Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.com

On this week’s episode of The Dairy Edge, dairy advisor Kay O’Connell joins Emma-Louise Coffey to address priority tasks from supporting cow and calf health to setting up the farm for the grazing season of 2024.

Kay recommends that farmers complete a spring rotation planner as a means of increasing the proportion of grazed grass in the dairy cow diet. Kay explains that grazed grass is highly digestible and high in protein and will support milk production and body condition in early lactation.

Kay discusses the considerations for Once-A-Day milking in early lactation. She explains that the biggest benefit comes from the labour savings. Addressing concerns about reduction in milk yield, Kay quantifies that during the 4 weeks OAD milking in early lactation, yield reduces by 22-24% but cows bounce back and there is no difference in overall production.

In terms of calf care, Kay emphasises the importance of the 1-2-3 of colostrum and hygiene in feeding implements and calf beds.

For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at: 

https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/

The Dairy Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.com

Mike Egan joins Emma-Louise Coffey on this week’s Dairy Edge podcast to discuss the balance between achieving optimum dairy cow intakes and good graze outs in early lactation.

Mike first considers the dynamics that dictate dairy cow intake in early lactation including parity, quality of the dry cow diet, cow liveweight, health and EBI. 

He explains that recent research estimates that the average cow in the herd will eat approximately 13 kg DM following calving, which is higher than the previous research which was carried out in the late 2000s. 

However, Mike points out that despite the initial greater intake potential at week 1 of lactation, the weekly rise in the appetite of the cow is less than previous estimates (0.8 kg per week rather than 1.0 kg). Peak intake of 17-18 kg is reached at week 10 of lactation. 

Mike says that in mid-January, farm cover was sitting at 830 kg DM/ha across farms that have measured and recorded grass on PastureBase and therefore there is great scope for grazed grass to make up the majority of the dairy cow diet in February. 

Mike recommends that each farmer gets out to measure grass cover to assess exactly how much grass is available to them and to prepare a Spring Rotation Planner and Feed Budget for the months ahead. This will ensure cows are fed with the best quality feeds possible to support milk production and body condition and supplement is fed at appropriate rates and spec where necessary.

For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at: 

https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/

The Dairy Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.com 

Pat Tuohy and William Burchill join Emma-Louise Coffey on this week’s Dairy Edge podcast to discuss how farmers can maximise the value of slurry through tactical use and having optimum storage facilities on farm.

At the outset, William says, if you are not prepared to go with bagged fertiliser, you should not be willing to slurry. In order for this to play out on farm, William explains that farmers need sufficient storage to allow flexibility in their system, particularly in late January and February.

William quantifies the value of slurry at €40/1,000 gallons with a nutrient profile of 9 units of Nitrogen, 5 units of Phosphorus and 32 units of Potassium. 

William explains that 80% of the value of slurry comes from the P & K components and how farmers need to be tactical about where they spread (paddocks with low P & K or silage ground), how (LESS technology) and how much (using the appropriate rate). 

William acknowledges the variation in nutrient value of slurry, be it covered or uncovered tanks or the type of stock feeding into the tank, and recommends farmers consider slurry sampling to know the exact profile of the slurry product.

Patrick has put an estimate of capital investment in slurry storage for typical options farmers choose from slatted tank, €790 per cow (€450/foot), to over ground tank, €835 per cow, and slurry bag, €325 per cow.

In an ongoing study across 100 dairy farms in Ireland, Pat recognises the contribution of rainwater whether to uncovered storage facilities and runoff not being channelled away from tanks. This can put existing facilities under significant pressure throughout the closed period.

For more information:

https://www.teagasc.ie/media/website/events/2023/Slurry-Storage-and-handling---how-best-to-invest.pdf

For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at: 

https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/

The Dairy Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.com

Marion Beecher joins Emma-Louise Coffey on this week’s episode of The Dairy Edge to discuss a recent case study of farmers who achieve an average 8 hour working day on their dairy farm throughout the year.

Marion explains that in the study, farmers cited a compact, seasonal calving system as the key driver of their labour efficiency and recognised that the average 8 hour day ranged with longer working days during calving and breeding to much shorter days when cows are dried off

Marion identified some top practices that lend themselves to lower labour demands including a good milking parlour with less than 8 rows going through the parlour (farm facilities), group calving pens (work practices), automatic calf feeders, collars (technologies) and setting an evening finish time (work organisation).

Ahead of the spring calving season on dairy farms, Marion encourages farmers to get a good break and well deserved rest, prepare as much as possible by having facilities set up and the relevant supplies to hand on farm and to ensure there is sufficient help available for the calving.

For more information:

https://www.teagasc.ie/media/website/events/2023/Marion-Beecher-Presentation---Getting-to-grips-with-labour-challenges-on-dairy-farms.pdf

For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at: 

https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/

The Dairy Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.com

Following the Teagasc National Dairy Conference where attendees heard how pasture utilised was fundamental to our dairy systems, Teagasc Researcher Donal Patton joins James Dunne on the latest Dairy Edge podcast to explain how to make informed decisions regarding farm stocking rate.

For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at:
https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/

The Dairy Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.com

William Burchill, FBD Lecturer in Soil Science in UCC, is on this week’s Dairy Edge podcast discussing Nitrogen Use Efficiency (NUE) from a wholefarm point of view but also from the point of nitrogen applied.

William explains how wholefarm Nitrogen Use Efficiency works and then how NUE can be used in terms of the fertilisers (organic or chemical) applied to land.  William discusses the 4 Rs of fertiliser application: Right type, Right place, Right timing and Right rate.

William also outlines a fertiliser shopping list for farms which will include protected urea as the main source of nitrogen and the requirements for P and K being addressed through 16% Super P and Muriate of Potash (0:0:50) or compounds such as 18:6:12 or 0:7:30.

The response to sulphur (S) also needs to be considered for fertiliser applications with recent work showing up to 25% increase in grass growth where S is included.

Finally, William recommends people test their soil, test their slurry, build a nutrient management plan and follow it ensuring to use the allowances that are available to the farm due to the importance of keeping all nutrients at the appropriate index in order to drive grassland performance.

For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at:
https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/

The Dairy Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.com

International dairy consultant, David Beca, joins Emma-Louise Coffey for part two of his discussion on the Dairy Edge podcast to discuss the global milk supply trends over the last two decades and he speculates what milk producing nations have the capacity to meet growing consumer demands.
 
David explains that demand for dairy is growing by 1-3% per annum with the range being determined by economic conditions.
 
Examining individual countries, David sees compounding growth in milk supply in countries such as Ireland, New Zealand and South Africa while others have remained static or contracted e.g. the UK and Australia.
 
David anticipates that the Irish dairy industry has the capacity for continued growth in supply in the future but clarifies that this is dependent on external regulation and individual farmers’ ability to have clarity in their production system and utilisation of grass in the diet.
 
For more information go to:
https://www.teagasc.ie/media/website/events/2023/David-Beca---Key-drivers-of-milk-production-costs-in-dairy-systems.pdf

For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast visit the show page at:
https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/

The Dairy Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.com

International dairy consultant, David Beca, joins Emma-Louise Coffey on this week’s Dairy Edge podcast to discuss the fundamentals of cost control in grazing systems.

David discusses pasture harvest, as defined as grass utilised on the milk platform, and consequently, the proportion of pasture in the dairy cow diet, as the key driver of low cost, high profit grazing systems.

Furthermore, David compares the relative costs of feedstuffs in Ireland and international competitors. He explains that the relative cost of grazed grass and supplement is much greater than in countries such as USA owing to the ability of Irish farms to grow grass so cheaply. He costs grass at $60 v concentrates at $400, reinforcing the impact of imported feed on the cost structures

For more information go to:

https://www.teagasc.ie/media/website/events/2023/David-Beca---Key-drivers-of-milk-production-costs-in-dairy-systems.pdf

For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at: 

https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/

The Dairy Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.com

Cathal Buckley, Researcher at the Rural Economy Unit in Teagasc Athenry, joins Stuart Childs on this week’s Dairy Edge podcast to discuss the results from the sustainability report of 2022 that was published in October of this year.

Cathal first outlines the number of dairy farms involved in the survey and some of the figures associated with them such as the average dairy cow number of 92.

Cathal discusses the reasons for the reduction in the per hectare emissions on dairy farms in 2022. The main reason being the reduction in chemical fertiliser applied but also due to the change in the fertiliser type with the switch from CAN to straight urea and protected urea. 

However, he explains, due to the switch to straight urea over protected urea, there was an increase in ammonia emissions. The change to urea based fertiliser has been a positive but it needs to change to protected urea to have maximum impact on ammonia.

Cathal says that efficiency gains have been good but have been eroded by the increase in the national herd so we need to continue to adopt the technologies to drive down the overall emissions and then the greenshoots of research in relation to methane emissions from rumination can potentially have a significant impact when they do eventually come to the market.

Cathal finishes by recommending that farmers look to rapidly embrace clover and multispecies which are looking promising in their early research to reduce the reliance on chemical fertiliser which is subject to fluctuation due to the ongoing geo-political climate.  

For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at: 

https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/

The Dairy Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.com

With the level of data available to dairy farmers increasing all the time, David Hannon, a dairy farmer from county Meath, joins James Dunne on the latest Dairy Edge podcast to explain how he uses data to drive better decisions on his farm.

 
The National Dairy Conference 2023 takes place on November 29th at the Lyrath Hotel, county Kilkenny with the theme of this year’s conference, 'Adapting to a changing dairy farming environment'.
 
For tickets and more information visit:
https://www.teagasc.ie/corporate-events/dairy-conference/


For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at:
https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/

The Dairy Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.com

Teagasc’s Richie O’Brien and Joe Patton join Emma-Louise Coffey on the latest Dairy Edge podcast to reflect on the progress made after a decade of expansion whilst also discussing concerns in areas such as the economic consequences of overstocking the milking platform.
 
Richie explains that the advice now is similar to pre-quota: efficiency before scale, getting the simple things right like soil fertility, producing more grass, completing a financial plan to dictate decisions at farm level.

When considering the rise in milk production, Joe explains that for the most part it has been beneficial from an economic and social perspective.
 
Joe urges farmers to look specifically at their farm’s feed situation. What proportion of the dairy cow diet is coming from grazed grass and how much external feed is being imported onto the platform, be it through concentrate or purchased forage?

There was consensus among Joe and Richie that farmers should budget 5.5 tonnes of grass utilised and 800kg concentrate per cow, meaning a farm stocked at 2.5 cows per ha needs to grow 15 tonnes of grass.

The National Dairy Conference 2023 takes place on November 29th at the Lyrath Hotel, county Kilkenny with the theme of this year’s conference, 'Adapting to a changing dairy farming environment'.

For tickets and more information visit:
https://www.teagasc.ie/corporate-events/dairy-conference/

For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at:
https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/

The Dairy Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.com
 

Dairy advisor, Jim Moyles, joins Emma-Louise Coffey on this week’s Dairy Edge to discuss the financial performance of dairy farms in 2023 and potential areas where farmers can focus on to protect profits.
 
Jim documents farm accounts for 27 farms from January to September and he explains that farm receipts have declined by €800 per cow compared with 2022 resulting from a 15 cent/litre drop in milk price while production remained steady to the end of August.

Farm costs remained relatively steady with variable costs increasing by €8 and fixed costs increasing by €60 year-on-year. Consequently, surplus cash has declined from €1,550 per cow in 2022 to €700 in 2023. Jim reminds us that this surplus cash must cover own labour/drawings, tax and repayments.
 
Jim advises that all farmers should complete a cost control planner in order to assess their individual farm situation because a group average masks a lot.

While the average surplus cash is €700 per cow, the range across the group was -€17 to +€1,300.

Characteristics of the farms achieving higher surplus cash include good milk and animal sales and a tight control on costs.
 
For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at:
https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/

The Dairy Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.com

With the winter housing period upon us in large parts of the country, Laois-based Teagasc Dairy advisor, Lorcan Dooley joins James Dunne on this week’s Dairy Edge podcast to outline the advice he’s giving to his clients with regards to winter feed, while Kate McCarthy, Co-Ordinator of the Teagasc National Fodder Survey outlines the current fodder situation.

For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at:
https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/
 
The Dairy Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.com

Pablo Silva Bolona, mastitis researcher at Teagasc Moorepark, is on this week’s Dairy Edge podcast to discuss his research and recommendations into successfully implementing selective dry cow therapy (SDCT) on farms for the drying off season in 2023.

Pablo first explains the concept of selective dry cow therapy saying the main risk periods for cows are the two weeks after dry off and the 2 weeks before calving as well as early lactation due to the stress of calving reducing immunity to disease. 

Individual cow records will be necessary for vets to prescribe correctly so people should milk record as close to drying off as possible as the research conducted on commercial farms by Pablo and his team have shown that the SCC in the final recording is strongly linked to identifying cows that require antibiotic treatment. 

For those that have not milk recorded yet this year, they should look to start recording before the end of lactation and continue to record in 2024. Alternatively, although a far more laborious way, is to take quarter samples from all cows and get these analysed.

Pablo finishes by highlighting that nutritional management of yield is important, with cows dried at <15kg of milk per day having better treatment outcomes under SDCT. 

The cleanliness and stocking density of cubicles are also an important factor with twice daily cleaning and liming of cubicles contributing to better outcomes. 

A surprisingly high level of infection in 1st lactation animals resulted in a higher threshold or cut point for 1st calvers from the predictive model developed from the research. This was 100,000 for the 1st lactation cows and 65,000 SCC for the 2nd lactation plus cows. 

This is not to say that farmers should only apply SDCT to cows at these thresholds as many farmers are successfully using higher thresholds with great success with some farmers successfully using sealer only treatment on 80-90% of their herds.

Seeking advice and making informed decisions on what cows to treat or not and excellent hygiene at post drying and in the run into calving can see SDCT implemented on Irish farms with little or no impact on the SCC of the herds or nationally.  

For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at: 
https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/
 
The Dairy Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.com

Dairy farmer, Aidan Ahearne, joins Emma-Louise Coffey on this week’s Dairy Edge podcast to discuss the practical implementation of 10 in 7 milking frequency on his farm and the benefits to work-life balance and animal welfare with minimal impact on milk production.

Aidan explains that he tried 10 in 7 milking frequency from October last year with good success but based on research, he started from mid-July this year. 

When considering production, milk solids was the same in August of this year compared to last year but dropped by 8% in the month of September. Aidan speculates that this is partially due to reduced milking frequency but also says that lower meal feeding rates and adverse weather played a part.

Aidan emphasises the impact of reducing milking to 10 in 7 improves work life balance, as you are eliminating 16 milkings per month or 64 milkings from August to November. He explains this is at a time when you can get tired and stale from the tasks of daily milking routines.
 
 Fundamentally, Aidan considers 10 in 7 as a vehicle to support work-life balance and allows him more free time with his young family and for interests outside of farming. He thinks it is a no-brainer for many farms.

For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at: 

https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/

The Dairy Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.com

As part of Sustainability Week, dairy farmers John and Brendan Walsh join Emma-Louise Coffey on this week’s episode of The Dairy Edge podcast to discuss the evolution in their farming practices in an effort to improve the sustainability of the farm system.

Brendan explains that, while they have always had an environmental focus on the farm, their urgency in the uptake of new practices has escalated in an effort to help combat climate change.

The Walsh’s have begun to test their slurry and John explains that they have slurry tanks associated with different stock groups: dry cows, weanlings, finishers and an uncovered tank. This gives them more knowledge of the nutrient value of the slurry and the ability to target paddocks deficient in nutrients.

Brendan estimates that they have established clover on 62% of the farm. This has allowed them to reduce the quantity of chemical nitrogen spread on the platform. When considering the challenge of bloat, John explains that they lost a cow and had cows blown up last autumn, when there was high growth rate following the drought and an abundance of lush, low fibre grass available. To counteract the risk, the Walsh’s make straw available to cows and estimate they used half a bale per cow last autumn.

John urges farmers to strongly consider the adoption of best practice on farms saying, ‘Try everything but don’t be afraid to fail’.

For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at: 

https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/

The Dairy Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.com.

With the recent announcement to the changes in the upper derogation limit from 250 to 220 kg of organic nitrogen per hectare, this week’s Dairy Edge podcast is joined by Eddie Burgess, Catchment Specialist from the Agricultural Catchments Programme, who gives the background and sequence of events that led to the decision being made; while Joe Patton, Teagasc’s Head of Dairy Knowledge Transfer, discusses the options available to affected farmers.

For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at: 

https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/

The Dairy Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.com.

For this week’s podcast version of the Let’s Talk Dairy webinar series, James Dunne, is joined by Michael Dineen, Senior Research Officer at Teagasc, to discuss the key messages from the National Winter Milk Open Day.

To register for future Let’s Talk Dairy webinars go to:

https://www.teagasc.ie/corporate-events/lets-talk-dairy/

For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at:

https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/

With the deadline for slurry spreading fast approaching, Mark Plunkett joins Emma-Louise Coffey on this week’s episode of The Dairy Edge podcast with his tips and advice to maximise the nutrient uptake and productivity from slurry on farm.

Mark urges farmers to make a plan to target the most appropriate fields for slurry application - slurry with low P and K indexes or have had silage cuts during the year. 

Mark reminds farmers that this is the last opportunity to empty tanks ahead of the winter housing period.

Furthermore, Mark says that the window for liming fields is now open. Lime remains a cheap fertiliser product, especially with access to funding from the National Liming Programme. 

Benefits of liming include building optimal soil fertility, nitrogen mineralisation and increased grass productivity.

For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at: 

https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/

The Dairy Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.com.