The Dairy Edge

For this week’s Grass10 grazing management update, John Maher discusses current grazing advice as some farms are coming into a surplus in grass supply while others, particularly on the southern coast, are tight on grass supply. 

John also reviews where fertiliser nitrogen use is at and what should be left for the rest of the grazing season, plus there is a grazing update from Enda Armstrong from Galway, who is currently growing lots of grass!

Link to this week’s Grass10 newsletter:

https://bit.ly/Grass10-01stJuly2025

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

ICBF business analysts, Mark Waters and Gearoid Slattery, join James Dunne on this week’s Dairy Edge to discuss the National Genotyping Programme, how it has performed to date, the benefits of genotyping, some the challenges that have been faced and the opportunity for new participants in the next phase of the programme.   

We are also joined by Cork dairy farmer Sheena Murphy who outlines her experience of being in the programme and how it has benefited her herd.

Moorepark Open Day

The Teagasc Moorepark Dairy Open Day will take place on Wednesday, 2nd July 2025, 8:30am - 5pm,at the Teagasc Animal & Grassland Research and Innovation Centre, Moorepark, Fermoy, Co. Cork, P61 C996.

The theme of this year’s event is ‘Innovating for the future’.

Join us on Wednesday, 2nd July at Moorepark!

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, John Maher discusses current grazing advice as some farms are coming into a surplus in grass supply while others - particularly in the southern coast - are tight on grass supply.

John also has a grazing update from Mike Ahern, from Co. Waterford, who was announced as the Sustainable Grassland Farmer of the Year 2024. The Moorepark Open Day is also discussed.

Link to this week’s Grass10 newsletter:

https://bit.ly/Grass10-24thJune2025

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

Laurence Shalloo, Head of the Animal and Grassland Programme in Teagasc Moorepark, joins Stuart Childs on this week’s Dairy Edge.

Laurence starts by acknowledging that there is a constant state of flux in the world now and that we are constantly adapting to change. This is no different to what we did in the run-in to the milk quota removal.

Laurence talks about the pent up energy in the industry post-quota removal that has delivered a 100% increase in milk solids production from just a 50% increase in cows, indicating the advances made in terms of productivity.

There are always challenges and costs were high on the agenda at previous Open days and they are well up the agenda again in 2025 as there has been an upward shift in costs. There is a need to focus on getting on top of them again and key to that is efficiency and growing the cheapest feed we can – grass.

The other challenges facing the industry include generation renewal as some of the people that have delivered the expansion are now looking for the person to carry on the business. 

Greenhouse gas emissions and water quality challenges also exist but are trending in the right direction and can be overcome by implementing the research.

The Moorepark Open day is on July 2nd starting at 08:30am and we encourage all to attend and engage on the day.

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, John Maher discusses current grazing advice as many farms are coming into surplus grass, grazing grass covers that are too high and he has a grazing update from Denis Finnegan, Co. Cork.

Link to this week’s Grass10 newsletter: 

https://bit.ly/Grass10-17thJune2025

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 McCormack, dairy advisor at Teagasc Moorepark, joins Stuart Childs on this week’s Dairy Edge to discuss what’s currently happening on the farms in his area.

Padraig outlines the grazing situation in the area which is beginning to get back on track followed a prolonged spell of dry weather a month ago. Quality has been variable but people are looking at removing surplus in the coming week as growth is exceeding demand on average.

Padraig spoke about fertiliser advice from nitrogen rates to sulphur and also P and K where surplus is removed. 

Padraig discussed breeding performance in his area which is looking good and he reminded listeners to plan a date to stop breeding prior to July 20th with it being the cut off to avoid May calvers in 2026. 

From his profit monitor meetings in the spring of 25, the justification for calving a cow in May is non-existent given the cost of keeping the cow and the return she will generate in her 2025 lactation.

Padraig then tells us about the investments that his clients are considering with slurry storage on some people’s minds but clarity around storage requirements and planning is slowing movement in that area. 

Investing in things to make life easier is where it is at with people looking to avail of grants on heat detection systems, drafting gates and calf feeders.   

Finally, Padraig ends by telling us that currently, his groups are either planning or heading away on some visits away from their own farms. He suggests that people should plan to take holidays and plan to get a few days off when things quieten down once breeding is finished and he reminds listeners of the excellent day out that is the Moorepark Open day coming up on July 2nd. 

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, John Maher discusses current grazing advice as some farms are coming into surplus grass and he has a grazing update from John Phelan, Co. Waterford.

Link to this week’s Grass10 newsletter: 

https://bit.ly/Grass10-10thJune2025

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

James Dunne is joined this week by Teagasc grassland science researcher, Mike Egan, to discuss the correct management of grass-clover swards to ensure high levels of pasture and animal performance.  

Mike also discusses the findings from the recent external assessment of Teagasc’s Clover and Multi-Species Sward Research Programme.

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 current grazing advice as some farms are coming into surplus grass, plus he has a grazing update from Tim Walsh in Co. Kerry.

Link to this week’s Grass10 newsletter:

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

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

Irish dairy farms are making huge progress when it comes to improving their sustainability metrics, with the Teagasc/FBD Environmental Sustainability Awards highlighting the farms which are leaders in this regard. 

For this week’s Dairy Edge, James Dunne is joined by dairy farmer, Brendan Walsh, who was the overall winner in 2024. 

Brendan outlines how he farms to meet high levels of performance, whilst also keeping the long term sustainability of his system in mind. 

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 current grazing advice as growth rates are expected to bounce back with rainfall received, plus he has a grazing update from Killian Brennan, Co. Cavan.

Link to this week’s Grass10 newsletter:

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

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 Grass10 Programme Manager, John Maher, joins Stuart Childs on this week’s Dairy Edge to discuss managing mid-season grass quality. 

John outlines the significance of getting grass quality right with 40% of the milk being produced in May, June and July.

He talks about why grass management is difficult, because it doesn’t grow consistently with as much grass growing in the last 7 days of the rotation, as it does in the first 14 days.

The main aim is to graze 1400 Kg DM/ha as this is the cover that optimises grass performance and cow performance and means the paddock is grazed well to facilitate good quality in subsequent rotations.

There are challenges in terms of management of grass quality currently with drier than normal conditions. However, people need to try to get back into the right cover as soon as they can if rain comes.

Nutrient status of paddocks is important and K is critical in water management in the plant, so some K and indeed S are important to deal with stress periods. 

Rainfall should bring a surge in growth and that will have to be managed but having nutrient status in control allows for a quicker return to normal as grass can deal with the stress better when nutrient status is adequate.

John finishes up by saying that it is important to walk the farm before the rain comes to know where you are at and then walk it again once the rain comes to reassess, with the objective being to get to the right pre-grazing yield of 1400 or 10cms in height as soon as possible to underpin midsummer milk production and milk price.

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, with rainfall amounts variable throughout the country, Joseph Dunphy discusses current grazing advice and has a grazing update from Michael Walsh, Co. Laois.

Link to this week’s Grass10 newsletter:

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

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

Costs over the last number of years in running a commercial dairy farm have increased significantly, albeit farm gate milk prices are higher than the long term average, and it’s important that investment decisions are made that benefit the business in the long term.  

Teagasc farm management specialist, Kevin Connolly, joins James Dunne on this week’s Dairy Edge to discuss and explain why farmers should make informed decisions when it comes to managing their farming business, managing cash surpluses and how to best complete an investment appraisal.

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 managing a surplus grass situation as soil moisture deficits begin to bite on some drier farms, plus he has a grazing update from Sean O Sullivan, Co. Cork.

Link to this week’s Grass10 newsletter: 

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

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, Paul Hyland, who runs the farm with his brother David near the village of Ballacolla, Co. Laois, joins Stuart Childs on this week’s Dairy Edge to discuss silage quantity and quality.

They have an objective to provide 4-5 bales of quality silage to feed cows in the autumn and again in the springtime but also have a July reserve to be prepared for dry weather at that time of the year.

Paul discusses how they cut covers of 2500-3000 kg DM/ha, baling out at 4-5 bales per acre ideally until they have the reserve they need and then they will focus on main crop silage.

Interestingly, the Hylands always split their fertiliser applications to give themselves options with silage ground. Also they plan silage, targeting to cut younger, more recently reseeded ground for the quality silage.

Finally, Paul explains how the frequent cutting system that they employ on their farm delivers the same quantity of silage at the end of the year but far better quality than big bulky crops.

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 managing surplus grass currently on farm and he has a grazing update from Raymond Niblock, Co. Monaghan.

Link to this week’s newsletter Grass10 newsletter: 

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

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

Seamus Nolan, Teagasc’s Scheme Support Unit Specialist, who has a particular focus on the Target Agriculture Modernisation scheme, better known to many as the TAMS scheme, joins James Dunne on this week’s Dairy Edge.

Seamus discusses the recently announced nutrient storage investment scheme under TAMS 3 which offers farmers an increased rate of grant aid for nutrient storage investments on their 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

For this week’s Grass10 grazing management update, Joseph Dunphy discusses keeping a handle on pre-grazing yield as growth rockets throughout the country and he has a grazing update from Danny Bermingham, Co. Clare.

Link to this week’s Grass10 newsletter: 

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

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 ICBF’s Dan O’Riordan joins Stuart Childs on this week’s Dairy Edge to discuss the ICBF Sire Advice Programme which remarkably has been around for 18 years!

Dan first explains what sire advice is and how it works to try and balance the milk and fertility sub-indices to deliver a balanced cow.

Dan also speaks about the benefits of the programme from preventing lethal gene mutation matches in the background, to checking inbreeding to maximising the beef merit of the calf whilst minimising calving risk to the cow with the objective being to deliver a live calf each time.

Finally, Dan highlights the numbers of sire advice being completed, how they have increased in the last few years but that there is scope for more. 

One of the other benefits of completing the sire advice is how it streamlines the breeding season for both the farmer and that AI technician with the decisions made in advance in relation to what cow is getting what bull and giving technical clear instructions on the same with options if necessary also. 

If people are interested in completing a sire advice for 2025, they can contact their advisor, breeding advisor or ICBF directly.

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 managing grass supply, he previews upcoming reseeding events and has a grazing update from John Cashen, Co. Tipperary.

Link to this week’s Grass10 newsletter:

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

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 Kerry Dairy Ireland Joint Programme Demonstration Farm Advisor, Claire McAuliffe, and Programme Demonstration Farmer, Pa O’Hanlon, join Stuart Childs on this week’s Dairy Edge to discuss pre breeding management to drive submission rate and ultimately 6 week calving rate for the next calving season.

Pa first explains how calving has gone on the farm in 2025 and how he has delayed his calving start date over the last few years in order to better align with grass growth on his farm. 

In the past no matter how much quality silage he tried to have available, Pa found that he ended up feeding poorer silage to milking cows which was hitting his milk solids production so he has moved the calving date to try to calve closer to grass. This means that he has to achieve the 90% 6 week calving figure to get the best return from the herd.

Consequently, Pa is ‘afraid’ not to make the effort in terms of pre-breeding management as he can’t afford to let calving slip. He went on to explain how he has a chart which is very visual for keeping track of cows coming in heat post calving and uses the same chart for tracking AI in the 1st 3 weeks. 

This chart helps him to drive his 3 week submission rate and then identify any cows that haven’t been served as soon as the 3 weeks are past. He find this visual trigger much better than info on his phone as he would have used in the past.

Claire then highlights the performance of the demonstration farmer group and gave examples of some of the effort they are putting into pre-breeding management to drive the submission rate once AI commences. 

She also pointed out that many of the farms had opened with lower covers than they should have and found that they weren’t able to exploit the excellent grazing conditions this spring as much as they would have liked to. 

The recent uplift in growth has helped their cause and their action has ensured they now have adequate grass moving into the 2nd rotation. 

This needs to be a key focus for all of the farms at the end of this year to ensure they hit the closing cover targets so that there is adequate grass on farms in the spring of 2026. 

This is a major weakness at commercial farm level as pointed out by Michael O’Donovan on a recent episode.

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 key grazing targets throughout April and he has a grazing update from Matthew Draper, Co. Cork.

Link to this week’s Grass10 newsletter:

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

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 Dineen, a Teagasc researcher whose work focuses on animal nutrition, and Chris Heffernan, who recently completed his PhD in Teagasc Moorepark, join James Dunne on this week’s Dairy Edge to discuss the factors affecting milk fat production in dairy cows under pasture-based management systems.  

Mike and Chris explain the typical reduction in milk fat during late spring and early summer and outline some results from their recent research project.

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 beginning the 2nd rotation and has information on upcoming reseeding events countrywide, plus he gets a grazing update from Oisin Gallen, Co. Donegal.

Link to this week’s Grass10 newsletter:

https://bit.ly/Grass10-April8th

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 excellent grazing conditions prevail, Joseph Dunphy discusses managing supply and he has a grazing update from David French, Co. Wexford.

Link to this week’s Grass10 newsletter:

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

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

Michael O’Donovan, Head of the Grassland Science Department at Teagasc Moorepark joins James Dunne on this week’s Dairy Edge.

Michael discusses the grassland performance on Irish dairy farms over the last number of years, how farmers can increase the amount of pasture grown on farm and outlines key decisions that need to be made over the coming weeks to ensure high levels of animal performance over the coming 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 AFC drops with the excellent grazing conditions, Joseph Dunphy discusses feeding the cow appropriately, plus he has a grazing update from Eoin Corrigan, Co. Meath.

Link to this week’s Grass10 newsletter: 

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

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 the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF), joins Stuart Childs on this week’s Dairy Edge to discuss Irish dairy, dairy beef breeding and everything in between.

Sean discusses the National Genotyping Programme, the changes that they have made to improve for 2025 and how they have even more herds taken into the programme and will be looking to recruit more later on this year with the long term view to have a fully genotyped national herd in the future.

Sean highlights what he feels might be a lost opportunity in that we're not able to filter some of the surplus replacements from the top EBI herds to the lower genetic merit herds. He would love to see the top herds breed the replacements for the bottom herds as it is just too much of a mountain to climb for those lower genetic merit herds and the performance levels that those top herds are actually achieving is so good: 500 litres more milk; producing 53 kilos more milk solids per cow; 16 days better calving interval which is translating into a 12% better 6 week calving rate, and low CO2 emissions.

Sean also spoke about the potential of dairy beef by choosing easy calving sires that have more carcass weight than the easy calving bull as was often the choice in the past – no extra calving difficulty but significantly better beef merit calves.

Sean then outlines some changes that are on the cards for the EBI this year such as a review of the economic values used in the index and a base change to reflect better the cows that are now in the country.

Sean finishes by outlining how the benefits of genomics in terms of its ability to identify lethal genes such as HH3 which results in embryonic death. Identifying the carriers and using sire advice to avoid the breeding of positive cows and bulls can eliminate this negative embryonic death which is a major issue for seasonal calving systems. 

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 managing the remaining grazing area on the 1st rotation and he has a grazing update from Shane Seymour, Co. Tipperary.

Link to this week’s Grass10 newsletter:

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

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, and with the great grazing conditions, Joseph Dunphy discusses reviewing grazing progress throughout March and he has a grazing update from Dara Killeen, Co. Galway.

Link to this week’s Grass10 newsletter: 

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

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/Tírlan Future Farm programme farmer, David Fennelly, joins James Dunne on this week’s Dairy Edge to discuss how the busy calving period is progressing, and he outlines his grazing management to date. 

David also explains how he will manage the coming weeks to ensure success as the herd heads towards peak production.  

Plus, programme advisor, Sandra Hayes, highlights where the programme farmers are at with regards to grazing and nutrient management this spring. 

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 reviewing your AFC in early March and he has a grazing update from the O’Callaghan family in Cork.

Link to this week’s Grass10 newsletter: 

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

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

Tommy Cox, Teagasc Dairy Beef500 Programme Advisor, joins Stuart Childs on this week’s Dairy Edge to discuss calf sales this spring.

Tommy outlines what farmers should do from the moment the calf hits the ground in order to have them as fit and healthy as they can when it comes to sale time.

He discusses the important relationships that farmers are forging around the sale of calves in the last few years and how it is important that these are maintained for the good of both.

While prices are strong presently, compared to previous years, Tommy argues that there is a value in the relationships that have been developed over the years and that people need to factor this in when setting the prices of calves. The price paid is a significant factor in the profitability at the end of the day and that is important for the future sustainability of the calf-beef farms.

Tommy also explains that when buying a calf, a farmer should be looking for a healthy calf, a calf of known parentage, otherwise you are buying an unknown animal, and finally, to have a price that you can give for the calf but not to compromise on the health or the genetics of the calf in order to meet that price.   

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, and with the challenging week's weather, Joseph Dunphy discusses getting one grazing per day and he has a grazing update from Ben and Robin Mooney, Co. Wicklow.

Link to this week’s Grass10 newsletter:

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

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

Shane Leane, technical sales manager with Progressive Genetics, joins James Dunne on this week’s Dairy Edge to discuss the importance of milk recording.  He also outlines how to ensure efficiency and accuracy throughout the process. 

Plus, Shane discusses how to use to data to maximise the benefit to your herd. 

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, with the challenging weather, Joseph Dunphy discusses getting one grazing per day and he has a grazing update from John Finucane, Co. Limerick.

Link to this week’s Grass10 newsletter:

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

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

John McCabe, Teagasc/Aurivo Joint Programme Advisor, joins Stuart Childs on this week’s Dairy Edge to cover tips on grazing in spring.

John first gives a range of scenarios that he has heard from across the country.  He encourages people to get grazing if not already. For those who are, they need to manage their grazing to ensure they don’t leave themselves short of grass at the end of the 1st round.

John advises to get cows into the habit of grazing by grazing lower cover – this will also help get ground grazed off and growing for the 2nd rotation. Then move to the heavier cover to take it off before it starts to deteriorate in mid-March. This will also aid recovery of this type of ground.

Finally John says that it is very important to get early N out in the right conditions asap. The equivalent of a bale of silage/ha is up for grabs by doing it and if you’re not in a position to do, seek the help of a contractor as you cannot afford to miss the early application of fertiliser.

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 getting grazing allocations correct and he has a grazing update from Lauren Kinsella, Co. Carlow.

Link to this week’s Grass10 newsletter:

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

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 Wall, Teagasc Researcher at Johnstown Castle, joins James Dunne on this week’s Dairy Edge to discuss correct nutrient management use on dairy farms this spring. 

David outlines how the correct timing, rate and type of fertiliser is key to ensure efficient use of the nutrients available on farm. 

He makes the point that when conditions are correct, it would be an opportunity lost not to apply the required nutrients in order to increase the amount of grass grown and set the farm up for subsequent grazings.

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 attending a spring pasture morning near you and asks can you start grazing on your farm?

Link to this week’s Grass10 newsletter:

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

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

Raymond Ryan of Dairygold’s Milk Quality Advisory team joins Stuart Childs on this week’s Dairy Edge with tips on preparing for commencing supply and ensuring milk quality standards are maintained.

Raymond recommends washing the bulk tank and the plant in advance of putting milk in the tank as it has been idle for a number of weeks now.

He also suggests checking the level of uptake of chemical to ensure the tank and any autowashers are using the right quantity of detergent and descaler.

High SCC in February is not acceptable and Raymond recommends people try to respond as early as possible in order to deal with the source of the problem. This may require consultation with your vet as to the best course of action but getting on top of SCC at the start of lactation is important to have good control for the full lactation.

Finally, Raymond speaks a lot about the process, whatever the process is, whether it is washing the milking machine, dealing with a mastitis case, dealing with a freshly calved cow, it is important that people put a system in place and stick to it so that it can be repeated consistently. 

This, in his experience, is what delivers results from a milk quality perspective but can also contribute to the smoother running of the farm during busy periods such as during calving.

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 completing your opening AFC on PastureBase Ireland and previews the upcoming Spring Pasture Morning events throughout the country.

Link to this week’s Grass10 newsletter: 

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

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 ruminant nutritionist, Dr Aisling Claffey, joins James Dunne on this week's Dairy Edge podcast to discuss how to best meet the nutritional needs of the calved dairy cow throughout early lactation. 

Aisling outlines the energy requirements required to minimise body condition loss and optimise animal performance over the spring period and how these can be met with a simple diet of grazed grass, high quality silage and concentrates. 

The importance of achieving at least one grazing per day was discussed whilst also giving an understanding as to what’s needed at farm level when this isn’t achievable in difficult periods.

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 all things Nutrient Management Week which is across all Grass10 social media accounts this week and he encourages farmers to get out and complete an opening AFC on PastureBase Ireland.

Link to this week’s Grass10 newsletter:

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

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, Water Quality Specialist with Teagasc, joins Stuart Childs on this week’s Dairy Edge to discuss spreading organic fertilisers.

Cathal gives a summary of the factors that need to be considered before spreading slurry or manure even though the closed period has ended.

Cathal sympathises with the challenges farmers face trying to make this decision as it can be a challenge.  In an ideal world, he suggests that farmers should try to hold off spreading slurry until mid-February as day length increases, growth increases to use the nutrient applied, plus ground conditions might be better – although he does acknowledge that we can’t say if that will be the case in any given year. 

If you are going to spread, you need to watch the rate, so 1500-2000 gals/acre, and target it to the right fields, which would, in most cases would be silage fields where the greatest demand for P and K will be and then to adhere to the 10m buffer zones for the two weeks after the closed period has ended. 

Cathal also says that the 1.5m distance for fencing can allow for a vegetative buffer to grow inside the wire that can act as a second line of defence in the event of heavy rainfall washing nutrients towards a dyke or a drain, so the combination of this with the correct buffer can help prevent nutrients getting into waterways.

He also suggests that if farmers are finding themselves under pressure to spread currently, they think about where the excess of slurry is coming from. Is there water making its way into tanks that shouldn’t? If yes, can it be stopped or is additional capacity needed and should consideration be given to this?

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 getting soil samples completed while ground conditions are good and he highlights the upcoming Nutrient Management Week on our social media channels.

Link to this week’s Grass10 newsletter:

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

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

Monaghan dairy farmer, Paddy Traynor, joins James Dunne on this week’s Dairy Edge to outline his simple grass based block spring calving system that is capable of producing a good economic return. 

Paddy explains what he does to ensure he is best prepared for calving, while explaining how he manages labour on a part-time basis. 

Plus he explains how he has adopted several simple practices that ensures a high level of efficiency in the busy spring period.   

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

John Maher, Manager of the Teagasc Grass10 Programme joins Stuart Childs to discuss the grass growing year of 2024 and what we can learn from it for 2025.

John discusses several elements that people can control to help drive grass growth on their farms.  Getting the basics right is what makes the difference. Soil fertility has always been important but it is more important still where nitrogen is reduced as has been the case in the last number of years.

Grazing infrastructure to get grass to cows but not damage ground, was a significant issue for farmers in 2024. This doesn’t have to be elaborate, it may just be a few extra gaps into paddocks.

John went on to say that a big challenge for farmers to address in 2025 is replenishing feed reserves. While the extended autumn in 2024 has helped, people need to plan to increase feed stocks in anticipation of the weather challenges that are becoming more frequent. 

This means farmers need to do a root and branch review of their farming system and establish how they will deal with one of these weather challenges when it comes again. This means looking at how to increase grass growth on the farm, is the stocking rate appropriate, a plan for quality silage etc.

Finally, John outlines the fertiliser plan for early 2025 and how it is important to get nitrogen out in the form of either slurry or chemical nitrogen early to get growth going. It’s only a low rate application and it should only be spread in appropriate conditions but it needs to be spread if the weather is right to stimulate growth.

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 final Grass10 grazing management update of 2024, Joseph Dunphy discusses the 2024 grazing year with Ciaran Hearn from PastureBase Ireland, plus find out how to make better use of your grazing data through the reports on PastureBase Ireland.

Here also is the link to the Grass10 end of year webinar:

https://bit.ly/Grass10WebinarRecording

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, now that we are in early December, Joseph Dunphy discusses completing your closing Average Farm Cover on PastureBase Ireland along with an up to date set of soil samples.

Plus, this week’s featured farmer is Sustainable Grassland Farmer of the Year for 2023, Patrick O’Neill from Co. Longford.

Link to this week’s Grass10 newsletter: https://bit.ly/Grass10-10thDecember

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

This week on the Dairy Edge, we continue our coverage from the Teagasc National Dairy Conference in Limerick. 

The theme of this year’s conference was Robust Dairy Farming for Future Challenges. As part of the conference there were six practical workshops which farmers could choose to attend which would benefit their own farms in the future. 

These included:

•             Meeting Herd feed requirements next spring

•             Successful use of sexed semen in Irish dairy herds

•             Controlling dairy production costs in 2025

•             Managing young calves for better health outcomes

•             Clover 150 – lessons learned from 2024 and putting a plan in place for 2025

•             Trends in TB, reducing risk for dairy herds   

We hear from the presenters from each of the workshops who outline some of the key messages discussed on the day.

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 rainfall & soil temperatures for the week. 

Now that we are in early December, Joseph discusses completing your closing Average Farm Cover on PastureBase Ireland, while this week’s featured farmer is Enda Armstrong, Co. Galway who will be speaking at our Grass10 and PastureBase webinar on the 10th December 2024.

Link to this week’s Grass10 newsletter: 

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

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

This week’s Dairy Edge brings you some of the main insights from the 2024 Teagasc National Dairy Conference, including Áine Murray and Donal Patton, Teagasc Grassland Researchers, who gave an in-depth look on current grassland performance, the metrics that farmers should be focusing on and how to achieve these on commercial farms, even in difficult conditions.

Pat Dillon, Teagasc Director of Research, also spoke to James Dunne about improving water quality with a particular focus on the Munster Blackwater River Catchment, including primary actions required at farm level to reduce nutrient loss and why a whole catchment approach is important.

Plus Niamh Doyle heard from some of those farmers in attendance at the conference to get their thoughts on the day.

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 completing your closing Average Farm Cover on PastureBase Ireland in early December, while this week’s featured farmer is Michael Carroll, Bruree, Co. Limerick.

Link to this week’s Grass10 newsletter: 

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

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 December 1st approaches, Joseph also discusses current grazing management and he has a grazing update from John Casey, Co. Kerry.

Link to this week’s Grass10 newsletter: 

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

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 Aisling Claffey, Teagasc Ruminant Nutritionist, joins James Dunne on this week’s Dairy Edge to discuss the important practices to remember when it comes to the upcoming dry cow period. 

Aisling discusses the importance of assessing body condition of the herd, timely intervention when required and what the cows mineral requirements are to ensure a successful transition period next spring

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 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