Mark Waters from the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF) is on this week’s Beef Edge podcast to discuss the National Genotyping Programme which has recently opened for applications. The National Genotyping Programme is a collaborative initiative enabling Ireland to take the first step in achieving a fully genotyped national herd, based on a cost-sharing model between the Department of Agriculture, Food & the Marine, the beef and dairy industry and participating farmers. Genotyping the na...
Jul 23, 2025•13 min•Ep. 295
Grass10 Manager, John Maher, joins Catherine Egan on the latest Beef Edge with grassland management tips for the month ahead. John discusses current grazing conditions and explains the different scenarios across the country. He also details an action plan for dealing with drought, deficit and surpluses and he highlights the plan for the weeks ahead to ensure quality swards are available for building covers going into the autumn. You can subscribe to the Grass10 newsletter here: https://www.teaga...
Jul 19, 2025•9 min•Ep. 294
Future Beef Farmer, Kay O’Sullivan from county Cork, is on this weeks’ Beef Edge podcast to discuss her organic beef finishing system, current management on the farm and the upcoming national beef walk taking place on her farm. Kay explains her conversion to organics, current grass/clover and multi-species management as well as her herd health plan. The Future Beef farm walk will take place on Friday, 25th July at 6pm on Kay O’Sullivan’s farm at Mourneabbey, Mallow, Co. Cork, P51 Y62D. Topics to...
Jul 16, 2025•13 min•Ep. 293
Teagasc Scheme Support Unit Specialist, Seamus Nolan, is on this week’s Beef Edge podcast with an update on the Targeted Agricultural Modernisation Scheme - known as TAMS - to discuss items that are eligible for grants to make various improvements to farms. TAMS consists of ten different schemes and seven of these, including: the Animal Welfare, Nutrient Storage Scheme (AWNSS); the Young Farmer Capital Investment Scheme (YFCIS); the Organic Farming Capital Investment Scheme (OFCIS); the Dairy Eq...
Jul 09, 2025•18 min•Ep. 292
Teagasc DairyBeef 500 farmer Charlie Smyth is on this week’s Beef Edge podcast to give an insight into his dairy beef system and upcoming farm walk on 10th July at 7pm. Charlie explains how he purchases and rears 100 dairy beef calves every spring and operates a steer and heifer finishing system. Whether sourced directly from farms, or through local marts, calf selection is based on strong beef genetics and high Commercial Beef Values (CBV), with Charlie placing a firm emphasis on quality. Despi...
Jul 02, 2025•16 min•Ep. 291
Noel Prunty and Liam McWeeney, from Teagasc Ballyhaise College, join Catherine Egan on this week’s Beef Edge Podcast to give an update on breeding season and how the bulls performed finishing under 16 months. Noel gives a review of calving season 2025 and discusses how AI was used for the start of the breeding season before the stock bull. Liam highlights the management of the heifers calving at 24 months while Noel discusses grassland management on the farm and managing the different grazing gr...
Jun 25, 2025•16 min•Ep. 290
With surplus grass on most farms, Grass10 Manager, John Maher, has grassland management tips for the coming weeks. You can subscribe to the Grass10 newsletter here: https://www.teagasc.ie/crops/grassland/grass10/grass10-enewsletter/ For more episodes from the Beef Edge podcast, visit the show page at: https://www.teagasc.ie/thebeefedge Produced on behalf of Teagasc by LastCastMedia.com...
Jun 21, 2025•9 min•Ep. 289
Teagasc Technician, Chloe Millar, from the Dairy Calf to Beef Demonstration Farm in Co. Tipperary gives an update on this week’s Beef Edge podcast on rearing calves this spring and management on the farm currently. There were 381 calves sourced on the farm this spring with the calves sourced from seven farms from specific sires with high dairu beef indexes. There was a focus on selecting sires with high CBV and beef carcass in the sub-indexes. Chloe talks through the process from once the calf a...
Jun 18, 2025•19 min•Ep. 288
As part of Men’s Health Week, Laurence Gaughan, Regional Project Manager in the west of Ireland with the HSE, is on this week’s Beef Edge podcast with some tips and advice on mental health for farmers. Farmers tend to prioritise farm work and the health of their animals and Laurence discusses how to keep healthy. He also outlines financial planning actions that can also help overcome stress and worry and he discusses the new mental health initiative, Taking Stock. Further information is availabl...
Jun 11, 2025•19 min•Ep. 287
Tim Meagher from Roscrea, Co. Tipperary, who will host this year’s Irish grassland Association Beef Event, is on this week’s Beef Edge podcast to discuss his farm system, while Paddy Casey from the Irish Grassland Association highlights what to expect at the event. It will take place on Tuesday June 10th, with the event kicking off at 6:30 pm sharp and will conclude at 8:30 pm. Tim operates a store-to-beef system on 88 ha of grassland and 24 ha of tillage. When he took over the reins, he pushed ...
Jun 04, 2025•19 min•Ep. 286
DairyBeef 500 farmer, JP Hammersley from Co. Tipperary, is on this week’s Beef Edge with an update on his farm, management of calves at grass and the plan for finishing cattle on the farm. JP outlines his dairy calf to beef system with cattle finished at 20-24 months of age. All the calves are sourced locally from a nearby dairy farmer. He discusses how calves are reared and managed up to now and in the coming weeks. The yearling cattle are at grass since February and JP explains how they will b...
May 28, 2025•11 min•Ep. 285
As we are at a critical stage of the breeding season, Dr. David Kenny, researcher in Teagasc Grange, is on this week’s Beef Edge podcast to discuss breeding on spring calving suckler herds and he has key tips to be aware of. David says that overall this spring has been good and cows were in good condition going to grass early and fit for breeding. This spring we have seen the impact of the challenging year last year, with cows calving to second cycle and cows calving later on most farms overall....
May 21, 2025•18 min•Ep. 284
Grass10 Manager, John Maher, is on this week’s Beef Edge to discuss grass management on the farm at this critical stage of the year. John gives an update on farms at the moment with some farms having had the best spring in years while other farms are looking for rain. Rain was very localised earlier this week and with not much rain forecast, it will be challenging on some farms. John says that balancing quality is key at the moment to ensure good animal performance and avoid stem in the sward bu...
May 14, 2025•22 min•Ep. 283
Stephen Frend from the Newford demonstration herd in Co. Roscommon is on this week’s Beef Edge podcast to give a review of calving, an update on the current breeding season and a look into management for the coming weeks. Stephen says that calvings have gone well this spring, cows calved over a compact 10 weeks and went to grass earlier this year in comparison to last year. With breeding season underway and 100% AI being used, Stephen discusses the sires being used and heat detection on the farm...
May 07, 2025•10 min•Ep. 282
Chris Maughan, Product and Technical Manager with Whelehan Crop Protection, discusses weed control on grazing and silage ground on this week’s Beef Edge podcast. Chris highlights the opportunity to control weeds, particularly docks in silage ground and grazing paddocks. Nettles and thistles are possibly the most common weed on farm and he outlines the best control method. Chickweed is also an issue on some farms, maybe more so in new leys and Chris advises on treatment options. In relation to re...
Apr 30, 2025•13 min•Ep. 281
Mary McEvoy, Technical Development Manager with Germinal, joins Catherine Egan and Ciaran Lynch on this week’s joint episode of the Beef Edge and OviCast podcasts to discuss all aspects for carrying out reseeding. Given the weather this spring, in comparison to previous years, many farmers across the country are considering carrying out reseeding on their farm. Mary outlines the important points to consider before reseeding such as soil fertility, yield of paddocks and quality of the swards. Mar...
Apr 23, 2025•22 min•Ep. 280
Beef farmer, Sophie Tyner, from county Wicklow, is on this week’s Beef Edge podcast to discuss her beef system, her plans in the coming weeks closing for silage and how good quality silage is so important on her farm. Given that all the cattle are finished on the farm, good quality silage is very important to her system to reduce concentrates fed. Sophie discusses winter performance achieved on the farm and how the crop is fertilised and discusses the importance of N,P & K and Sulphur. Silag...
Apr 16, 2025•13 min•Ep. 279
Margaret Brennan, Assistant Principal Officer over Beef Schemes with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, joins Catherine Egan on this week’s Beef Edge podcast to discuss the new Dairy Beef Weighing Scheme that was announced recently and to give an update on all things scheme related. Dairy Beef Weighing Scheme Margaret, outlines the 2025 Dairy Beef Weighing Scheme which is open for applications. It is open to dairy farmers rearing their own dairy-beef calves or farmers rearing da...
Apr 09, 2025•13 min•Ep. 278
Teagasc researcher, Sarah Burke, is on this week’s Beef edge podcast to discuss her latest research on grass-white clover and multi-species sward systems. A source of inefficiency in beef cattle production systems is the failure to meet live weight targets throughout the animals’ lifetime, resulting in animals being older at slaughter. Consequently, lifetime production costs, which are mainly feed-related, and the associated environmental emissions, particularly methane and nitrogen, are increas...
Apr 02, 2025•14 min•Ep. 277
Grass10 Advisor Niamh Doyle has her grassland management tips for the month ahead. Niamh comments on current grazing conditions, grazing the first rotation and regrowths on the first paddocks. She also discusses closing up for silage and the importance of completing a fodder budget and using slurry efficiently. It is critical to assess the correct balance between quality and quantity. You can subscribe to the Grass10 newsletter here: https://www.teagasc.ie/crops/grassland/grass10/grass10-enewsle...
Mar 29, 2025•7 min•Ep. 276
Teagasc Beef Specialist, David Argue, is on this week’s Beef Edge discussing cattle finished so far this year and, given current increasing beef prices, budgets for the coming months. So far this year up to March 16th, 398,076 cattle have been finished according to the Department of Agriculture Food and the Marine. This is an increase of almost 11,000 head of cattle in comparison to the same time last year. With regards to live exports, tighter cattle supplies across Europe and movement restrict...
Mar 26, 2025•17 min•Ep. 275
Teagasc Future Beef farmer, Proinnsias Creedon, and his advisor, James Mullane, are on this week’s Beef Edge Podcast with an update on the farm and how Proinnsias is managing grass this spring. Proinnsias also explains his calf-to-beef system and how he manages balancing working off farm. The excellent paddock system on the farm has been a big benefit to improving his grazing management and Proinnsias discusses spring grazing and his plan in the coming weeks. Proinnsias is hosting a spring grass...
Mar 19, 2025•13 min•Ep. 274
Teagasc Future Beef programme advisor, Aisling Molloy, is on this week’s Beef Edge podcast to give an update on the Future Beef programme and to review profitability for 2024. Aisling first discusses the plan at the moment to get cattle to grass across the country. On review of the eProfit Monitor, the profitability for farmers in the programme has increased in 2024. But there is huge variation depending on the system and the investment in fixed costs on the farm. The main focus for the year ahe...
Mar 12, 2025•17 min•Ep. 273
Grass10 Advisor Niamh Doyle has her grass management tips for the month ahead. Niamh discusses turn out of cattle and the spring rotation plan on farms and she highlights the key targets this spring. Niamh encourages farmers to apply slurry on soils that require Phosphorus and Potassium, particularly the silage ground. Based on soil samples and a nutrient management plan Niamh also discusses chemical fertiliser applications in the weeks' ahead. You can subscribe to the Grass10 newsletter here: h...
Mar 08, 2025•7 min•Ep. 272
Teagasc Researcher, Orla Keane, is on this week’s Beef Edge podcast to discuss parasite control and anthelmintic resistance. Orla highlights the importance of reviewing your farm health plan at this time of year and she discusses the project that she is involved in called the, ‘Managing Anthelmintic Resistance in Cattle Sustainably' (MARCS) project. MARCS is a collaborative project between Teagasc, University College Dublin, Queen’s University Belfast, Animal Health Ireland and the Department of...
Mar 05, 2025•13 min•Ep. 271
Teagasc DairyBeef 500 advisor, Fergal Maguire, discusses key tips around milk replacer to maximise performance on this week’s Beef Edge podcast. Fergal explains the pros and cos around skim based or whey based milk replacer before outlining the concentrate of replacer and its components. Temperature of milk is very important, he says, as well as consistency of feeding at the same time daily. Fergal also discusses the feeding of calves once a day after 4 weeks of age and how a farmer can best man...
Feb 26, 2025•13 min•Ep. 270
Teagasc DairyBeef 500 advisor, Tommy Cox, discusses calf housing to maximise performance on this week’s Beef Edge podcast. Tommy says that good ventilation, adequate space, good drainage and warm sheds that are clean and comfortable are essential. Good ventilation to ensure air is fresh and no draughts are important. Natural ventilation is used in the vast majority of calf houses. Tommy recommends to provide 2.0-2.3 m2 pen area per calf. Good drainage is something that is often overlooked. Tommy...
Feb 19, 2025•15 min•Ep. 269
Continuing the two-part series on fertiliser application, Teagasc specialist Mark Plunkett from the Teagasc Signpost programme, joins Catherine Egan on the Beef Edge podcast to discuss fertiliser application and the fertiliser register. Mark reviewed 2024 regarding fertiliser usage and particularly chemical N. There was a 10% increase, he said, compared to 2023. Chemical N use was at an all-time low in 2023 and in addition, 2024 proved to be a challenging grass growing year and was perhaps the r...
Feb 12, 2025•20 min•Ep. 268
Teagasc Grass10 advisor, Niamh Doyle, has her monthly update discussing grass management tips for the month ahead. Niamh discusses over-winter growth and the importance of assessing opening covers and the need to ensure conditions are suitable before spreading. Niamh also encourages anyone who has soil samples to collect to do so in the coming weeks to address soil fertility this year. You can subscribe to the Grass10 newsletter here: https://www.teagasc.ie/crops/grassland/grass10/grass10-enewsl...
Feb 08, 2025•4 min•Ep. 267
As thoughts on farms move to fertiliser application, Teagasc specialist Tim Hyde joins Catherine Egan on the Beef Edge podcast for the first of a two-part podcast on the rules and regulations surrounding nitrates. Tim reminds listeners of the open period for chemical fertiliser, farm yard manure and slurry across the different zones, plus he outlines the regulations around roadways, storing bales and buffer zones. Tim then discusses the differences between grassland and whole farm stocking rates...
Feb 05, 2025•26 min•Ep. 266
