On this week’s episode of the Beef Edge podcast, Newford farm technician Michael Fagan joins Catherine Egan with an update on the farm and performance review of the herd in Athenry. Breeding season started on the 21st April and finished 30th June lasting 10 weeks. With 100% AI used, tail painting and two teasers bulls with chin balls alongside two Moo Heats were used for heat detection. A.I. was carried out each day at 12pm. Only 19 cows were AI’d twice out of 81 cows . Cows were checked 4/5 tim...
Sep 29, 2021•19 min•Ep. 88
Transferring the family farm is so much more than just a simple business transaction and there are a number of complex issues to be addressed. On this week’s episode of the Beef Edge podcast, Teagasc Financial Management Specialist, James McDonnell, joins Catherine Egan with key advice to help farm families through this process and all aspects that need to be considered when writing a succession plan. James discusses what the key terms succession, inheritance and farm transfer actually mean and ...
Sep 22, 2021•19 min•Ep. 87
Teagasc Green Acres programme manager Alan Dillon joins Catherine Egan on this week’s episode of the Beef Edge podcast with an update on the dairy calf to beef programme as well as practical beef management tips for the coming weeks. Alan explains that the main points of focus for farmers in the next 6-8 weeks is building grass as well as having a closing plan and it’s important to start preparing now for the last grazing rotation. Herd health management is also essential to reduce impact on per...
Sep 15, 2021•18 min•Ep. 86
With over 34,000 audits taking place on Irish Beef & Sheep farms each year, Emma O’Gorman, Quality Assurance and Origin Green co-ordinator at Bord Bia joins Catherine Egan on this week’s Beef Edge podcast to bust some myths around the audit. Emma describes how it demonstrates to customers that quality beef and lamb are produced sustainably under an accredited Scheme and provide an on-going means of demonstrating best practice at farmer level. There are 51,584 certified beef producers of whic...
Sep 08, 2021•14 min•Ep. 85
In the second of a two-part series looking at a farm to fork enterprise, Jim Ryan, owner of Ryan’s Farm, who operates a premium on-farm butchers alongside is his farm in Kells, Co. Meath joins Catherine Egan on this week’s Beef Edge podcast. Jim describes how he manages the cattle from purchase to finish and gives advice for other farmers who may be considering this career path. Jim discusses how the beef enterprise is operated on the farm with heifers brought to finish alongside his 220 ewe flo...
Sep 01, 2021•9 min•Ep. 84
In the first of a two part interview finding out about a farm-to-fork enterprise, on this week’s episode of the Beef Edge, Catherine Egan is joined by Jim Ryan of Ryan’s Farm. Jim operates a premium on-farm butchers alongside his farm in Kells Co. Meath and he tells his story of establishing the business back in 2007 and how he has expanded and grown the business ever since. Jim explains that it’s a family run business with his wife Pamela and children who are all very much involved and discusse...
Aug 25, 2021•12 min•Ep. 83
With approximately 20% of suckler herds operating an autumn calving system, Teagasc advisor Aisling Molloy has some key tips on this week’s Beef Edge podcast. She discusses why autumn calving is appealing to some farmers and the various different beef systems that autumn calving suits. High quality silage is very important in reducing costs over the winter period in this system and targeting early turnout. Aisling emphasises that managing the cow’s body condition score in the lead up to calving ...
Aug 18, 2021•9 min•Ep. 82
On this week’s episode of the Beef Edge podcast, Teagasc Green Acres participant Aidan Maguire from Co. Meath discusses his beef system and gives an update on his farm. For the past four weeks, drought conditions have made managing grass on the farm very difficult. Aidan describes how he had to feed good quality silage ( 72 DMD) to ensure performance was not impacted. On a recent weighing, calves were achieving 0.7-0.8kg/head/day while the stores were achieving 0.9-1.1kg/head/day. Aidan discusse...
Aug 11, 2021•11 min•Ep. 81
In the second of a two-part series on planning in preparation for weaning, Teagasc Specialist, Aidan Murray, advises how to reduce stress at weaning. Weaning can be a stressful time on farms both for cow and calf and there are many different weaning strategies with benefits to each process, which Aidan describes. As part of the Beef Environmental Efficiency Programme-Sucklers (BEEP-S), farmers may have selected the optional measure under Action 2 to feed concentrates to weanlings for which they ...
Aug 04, 2021•15 min•Ep. 80
In the first of a two part series on planning in preparation for weaning, vet Charles Chavasse, Area Veterinary Manager with Zoetis, joins Catherine Egan on the latest Beef Edge to discuss how to prevent pneumonia. Charles first describes how most pneumonia is caused by a mix of viruses and bacteria. Vaccines are an aid to the control of pneumonia as the vaccines reduce lung damage caused by viruses allowing antibiotics to work more effectively on bacteria. This reduces the need for antibiotics....
Jul 28, 2021•23 min•Ep. 79
As part of #FarmSafetyWeek, beef farmer Tommy Holmes from Co. Mayo, discusses farm safety on his farm along with his Teagasc advisor Tom Kelly, Teagasc Ballina on this week’s Beef Edge podcast. Tommy outlines his store to finishing system and describes how he has moved from suckler cows to bull beef and now to bullocks. A large proportion of all fatal workplace accidents occur in agriculture each year and Tommy outlines how he has made his farm safer with good handling facilities. Tommy also hig...
Jul 21, 2021•12 min•Ep. 78
Chris Maughan, Technical Manager with Whelehan Crop Protection, and Teagasc Beef specialist, Alan Dillon, are on this week’s Beef Edge podcast to discuss weed control on farm. It has been a difficult spring on farm relating to grass, particularly getting an opportunity to control weeds. Chris discusses control of docks nettles, thistles, buttercups and ragwort. He also discusses the correct spraying procedures and records that farmers need to keep. Alan describes how there has been an increase i...
Jul 14, 2021•17 min•Ep. 77
Orla Keane, Senior Researcher at Teagasc Grange, has some timely advice in relation to updating your herd health plan and parasite control on this week’s Beef Edge podcast. It’s a good time of year when calving is over for a spring calving herd and before it starts on an autumn calving herd to review the herd health plan now and Orla highlights the importance of biosecurity and hygiene and outlines the process for disinfecting calving pens and slatted sheds at this time of year. She explains tha...
Jul 07, 2021•16 min•Ep. 76
Teagasc Green Acres dairy calf to beef participant, Martin Connolly, from Co. Roscommon gives a Beef Edge Masterclass on this week’s podcast episode. He gives an insight into his 21-22 month Friesian bull beef system and discusses the key points from managing the calf up to weaning, emphasising the importance of calf health in the early weeks of life. He discusses how he manages the stock at grass with the target to graze each paddock in three days. Making top quality silage is a key focus on th...
Jun 30, 2021•15 min•Ep. 75
With an increase in grass growth in the past few weeks the challenge now on farms is to maintain quality in the sward. On this week’s episode of the Beef Edge podcast, Teagasc Grass 10 Manager John Maher gives top tips in relation to managing grass quality. John highlights the two main ways to manage grass at the moment. Firstly, it involves targeting ideal covers to graze of 8-10 cm and that may lead to paddocks being skipped or let grow on to bulk up as silage. Secondly, the mechanical method ...
Jun 23, 2021•14 min•Ep. 74
This week’s Beef Edge podcast finds out about the Certified Irish Angus Schools competition that challenges students to rear five Irish Angus calves over 18 months while completing a research project and which is organised in partnership with ABP Ireland and Kepak Group. Catherine Egan is joined by Darragh Barlow, a student at the Abbey School Tipperary town which is one of the five finalist schools, his Ag Science teacher Michael O’Dwyer, and William Delaney from the Certified Irish Angus Produ...
Jun 16, 2021•22 min•Ep. 73
Contract rearer Kieran Kielty from Co.Sligo joins Catherine Egan on this week’s Beef Edge podcast to discuss how he operates a contract heifer rearing system. Kieran explains how he has developed the system over the past number of years and he outlines the importance of grassland management and quality silage in this system. As Kieran works off farm he highlights the benefits of contract rearing while maintaining a work life balance. Being a part of the local contract rearing discussion group is...
Jun 09, 2021•18 min•Ep. 72
With many drystock farmers looking for possible alternative income opportunities for their farms, contract heifer rearing has increasingly become an option and Teagasc advisor Tom Coll and specialist Gordon Peppard join Catherine Egan on this week’s Beef Edge podcast to discuss what’s involved. Gordon says it is a very attractive option with a lot of benefits such as providing a steady monthly cash flow, reduced investment and reduced risks associated with beef prices with potentially more profi...
Jun 02, 2021•23 min•Ep. 71
Derrypatrick herd Manager, Michael McManus, joins Catherine Egan on this week’s Beef Edge podcast to give an update on the breeding season. There is 100% AI used in the herd and Michael describes how sires are selected and what sires are being used this year. It has been a very difficult year on the farm managing grass like other farms around the country and he highlights how some of the silage ground had to be grazed and will be cut at the end of June. Michael then gives an overview of how last...
May 26, 2021•12 min•Ep. 70
Aidan Murray, Teagasc Beef Specialist joins Catherine Egan on this week’s episode of the Beef Edge podcast to give an update on the various beef schemes. Firstly, Aidan outlined the actions that farmers had to continue to do in order to comply with the BDGP 1 extension and Aidan advised on various scenarios such as a stock bull being injured or replaced. Next Aidan discussed the Beef Exceptional Aid Measure (BEAM) as applicants committed to reduce the production of bovine livestock manure nitrog...
May 19, 2021•28 min•Ep. 69
Teagasc drystock advisor Terry Carroll and beef farmer John Phelan join Catherine Egan on this week’s Beef Edge podcast to discuss the importance of harvesting silage and the ensiling process in making top quality silage. Given the last few weeks with poor grass growth on farm, Terry advises farmers to make the best quality silage possible now and meet your requirements for good quality silage first depending on the stock you intend to keep over the winter. He says that by delaying harvest date,...
May 12, 2021•16 min•Ep. 68
Teagasc specialist Catherine Keena joins Catherine Egan on this week’s Beef Edge podcast with an update on the new Results Based Environment Agri Pilot Programme also known as REAP. REAP is an agri-environment pilot project that pays farmers to maintain and improve the environmental conditions of their land. Farmers will bring in between 2ha and 10ha of land which will be scored in year one to establish its environmental condition. Farmers will work with their advisers to undertake environmental...
May 05, 2021•15 min•Ep. 67
With calves being weaned on dairy calf to beef farms across the country, Teagasc Green Acres programme advisors Sean Cummins & James Fitzgerald join Catherine Egan on this week’s Beef Edge podcast with top tips on weaning, advice for the year ahead and an update on the farms. Firstly, Sean has an update on the calves’ performance in the Green acres programme this spring. He highlights the key targets up to weaning and the weaning process. Sean also discusses the herd health plan of the calve...
Apr 28, 2021•21 min•Ep. 66
Teagasc Drystock advisor Joe Hand joins Catherine Egan on this week’s Beef Edge podcast to discuss how to maximise silage yield this year on your farm. Firstly, Joe highlights a number of factors which influence silage yield such as soil P, K, and pH levels, soil compaction, reseeded swards and fertiliser applied to the crop Joe advises that sub-optimal soil fertility is probably the core reason that target silage yields and digestibility are not achieved. Through experiments carried out on-farm...
Apr 21, 2021•22 min•Ep. 65
Teagasc Grass 10 Manager John Maher is on this week’s episode of the Beef Edge podcast with top tips in relation to grassland management. With a difficult spring leading to challenging grazing conditions, John discussed and gave advice for the different scenarios on farms where grazing has been delayed and very little grazing has taken place to date or where farms are on target starting the second rotation. John also highlighted the importance of using Phosphorus and Sulphur at this time of year...
Apr 14, 2021•14 min•Ep. 64
With only 20% of beef farmers using AI, suckler & sheep farmer Martin Shaughnessy from Co. Mayo joins Catherine Egan on this week’s podcast for a Beef Edge Masterclass to discuss his beef system & how he uses AI on his farm. Martin explains that he operates a niche suckler to weanling system targeting breeding quality Belgian Blue weanlings for the export market. He has a compact calving season calving 18 cows from January to mid-March while he also lambs 120 ewes. Martin uses a vasectom...
Apr 07, 2021•18 min•Ep. 63
With breeding season around the corner on many farms, Teagasc drystock advisor David Argue, joins Catherine Egan on this week’s episode of the Beef Edge podcast and with over 80% of beef farmers using stock bulls, David discusses some top tips when selecting a new stock bull. David advises farmers to examine their herd of cows first and figure out the exact genetic traits they are lacking and that the farmer is looking to improve upon. Knowing what system of production the farmer is in is import...
Mar 31, 2021•14 min•Ep. 62
Agricultural Sustainability Support and Advice Programme advisors Mary Roache & Meabh O’Hagan join Catherine Egan on this week’s Beef Edge podcast as part of Water Quality Week to highlight correct weed control management & tips on carrying out drainage work to reduce impact on water quality. Firstly, Mary discussed the main types of weeds farmers want to control. With docks being the most common, Mary discussed the chemical and non-chemical methods of control. Mary also advised farmers ...
Mar 24, 2021•16 min•Ep. 61
As part of the Teagasc & ICBF breeding week, Teagasc researchers Nicky Byrne & Alan Twomey join Catherine Egan on this week’s Beef Edge podcast to give an update on the Dairy Beef Index (DBI) and an insight into its impact in the future. The Dairy Beef Index is a breeding goal for Irish dairy and beef farmers to promote high quality beef cattle bred from the dairy herd that are more saleable as calves and profitable at slaughter yet, they have minimal consequences on the calving difficul...
Mar 17, 2021•15 min•Ep. 60
25% of the annual feed budget consists of grass silage and silage accounts for 40% of the feed costs for the year. Hence it’s so important to make the best quality silage as possible. On this week’s Beef edge podcast Teagasc Drystock advisor Terry Carroll and Kilkenny beef farmer John Phelan join Catherine Egan in a two part series on making quality silage. On this first episode John and Terry highlight all the top tips relating to grazing, fertilising and closing silage ground. John also explai...
Mar 10, 2021•15 min•Ep. 59
