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 t...
Jul 21, 2024•38 min
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-...
Jul 18, 2024•6 min
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. ...
Jul 14, 2024•31 min
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.teag...
Jul 10, 2024•5 min
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 fi...
Jul 08, 2024•24 min
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:...
Jul 05, 2024•5 min
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...
Jun 30, 2024•32 min
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 t...
Jun 26, 2024•6 min
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 seas...
Jun 24, 2024•25 min
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.teagas...
Jun 20, 2024•6 min
Given the significant increase in input costs on dairy farms since 2021, along with the increased feed budget costs this spring due to poor weather, good cash flow management has never been more important to ensure the efficient running of the farm business. Dairy farmer Sean O’Donnell joins James Dunne on this week’s Dairy Edge to outline how he manages the financial aspect of his dairy business to ensure the correct financial decisions are made in an informed manner. For more episodes from the...
Jun 17, 2024•33 min
For this week’s Grass10 grazing management update, Joseph Dunphy discusses PastureBase data, Dry Matter % and Predicted grass growth, rainfall & soil temperatures for the week. As growth rates suffer on Irish dairy farms, Joseph also discusses grazing management and he has a grazing update from Enda Armstrong from Co. Galway. Link to this week’s Grass10 newsletter: https://bit.ly/Grass10-11thJune For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at: https://www.teagasc.ie/ani...
Jun 13, 2024•6 min
Terry McElvaney, Veterinary Inspector at the Veterinary Medicines, Antimicrobial Resistance, Byproducts and TSE Division, joins Stuart Childs on this week’s Dairy Edge podcast to discuss residues in milk. Terry first explains the role of the division in which he works and how it is important in facilitating trade. Terry says that the division tests 15,000 samples annually and carries out 70,000 tests on these samples for many different types of residues in order to report to the EU on our compli...
Jun 11, 2024•24 min
For the latest Grass10 grazing management update, Joseph Dunphy discusses PastureBase data, Dry Matter % and Predicted grass growth, rainfall & soil temperatures for the week. As the cooler weather dampens pasture growth throughout the country, Joseph also discusses grazing management and he has an update from featured farmer, Arthur Sweetman, Co. Wexford. Link to this week’s Grass10 newsletter: https://bit.ly/Grass10-4thJune For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page ...
Jun 06, 2024•6 min
Sustainable Grassland Farmer of the Year, Patrick O’Neill, and Teagasc Grass10 Manager, John Maher, join James Dunne on this week’s Dairy edge podcast to discuss Patrick’s award-winning farming system. Patrick outlines the farm performance, how he deals with adversity that was the spring of 2024 and details the transition to grass clover swards. John also outlines what it takes to win the competition and highlights the areas where Patrick impressed the judging panel the most. For more episodes f...
Jun 03, 2024•26 min
For this week’s Grass10 grazing management update, Joseph Dunphy discusses PastureBase data, Dry Matter % and Predicted grass growth, rainfall & soil temperatures for the week. As we enter June, Joseph also discusses measuring every 5 days using PastureBase Ireland and he has a grazing update from Christopher Cahill who farms in Co. Westmeath. Link to this week’s Grass10 newsletter: https://bit.ly/Grass10-28thMay For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at: https://w...
May 30, 2024•6 min
Germinal Technical Director, Mary McEvoy, joins Stuart Childs on this week’s Dairy Edge podcast to discuss the future of the grass seed industry. Mary explains how the Pasture Profit Index (PPI) has changed the way farmers look at seed varieties and how the PPI, from a seed industry perspective, validated the breeding programmes that were in place. Mary then spoke about the timeframe involved in bringing a seed to market and the hurdles that have to be cleared to get to that point. She explains ...
May 28, 2024•41 min
For this week’s Grass10 grazing management update, Joseph Dunphy discusses PastureBase data, Dry Matter % and Predicted grass growth, rainfall & soil temperatures for the week. Joseph discusses keeping grass under control as we approach peak growth on Irish farms & he has an update from Brian Meade, Co. Meath. Link to this week’s Grass10 newsletter: https://bit.ly/Grass10-21stMay For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at: https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/th...
May 23, 2024•6 min
There has been welcome improvement in both growth rates and grazing conditions over the last couple of weeks and much of the attention on farms now turns to correcting the impact the spring has had on grass quality and making sure herds meet their nutritional needs throughout the breeding season. For this week’s Dairy Edge podcast, Teagasc senior research officer, Dr Mike Dineen, joins James Dunne to highlight the true nutritional value of grazed grass and explain how farmers need to balance gra...
May 20, 2024•27 min
For this week’s Grass10 grazing management update, as growth rates increase, Joseph Dunphy is joined by dairy farmer Michael Doran from Co. Wexford to discuss the management decisions he is making this week on his farm. Link to this week’s Grass10 newsletter: https://bit.ly/Grass10-14thMay For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at: https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/ The Dairy Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.com...
May 16, 2024•10 min
Attracta Dooley from FRS Training and Chloe Walsh, a secondary school teacher who helps her husband Pat on their farm outside Durrow in Co. Laois, join Stuart Childs on this week’s Dairy Edge podcast to talk about the upcoming FRS Training Best Practice in Milking Courses which commence on May 22nd in Pallaskenry Agricultural college. For Chloe, she wanted to learn more about the whole milking process which was her incentive to complete the course in October of last year, and she says that while...
May 14, 2024•25 min
On this week’s Grass10 grazing management update, Joseph Dunphy discusses PastureBase data, Dry Matter % and Predicted grass growth, rainfall & soil temperatures for the week. As grass growth is finally predicted to increase Joseph also discusses grazing management and he has a grazing update from Sustainable GFOY nutrient management category joint winner, Killian Brennan, from county Cavan. Link to this week’s Grass10 newsletter: https://bit.ly/Grass10-7thMay For more episodes from the Dair...
May 09, 2024•7 min
With the difficult grazing conditions throughout the spring it’s no harm to reflect on the last number of months as to what worked well and what can be improved for the future. It’s maybe more important though to identify the priorities in order to get back on track with the least impact, and on this week’s Dairy Edge podcast, James Dunne is joined by Teagasc Head of Dairy Knowledge Transfer, Dr Joe Patton. Joe offers advice to farmers around pasture management to ensure a high level of milk per...
May 06, 2024•29 min
On this week’s Grass10 grazing management update, Joseph Dunphy discusses PastureBase data, Dry Matter % and Predicted grass growth, rainfall & soil temperatures for the week. With grass growth stubborn to increase as we enter May, Joseph discusses grazing management and he has an update from Sustainable GFOY Nutrient management category winner, Michael Carroll from Co. Limerick. Link to this week’s Grass10 newsletter: https://bit.ly/Grass10-30thApril For more episodes from the Dairy Edge po...
May 02, 2024•6 min
On this week’s episode of the Dairy Edge, Stuart Childs is joined by Aurivo Joint Programme Monitor Farmer and DairyBeef 500 Ambassador, David Gannon, and John McCabe, Monitor Farm advisor with the Aurivo Joint Programme, to discuss the beef breeding plan for David’s farm for 2024. David starts by outlining the background to his herd and then spoke about how he plans to use the beef bull team he has selected along with John and Tommy Cox of the DairyBeef 500 team on his herd this season. David d...
Apr 29, 2024•34 min
On this week’s Grass10 grazing management update, Joseph Dunphy discusses PastureBase data, Dry Matter % and Predicted grass growth, rainfall & soil temperatures for the week. With surplus grass on many farms, Joseph also discusses grazing advice and he has a grazing update from County Sligo, with Young Category Winner of the Sustainable GFOY Evan Hunt. Link to this week’s newsletter: https://bit.ly/Grass10-23rdApril For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at: https...
Apr 25, 2024•4 min
David Quinn, Superintending Veterinary Inspector at the Department Of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, is on this week’s joint episode of the Dairy Edge and the Beef Edge with hosts James Dunne and Catherine Egan to dispel some of the myths around TB (Bovine Tuberculosis). David gives a detailed breakdown on Ireland’s TB statistics. He describes the testing methods and why they are used and outlines the issues around false positive and false negative animals. David also outlines the current str...
Apr 22, 2024•20 min
For this week’s Grass10 grazing management update, Joseph Dunphy discusses PastureBase data, Dry Matter % and Predicted grass growth, rainfall & soil temperatures for the week. With an improving weather forecast, Joseph discusses getting back on track with grazing and fertiliser and has a grazing update from Sustainable Grassland Farmer of the Year Overall Winner Patrick O Neill, Co. Longford. Link to this week’s newsletter: https://bit.ly/Grass10-16thApril For more episodes from the Dairy E...
Apr 18, 2024•6 min
With the difficult conditions at farm level, much of the conversation over the last number of weeks has centred around ensuring the milking herd are properly fed. These conditions have also meant that maiden heifers have remained housed on a lot of farms for longer than normal this spring and on this week’s Dairy Edge, James Dunne is joined by Teagasc dairy specialist, Stuart Childs, who offers some advice to farmers around the management of heifers over the coming weeks and some tips for the br...
Apr 15, 2024•33 min
On this week’s Grass10 grazing management update, Joseph Dunphy discusses PastureBase data, Dry Matter % and Predicted grass growth, rainfall & soil temperatures for the week. Joseph explains the options for farmers starting their second rotation and those with low % grazed & we also hear from featured farmer Stephen Buttimer from county Cork. Link to this week’s newsletter: https://bit.ly/Grass10-9thApril For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at: https://www....
Apr 11, 2024•6 min
