Johnstown Castle performance update for the winter and spring herds

Johnstown Castle farm manager Aidan Lawless joins Emma-Louise Coffey to discuss the current performance of the Johnstown Castle dairy herd.

Aidan acknowledges that while February rainfall recorded at Johnstown Castle was lower than in other locations across the country - they received 150 mm – it was double the expected February rainfall. This has presented a challenge to grazing and the spring herds were behind target for % grazed.

The breeding season for the winter milk herd concluded at the end of February following 6 weeks of dairy AI and 6 weeks of beef AI and mop up bulls. Pregnancy diagnosis scanning will take place on these cows in the coming weeks.

As part of the systems trials at Johnstown Castle, clover and multi-species swards are being trialled to investigate whether there are benefits in the form of grass production, milk production and a range of environmental measures.

For more information: 

https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/research-farms/johnstown-castle/

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