Dairy conference set to focus on strategies for sustainable success
The theme for the conference is ‘Strategies for Sustainable Success’. It will outline the what farmers need to do in the areas of grassland, breeding, and business planning in order to successfully grow their dairy business and to harvest the potential.
Teagasc’s head of dairy knowledge transfer, Tom O’Dwyer, said the industry is changing. “More milk will be produced and processed in the future. Better management practices, especially in the areas of planning and budgeting, will be required to allow this to happen and if dairy farmers are to successfully grow their business.
“With the abolition of milk quotas in Apr 2015 just over a year away, it is timely to ask whether Irish dairy farmers are equipped with the necessary planning and budgeting skills needed. Successful dairy farms will be built on a solid, strategic foundation, which will require long-term thinking. But the farmer will also need appropriate technical expertise to make tactical — short-term — adjustments.”
Pat Dillon of Teagasc recommended dairy farmers adopt a ‘fit for purpose’ system that provides a con-sistent level of production at a consistent cost.
