Organisation: Moorepark

Overseas interest in Teagasc and UCC cheese study

European food companies are keenly interested in joint Teagasc and UCC research which has identified the microorganism which causes a pink defect in some cheeses.

Thu, 16 Jun, 2016

Dairy Focus: 30% clover grazing worth €160 extra profit

I have been promoting clover since the late 1980s, and it looks like the job of convincing farmers to avail of the benefits of clover will be easier in future — up to €160 per cow extra profit easier.

Thu, 09 Jun, 2016

Advice for dairy farmers: Beware of long term shortage of high-EBI heifers

There are early indications in this year’s dairy breeding of a swing to more beef breeds, and in some cases, more stock bulls.

Thu, 12 May, 2016

Advice from Teagasc: Deadline tomorrow for top dairy course

Tomorrow (April 29) is the application deadline for the Professional Diploma in Dairy Farm Management Programme.

Thu, 28 Apr, 2016

Teagasc experts bring cow’s milk near human breast milk qualities

Teagasc dairy experts and their industry partners are nearly ready to use an enhanced adaptation of cow’s milk to bring it even closer to mirroring the components of human breast milk.

Tue, 12 Apr, 2016

Advice for dairy farmers: Two proven ways to cut calf working time

Feeding calves milk once per day (OAD) from three weeks of age had no impact on calf weight at 77 days.

Thu, 10 Mar, 2016

Colostrum is key to keep calf mortality under 3%

Moorepark researchers estimate that calf mortality ranges from 3% to 15% on Irish dairy farms. They say that the target for good calf rearing should be less than 3% mortality.

Thu, 28 Jan, 2016

Nutrition and management of dry cow health

Researchers and successful dairy farmers now regard the nutrition and management of dry cows more important and more difficult than during the milking period.

Thu, 03 Dec, 2015

Widely accepted greenhouse gas must be tackled urgently

A high percentage of agricultural research looks at environmental matters.

Thu, 22 Oct, 2015

Why grazing beef and dairy cattle are looking a bit empty

Most areas continue to have a plentiful supply of grass. Weather conditions however continue to be an issue for many livestock farmers this week.

Thu, 17 Sep, 2015

€500 is profitable cull value increase target

A rise of €450-500 between cull and finished cow values will be needed on many dairy farms this winter to leave a margin of approximately €100 to the farmer for finishing cull cows.

Thu, 17 Sep, 2015

Equipment should match milker’s capacity

How many cows can one person milk? This is the question addressed by guest contributor Dr Bernadette O’Brien in the June 2015 edition of the CellCheck newsletter.

Thu, 17 Sep, 2015

Four times more grass reseeding needed for 2020 targets

On average, only about 2.9% of potentially good grassland is reseeded annually.

Thu, 06 Aug, 2015

Top EBI cow has average lifetime production of 50,573kg

This year’s three top-EBI cows are all from different dairy breeds.

Thu, 16 Jul, 2015

Joe Sheehy: 40% AI-bred heifers offers massive potential

ICBF data shows a significant increase in AI dairy breeding over the past five or six years.

Thu, 07 May, 2015

Joe Sheehy: Reseeding key to reaching 2020 growth targets

On average, only about 2.5% of good grassland is reseeded each year, while it should be at least four times this level (10%) to bring our national grass production up to what is required for reaching the 2020 targets for dairy and beef production.

Thu, 09 Apr, 2015

Joe Sheehy: Why cows need concentrates for at least six weeks

It is very important to realise that the silage intake of cows drops off by 30-50%, in the four weeks coming up to calving.

Thu, 12 Feb, 2015

Correct conditioning required to maintain effective fertility

The following problems are associated with cows that are too fat during the dry period.

Thu, 27 Nov, 2014

The 50 most frequently asked dairy questions

Q&A: Basics of dairy farming

Thu, 21 Aug, 2014

Big surge in reseeding is expected

On average, only about 2.5% of potentially good grassland is reseeded annually.

Thu, 31 Jul, 2014

€1m project to help expansion after quotas

Dairygold Co-op has again joined with Teagasc and is investing €1m in a programme to help its milk suppliers achieve profitable and sustainable expansion in the post-quota era.

Thu, 24 Jul, 2014

Planning for expansion after milk quotas go

Dairy herd sizes are increasing, as are average milk yields on many farms, so further investment is being considered by many to cope with expansion plans after milk quotas are abolished in April 2015.

Thu, 24 Apr, 2014

Reseeding is essential for healthy sward

On average, only about 2.5% of good grassland is reseeded annually; it should be at least four times this level (10%), to bring our national grass production up to what is required for reaching the 2020 targets for dairy and beef production.

Thu, 03 Apr, 2014

Auto-milking is reducing cow-grazing across EU

Automatic milking has reduced cow grazing on farms that have robot milkers, across Europe.

Thu, 27 Mar, 2014

Food support systems in Cork are the best available

The support ecosystem in Cork for developing food projects is widely recognised as being the most comprehensive available in this country.

Mon, 17 Mar, 2014

Minimising infertility key to increasing productivity

Getting 90% of cows to calve in the first six weeks of the calving season is worth €258/ cow/year in the average herd.

Thu, 20 Feb, 2014

Less concentrates required this year

Over one-third of our replacements calve down at almost three years old, resulting in a massive waste of money, generally caused by not giving proper individual attention.

Thu, 12 Dec, 2013

GHGs issue can be win-win for dairy

Most of the agricultural research to date indicates that there is little or no conflict between good farming and care for the environment.

Thu, 05 Dec, 2013

No alternative to having dry cows at correct condition score

Researchers and successful dairy farmers now regard the nutrition and management of dry cows as more important, and more difficult to manage, than the milking period.

Thu, 28 Nov, 2013

Don’t be too quick to cull young cows with potential

A rise of €300-€450 in the cull price is needed to justify finishing culls over the winter.

Thu, 10 Oct, 2013

Teagasc names two new principals of Cork, Cavan agricultural colleges

Teagasc has named new agricultural colleges principals — Majella Moloney in Teagasc Agricultural College, Clonakilty, Co Cork; and John Kelly in Teagasc Agricultural College, Ballyhaise, Co Cavan.

Wed, 11 Sep, 2013

Using fertilisers efficiently must be a priority

Fertiliser costs have risen dramatically in recent years; it has to be a priority to use fertilisers as efficiently as possible.

Thu, 29 Aug, 2013

We need to reseed to meet beef and diary targets

If the weather comes anyway normal this autumn, there should be a big surge in reseeding to make up for the deficit in the last few years.

Thu, 08 Aug, 2013

Companies may lose to ease CAP farm shock

Some high-profile landowners could lose out due to a new rule allowing the Government to close off EU direct payments funded from the CAP to those for whom farming is an insignificant part of their economic activity.

Thu, 04 Jul, 2013

Teagasc predicts 50% shortage of next winter’s silage in wet areas

Teagasc is predicting a 50% shortage in silage made for next winter in wet land areas, based on consultations with advisers in each of its 51 advisory offices across the country.

Sat, 25 May, 2013