The Beef Edge

Future Beef programme farmer, John Dunne, from Co. Offaly  is on the Beef Edge podcast this week to give an update into his suckler beef and dairy beef finishing systems, the breeding season, their grassland management and the upcoming National Beef Open Day taking place on 5th June.   John farms alongside his son James just outside Portarlington, operating a highly profitable and progressive beef...

Grass10 advisor Nikki Kennedy has the monthly grass update from around the country and tips for the month ahead.   Nikki highlights that drought conditions are being experienced in the east and she discusses management tips for grazing in the weeks ahead. With silage being harvested in the coming weeks Nikki describes the actions to ensure quality silage, whilst also assessing the categories of an...

Future Beef Programme farmer, John Pringle from Co. Wicklow, joins this week's Beef Edge to give an insight into his suckler beef system finishing bulls at under 16 months, preparing for silage and the upcoming National Beef Open Day taking place on 29th May at 6:30pm.   John details his sheep and beef enterprise and how the farm has evolved over the last number of decades.    He describes the man...

With breeding season under way, Teagasc researcher, Peter Doyle, joins this week’s show to give an update on the Derrypatrick herd.   For more episodes from the Beef Edge podcast, visit the show page at: https://www.teagasc.ie/thebeefedge   Produced on behalf of Teagasc by LastCastMedia.com  

Pat Joyce from Co. Galway, who operates a contract heifer rearing system, and his Teagasc advisor, Charlie Devaney, join this week’s Beef Edge to give an overview of the farm and the steps that Pat takes to make good quality silage. Pat farms outside Williamstown in Co. Galway; having previously operated a suckling system, he changed in 2017 to contract rear heifers for a dairy farmer. This system...

DairyBeef 500 advisor, Tommy Cox, is on this week’s Beef Edge podcast to discuss transitioning calves to grass.   When calves underperform during their first season at pasture, it makes it difficult to achieve key performance targets, irrespective of systems further down the line.    Failing to hit an average daily gain targets of 0.7-0.8 kg/day results in delayed slaughter, the production of ligh...

On this week’s joint episode of the Beef Edge along with Ciaran Lynch from Ovicast, Chris Maughan Technical Manager, Whelehan Crop Protection, discusses weed control and planning for the year ahead.   It’s been a cold wet start to year with grass growth hampered this spring and Chris outlines dock control options on grazing and silage ground.   He also explains general weed control and ragwort con...

With rising input costs and tighter margins, it’s never been more important to understand your costs of production and where your system stands.    On this week’s episode of the Beef Edge podcast, Teagasc beef specialist, David Argue, who has been working through a range of beef budgets for autumn 2025 and spring 2026, discusses everything from under-16 month bull systems, to forward store finishi...

Teagasc technician on the Newford demonstration farm, Michael Fagan, gives an update from the farm, breeding season ahead and the breeding open day taking place on April 22nd.   The event will focus on the key drivers of suckler herd efficiency, offering attendees the opportunity to see proven systems in action. With the breeding season fast approaching, the timing  is ideal for farmers looking to...

It was a very challenging spring this year and for the monthly Grass10 update, Nikki Kennedy and John Conroy give updates from around the country and plan for the month ahead.   John says that while some ground has been grazed, there is still a lot not grazed yet in the west and it is unlikely that silage ground will be grazed at this stage.    Nikki has an update from Teagasc Grange and says a fl...

Teagasc Specialist Mark Plunkett, from the Signpost Programme, is on this week’s Beef Edge podcast to discuss fertiliser application for silage this year.   As we move through a challenging spring, many farmers are reassessing their silage strategy. Weather disruption, fertiliser costs, and environmental pressures all mean that getting the basics right has never been more important. Mark outlines...

With many beef farmers balancing part-time work off the farm, this episode marks the first in our new monthly series, ‘Managing Labour on Farm’.    Father and son, Eamon and Donnchadh McCarthy from Youghal, and participants in the Future Beef Programme, share how they successfully run their suckler-to-beef system whilst both working off-farm.   Labour efficiency on the farm is very important and l...

For this second of a two-part series focused on the Commercial Beef Value, Ciaran Conway who runs a weanling to finishing heifer system with his son Diarmuid outside Mullingar Co. Westmeath, discusses his system and use of CBV on their farm which was awarded 2025 Suckler Finisher Award for Ashbourne.   High-CBV continental weanlings, disciplined management and a grass-driven system underpin the re...

Over the last few years, farmers have become more aware of the Commercial Beef Value – or CBV – and so, this week is the first of a two-part series on the importance of CBV.   The ICBF’s Research Project Co-ordinator, David Kelly, who is based in the Tully Research Centre, joins the show to discuss the latest information and findings at Tully with regards to CBV.    David highlights the fact that...

Over the last decade the Irish agriculture and food sector has grown, developed and modernised. Teagasc recently launched the Teagasc Enterprise Road Maps and on this week’s Beef Edge podcast, Teagasc Head of Drystock, Pearse Kelly, and Beef Enterprise Leader, Dr. Paul Crosson at Teagasc Grange, discuss current performance, market outlook, sustainability priorities and future targets for Irish bee...

Mark Plunkett from the Teagasc Signpost Programme joins Catherine Egan on this week’s episode of the Beef Edge podcast to discuss soil fertility and planning for the year ahead.    Mark outlines how only 13% of the soil on drystock farms is optimum for pH, P and K. While there has been a big rise in recent years with the amount of lime being applied, in 2026 another 500,000 tonnes are still needed...

Grass10 Advisor, Nikki Kennedy, and Grass10 Manager, John Maher, are on this week’s Beef Edge with an update on the current situation around the country and planning for the spring ahead.    John gives a review of 2025 which was a great year for most farmers in relation to grass.   January was significantly wetter than average, especially in eastern and southern counties, contributing to saturated...

For this final part of the ‘Dairy Calf to Beef’ series on the Beef Edge, Liam Gannon from Volac discusses feeding the calf up to weaning and the key dos and don’ts around feeding milk replacer.    Liam explains the ingredients one should focus on when selecting a milk replacer and the key benefits of feeding a high-quality milk replacer in terms of nutrition and calf performance cannot be underest...

For the third part of our ‘Dairy Calf to Beef’ series, vet Tommy Heffernan discusses the key areas to ensure a healthy calf and developing a sustainable profitable dairy beef system.    Tommy says that pneumonia, scour and coccidiosis are some of the main issues with calves. The damp, cold spring weather impacts calf health and increases risks.    Tommy outlines ways to rescue pneumonia and scour...

For the second part of the 'Dairy Calf to Beef’ series’ on the Beef Edge, Teagasc Beef Specialist, David Argue, discusses what to be aware of when sourcing calves and the essential things to get right during the rearing process.   David explains that when sourcing dairy-beef calves this spring, the health of the calf, breed and genetic make-up are very important.   Avoid any signs of ill health, a...

In the first part of a ‘Dairy Calf to Beef’ series on the Teagasc Beef Edge podcast, DairyBeef 500 Manager, Alan Dillon, discusses the key performance indicators of a sustainable, profitable dairy beef system.   Alan outlines the importance of increased grass utilisation, improved silage quality, a good herd health plan and daily liveweight gains and the impact breed and commercial beef value can...

Teagasc Beef Specialist, Niall Kerins, is on this week’s Beef Edge podcast with some of the key management tips for the weeks ahead.    Niall discusses the importance of using a pre-calving mineral on farm and he outlines some key things to have on hand in advance of calving cows and purchasing calves.    Niall also explains the importance of updating your nutrient management plan on the farm in 2...

Pearse Kelly, Teagasc Head of Drystock, is on this week’s Beef Edge podcast to reflect on beef supply, market and beef prices in 2025 and how to plan for 2026.    Bord Bia had forecast the national kill would be back 70,000-90,000 in 2025 but that has been closer to 200,000. This is likely to remain similar in 2026.    Pearse’s long term outlook is positive but he says that farmers should complete...

For this special Christmas episode of The Beef Edge, we’re re-visiting our 300th episode of the podcast that was recorded earlier this year with Matt Dempsey, whose career spans multiple decades and various roles in agricultural journalism and beyond.   Matt has been instrumental in driving innovations in Irish agriculture through his work as a journalist, farmer and chairman of various industry g...

For a special joint podcast on bluetongue, with Stuart Childs from the Dairy Edge and Ciaran Lynch from Ovicast, this week’s Beef Edge is joined by vet John Donlon to find out more about bluetongue.   Primarily transmitted via biting midges, the cases on farms in Northern Ireland significantly reinforces the need for increased awareness in the Republic of Ireland.    Early action, identification a...