The Dairy Edge

For this week’s Grass10 grazing management update, John Maher explains why a flexible approach has to be applied on farm to begin the 2nd rotation and particular caution needs to be taken on farms that are starting the 2nd rotation to ensure AFC stays above 650 kg DM/ha.   Walk the farm on a more regular basis as growth increases.  Average farm cover needs to stay above 650 kg DM/ha.  Take action...

Water quality continues to be a major focus for the agricultural industry, and while farmers are already making changes on farm, there is increasing emphasis on how practical actions can improve water quality outcomes at catchment level.    In this episode, Pat Dillon from Teagasc joins James Dunne to discuss the Better Farming for Water campaign.    Pat explains what the Better Farming for Water...

For this week’s Grass10 grazing management update, John Maher discusses why, due to the challenging conditions in spring 2026, a flexible approach has to be applied on farm to begin the 2nd rotation.   By early April, dry farms should have about 60 units (75 kg N/ha) of N applied (combination of fertiliser and slurry) and most farms need to assess regrowths on the first 3 paddocks grazed for the n...

Prof. Donagh Berry, Quantitative Geneticist at Teagasc Moorepark, joins Stuart Childs on this week’s Dairy Edge to discuss the future of Irish Dairy Breeding Programmes.   Donagh first explains that breeding is all about numbers. With the uptake in use of sexed semen, the pool of dairy bull calves being born has shrunk and while this was part of the objective of using it in the first place, there...

For this week’s Grass10 grazing management update, John Maher discusses why monitoring grass supply on farm is critically important at this time of the year; growth rates are predicted to be above average for the coming week so walk the farm and establish regrowth on paddocks grazed first in spring.   Plus, it’s important to get up to date with Nutrient applications – the aim is to have 60 units N...

Kevin Downing and Dan O’Riordan of ICBF join Stuart Childs on this week’s Dairy Edge to discuss the Spring Breeding Guidelines that will be arriving to farmers across the country this week.   Kevin explains how the scorecard included in the guidelines can be used to identify the herd strengths and weaknesses to allow people to see where they may need to target improvement.   He then discusses the...

For this week’s Grass10 grazing management update, with the weather improving and a significant decrease in rainfall expected, John Maher discusses the increase in grass growth rate.   There's now an opportunity to get more of the farm grazed: ·      Get animals out (priority groups such as replacement heifers) ·      Day and night grazing for dairy herd   It is especially important to prioritise...

This week’s Dairy Edge is a special episode as it marks the 500th show of the podcast.    The first episode aired on 11th January 2018, when Emma-Louise Coffey was joined by dairy farmer, John Leahy, and Teagasc ruminant nutritionist, Brian Garry, to discuss preparing for the spring calving season and managing forage supplies.    Since then the podcast audience has grown significantly with the ser...

For this week’s Grass10 grazing management update, John Maher discusses the importance of getting animals out grazing and why on/off grazing is the best approach to get going.   Plus, getting the farm ready to move and having fertiliser ordered and in the yard will allow farms to take the opportunity spread when conditions allow   Meanwhile, Michael Smith from Ballyjamesduff, Co. Cavan is this wee...

Marie Louise Ryan, veterinary practitioner with Mulcair vets covering the counties Limerick and Tipperary joins James Dunne on this week’s Dairy Edge to highlight what issues are raising their head at farm level when it comes to herd health on dairy farms at the moment.    Marie Louise also discusses what farmers can do from a management perspective over the coming weeks to ensure good cow and cal...

For this week’s Grass10 grazing management update, John Maher discusses updated spring targets, getting the farm ready to move, and why on/off grazing should be used to maximise the level of grass in the diet.   Plus the featured farmer is Enda Walsh from Oranmore, Co. Galway.   Read more from this week’s Grass10 newsletter and subscribe for weekly updates at: https://bit.ly/Grass10-3rdMarch     F...

John Maher of Grass 10 and dairy farmer, Mike Bermingham, join Stuart Childs to discuss the challenges of grazing in 2026 and how to overcome them.   John explains how February has been wet and people have been holding off grazing in the hope of dry weather, however, the forecast is middling at best for the next few weeks so people will have to make a start for the good of the grass and the good o...

For this week’s Grass10 grazing management update, John Maher discusses being proactive and identifying what feed is available on the farm, dealing with the challenging conditions and why on/off grazing is the most important tool available to farmers at the present time.   The featured farmer is Shane Seymour from Nenagh, Co. Tipperary.   Read more from this week’s Grass10 newsletter and subscribe...

Emer Kennedy, Dairy Enterprise leader, Teagasc Moorepark and Joe Patton, Head of Dairy Knowledge Transfer, join James Dunne on this week’s Dairy Edge to discuss the recently launched Teagasc Dairy Roadmap 2030 — a blueprint for where the Irish dairy sector needs to go over the remainder of this decade.    The roadmap sets out clear KPIs across profitability, sustainability, breeding, labour and en...

For this week’s Grass10 grazing management update, John Maher discusses on/off grazing, picking your paddocks and grass budgeting.   The featured farmer is Ger Whelan from Ballinahinch, Co. Clare.   Read more from this week’s Grass10 newsletter and subscribe for weekly updates at: https://bit.ly/Grass10-17thFeb     For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at: https://www.t...

Donal Whelton, Head of Agri at AIB, joins Stuart Childs to discuss the financial situation that Irish dairy farmers are currently in and what challenges they may face and the solutions they may require in 2026.   Donal says that the Irish dairy sector is entering 2026 from a position of financial strength. Farm debt levels are nearly half of what they were in 2009. Meanwhile, farm cash balances ha...

For this week’s Grass10 grazing management update, John Maher discusses current grass growth, prediction for grass growth, plus rain and average soil temperature for the next 7 days.   The featured farmer is Stephen Burchill from Bandon, Co. Cork.   Read more from this week’s Grass10 newsletter and subscribe for weekly updates at: https://bit.ly/Grass10-10thFebruary   For more episodes from the Da...

Conor Hogan, Research Officer with Teagasc Moorepark, whose work has focused on labour efficiency and work organisation on dairy farms, and Martina Gormley, Teagasc Dairy Specialist, who works closely with farmers on practical ways to reduce workload, join James Dunne on this week's Dairy Edge.   With spring calving commenced on the majority of dairy farms it places an increased demand on farm wor...

For this week’s Grass10 grazing management update, John Maher explains why opening farm cover measurement should be prioritised this week.   Plus he discusses the importance of completing a spring rotation planner in PastureBase with the target for March 1st to have about 30% of the farm grazed.   Read more from this week’s Grass10 newsletter and subscribe for weekly updates at: https://bit.ly/Gra...

Padraig O’Connor, Dairy Technician with Teagasc in Grange, joins Stuart Childs with tips and advice for the month of February.   Padraig discusses the management of the freshly calved cows as a separate group.  Keeping these cows in for a few days after calving in a fresh-calved group allows recovery, easier observation and reduced bullying. Control of the colostrum group also simplifies milking m...

For this week’s Grass10 grazing management update, John Maher gives an update on the first set of figures in terms of grass supply from PastureBase Ireland. Plus he talks about the grazing management plan for the spring.   Read more from this week’s Grass10 newsletter and subscribe for weekly updates at: https://bit.ly/Grass10-27thJanuary   For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the s...

This week’s Dairy Edge is from a recent Teagasc webinar entitled, ‘TB Update – Understanding the Recent Changes for Your Dairy Farm.’   TB continues to be a major challenge for the dairy sector, with herd incidence rising above 6% in 2024. There are now significant changes being introduced through the new TB Action Plan.   James Dunne hosted the webinar and was joined by Damien Barrett, Head of th...

For this week’s Grass10 grazing management update, John Maher has a few tips before the grazing season gets going and he gives a summary of the farmers’ contributions from Nutrient Management Week 2026.   Read more from this week’s Grass10 newsletter and subscribe for weekly updates at: https://bit.ly/Grass10-20thJanuary   For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at: https...

Setting up the fertiliser spreader correctly is important to ensure accurate and even placement of fertiliser. John Corbett from Grassland Agro joins John Maher for the final daily episode as part of Nutrient Management Week to discuss this important aspect of nutrient application and management.   Join us on the Dairy Edge each day of Nutrient Management Week for special episodes from farmers and...

For today’s episode as part of Nutrient Management Week, Grass10’s John Maher is joined by Mike Ahern who is farming near Ballyduff, Co. Waterford.    Mike was the winner of the Nutrient Management category as well as the overall winner of that Grassland Farmer of the Year Competition in 2024 and he talks to John about the importance of driving growth with early fertiliser application on his farm...