The Dairy Edge

For this week’s Grass10 grazing management update, John Maher highlights the top actions that need to be done, including: Prioritising grazing residuals as we head into the final rotation Farms should begin the final rotation early-mid October  Updating autumn grass budget Grass growth will be between 40-50 kg DM/ha/day over the next weeks As closing begins on farm set the farm up to graze 60% by...

As we head into the final grazing rotation of the year, there’s plenty for farmers to be thinking about in terms of grazing the final round - the grass budget, closing paddocks and getting the farm set up correctly for next spring.  So, to talk us through where things are at and what farmers should be focusing on over the coming weeks, James Dunne is joined by Teagasc grassland researcher Mike Ega...

Dr. Margaret Kelleher, Genetics Operation Manager at ICBF, joins Stuart Childs to discuss the most recent update in September and to learn more about the COW index that farmers should be using more in their herd to identify the cows that require career changes! Margaret explains that September evaluations were relatively stable, as they tend to be at this time of year in the seasonal system that w...

For this week’s Grass10 grazing management update, John Maher highlights the top actions that need to be done, including: Prioritise grazing residuals Monitor growth rates and update grass budget Read more from the latest Grass10 newsletter at: https://bit.ly/Grass10-29thSeptember For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at: https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-e...

For this week’s Grass10 grazing management update, John Maher highlights the top actions that need to be done, including: Assess farm cover and growth rates Do grass budget to plan supplementation Make the best use of organic nutrients Read more from the latest Grass10 newsletter at: https://pasturebase.teagasc.ie/Grass10%20Weekly.pdf?=20260924   For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to...

Cash flow is always an important part of running a dairy farm, but in a year like 2026, keeping a close eye on the money coming in and going out has become even more important. While milk price remains behind the levels experienced in recent years, farmers are also facing significant increases in costs due to both geopolitical issues in the Middle East and also the prolonged dry spell.   So, how s...

For this week’s Grass10 grazing management update, John Maher highlights the top actions that need to be done:  Set a 35 day rotation length Do grass budget - phase out silage supplementation Make the best use of watery slurry Read more from the latest Grass10 newsletter and subscribe for weekly updates at: https://bit.ly/Grass10-15thSept https://bit.ly/Grass10-18thSeptember   For more episodes fr...

John McCabe, Seamus Kearney and Sean Callan, Advisors on the Teagasc Aurivo, Teagasc Tirlán and Teagasc Lakeland joint programmes, join Stuart Childs to give a more countrywide feel for the situation on farms around Ireland currently following the recovery in grass growth in the last few weeks. The impact of the drought varied significantly by region with the west generally less affected, while pa...

For this week’s Grass10 grazing management update, John Maher highlights the top actions to be done:  Set a 35 day rotation length Do a grass budget to reduce supplementation Consider liming Read more from this week’s Grass10 newsletter and subscribe for weekly updates at: https://bit.ly/Grass10-8thSeptember   For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at: https://www.teagas...

Teagasc ruminant nutritionist, Aisling Claffey, joins James Dunne to discuss managing dairy cow nutrition as we move out of the drought conditions.  With many cows having been fed increased levels of silage and concentrate, the return to grass needs to be managed carefully.  We’ll discuss how farmers can make decisions around reducing silage and concentrate, what to monitor in cow performance, and...

For this week’s Grass10 grazing management update, John Maher highlights the top actions to be done for this week:  Set a 30-35 day rotation length Make a farm specific fertiliser/slurry plan Do a fodder available budget  Read more from this week’s Grass10 newsletter and subscribe for weekly updates at: https://bit.ly/Grass10-1stSeptember   For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the s...

Dr. David Wall, Enterprise Leader of the farms and estate at Teagasc’s Environment Research Centre in Johnstown Castle, joins Stuart Childs to discuss the timing of fertiliser applications over the coming weeks to maximise the return from nutrients applied while minimising the risk to water quality. This is particularly important in drought-affected areas, where low grass growth and reduced nutrie...

For this week’s Grass10 grazing management update, John Maher highlights the top actions to be done for this week:  Do a fodder available budget  If fodder reserves are below target, take action Assess paddocks individually for grass growth Read more from this week’s Grass10 newsletter and subscribe for weekly updates at: https://bit.ly/Grass10-25thAugust   For more episodes from the Dairy Edge po...

Joe Patton, Head of the Teagasc Dairy Knowledge Transfer programme, joins James Dunne with an update on the current situation on dairy farms across the country following the prolonged period of dry weather. Joe explains the results from the Teagasc National Fodder Survey, which were presented at the National Feed and Fodder committee meeting, and he outlines the priorities for affected farmers reg...

For this week’s Grass10 grazing management update, John Maher explains that: All farms should complete a fodder available budget  An action plan needs to be developed where fodder reserves are below target Farms and paddocks need to be assessed individually for grass growth Read more from this week’s Grass10 newsletter and subscribe for weekly updates at: https://bit.ly/Grass10-18thAugust   For mo...

Raymond Ryan, Milk Quality Advisor for the Limerick and Clare regions with Dairygold, joins Stuart Childs to discuss staying on top of milk quality. Raymond explains that milk quality in 2026 is generally holding up, with cell count and TBC broadly similar to previous years, but drought and difficult weather have created localised problems. Dirty conditions are the main risk, particularly for ther...

For this week’s Grass10 grazing management update, John Maher discusses:  Doing a fodder available budget for your farm Assessing weed burden in recent reseeds Temperatures increasing again - water supply priority for animals   Read more from this week’s Grass10 newsletter and subscribe for weekly updates at: https://bit.ly/Grass10-11thAugust   For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to t...

Eoghan Byrne, project manager in FRS farm services, and MTU Agriculture student, Cormac Harnett, who works as an operator with the FRS in Cork joins Stuart Childs to discuss how farmers can help themselves get a bit of a break from the work by making it easier to work on their farm. Both Eoghan and Cormac say that planning and communication are central by giving operators advance notice and clearl...

For this week’s Grass10 grazing management update, John Maher discusses:  Establishing recovery on paddocks Caution with fertiliser application Assessing fodder available on farm   Read more from this week’s Grass10 newsletter and subscribe for weekly updates at: https://bit.ly/Grass10-4thAugust   For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at: https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/...

Emily Gowing, Teagasc Dairy Advisor based in Dungarvan, Co Waterford, joins James Dunne for an update on the current situation on farms in her catchment and she has some key pieces of advice for farmers over the coming weeks. For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at: https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/   The Dairy Edge is a co-production with La...

For this week’s Grass10 grazing management update, John Maher discusses:  The need to walk the farm to assess grass growth and supply on farm Reducing demand on farm  Caution with fertiliser And the featured farm update comes from Sean Carpenter, Co. Kildare.   Read more from this week’s Grass10 newsletter and subscribe for weekly updates at: https://bit.ly/Grass10-28thJuly   For more episodes fro...

Colman Purcell, Nutritionist with Dairygold Agri Business, joins Stuart Childs to discuss managing stock in drought or near drought conditions. Colman praises the farmers in the Dairygold catchment who have been affected by the dry weather for how they have dealt with it up to now, maintaining milk and protein performance, a response that he credits to their knowledge of how to react in these situ...

For this week’s Grass10 grazing management update, John Maher discusses:  Assessing grass supply on farm Reducing demand on farm Nutrient application during reduced growth Water supply And the featured farm update comes from Cathal Nash, Co. Clare. Plus, Pat Tuohy of Teagasc joins John for a land drainage discussion and Q&A.   Read more from this week’s Grass10 newsletter and subscribe for wee...

Pádraig French from Teagasc, who is closely involved in dairy-beef research, including the Ballyvadin Calf-to-Beef Demonstration Farm, joins James Dunne on this week’s Dairy Edge.  They discuss the key management practices that drive performance, the role of Commercial Beef Value (CBV), what makes these systems financially successful, and what the latest research is telling us about the future of...

For this week’s Grass10 grazing management update, John Maher discusses:  Managing reduced growth Making a grazing plan for the coming 10 days (no rain forecast) How can farms reduce demand? Plus the featured farm update comes from Paul Bowden, Urlingford, Co. Kilkenny.   Read more from this week’s Grass10 newsletter and subscribe for weekly updates at: https://bit.ly/Grass10-14thJuly   For more e...