The Dairy Edge

For this week’s Grass10 grazing management update, John Maher discusses:  -       Managing reduced growth -       Walk the farm -       2nd cut silage -       Infrastructure Month   Plus the featured farm update comes from Tommie Devine, Co. Roscommon   Read more from this week’s Grass10 newsletter and subscribe for weekly updates at: https://bit.ly/Grass10-7thJune     For more episodes from the D...

Longford dairy farmer, Cian Jobe’s journey into dairy farming is one that's likely to resonate with many young people interested in the industry.    Growing up on a suckler farm, he developed a passion for dairying through relief milking before progressing through agricultural education, farm management and, more recently, farming in his own right.    Cian joins James Dunne to talk about the exper...

For this week’s Grass10 grazing management update, John Maher discusses:  -          Mid-season management -          Managing 2nd cut -          Establish fertiliser spread year to date   Plus the featured farm update comes from the Derrypatrick Herd, Dunsany, Co. Meath.   Read more from this week’s Grass10 newsletter and subscribe for weekly updates at: https://bit.ly/Grass10-30thJune     For mo...

Tom and Michael Ryan, winners of the NDC and Kerrygold Quality Milk Award for 2025, join Stuart Childs on the day of their farm walk following their win.   Tom gives a bit of background to the their farm and how they have been farming there since the 1860s.    Michael then explains the decisions made to facilitate him returning home in 2018 and he outlines the current performance of the herd and h...

For this week’s Grass10 grazing management update, John Maher discusses:  -       mid-season management -       red clover silage and managing 2nd cut silage -       spraying and grazing reseeds -       establishing fertiliser spread year to date   Plus the featured farmer is Liam Rochford from Croase, Co. Wexford.   Read more from this week’s Grass10 newsletter and subscribe for weekly updates at...

With increasing pressure on dairy farms to reduce nitrogen inputs whilst maintaining profitability, technologies such as white clover are attracting renewed interest.    But how well does clover perform on heavier type soils that are common across the Border, Midlands and Western region, and how can farmers reduce fertiliser and feed nitrogen inputs without compromising grass growth or milk produc...

For this week’s Grass10 grazing management update, John Maher says concentrate input should be reduced on farms where grass supply is adequate (cover/LU >160 kg DM/LU).  A third of farms are over target and have a cover/LU >190 kg DM/ha. This will negatively impact: -       Grass quality - negative impact on animal performance -       Clean out of swards - feed wastage -       Grass recovery...

Ricki Fitzgerald, Farm Manager of the Teagasc Moorepark Kilworth Farm, and Brian McCarthy, Researcher in Teagasc Moorepark, join Stuart Childs with a run down on how the year has gone so far on the Kilworth Farm and to talk a little about the Next Gen 2 trial that is in its first full year in 2026.   Ricki says they had quite a good spring in 2026 despite the weather challenges with minimal health...

For this week’s Grass10 grazing management update, John Maher explains that June is a challenging month for grass quality as we are now in the main heading phase for perennial ryegrass.   Pre grazing yield is too high on many farms: -       Watch rotation length (Target 18-21 days) -       Minimise stem content -       Grazing covers >1500 kg DM/ha will have a negative effect on animal performa...

With breeding season reaching the midpoint on many spring-calving dairy farms, we're taking stock of how the season has progressed so far and discussing the key management decisions for the weeks ahead.   Doreen Corridan, CEO of NCBC, joins James Dunne to discuss breeding performance to date, trends in dairy and beef semen usage, managing cows that have yet to be served, and the key actions farmer...

For this week’s Grass10 grazing management update, John Maher discusses tackling surplus grass and why flexibility is required to take out surplus bales.   Plus he explains how grazed grass delivers the lowest feed cost, even with higher fertiliser prices.   Meanwhile, the featured farmer is John Payne from Moydow, Co. Longford.   Read more from this week’s Grass10 newsletter and subscribe for wee...

With the increased cost of fuel and fertiliser, Peter Doyle, Grassland Researcher in Teagasc, Grange, joins Stuart Childs to discuss the cost of growing grass, silage and other feeds.   Peter outlines the costs that he uses in the Grange Feed Costing Model which are of course assumptions but are necessary for the model to function.   He emphasises that grazed grass delivers the lowest feed cost, e...

For this week’s Grass10 grazing management update, John Maher explains that the challenge on farm now will be keeping the right grass in front of the animals.   Swards of low or no stem will maximise animal performance Performance is maximised when the pre-grazing yield is between 1300-1400 kg DM/ha.   Meanwhile, the featured farmer is Michael McGuigan, from Longwood, Co. Meath.   Read more from t...

This week we’re discussing generational renewal in Irish dairying and the challenges facing farmers young farmers trying to enter and progress within the sector while also discussing what options are available to farmers who may not have an identified successor.   Joining James Dunne is Conor Hogan from the GROdairy Project — Generational Renewal Opportunities for Irish Dairy Farm Businesses — a n...

For this week’s Grass10 grazing management update, John Maher discusses the impact of pre-grazing yield on protein, plus how to correct pre-grazing yield on farm.   Meanwhile, the featured farmer is John Phelan from Kilmeaden, Co. Waterford.   Read more from this week’s Grass10 newsletter and subscribe for weekly updates at: https://bit.ly/Grass10-19thMay       For more episodes from the Dairy Edg...

Claire Mooney, Catchment Coordinator for the Suir, joins Stuart Childs to discuss practical tips for farmers in relation to improving water quality.   Claire first explains immediate on-farm actions to improve environmental compliance and efficiency, including better silage management, protecting waterways with fencing and alternative drinking points, improving slurry and effluent handling, using...

For this week’s Grass10 grazing management update, John Maher says that the majority of farms are grazing covers too high.   As we move further into May, grass composition is changing and keeping grass quality correct becomes more challenging.   To ensure grass quality is maintained to maximise animal performance pre-grazing yield has to be between 1300-1400 kg DM/ha.   Meanwhile, the featured far...

For this week’s Grass10 grazing management update, John Maher explains why the target for pre-grazing yield in the mid-season is 1300-1400 kg DM/ha.   John also discusses first cut silage and taking surplus bales to be part of grassland management over the next month.   Meanwhile, the featured farmer is David Lowry from Churchminister, Co. Donegal.   Read more from this week’s Grass10 newsletter a...

Mick O’Donovan, Head of the Grassland Science Department in Moorepark, and Joe Patton, Head of Dairy KT, join James Dunne to discuss how farmers can maximise margin in the months ahead, focusing on the key grazing management practices and feeding decisions that underpin performance on Irish dairy farms.   For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at: https://www.teagasc.ie/...

For this week’s Grass10 grazing management update, John Maher says that we're now entering into higher growth rates and reproductive stage of the perennial ryegrass plant: ·      Pre grazing yield must target 1300 - 1400 kg DM/ha on all farms ·      This will enable the animals to graze and clean out the sward to 4 cm ·      Grass should be green leaf from top to bottom   For fertiliser, when spre...

Tom O’Connell, dairy farmer in Inniscarra, near Cork city, and John Maher of Grass10, join Stuart Childs to discuss the importance and management of reseeding.   John first outlines the national figures which are poor in terms of the amount of reseeding taking place each year and this is a negative for the industry.   Tom is the opposite, reseeding every year on both grazing platform and silage gr...

For this week’s Grass10 grazing management update, John Maher says that 42% of farms are well above target AFC (> 750 kg DM/ha) largely due to challenging grazing conditions.   While each farm is individual, these key rules need to be applied: -       Maximum SR of 4.2 LU/ha -       Minimum AFC of 160 kg DM/LU   Now is also a good time to assess clover content in your paddocks and the aim is to...

Teagasc Grassland Science Researcher, Mike Egan, joins James Dunne to discuss some of the common questions regarding establishing and managing grass clover swards.    Mike outlines the benefits for farmers but also discusses the challenges and learnings that have been seen throughout the Clover 150 commercial farm trial.     The correct chemical nitrogen strategy is outlined and why clover content...

For this week’s Grass10 grazing management update, John Maher explains how walking the farm will allow you to assess what your grass supply is (AFC).   If you are below target AFC <650kg DM/ha: -       Reduce demand on the farm to lift AFC to 650kg DM/ha. This may require grazing additional land (silage ground, replacement heifer area) -       Increase feed supplementation (ration, silage) -   ...

Mark Treacy, Dairy Specialist in Teagasc Clonakilty, joins Stuart Childs on this week’s Dairy Edge to discuss management tips for April.   Mark explains that dairy farms are in various positions: some have moved too quickly into second-round grazing, others are well-balanced with remaining first-round grass, and some (especially on heavy ground) are delayed due to poor weather conditions.   He the...