Dairy Matters

Jerome Desmond is a fourth-generation farmer milking a herd of 250 mainly Holstein-Friesian cows across 400 acres with his wife Majella and his son Brian in Garryhesta, Ovens, Co Cork. He joins the pod to talk about how they are meeting the challenge of reducing the environmental impact of dairy farming while also ensuring it remains an attractive career path for generations to come.

NDC Farm Advocacy Manager Majella McCafferty talks to young Co Cork farmer Paul Sheehan about taking over the family farm, working hard to meet environmental targets and ensure dairy farming continues to be both profitable and sustainable, and the technology that helps him to have a better work-life balance than previous farming generations.

Following the publication of the Government's National Biomethane Strategy, Jeremy Probert talks to Declan Murray, CEO of Biocore Environmental, about the role of biogas anaerobic digestion plants in converting organic farm waste into renewable energy. How likely is a rollout of biogas facilities, what role would farms and rural communities play in the process, what are the main obstacles, an...

To highlight this year's International Women’s Day, celebrated worldwide on 8th March, the NDC has produced a special podcast featuring four young women making strides in farming and agriculture. RTE Presenter Kathryn Thomas chats to NDC Farm Ambassador Nicole Keohane; agri influence and farmer Sophie Bell; Anna Daly, Member relations Manager at Tirlan; and Frances Nash, Grain Operations &amp...

In this special podcast about the science behind dairy farming, Teagasc Research Officer Dr Ben Lahart joins host Jeremy Probert to talk about his  recently-published research, which suggests that the amount of methane emitted by Irish cows is actually significantly less than previously believed.

In this special podcast about the science behind dairy farming, VistaMilk PhD researcher Rose Edwin joins host Jeremy Probert to discuss her work profiling Irish soil and its implications for soil fertility, plant growth, environmental sustainability, and human health. Rose's goal is to map the microbiome of soil but with trillions of microbes in the soil, piecing them together is like trying...

Nadeem Rather, a PhD researcher at Tyndall Institute in Cork, joins the pod to talk about his work developing of a completely new material that will allow the transmission of data without any electronics or batteries – and its implications for monitoring the health of cows in Ireland’s dairy farming system. A special podcast about the science behind dairy farming, published in collaboration with V...

Host Jeremy Probert is joined by Dr Lee Coffey, Jennifer Drohan, and Dr Daniel Martins to talk about how the development of bionanomachines which use living bacteria to deliver molecular communications could benefit the health of animals and, potentially, humans. A special podcast about the science behind dairy farming, published in collaboration with VistaMilk SFI Research Centre. 

Irish milk, litre for litre, has a lower carbon footprint than milk produced almost anywhere else – but how much does the public really know about what goes on down on the farm? Jeremy Probert talks to National Dairy Council Farmer Advocacy Manager Majella McCafferty about how consumers can find out for themselves the incredible work Irish dairy farmers are doing to produce healthy, nutritious, an...

In this special podcast about the science behind dairy farming, host Jeremy Probert talks to Dr Elodie Ruelle, Research Officer with Vistamilk, about grass growth, grass modelling, and getting to the grassroots of the sustainability issue.

Jeremy Probert talks to Dr Alan O’Riordan and Dr Han Shao from Tyndall National Institute in Cork about their work on measuring nitrates in soil in real time, providing information to farmers to manage fertiliser use and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Dr Sharon Madigan, Head of Performance Nutrition at the Sport Ireland Institute, joins the pod to talk about the working with elite Team Ireland athletes through five Olympic cycles and the importance of what you eat when it comes to fuelling success.

NDC Farming Ambassador Nicholas Cooney joins the podcast to talk about the measures he is taking to reduce the carbon hoofprint of his Co Louth dairy farm and make milk production more sustainable now and in the future.

VistaMilk PhD student Rumia Basu joins the podcast to talk about her work analysing data from satellite imagery to help Irish dairy farmers make better decisions about drainage, grazing and fertiliser use.

Ireland rugby star Eimear Considine joins the podcast to talk about the challenges of switching sports, overcoming injury, mental wellbeing, and inspiring the next generation of female sports stars – and dairy farmers! 

Prof Donagh Berry, Director of the VistaMilk SFI Research Centre, joins host Jeremy Probert to talk about the bovine match-making service that is driving genetic and sustainability gains in Irish dairy.

Craig McKechnie talks to NDC Sports Ambassador Vikki Wall about chasing her All-Ireland double dream with Meath, moving Down Under to try her hand at Aussie Rules, and the importance of women breaking down gender stereotypes in sport, dairy farming, and all walks of life.

Host Jeremy Probert is joined by Dr Deirdre Hennessy – VistaMilk-funded investigator and Senior Research Officer with Teagasc – to talk about how the increased use of clover in Irish grasslands is making Irish dairy more efficient, productive and sustainable. Created and produced by 4TC, Dairy Matters is brought to you by the National Dairy Council.

Dr Mary Flynn, Chief Specialist in Public Health Nutrition at the Food Safety Authority of Ireland, joins the pod to discuss health eating guidelines, the Food Pyramid, and why it is recommended that most people have 3 servings of dairy every day. Created and produced by 4TC, Dairy Matters is brought to you by the National Dairy Council.

Deirdre Ryan joins the pod to talk about how she went from donning the green shirt for Ireland as an Olympic high jumper to performing a similar role on behalf of the nation's food producers as Director of Sustainability & Quality Assurance for Origin Green at Bord Bia. She talks what sustainability really means, the challenges it brings for farming communities and wider society, and the...

Award-winning authors, journalists and broadcasters Sally and John McKenna – the husband and wife team behind the wonderful McKennas' Guides on the best places to eat and stay in Ireland – join the pod to talk about their lifelong love of food, their passion for Ireland's incredible food producers, and how their new book 'Milk' explores the emotional relationship the Irish have...

Co Roscommon farmer Miriam Gunn joins the pod to talk about how she balances rearing cows with rearing her own four children, the importance of reducing emissions and protecting the environment, and becoming a poster family for the Irish dairy sector.

Farmer and Phd student Nicole Keohane joins the podcast to talk about her passion for agri science, her work to reduce antimicrobial resistance in the food chain, and helping dairy farming to reduce its carbon footprint. She also talks about the farming bug skipping a generation and her mission to educate her 'townie' friends on all things country.

This special edition of Dairy Matters comes from the Sport Ireland Institute, where Jeremy Probert talks to All-Ireland champions and Everything Starts With Milk ambassadors Grace Walsh and Cian Lynch about camogie, hurling, dairy farming and how milk helps them to perform at the highest level.