The Beef Edge

Calving the suckler cow and caring for the new born calf are important tasks on every spring suckler herd in the coming weeks and for the second in a two-part interview, vet Tommy Heffernan joins Catherine Egan to discuss the key tips for caring for the newborn calf. Tommy first outlines how building the immunity of the calf is important through quality colostrum and describes the 1-2-3 rule of co...

Calving the suckler cow and caring for the new born calf are important tasks on every spring suckler herd in the coming weeks. Vet Tommy Heffernan joins Catherine Egan on the Beef Edge podcast for a two-part interview to discuss these important topics in detail. In the first part this week, Tommy highlights all the top tips related to calving the suckler cow. One issue on farms is when a farmer in...

As part of the Animal Health Ireland & Teagasc Calf Care Virtual Week, Teagasc researcher Emer Kennedy & Joe Patton, Teagasc nutritionist, join Catherine Egan on the latest Beef Edge podcast to discuss the guidelines for feeding milk and concentrates in the diet of the calf. Emer outlines the importance of feeding six litres of milk to the calf. She highlights the importance of following t...

After years of uncertainty since the Brexit referendum in 2016, a deal on the future relations between the European Union and the UK has finally been sealed and on this week’s episode of the Beef Edge podcast, Kevin Hanrahan, Head of Rural Economy and Development Programme at Teagasc, outlines what this deal actually means for the Irish Beef sector. With over 50% of Irish beef going to British mar...

Michael Fagan, Technician on the Newford Demonstration Herd joins Catherine Egan on this week’s Beef Edge podcast with a review of the farm in 2020. With 89% of the herd proving in calf, the focus on the farm at the moment is calving 2021. Michael explains how the finishing steers and heifers preformed in 2020. There were 59 heifers and 46 steers on Newford farm to be slaughtered this year. All of...

Calf diarrhoea and calf pneumonia the leading causes of death in Irish calves pre-weaning. Vet Doreen Corridan joins Catherine Egan on this week’s Beef Edge to explain why vaccinations should be used. Preventing disease, less antibiotics and less labour are major benefits Doreen highlights for using vaccinations. As scour accounts for more than 50% of all calf deaths Doreen recommends vaccinating...

The extension of contracts under GLAS & the Beef Data Genomics Programme (BDGP) are to be extended for a rollover period of one year in 2021. Teagasc beef specialist Alan Dillon & Teagasc environment specialist Catherine Keena join Catherine Egan on the Beef Edge Podcast to explain more about these schemes. The deadline to apply for GLAS extension is 31st December 2020 while the deadline t...

Do you have a spring calving suckler herd? Then you need to hear what Teagasc Nutritionist Joe Patton has to say in advance of spring calving season 2021 to find out how to manage your suckler cows' nutrition in the crucial weeks pre and post-calving. On this week’s Teagasc Beef Edge Podcast, Joe highlights the importance of nutrition and particularly the body condition score of the cow in reducin...

Just over 3% of herds in Ireland will go down with TB in any given year and on this week’s episode of the Beef Edge Podcast, Catherine Egan is joined by Philip Breslin, Superintending Veterinary Inspector with the Department of Agriculture Food & the Marine to discuss all things related to bovine TB. Philip outlines how the herd test works and why farmers have to do a herd test every year. Wil...

Where stock are to be grazed over the winter months, many farmers will be beginning to transition stock on to fodder crops over the coming days and managing this transition needs to be carefully considered. On this week’s episode of the Beef Edge podcast, Catherine Egan is joined by suckler farmer Michael Flynn from county Waterford to discuss his beef farm system and to find out how he is managin...

The 2020 Animal Health Awareness Week organised by the Department of Agriculture Food and the Marine is taking place this week from 23rd-28th November. On this week’s Beef Edge Podcast, Mícheál Casey, Head of DAFM Regional Veterinary Laboratories (RVL) gives an insight into the many services they provide to farmers. The RVL network provides animal post-mortem examinations, surveillance of disease...

From 2010 - 2019, 214 farmers lost their lives through a farming accident. They are not just a statistic, they are a valued family member. Each time we hear of a farm accident every farmer stops for a minute as we are all connected through the farming community. On this week’s episode of the Beef Edge, founding member of Embrace FARM (Farm Accident Support Network) Norma Rohan outlines the service...

Gurteen College Beef Lecturer, Peter Grogan, and Drystock Farm Manager, Gerard Carey, give an overview of Gurteen College, the farm systems operated and what it has to offer students on this week’s episode of the Beef Edge Podcast. Gerard gives an overview of the Autumn & Spring calving suckler herd, their beef finishing systems, and the dairy calf to beef enterprise along with the contract re...

With consistent rainfall over the past ten days, a lot of cattle have been housed around the country. On this week’s episode of the Beef Edge podcast, Teagasc Nutritionist Joe Patton outlines a number of factors farmers should consider now at housing. As feed accounts for over 75% of variable costs on most beef farms, Joe highlights the results from the Teagasc fodder survey and tips to reduce cos...

In this second of a regular monthly 'Beef Edge Masterclass’ series from expert farmers on the Beef Edge podcast, Catherine Egan is joined by JP Hammersley a farmer in Lattin, Co. Tipperary. JP explains his system whereby British Friesian bull calves are brought to beef as steers at 24 & 28 months. Calves are purchased from one local dairy farmer at 4 weeks of age and arrive in batches of 12. T...

In light of the Covid–19 restrictions Dr. Noel Richardson, Director National Centre for Men’s Health , IT Carlow, has some tips on mental and physical well-being on this week’s episode of the Beef Edge Podcast. Farmers are very resilient on a daily basis but at times there can be pressure and stress. Farmers were very busy during the first lockdown with calving and lambing etc. but it’s different...

Martina Harrington joins Catherine Egan on this week’s Beef Edge podcast to give an overview of parasite control at housing. Housing is one of the best times of the year for treating cattle against some of the more common internal and external parasites. However, products vary in price, in what they control and in how they are given to the animal. Martina outlined what parasites should be controll...

Henry O’Donnell project manager of the Inishowen Upland European Innovation Partnership joins Catherine Egan on this week’s Beef Edge podcast to give an overview of the project and explains how it aims to improve the economic sustainability of farming High Nature Value (HNV) land in Inishowen. This is done through the implementation of a range of innovative measures which also deliver on environme...

Michael McManus, Manager of the Derrypatrick demonstration farm at Teagasc Grange, joins Catherine Egan on this week’s Beef Edge podcast to give an update on the farm. The Derrypatrick herd is a suckler to beef Teagasc research demonstration farm with a land block of 65 hectares bringing all progeny through to slaughter. In the spring, 105 cows calved and there were 110 live calves which calved ov...

This week's episode of the Beef Edge podcast is the first in a regular monthly 'Beef Masterclass’ series from expert farmers. First in the series to discuss his system is Niall O’Meara, a suckler farmer from Co. Galway who operates an autumn calving suckling to weanling system. Niall is achieving all the key targets from birth to weaning and he explains just how he does it. Bull weanlings are sold...

Iarlaith Collins, Manager of Newford Demonstration Herd joins Catherine Egan on this week’s Beef Edge podcast with an update on the farm. With 89% of the herd proving in calf the focus on the farm at the moment is weaning. Weight gain of the bull weanlings is 1.39kg/head/day from birth to weaning. Extending the grazing season in very important to reduce costs and the winter period on the farm. Tea...

John Maher, Manager Grass10 Campaign, joins Catherine Egan on this week’s Beef Edge podcast with an update on grassland management tips to deal with current weather conditions. Managing grass in the coming weeks will play an import role in extending the grazing season and John highlights that each additional day at pasture is worth €2/LU. While there is huge variation across the country, John also...

Noel Meehan, Manager of the Agricultural Sustainability Support and Advice Programme (ASSAP) joins Catherine Egan on this week’s episode of the Beef Edge to discuss the progress of the programme and what you can do to help improve water quality. Farming plays an important role in the Irish economy and landscape and approximately two-thirds of the Irish land area is in agricultural use. The quality...

The importance of pregnancy scanning cows is the topic on this week’s Beef Edge podcast and Catherine Egan is joined by Teagasc Researcher Professor David Kenny and Teagasc Advisor Sinead Devaney. David highlights the many benefits of scanning of cows as well as the importance of the correct timing of scanning to identify date of calving next spring, twins and possibly the sex of the embryo. Sinea...

Aidan Murray, Teagasc Beef Specialist, joins Catherine Egan on this week’s Beef Edge to discuss the Beef Finishers Payment scheme (BFP) which is an Exchequer-funded scheme of €50 million to provide income support for farmers with beef finishing enterprises, who have been impacted by the economic effects of the Covid-19 pandemic has opened for applications. The Beef Finishers Payment scheme is open...