The Beef Edge

DairyBeef 500 farmer, Gareth Peoples from county Donegal, is on this week’s Beef Edge podcast to discuss his winter management on his dairy beef system. Gareth discusses the importance of good quality silage and matching the results with the correct protein percentage in the ration. Ventilation, feed space, lying space are also important he says, plus implementing the correct health plan on the fa...

As part of Sustainability Week, on the latest Beef Edge podcast, DairyBeef 500 farmer, James O’Sullivan from West Cork, discusses the steps he’s taking to improve the sustainability of his farm by increasing animal performance and incorporating clover and multi-species on his farm.    James highlights the steps he takes from purchasing calves and management on the farm.  Maximising weight gain fro...

With the housing of animals coming around again, farmers’ thoughts are turning to parasite control, and on this week’s Beef Edge podcast, Dr. Natascha Meunier, Beef Health Check Programme Manager with Animal Health Ireland, discusses the parasites to look out for and how to treat them, as well as top tips for housing this winter.   For more episodes from the Beef Edge podcast, visit the show page...

Future Beef farmer, Proinnsias Creedon, gives an insight into his beef system and how he maximises performance over the winter.    Proinnsias farms with his wife Máire and sons Ciarán, Aodhán and Diarmuid. The farm is located outside Macroom, Co. Cork and he is farming 33.31Ha of variable land with a good bit of rough grazing ground.     There is a lot of heavy soil in the farm with some reclaimed...

Aidan Murray, Teagasc Beef Specialist, is on this week’s Beef Edge podcast to discuss what beef price you can afford to pay for stock, what impact costs have on the bottom line and what price will be needed to cover these costs.   Aidan first compares the figures to date to show that the national kill has decreased from the same time last year.    While beef prices for purchasing are increasing, t...

As the grazing of the last rotation approaches, on this week’s Beef Edge podcast, Catherine Egan is joined by the Grass10 team, John Maher, Joseph Dunphy and John Douglas, with tips and advice.   Grazing has been difficult nationwide however recent weather conditions have made a huge difference and John Maher says don’t be tempted to graze paddocks that are closed first in the rotation.    Meanwhi...

DairyBeef 500 farmer, Pat Collins, from Castlemarter Co. Cork, is on this week’s Beef Edge podcast to give his personal experiences of his dairy calf to beef system, management on the farm and his upcoming open day.   This year there were 300 calves reared on the farm. Pat discusses how his beef system has changed over the years.   It’s been a difficult few months weather wise and Pat describes ho...

Future Beef suckler farmer, Ger McSweeney, from Millstreet Co. Cork, is on this week’s Beef Edge podcast  to give an update on his beef system, plus he discusses how AI on his farm is increasing performance and reducing age to slaughter and previews his upcoming open day.    Ger operates a spring calving suckler system with bulls finished U16 months and heifers U21 months.    There is 100% AI used...

On the latest Beef Edge podcast, John O’Connor from Kildalton Agricultural College gives an update on the suckler farm, and Joe Day teacher in Kildalton, discusses the upcoming open day.    John describes how it’s been a difficult summer and how grass is being managed at the moment in Kilkenny.   He highlights the breeding performance of the herd this year and how the finished cattle have performe...

Michael Cunniffe from Co. Roscommon joins Catherine Egan on this week’s Beef Edge podcast to discuss his in-calf heifer system and grassland management.   Michael buys in approximately 150 each year, all of different types and breeds to meet his customers’ demands. The heifers are vaccinated and dosed when purchased. They are fed on a grass only diet on a paddock grazing system and silage only ove...

Teagasc researcher Peter Doyle joins Catherine Egan on this week’s Beef Edge podcast to give an update on the Derrypatrick herd in Grange.      Peter discusses how calving went this spring and how breeding season went on the farm. The pre-breeding scan was well worthwhile this year, Peter explained, and helped resolve any issues before they arose. Perter discussed the traits that sires were select...

With the launch of the new National Beef Welfare Scheme by the Department of Agriculture Food & the Marine, which replaces Beep-S, on this week’s Beef Edge podcast, Catherine Egan is joined by Teagasc Beef specialist Aidan Murray to get all the details.   The new scheme which is funded by the Brexit Adjustment Reserve (BAR) is a one year programme and it essentially replaces the old BEEP-S sch...

The Certified Irish Angus Schools competition challenges students to rear five Irish Angus calves over 18 months while completing a research project, and is organised in partnership with ABP Ireland and Kepak Group.    On this week’s Beef Edge podcast, the students from Mercy Secondary School Kilbeggan Co. Westmeath discuss their involvement in the competition and their journey to date. The team c...

Teagasc Director of Knowledge Transfer, Stan Lalor, joins Catherine Egan on this week’s Beef Edge podcast with an update on the recent launch of the Signpost Advisory Programme and details on how you can take part.   This public programme is available to all farmers and it will build on the network of Signpost Demonstration Farms by providing enhanced advisory and training support to farmers to co...

Ruaraidh Petre, Executive Director, Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, joins Catherine Egan on this week’s episode of the Beef Edge podcast.   Ruaraidh discusses the work of the Global Roundtable that is carried out across 24 countries working together to produce sustainable beef.    Originally from Ireland, but now living in New Zealand, Ruaraidh discusses comparison between the countries’ b...

DairyBeef500 advisor, Tommy Cox, joins Catherine Egan on this week’s Beef Edge podcast with an update on the programme, as well as discussing grassland management and the upcoming National Open Day on the farm of Austin & Jarlath Ruane in county Mayo on Thursday 13th July at 6pm.   For further details of the event go to: https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/jarlath-and-austin-ruane-dairybeef500-farm-wa...

Gearóid Slattery from ICBF joins Catherine Egan on this week’s Beef Edge podcast to discuss the National Genotyping Programme.     The National Genotyping Programme is a collaborative initiative enabling Ireland to take the first step in achieving a fully genotyped national herd. The scale of the programme is a world first and sees Ireland placed firmly at the forefront when it comes to national s...

DairyBeef500 Manager, Alan Dillon, joins Catherine Egan on this week’s episode of the Beef Edge podcast with an update on how farmers in the programme are recovering from the drought conditions, grassland management in the coming weeks and information on the upcoming national open day in Co. Limerick.   Alan outlines fertiliser programmes and closing for second cut silage and he advises farmers to...

Niall Kilrane from the ICBF Tully Test Performance Centre is on this week’s Beef Edge podcast to give an update from the research centre which is the national commercial progeny test centre located on the edge of Kildare town.    Historically, pedigree bull breeders used to bring their young bulls to the centre for performance testing. However, following a review in 2011, ICBF then began to purcha...

Natascha Meunier from Animal Health Ireland is on this week’s Beef Edge podcast to discuss parasite control, managing resistance on farms and the Targeted Advisory Service on Animal Health (TASAH).   As part of the TASAH, a Parasite Control TASAH consult, between trained veterinary practitioners and their clients will continue to be available for 2023.  This is a free and voluntary programme suppo...

Roscommon Future Beef Farmer, Shane Keaveney, is on this week’s Beef Edge podcast  to discuss the breeding season to date and to give an update on the farm.    Breeding season is underway and Shane discusses using AI. He outlines the sires used on the farm and as Shane is finishing bulls at under 16 months, he talks through how they are managed from once they were housed and performance to date.  ...

Teagasc Grass10 advisor, Joseph Dunphy, is on this week’s episode of the Beef Edge podcast to discuss grazing management on farms at the moment and the dos and don’ts when it comes to harvesting silage.    Joseph outlines steps farmers are taking to overcome the difficult spring and for paddocks that may have got damaged, he discusses how they can they be rectified now.    With silage ground close...

Donall Fahy from Newford Farm joins Catherine Egan on this week’s Beef Edge podcast with an update on the Newford Farm and to preview the upcoming open day on Tuesday 23rd May from 2-6 pm.    Donall discusses the busy breeding season with 100% AI being used on the farm at the moment.    He outlines the sires being used on the farm and selection criteria being used to select these sires.    Grassla...

With 95% of beef Quality Assured at point of slaughter and 54,000 audits taking place on Irish Beef & Sheep farms, Damien Murray, Operations Co-ordinator Origin Green with the Bord Bia Sustainable Beef and Lamb Assurance Scheme, busts some myths around the audit on this week’s Beef Edge podcast .   One of the requirements of the Suckler Carbon Efficiency Programme is that the farm has to be qu...

On this week’s episode of the Beef Edge podcast, Niall Kilrane from ICBF, discusses the EuroStar Index and queries relating to SCEP.   Niall outlines how star ratings are valued and why they change. He highlights the importance of the data that farmers record and send back on surveys as part of previous schemes and the impact this has had.    Niall also discusses some of the queries that arose at...