Episodes
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With the upcoming Irish Grassland Association National Beef walk taking place on Tuesday 11th June, suckler and sheep farmer Martin Shaughnessy from Co. Mayo, and the Irish Grassland Association Beef chairperson, Paddy Casey, are on this week’s Beef Edge to discuss Martin’s system and the upcoming open day.
Martin runs a suckler-to-weaning system while also lambing approximately 150 ewes – a typical suckler and sheep operation in the west of Ireland.
Martin now runs a herd of sixteen three-quarter-bred Limousin dams mated to Belgian Blue sires each year. Maiden heifers are crossed back to Limousin genetics while sexed semen was also introduced in 2023. Breeding season has gone very well with all cows inseminated.
The sheep enterprise consists of Suffolk and Texel-cross ewes – split lambing at the start of February and then again around St. Patrick’s day each year. The ewes are synchronised to leave the management during lambing easier.
The suckler system is quite simple. The cattle rotationally graze a 10-12 ac block on the home farm which is laid out in paddocks under a leader-follower system.
Martin is also involved in the Teagasc Agricultural Catchments Programme with the farm located in the Cregduff catchment, east of Ballinrobe town, Co. Mayo (Eircode F12PR23).
The farm walk is a free event and is very kindly sponsored by FBD Insurance. Flame grilled burgers will be available at 6pm sharp for those who wish to arrive early and the event will get underway at 6:30pm, finishing at 8:30pm.
For further details go to:
https://www.irishgrassland.ie/event-detail/beef-walk-mayo/
For more episodes from the Beef Edge podcast, visit the show page at:
https://www.teagasc.ie/thebeefedge
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Future Beef farmer, Trevor Boland, who operates an autumn calving suckling system in county Sligo is on this week’s Beef Edge podcast to give an update on the farm including harvesting of silage and management of grass in the coming weeks.
With current weather conditions very changeable, Trever discusses how he has some first cut silage harvest and the rest will be made in the coming days.
There are currently four groups of stock on the farm grazing and he outlines the management of the various groups in the coming weeks.
Silage quality is very important on the farm as Trevor avoids feeding concentrates to cows. He discusses his fertiliser programme on grazing and silage ground and the management of cows pre-calving
For more episodes from the Beef Edge podcast, visit the show page at:
https://www.teagasc.ie/thebeefedge
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For this joint Beef Edge and Ovicast podcast with Catherine Egan and Ciaran Lynch,
Future Beef Farmer, Olivia Hynes from Roscommon, discusses how she is managing grass this year and how mixed grazing is working on her farm.
Olivia describes the farm system and how this spring has been on the farm. She is using 100% AI with breeding in full swing and she discusses various sires she has selected.
Weanlings are targeted for the export sales and Olivia keeps 10-12 heifers as replacements annually. Olivia complements the suckler enterprise with an early to mid-season ewe flock. Scanning & weaning percentages are excellent with all lambs finished off grass to factory specification.
Over 90% of the farm is free draining brown acid soil, with moderate to good fertility. Olivia has been working on improving fertility for a number of years and liming is a priority to correct pH levels.
Olivia also outlines the paddock system that she has put in and how it is working for her and she discusses her plan for managing grass in the summer, balancing the demand of the different groups of stock as priorities arise.
For further details go to:
https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/beef/demonstration-farms/future-beef-programme/farmers/olivia-hynes/
For more episodes from the Beef Edge podcast, visit the show page at:
https://www.teagasc.ie/thebeefedge
Produced on behalf of Teagasc by LastCastMedia.com -
Teagasc Researcher, David Kenny, is on this week’s Beef edge podcast to discuss how to deal with current breeding issues and the key tips to be aware of.
With extended housing this spring, David outlines the impact this has had on suckler cow fertility and body condition.
In some cases breeding season has been delayed by 2-3 weeks. With some cows only calved in the last 3 weeks, David discusses a plan for these cows with synchronisation programmes and timed AI. Further details can also be found here:
https://www.teagasc.ie/media/website/animals/beef/Oestrous-Synchronisation-or-Timed-Insemination-Tech-Note.pdf
David says that stock bull fertility is a major concern with approximately 20% of bulls sub-fertile, and keeping records is essential. Carrying out a mid-season scan will allow any issues be detected early.
David discusses the research being carried out in Grange on breeding at the moment which will cover, AI, calving heifers at 24 months and breeding technologies at the BEEF 2024 Open Day taking place on Wednesday 26th June 2024 at Teagasc Grange, Co. Meath.
For further details:
https://www.teagasc.ie/news--events/news/2024/beef2024-openday-launched.php
For more episodes from the Beef Edge podcast, visit the show page at:
https://www.teagasc.ie/thebeefedge
Produced on behalf of Teagasc by LastCastMedia.com -
DairyBeef 500 advisor, Tommy Cox, is on this week’s Beef Edge podcast with an update on the programme farms, management tips for the coming weeks and he discusses the weaning process.
It has been a challenging spring and Tommy outlines the targets on the farms up to weaning. He describes the weaning process on the farms and the amount of concentrates fed to calves at grass.
In a lot of cases weanlings were 30-40 kg behind target at housing last autumn and Tommy outlines the management plan for yearlings at grass to achieve compensatory growth.
And in the coming weeks silage will be harvested on the programme farms and surplus heavy covers will be removed to help manage grass for the next rotation.
Calf health is critical too, with coccidiosis and worm burden being an issue in the coming weeks.
For more episodes from the Beef Edge podcast, visit the show page at:
https://www.teagasc.ie/thebeefedge
Produced on behalf of Teagasc by LastCastMedia.com -
Margaret Brennan, Assistant Principal Officer over Beef Schemes with the Department of Agriculture Food and the Marine, is on the Beef Edge podcast to discuss the Suckler Carbon Efficiency Programme (SCEP) course.
One of the eligibility conditions of SCEP participation requires that participants MUST complete the mandatory SCEP training course by 15 November 2024.
The Department of Agriculture, Food & the Marine, with the assistance of ICBF and Teagasc, and with contributions from Bord Bia and the Health & Safety Authority (HSA), have developed the mandatory SCEP training course consisting of seven modules.
This online training course will help participants successfully implement the actions within SCEP and advise the best practices in farm safety and livestock handling.
Participants must complete all SCEP online training modules by 15 November 2024 to remain in the programme. This online course is now available to all SCEP participants on the website www.sceptraining.ie
A letter outlining the details on how to access the training, including the participants pin to use when activating your account, is available on Agfood account under the link for Suckler Carbon Efficiency Programme
Failure to complete all modules of the online training course by 15 November 2024 will result in you being removed from SCEP and any monies paid under the programme plus the cost of your genomics tests will be recouped.
Screenshot instructions on the process of activating accounts, logging into the training and progressing through the training modules are included in the guide, which also covers frequently asked questions here:
https://www.gov.ie/pdf/?file=https://assets.gov.ie/291585/cc968e73-db00-4f1a-b465-4ac1bf7cb4d3.pdf#page=null
For any participants having technical difficulties or requiring assistance in logging into the training, help is available by email at [email protected] or by phone at 074 9707756.
For more episodes from the Beef Edge podcast, visit the show page at:
https://www.teagasc.ie/thebeefedge
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David Quinn, Superintending Veterinary Inspector at Department Of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, is on this week’s joint episode of the Beef Edge and the Dairy Edge with hosts Catherine Egan and James Dunne to dispel some of the myths around TB (Bovine Tuberculosis).
Ireland’s TB Eradication Scheme started in 1954. A TB forum was set up in 2018 and a new eradication strategy was launched in 2021.
David first explains that last year there were over 30,000 cases which was an increase of 6,000 on the previous year. Currently the incidence rate is high nationally at 5%.
David describes the skin test carried out at the annual herd test. He outlines the issues around the false positive and false negative tests, and he discusses the ways farmers can reduce farm risks and awareness around wildlife
Further details are available at:
https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/health-and-welfare-/tb/
For more episodes from the Beef Edge podcast, visit the show page at:
https://www.teagasc.ie/thebeefedgeProduced on behalf of Teagasc by LastCastMedia.com
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With the current extended rainfall, on this week’s Beef Edge podcast, Future Beef advisor Gabriel Trayers and Alan Dillion DairyBeef 500 manager give an update from around the country along with tips and advice to implement on farms for the coming weeks.
Alan also discusses health issues while Gabriel outlines issues in relation to the breeding season and cow nutrition options.
With grazing rotations delayed, Alan discusses the first steps in the plan and getting silage ground on track; plus he describes some of the finishing options now that stock may not have got to grass.
Weather is improving so there is light at end of the tunnel but it is an extremely stressful time and there’s also huge financial pressure on farmers.
Talk to neighbours and your local Teagasc advisor. There is an extensive network of people to help, including the Teagasc National Grassland Helpline on 059 918 3155.
The helplines are open to all farmers seeking advice in coping with the ongoing wet weather and challenging soil conditions and are open from 9am–9pm Monday to Saturday.
For more episodes from the Beef Edge podcast, visit the show page at:
https://www.teagasc.ie/thebeefedge
Produced on behalf of Teagasc by LastCastMedia.com -
With the difficult weather conditions, DairyBeef 500 advisor Gordon Peppard is on this week’s Beef Edge podcast with some timely tips in relation to closing ground for silage.
Gordon highlights that on many farms silage ground won’t be cut but this could provide an opportunity to cut this silage earlier and hence have after grass coming into the rotation faster or the ability to close ground earlier for second cut silage if needed.
Gordon also describes the different fertiliser programme options and weed control available.
Developing a fodder plan for the farm to determine the area of ground that needs to be closed based on the amount of silage required is important while keeping the groups of stock that will be on the farm next winter, Gordon explains on the show.
For further details:
https://www.teagasc.ie/news--events/daily/beef/silage-quality-improvements---ten-point-plan.php
For more episodes from the Beef Edge podcast, visit the show page at:
https://www.teagasc.ie/thebeefedge
Produced on behalf of Teagasc by LastCastMedia.com -
Future Beef programme farmer Trevor Boland is on this week’s episode of the Beef Edge podcast to give an update on his farm, closing for silage and selecting sires.
Trevor farms part-time in county Sligo and his main enterprise is an autumn calving suckler herd, calving August to October.
The bull calves are sold at 10-12 months with a target weight of 500kg and the heifers are kept to calves at 24 months or sold as stores.
It has been a very difficult spring but Trevor has managed to turn out weanling heifers and bulls since early March.
While nitrogen application and slurry applications have been delayed everywhere, Trevor has slurry applied to silage ground and intends to apply 18-6-12 to the grazing ground in the coming days.
With silage ground being closed, Trevor intends to cut silage in mid-May to make quality silage for feeding to fresh calved cows and yearlings next winter over 74 DMD.
Trevor uses 100% AI which helps him match each sire to the cow. Calving ease is very important and carcass value 30-40kg are a key focus whilst not compromising on milk
Come along on the 12th April at 5:30pm to visit Trevor’s farm at Skreen, Co. Sligo to find out more. Eircode: F91 X535.
Further details at:
https://www.teagasc.ie/news--events/national-events/events/future-beef-farm-walk---trevor-boland.php
For more episodes from the Beef Edge podcast, visit the show page at:
https://www.teagasc.ie/thebeefedge
Produced on behalf of Teagasc by LastCastMedia.com -
DairyBeef 500 Manager, Alan Dillon, is on this week’s episode of the Beef Edge podcast with some tips for rearing calves at this time of year, the financial performance update for 2023 as well as slaughter performance.
With a difficult spring to get cattle out to grass on programme farms, Alan outlines the plan at the moment with some cattle going to be kept in and finished from the shed due to difficult grazing conditions.
Sourcing calves this spring there is big variation on price and delay of calves. Alan outlines some key tips for rearing calves up to weaning. The profitability for 2023 was on average €542/Ha. Alan outlines the slaughter performance for 2023 across the different categories of stock Fr, AA/HE, heifers and steers.
For more episodes from the Beef Edge podcast, visit the show page at:
https://www.teagasc.ie/thebeefedge
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Ken Gill operates an autumn calving, organic suckler to beef system located in Co Offaly and he joins Catherine Egan on this week’s Beef Edge podcast to explain his system.
He has 73 suckler cows calving from the end of July to mid-September and all progeny are brought to beef with the aim to slaughter at 24 months.
Ken says that one of the big changes he had to make when converting to an organic system was in relation to housing on the farm.
Being organic means that crop rotation is vital to ensure the continued health of the soil and to aid weed suppression. Oats are grown for sale, with a small quantity retained for feeding on the farm. Red clover/perennial ryegrass is grown for quality silage and winter fodder crops are also sown in certain areas of the farm.
100% A.I. is used to avail of the best genetics available, with visual being the main heat detection aid. Ken offers advice for farmers considering an organic system and says that it is a profitable system for him.
Ken will also feature in the first of a three part Future Beef webinar on Wednesday 20th March at 8pm.
On Monday, March 25th at 8pm the webinar will focus on getting your cow back in calf and on Wednesday March 27th at 8pm the webinar will focus on genetics for the future.
Further webinar details are here:
https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/beef/demonstration-farms/future-beef-programme/events/
You can read more about Ken’s system here:
https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/beef/demonstration-farms/future-beef-programme/farmers/ken-gill/
For more episodes from the Beef Edge podcast, visit the show page at:
https://www.teagasc.ie/thebeefedge
Produced on behalf of Teagasc by LastCastMedia.com -
When it comes to this time of year, the question of doing an agricultural course arises and with so many on offer it can be difficult to decide what Teagasc course suits best.
On the latest Beef Edge podcast, Teagasc education officer, Serena Gibbons, discusses the range of Teagasc education courses that are available and how you can apply.
Log on to www.teagasc.ie/education where you can find lots of information and also contact details of the education officers in each region.
There is also a webinar at 11am on March 20th on land based apprenticeships and the details are here:
https://www.teagasc.ie/news--events/national-events/events/land-based-apprenticeships-live-webinar.php
For more episodes from the Beef Edge podcast, visit the show page at:
https://www.teagasc.ie/thebeefedge
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This week it’s a joint episode between the Beef and Dairy Edge podcasts with dairy farmer Paul Delaney joining Emma-Louise Coffey & Catherine Egan to discuss the importance of genetics in the dairy-beef system to maximise performance and profitability.
Paul first gives an overview of his system. Two thirds of the cows are calved to date and Paul has used a number of continental sires to breed top quality calves. Paul previously was a suckler farmer prior to converting to dairy in 2015.
While selecting sires for gestation length and calving difficulty he has no issue with the sires he’s selected while focusing on beef characteristics. He puts a huge value on having two customers for calves that return year on year.
Paul also discusses the value of good calf genetics can have on the whole process from calf birth to finish and further in the processors.
For further details on the DairyBeef 500 campaign:
https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/beef/dairy-calf-to-beef/dairybeef-500/
More information on the Dairy Beef Index is at:
https://www.icbf.com/dairybeef-results/
For more episodes from the Beef Edge podcast, visit the show page at:
https://www.teagasc.ie/thebeefedge
Produced on behalf of Teagasc by LastCastMedia.com -
With a difficult spring leading to challenging grazing conditions, Teagasc Grass10 Manager, John Maher, is on this week’s Beef Edge podcast with his top tips in relation to grassland management this spring.
John discusses the current soil temperatures and grass growth across the country and on farms where grazing has been delayed and very little grazing has taken place to date, John explains what the key steps are to get stock to grass in the coming weeks.
John highlights the grazing targets to hit to avoid having too much grass left at the end of the rotation or having too much grazed.
Slurry has been spread on most farms and for those planning to go with slurry in the coming weeks John advises this should be applied on silage ground.
For more episodes from the Beef Edge podcast, visit the show page at:
https://www.teagasc.ie/thebeefedge
Produced on behalf of Teagasc by LastCastMedia.com -
With calving season underway in the Newford herd, Teagasc Newford farm technician Michael Fagan is on this week’s Beef Edge podcast to give an insight into changes on the farm, preparation in advance of calving and a review performance of the herd.
Michael discusses the big changes on Newford farm since we spoke last with the cows being moved from Athenry to Roscommon. As the farm operated a tillage and beef enterprise, Michael discusses the work involved in making paddocks, reseeding and making pens before calving. So far just over 40 of the cows have calved and Michael discusses their performance.
Michael also discusses how the yearlings on the farm are performing and the performance of the cattle finished before Christmas.
Obviously heavy rainfall the past few weeks has hampered any chances so far of starting the grazing plan this spring. Soil samples have been taken and analysed and slurry and fertiliser is being applied accordingly.
Further details are at:
https://www.teagasc.ie/news--events/daily/beef/newford-herd-settled-into-new-home-in-roscommon.php
Farm Walks
Coming up……DairyBeef 500 farmer, James O’Sullivan, Union Hall, Co. Cork will host a farm walk on Tuesday, 27th February @12pm, while Gareth Peoples, Co. Donegal will host a walk on Tuesday, 5th March @2pm.
Topics covered will be focusing on grassland management, silage preparation, fertiliser spreader calibration and calf management at purchase.
For further details go to:
www.teagasc.ie/DB500
For more episodes from the Beef Edge podcast, visit the show page at:
https://www.teagasc.ie/thebeefedge
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John Donlon who gives advice and tips for caring for the new born calf.
John outlines the best practice for when the calf is just born such as feeding colostrum and care of the navel.
He also describes the key tips when stomach tubing a calf.
Regardless of a suckler or dairy beef system, there are a number of ailments that can arise and John has important advice for management from a health perspective for a number of conditions and diseases.
Don’t forget as well to listen back to last week’s episode on managing the cow before calving and calving the suckler cow.
For more episodes from the Beef Edge podcast, visit the show page at:
https://www.teagasc.ie/thebeefedge
Produced on behalf of Teagasc by LastCastMedia.com -
On this week’s Beef Edge podcast, it’s the first of a two-part episode with Teagasc Researcher and Vet, John Donlon, who gives his insights and top tips in relation to managing the cow before calving and calving the suckler cow.
Calving will be taking place on farms over the coming weeks and John discusses the nutrition to be aware of in the final stages with mineral and vitamins and ensuring that cows are fit and not fat.
John then discusses giving assistance at calving and about the presentation of the calf and essential items to have ready.Finally, he describes using the calving jack and some of the key things to be aware of.
For more episodes from the Beef Edge podcast, visit the show page at:
https://www.teagasc.ie/thebeefedge
Produced on behalf of Teagasc by LastCastMedia.com -
January is a good month to review your 2023 financial performance before you start focusing and putting a plan in place for 2024 and on this week’s joint episode with Ciarán Lynch from Teagasc’s Ovicast sheep podcast, we discuss financial management tips on drystock farms with Teagasc Financial Specialist Kevin Connolly.
Kevin first outlines the benefits of completing a profit monitor. He discusses the data that’s required and how farmers make use of the data for their system.
Kevin explains the reports that can be developed and the importance of benchmarking the farm as volatile market or weather conditions can really impact financial performance
One year is a starting point and after completing it for 3-5 years it enables the farmer to develop a plan with their advisor to make decisions on the system, on farm investment and future direction of the farm.
Further details are available at:
https://www.teagasc.ie/rural-economy/farm-management/financial-analysis/farm-profit-analysis/
For more episodes from the Beef Edge podcast, visit the show page at:
https://www.teagasc.ie/thebeefedge
Produced on behalf of Teagasc by LastCastMedia.com -
Dr.Siobhan Kavanagh from the Signpost Programme is on this week’s Beef Edge podcast to discuss what areas you can focus on to make your farm more sustainable in 2024.
The Signpost programme is a multi-annual campaign to lead climate action by all Irish farmers. The programmes aims to achieve early progress in reducing gaseous emissions from Irish agriculture and to also improve water quality, maintain and in some cases improve bio-diversity, reduce costs and create more profitable and sustainable farming enterprises.
There are two elements to the programme:
- A network of Signpost Farms, which will act as demonstration farms for the programme and sites for carbon sequestration measurements. These will point the way forward towards climate smart farming, and are central to the second element
- The Signpost Advisory campaign which will engage with all farmers and support them to move towards more sustainable farming systems
Siobhan discusses a number of actions such as using protected urea in 2024. Applying Lime and slurry using LESS and incorporating clover are discussed as ways to improve soil fertility and reduce dependence on chemical fertiliser.
Improving grassland management on the farm is important by utilising grass with a paddock system, walking the farm weekly and extending the grazing season to reduce emissions.
Siobhan discusses having a good herd health plan, breeding policy and reducing the age at slaughter and the impact these have on reducing emissions.
Find your local Future beef farmer here:
https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/beef/demonstration-farms/future-beef-programme/farmers/
Find your local Dairy Beef 500 farmer here:
https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/beef/dairy-calf-to-beef/dairybeef-500/farmers/
You can also subscribe for the newsletter at the following link:
https://www.teagasc.ie/environment/climate-change--air-quality/signpost-programme/newsletter-subscription/
If you would like to apply for the sustainability awards, the form is at:
https://www.teagasc.ie/environment/climate-change--air-quality/signpost-programme/sustainability-awards/
For more episodes from the Beef Edge podcast, visit the show page at:
https://www.teagasc.ie/thebeefedge
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