The Dairy Edge

Latest Episodes:

Let's Talk Dairy Bonus Episode: Coping with tricky grazing conditions & planning for March Mar 04, 2022

Show notes

Teagasc is running a weekly Let's Talk Dairy webinar series which is also being made available as a bonus podcast episode. For this week’s webinar, Stuart Childs, Teagasc Dairy Specialist, was joined by dairy farmer, Dermot O’Donovan, who documents the tricky grazing conditions following the storms and snow and looks forward to his grazing plan for the month of March. To register for future Let’s Talk Dairy webinars go to: https://www.teagasc.ie/corporate-events/lets-talk-dairy/ For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at: https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/

The proactive steps to take to promote low cell count in early lactation Feb 28, 2022

Show notes

Padraig O’Connor joins Emma-Louise Coffey on this week’s episode of The Dairy Edge to consider why you should complete an early milk recording event to manage SCC and mastitis from early lactation. Padraig explains that there are several reasons: cows have been dried for a significant amount of time and therefore an early milk recording will establish the baseline SCC for the herd and identify any problem cows. Furthermore, it is an opportunity to assess the success of the dry period. Padraig recommends that farmers consider the role of persistently high SCC cows, particularly if they are older cows with multiple records of high SCC in previous lactations. He explains that these cows will likely continue to elevate bulk SCC and are at risk of spreading mastitis infection to low SCC cows in the herd. For more information: https://www.teagasc.ie/media/website/publications/2022/Dairy-Newsletter---February-2022.pdf For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at: https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/ The Dairy Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.com

Let's Talk Dairy Bonus Episode: OAD Milking to manage spring workload Feb 25, 2022

Show notes

Teagasc is running a weekly Let's Talk Dairy webinar series which is also being made available as a bonus podcast episode. For this week’s webinar, Stuart Childs, Teagasc Dairy Specialist, was joined by dairy farmer Martin Connaughton to discuss milking Once-A-Day (OAD) to manage spring workload. Stuart gives a brief overview of ongoing research in Teagasc Moorepark on OAD milking. Martin gave an insight into his farming system and why they decided to move from Twice-A-Day (TAD) to Once-A-Day (OAD) milking, especially during the spring calving period. To register for future Let’s Talk Dairy webinars go to: https://www.teagasc.ie/corporate-events/lets-talk-dairy/ For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at: https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/

Milk recording: differentiating between DIY and manual milk recording events Feb 21, 2022

Show notes

Emma Behan from Progressive Genetics joins Emma-Louise Coffey on this week’s Dairy Edge podcast to discuss the process of milk recording, differentiating between DIY and manual milk recording events. Emma quantifies the rise of milk recording by 23% in the Progressive Genetic geographic area, given the greater emphasis on selective use of antibiotics at dry off. She explains that the last two weeks of March is the busiest time for milk recording and farmers should consider recording in early March in order to get maximum value from the results. Emma acknowledges that farmers generally wait until all cows have calved to complete the first recording, but says that farmers should instead go when 60-70% of cows are calved, with all subsequent calvers picked up later in the year, in the second or third recording. For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at: https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/ The Dairy Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.com

Let's Talk Dairy Bonus Episode: Record Keeping Feb 18, 2022

Show notes

Teagasc is running a weekly Let's Talk Dairy webinar series which is also being made available as a bonus podcast episode. For this week’s webinar, Stuart Childs, Teagasc Dairy Specialist, discusses record keeping and how it can improve efficiency on your farm. Stuart outlines how good record keeping can improve farm performance and how it's important to put a system of recording in place that works for you. To register for future Let’s Talk Dairy webinars go to: https://www.teagasc.ie/corporate-events/lets-talk-dairy/ For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at: https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/

‘The Moovet’, Eamon O’Connell, on the common ailments on dairy farms since the onset of calving Feb 14, 2022

Show notes

‘The Moovet’ Eamon O’Connell joins EmmaLouise Coffey on this week’s Dairy Edge podcast with his insights into the common ailments he has seen on dairy farms since the onset of calving. Eamon explains that the main call outs in early February are to assist calving and treatment of milk fever. He recommends that farmers allow cows time for birth to progress naturally - two hours from when the bubble appears. Eamon also comments on the increasing level of milk fever in early lactations and explains the reasons for this may include the level of magnesium may not be sufficient in the dry cow diet, the demand for calcium in high volume cows at the onset of lactation and cows’ inability to mobilise calcium from their skeleton. He recommends that farmers take proactive measures to minimise milk fever because it is a gateway disease to other ailments such as ketosis, displaced abomasum, retained cleanings and high SCC/mastitis. For more from the Moovet visit Instragram.com/TheMoovet For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at: https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/ The Dairy Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.com

Let's Talk Dairy Bonus Episode: Plan for Spring Grazing 2022 Feb 11, 2022

Show notes

Teagasc is running a weekly Let's Talk Dairy webinar series which is also being made available as a bonus podcast episode. For this week’s webinar, Stuart Childs, Teagasc Dairy Specialist, discusses the plan for Spring grazing in 2022. Stuart outlines what is important to watch out for and some actions that people can be taking. It is important to have a Spring Rotation Plan (SPR), as well as a Spring budget. Regular farm walks will help you make the best decisions in relation to grass supply on your farm. Good Spring grazing underpins excellent cow performance both in early lactation and mid-season. To register for future Let’s Talk Dairy webinars go to: https://www.teagasc.ie/corporate-events/lets-talk-dairy/ For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at: https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/

Tips for feeding the freshly calved cow whilst also hitting grazing targets during the first grazing rotation Feb 07, 2022

Show notes

Dairy advisor, Grainne Hurley, joins Emma-Louise Coffey on this week’s episode of The Dairy Edge to provide tips on balancing the competing objectives of feeding the freshly calved cow and hitting grazing targets during the first grazing rotation. Grainne recommends that all farmers complete a farm walk to quantify how much grass is available on farm right now. Based on farms she works with, average farm cover is 1,033 kg DM/ha (range 712-1,205). Knowing how much grass you have will inform how much area you can graze per day. Grainne explains that cows have a low intake after calving, eating approx. 11 kg dry matter/day, increasing by 0.5-1 kg per day until peak intake is reached at week 7 of lactation. Grainne quantifies the quality of spring grass (1.03 UFL, 21% crude protein) v 70 DMD silage (0.8 UFL, 13% crude protein) and given the superior feed quality, she recommends that farmers maximise the amount of grazed grass in the diet in early lactation. For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at: https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/ The Dairy Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.com

Let's Talk Dairy Bonus Episode: Spring N - when should you spread? Feb 04, 2022

Show notes

Teagasc is running a weekly Let's Talk Dairy webinar series which is also being made available as a bonus podcast episode. For this week’s webinar, Stuart Childs, Teagasc Dairy Specialist, discusses when you should spread chemical Nitrogen - specifically Urea - this Spring. It is important to have a plan in place and to have your soils analysed. Early N application should also have more grass on the farm in the run into the start of the second rotation. To register for future Let’s Talk Dairy webinars go to: https://www.teagasc.ie/corporate-events/lets-talk-dairy/ For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at: https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/

Can you reduce the length of your working day? Jan 31, 2022

Show notes

Dairy Specialist, Martina Gormley, joins Emma-Louise Coffey on this week’s episode of the Dairy Edge to assess the factors that impact on the length of the working day on Irish dairy farms. Martina analysed milk recording results which provided AM and PM milking start times and she explains that milking interval dictates PM milking start time with a 71% of variation in the length of the working day. The ideal milking interval is 16:8, meaning 8 hours between morning and evening, while in reality, the milk interval is on average 10 hours, ranging from 7 to 16 hours. Martin also discusses how Irish dairy farms rely on hired labour to complete the farm workload, are competing with other industries, and therefore, working conditions, such as a work finish time, are important to attract and retain labour. For more information: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JEjuI3h8Vs For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at: https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/ The Dairy Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.com

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