The Dairy Edge

Latest Episodes:

An update on the performance of the Johnstown Castle herd Mar 15, 2019

Show notes

On this week's episode of The Dairy Edge podcast, Johnstown Castle dairy farm manager Aidan Lawless gives an update on the performance of the Johnstown Castle herd.

Firstly Aidan gives an insight into the current performance of the autumn calving herd. Cows were out at grass since January 10th which is uncharacteristic but Aidan explained with the mild winter and high overwinter growth, there was a high cover of grass and good ground conditions. Aidan explained that the breeding season had gone with very little evidence of repeats. Cows were bred for a total of 11.5 weeks with 6 weeks of AI and the stock bulls.

He also explained that over 90% of the spring herd have calved to date. February was a good month but he explained that weather conditions have made grazing more difficult over the last 10 days. Cows are getting at least 90% of the grazed grass allocation when they get out for two grazing bouts in the day but reminds us that they are being very careful not to damage swards.

Looking back to 2018, Aidan was slightly disappointed with MS production of 520 kg MS per cow. He thinks prolonged housing and silage supplementations during periods in April and May had an impact on the milk production potential of the herd.

Finally, Aidan reviews the 2018 farming year and the key lesson for the Johnstown Castle Dairy Herd. Aidan explains that the milking platform stocking rate of 2.7 cows/ha is comfortable based on grass growth capability.

In 2019 they will work hard to re-build stocks of buffer silage and be more proactive in the decisions around timing the sale of cull cows and surplus heifers.

For more information:

https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/beef/dairy-calf-to-beef/johnstown-castle-research-farm/

Spring Grazing Update & Advice Mar 11, 2019

Show notes

Grass 10 campaign manager John Maher joins us to give an update on grazing conditions across the country and his top tips for the rest of spring grazing rotation.

John recalls the perfect grazing conditions experience in the month of February which allowed many farmers to hit the target 30% grazed by March 1st. He explained that this was demonstrated particularly well on farms that had optimum stocking rate and high 6 week calving rates.

The mixed weather including heavy rainfall and snow during the first ten days of March means that farmers are experiencing more challenging grazing conditions.

To maintain high levels of grazed grass in the dairy cow's diet, John encourages farmers to adopt on/off grazing and eliminate silage in the diet where possible.

John reminds us why this is important - each 1 kg DM (5 kg fresh weight) of silage will reduce grazing time by 30-45 minutes per day. Cows indoors by night should have no silage available after midnight to ensure they are keen to graze after their morning milking.

To overcome challenging ground conditions, he encourages farmers to walk their farm to identify the driest paddocks. Factors to consider when selecting paddocks should include grass cover, infrastructure and ground conditions.

Finally, John reminds us the second round of fertiliser is due to be spread on farms now. Farmers should spread 40 units in a combination of chemical and organic Nitrogen. Where farmers are busy, consider the contractor for this task!

For more information:

https://www.teagasc.ie/media/website/publications/2019/Grass10Newsletter050319.pdf

https://www.teagasc.ie/media/website/publications/2018/Dairy-Newsletter-February-2018.pdf

The economic benefits of milk recording Mar 04, 2019

Show notes

Vet Doreen Corridan joins Emma-Louise Coffey on this week’s episode of The Dairy Edge, to discuss the benefits of measuring herd performance through milk recording.

Doreen quantifies the economic benefit of milk recording to the tune of €23,000 from a 100 cow herd compared with herds that don’t milk record. With approximately 50% of dairy herds in Ireland, there are substantial financial gains to be achieved on many dairy farms across the country.

Where is the additional €23,000 coming from? Doreen explains that cows in milk recording herds produced more 50 kg more milk solids. Furthermore, cows tend to have lower SCC, higher genetic merit, more days in milk, higher 6 week calving rates and a greater no of lactations.

Doreen emphasises the ability to rank cows on profitability from most profitable to least profitable. This should guide farmers to select dams to breed replacement heifers and the poorest performing cows for culling from the herd.

The number of milk recordings will between herds but Doreen suggests a minimum of 4 recordings should be carried out in the year. The first milk recording should take place in the 1st 60 days of lactation, with a guide date of mid-March.

She could not emphasise enough the importance of this milk recording as it calculates the effectiveness or the cure rate of the previous dry period. Doreen encourages all farmers to milk record and take management actions based on results.

The cost of recording 100 cows 4 times per year is €1,150 and will lead to additional profit of €23,000. Doreen reminds us that some co-ops have initiatives that supplement the cost of milk recording.

For more information:

https://www.icbf.com/wp/?p=7855

Improving your mental health on the farm Feb 25, 2019

Show notes

Dairy Farmer, Peter Hynes, joins Emma-Louise Coffey to talk about a fundraising initiative 'Rearing To Go' that aims to help raise awareness of mental health on the farm.

Peter is well known in farming circles for speaking out on his own struggles with mental health and depression. He reminds us that the Spring can be a busy and stressful time on farms and it could lead to stress among farmers. His top tips are to eat well, sleep well, use the contractor to reduce workload, and get off the farm even for an hour or two and talk to people.

Rearing To Go is a charity auction in aid of The Thomas Hayes Trust. The funds go towards the running of Teac Tom, an initiative started by the Hayes family to support individuals and their families affected by suicide or contemplating suicide.

How can you get involved? Dairy farmers are encouraged to donate a calf for the auction on March 2nd in Corrin Mart, Fermoy. Peter explained that majority of the calves are dairy calves but some farmers have no surplus dairy calves so have donated dairy beef calves.

Farmers that donate a calf will receive a bag of Volac Heiferlac and Dairgold Calf Pride nuts and Peter encouraged families to get out for a family friendly day whilst also supporting a very worthy cause. If you would like to donate a calf contact Peter on 087 0644678.

For more information:

https://www.southernstar.ie/news/farming/articles/2019/01/19/4167673-peter-trying-to-keep-farmers--mental-health-in-the-spotlight/

The effects Brexit will have on Irish agriculture Feb 17, 2019

Show notes

The Brexit deadline is ticking and with so many questions still in the air for Irish agriculture, we spoke to Teagasc's Head of Rural Economy and Development, Kevin Hanrahan, to explain the potential outcomes.

A crash out scenario will have a significant impact on the Irish agricultural sector, Kevin explains, saying the magnitude is greatest for the beef sector with a 20% decline in carcass price compared with less than 10% to milk price.

The uncertainty surrounding Brexit makes it incredibly hard to predict the full effect on Irish farmers and Kevin advises farmers to hold off on any substantial investment to their farm business in a volatile production environment where there is a risk around repayment capacity.

For more information:

https://www.teagasc.ie/media/website/publications/2018/Brexitupdate.pdf

Improving your soil fertility Feb 11, 2019

Show notes

Soil and plant nutrition specialist, Mark Plunkett, joins Emma-Louise Coffey on this week's Dairy Edge podcast to discuss the upward trends in soil fertility across Irish soils.

Mark highlights the increased lime usage, resulting in a greater proportion of soils at optimum of pH 6.3 or greater and explains that optimum pH gives rise to improved nutrient uptake and consequently, higher grass production. While Phosphorous and Potassium levels are improving on farms, there is still a lot of room for improvement.

Mark reminds us to be aware of the changes in the allowance of Phosphorus, with an additional allowance of build-up Phosphorus for index 1 and 2 soils. He also noted that 2019 Phosphorus allowance will change for farmers as a consequence of the increased level of concentration supplementation throughout 2018.

While Potassium use is not limiting on farms, Indexes remain low on many farms and Mark reminds us of the significant off-take of Potassium from silage cutting. Baled silage is a component of grazing systems which means unlike grazing, nutrients are not recycled back onto the land. He recommends that each farmer takes a look at soil sample results and make a fertiliser plan, targeting fertiliser use to the needs of your soils.

For more information:

https://www.teagasc.ie/news--events/news/2019/positive-indications.php

How to best manage your grassland in February Feb 01, 2019

Show notes

Dairy advisor, Richard O'Brien, gives advice on how to best manage grassland for the month of February.

Richard explains that there is a lot of grass on dairy farms, with approximately 30% more grass on farms compared with this time last year. With that in mind, Richard encourages all farmers to get out to see what grass is on farm and target the lighter covers in order to get 30% grazed by March 1st.

When reflecting on the Spring Rotation Planner, Richard challenges farmers to hit 15% by February 15th, emphasising the importance of early grazing to ensure there is enough regrowth for the 1st week of April at the start of the 2nd round.

He believes the good underfoot conditions will give confidence to dairy farmers to get out to grass day and night. Based on feed budgets completed to date in combination with high farm covers, grass can make up the majority of the dairy cow diet with just 2-3 kg concentrate supplementation where grazing conditions allow.

For more information:

https://www.teagasc.ie/media/website/crops/grassland/Grazing-Guide-Book-2011_22-26.pdf

Is contract rearing for you? Jan 28, 2019

Show notes

Drystock farmer (contract rearer and sheep) John O’Connell and drystock advisor Tom Coll join Emma-Louise Coffey to discuss contract rearing.

Tom explains the various arrangements between rearers and dairy cow farmers and explores the various topics discussed at discussion group and the targets the group set for themselves including target weights, fertility and grassland management.

Tom identifies the contract as the most important element of the agreement so that both parties have understanding of who pays for each of the costs associated with rearing, the income per animal for the contract rearer, target weights and fertility targets.

John O’Connell, who is farming in Ballinamore, Co Leitrim, explains the evolution of his farm from a 30-35 cow dairy herd in the 1980s to drystock in the 1990s.

John was completing the profit monitor each year and identified a lack of profitability from his suckler cows compared with his sheep flock, leading to expansion of sheep numbers. In 2015 John was approached by his local Teagasc advisor with an opportunity. John explains he had the winter housing facilities available on farm so felt this option was a no-brainer!

He explains that good grazing infrastructure, grass production and silage quality drive low cost system leading to high profits. John is a member of a contract rearing discussion group where he can bench mark himself against other contract rearers across many performance metrics.

For more information:

https://www.teagasc.ie/media/website/publications/2013/GuidelinesContractRearingReplacementHeifers.pdf

https://www.teagasc.ie/media/website/rural-economy/farm-management/HeiferRearingCostCalculatorGuidelines.pdf

The True Value of Grazed Grass Jan 18, 2019

Show notes

This week we're joined by Michael Dineen, who explains the research investigating the true value of grazed grass, identifying the limiting nutrients available to grazing dairy cows.

Michael takes an in-depth look at the different components of the grass plant including the protein content (Crude Protein, CP) and fibre content (Neutral Detergent Fibre, NDF).

He highlights the nutritional quality of grass and the competitive advantage arising from the ability to grow and utilise large quantities of grazed grass over a long grazing season.

Notwithstanding that, Michael explains that some nutrients are limiting in the dairy cow diet at various times of the year. For example, in the Spring, dry matter intake is low and therefore energy intake can be a limiting factor to milk production for many cows.

Moving into the mid-season, Michael talks about the pre-grazing herbage mass of 1,500 kg DM/ha. He explains it is a balance between quality and quantity, beyond 1,500 kg the fibre of the grass plans increases and becomes less digestible and below 1,500 kg annual grass production declines.

Micheal suggests that where we have a greater understanding, we can target specific concentrate ingredients to balance dairy cow requirements.

Finally, Michael explains a greater understanding of the components of grazed grass offers the ability to improve dairy cow performance, reseed with specific grass variety and reduce environmental footprint.

For more information:

https://www.teagasc.ie/media/website/publications/2018/New-Insights-to-the-Feeding-Value-of-Grazed-Pasture---National-Dairy-Conference.pdf

How to attract and keep staff on Irish dairy farms Jan 14, 2019

Show notes

How do you attract and identify staff for your dairy farm? On this week’s episode of The Dairy Edge podcast, Paidi Kelly from Teagasc, along with dairy farm owner, Diarmuid Hegarty, and dairy farm operator, Cormac Desmond, joined us to help identify the key characteristics.

Paidi explains the context of hiring staff on farms, arising predominantly from the expansion in the dairy herd - an additional 300,000 cows since 2010. Coupled with this, the availability of labour has reduced significantly.

Diarmuid and Cormac highlighted the key areas of a happy workplace which included good working facilities particularly for the milking process, planning and rosters, which allows for clarity of schedule of work and tasks, plus strong communication to allow good discussion and allow all team members to vocalise suggestions or opinions.

For more information:

https://www.teagasc.ie/media/website/publications/2017/Teagasc-Farm-Labour-Combined-Book.pdf

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected