The Dairy Edge

Pablo Silva Bolona, mastitis researcher at Teagasc Moorepark, is on this week’s Dairy Edge podcast to discuss his research and recommendations into successfully implementing selective dry cow therapy (SDCT) on farms for the drying off season in 2023.Pablo first explains the concept of selective dry cow therapy saying the main risk periods for cows are the two weeks after dry off and the 2 weeks before calving as well as early lactation due to the stress of calving reducing immunity to disease. Individual cow records will be necessary for vets to prescribe correctly so people should milk record as close to drying off as possible as the research conducted on commercial farms by Pablo and his team have shown that the SCC in the final recording is strongly linked to identifying cows that require antibiotic treatment. For those that have not milk recorded yet this year, they should look to start recording before the end of lactation and continue to record in 2024. Alternatively, although a far more laborious way, is to take quarter samples from all cows and get these analysed.Pablo finishes by highlighting that nutritional management of yield is important, with cows dried at <15kg of milk per day having better treatment outcomes under SDCT. The cleanliness and stocking density of cubicles are also an important factor with twice daily cleaning and liming of cubicles contributing to better outcomes. A surprisingly high level of infection in 1st lactation animals resulted in a higher threshold or cut point for 1st calvers from the predictive model developed from the research. This was 100,000 for the 1st lactation cows and 65,000 SCC for the 2nd lactation plus cows. This is not to say that farmers should only apply SDCT to cows at these thresholds as many farmers are successfully using higher thresholds with great success with some farmers successfully using sealer only treatment on 80-90% of their herds.Seeking advice and making informed decisions on what cows to treat or not and excellent hygiene at post drying and in the run into calving can see SDCT implemented on Irish farms with little or no impact on the SCC of the herds or nationally. 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

Dairy farmer, Aidan Ahearne, joins Emma-Louise Coffey on this week’s Dairy Edge podcast to discuss the practical implementation of 10 in 7 milking frequency on his farm and the benefits to work-life balance and animal welfare with minimal impact on milk production. Aidan explains that he tried 10 in 7 milking frequency from October last year with good success but based on research, he started from mid-July this year. When considering production, milk solids was the same in August of this year compared to last year but dropped by 8% in the month of September. Aidan speculates that this is partially due to reduced milking frequency but also says that lower meal feeding rates and adverse weather played a part. Aidan emphasises the impact of reducing milking to 10 in 7 improves work life balance, as you are eliminating 16 milkings per month or 64 milkings from August to November. He explains this is at a time when you can get tired and stale from the tasks of daily milking routines. Fundamentally, Aidan considers 10 in 7 as a vehicle to support work-life balance and allows him more free time with his young family and for interests outside of farming. He thinks it is a no-brainer for many farms. 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

As part of Sustainability Week, dairy farmers John and Brendan Walsh join Emma-Louise Coffey on this week’s episode of The Dairy Edge podcast to discuss the evolution in their farming practices in an effort to improve the sustainability of the farm system. Brendan explains that, while they have always had an environmental focus on the farm, their urgency in the uptake of new practices has escalated in an effort to help combat climate change. The Walsh’s have begun to test their slurry and John explains that they have slurry tanks associated with different stock groups: dry cows, weanlings, finishers and an uncovered tank. This gives them more knowledge of the nutrient value of the slurry and the ability to target paddocks deficient in nutrients. Brendan estimates that they have established clover on 62% of the farm. This has allowed them to reduce the quantity of chemical nitrogen spread on the platform. When considering the challenge of bloat, John explains that they lost a cow and had cows blown up last autumn, when there was high growth rate following the drought and an abundance of lush, low fibre grass available. To counteract the risk, the Walsh’s make straw available to cows and estimate they used half a bale per cow last autumn. John urges farmers to strongly consider the adoption of best practice on farms saying, ‘Try everything but don’t be afraid to fail’. 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.

With the recent announcement to the changes in the upper derogation limit from 250 to 220 kg of organic nitrogen per hectare, this week’s Dairy Edge podcast is joined by Eddie Burgess, Catchment Specialist from the Agricultural Catchments Programme, who gives the background and sequence of events that led to the decision being made; while Joe Patton, Teagasc’s Head of Dairy Knowledge Transfer, discusses the options available to affected farmers. 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.

For this week’s podcast version of the Let’s Talk Dairy webinar series, James Dunne, is joined by Michael Dineen, Senior Research Officer at Teagasc, to discuss the key messages from the National Winter Milk Open Day. 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/

With the deadline for slurry spreading fast approaching, Mark Plunkett joins Emma-Louise Coffey on this week’s episode of The Dairy Edge podcast with his tips and advice to maximise the nutrient uptake and productivity from slurry on farm. Mark urges farmers to make a plan to target the most appropriate fields for slurry application - slurry with low P and K indexes or have had silage cuts during the year. Mark reminds farmers that this is the last opportunity to empty tanks ahead of the winter housing period. Furthermore, Mark says that the window for liming fields is now open. Lime remains a cheap fertiliser product, especially with access to funding from the National Liming Programme. Benefits of liming include building optimal soil fertility, nitrogen mineralisation and increased grass productivity. 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.

For this week’s podcast version of the Let’s Talk Dairy webinar series, James Dunne, is joined by Ciaran Hearn, from PastureBase Ireland, to discuss the tools to keep grass in the diet longer this autumn 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/

John Maher and John O’Loughlin from the Grass10 campaign join Emma-Louise Coffey on the latest Dairy Edge podcast to discuss the key learnings from farm visits for Grass10 competition applicants. John Maher explains that these farms are good at basic grassland management as well as demonstrating excellence in nutrient management and biodiversity. John O’Loughlin highlights the sources of nitrogen from mineralisation, organic fertilisers, chemical fertilisers and alternative pastures such as white clover. The trend in use of chemical fertilisers is declining due to improved nutrient management and regulation. John also explains that farmers need to continue to make better use of slurry and incorporate legumes into pasture swards to maintain grass productivity.For more information on the Grass10 competition visit:https://www.teagasc.ie/crops/grassland/grass10/grassland-farmer-of-the-year-/ 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

For this week’s podcast version of the Let’s Talk Dairy webinar series, James Dunne, is joined by Martina Gormley to discuss labour requirements & efficiencies on-farm. 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/

For this week’s podcast version of the Let’s Talk Dairy webinar series, James Dunne, is joined by Patrick Gowing, Teagasc Dairy Specialist, to give an overview of costs, costs of production and managing cashflow for the remainder of 2023 and into early 2024. 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/

For this week’s podcast version of the Let’s Talk Dairy webinar series, James Dunne, Teagasc Dairy Specialist, is joined by Joseph Dunphy, Teagasc Grass 10, who offers advice on dealing with current conditions as the focus turns to autumn grazing. 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/

On this week’s episode of the Dairy Edge, Sarah Higgins, Ruminant and Equine Veterinary Manager with MSD, discusses Bovine Respiratory Disease (BRD) but in particular Bovine Coronavirus. Sarah first explains BRD and the risk factors that predispose animals to the disease. Bovine Coronavirus is a coronavirus, though it is not associated with COVID-19 having been first identified in the 1970s. Research has shown a very high prevalence of the disease both across Europe and in Ireland and it is associated with ‘opening the gate’ for other BRD elements such as RSV, Pi3 and mannheimia haemolytica. Given its prevalence and its gateway action, MSD have recently released a vaccine for administration from birth to counteract this virus. Sarah then discusses herd health planning with the farm’s vet to establish a strong vaccination programme to deal with issues that occur on the farm. With reducing antimicrobial availability, vaccination strategies to maximise the health of the herd will be important Sarah finishes by saying that while antimicrobials will still be required to treat disease when it occurs, the use of the right product at the right rate for the right length of time, is an important contribution farmers can make to reducing the risk associated with antimicrobial resistance along with an appropriate vaccination strategy. 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

For this week’s podcast version of the Let’s Talk Dairy webinar series, James Dunne, Teagasc Dairy Specialist, is joined by Derek O'Donoghue, Principal of Salesian Agricultural College, Pallaskenry, who provides an update on the college's dairy herd. 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/

For this week’s podcast version of the Let’s Talk Dairy webinar series, James Dunne, Teagasc Dairy Specialist, is joined by Tomas Tubritt from Teagasc Moorepark who goes through the Pasture Profit Index and how best to use it to select grass varieties. 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/

On this week’s episode of the Dairy Edge podcast, Nicky Byrne, Research Officer in Teagasc Grange, discusses the benefits of red clover silage. Nicky explains that red clover has a huge potential to fix nitrogen and dramatically lower the chemical nitrogen input for silage. With yields of 25-26 bales per year, it is producing a significant amount of forage with no chemical nitrogen input. However, red clover silage may not be for every field, and management of it will be critical to maximising its lifespan. It is ideally suited to outblocks that might not be grazed at all or only grazed in the later part of the year. Operations such as grazing or cutting need to take place in good conditions to maximise the lifespan of the clover so for this reason, Nicky would recommend that only a portion of the block is in red clover at any one time in situations where outblocks are providing grazing in the later part of the year. This will allow for grazing of the red clover sward in good conditions with normal grass swards being more resilient for grazing in poorer weather conditions. Cutting date is very important with early May being the target for the 1st cut and subsequent cuts being taken at 6-8 week intervals. Ideally the third cut should be completed in late August/early September while there is a better chance of fine weather to allow for wilting hence the early 1st cut date is important to achieve this objective. Nicky finishes by saying that he would see a proportion of silage ground in red clover as being of benefit to dairy farmers to produce high quality forage to feed back to cows during the shoulders or during weather challenges as intakes on it are good and it may contribute to increased performance as a result of this based on his work in the dairy beef systems trial. An ideal scenario in Nicky’s opinion is that farmers would start a 10 year reseeding programme incorporating red clover into it where appropriate, with the expectation of a 4-6 year lifespan of the red clover, with the sward reverting to a normal two cut silage scenario subsequently until reseeded again after the 10 year cycle. 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

For this week’s podcast version of the Let’s Talk Dairy webinar series, James Dunne, Teagasc Dairy Specialist, is joined by Dr Joe Patton, Head of Dairy Knowledge Transfer Department, Teagasc to give an insight into the key messages from the Moorepark '23 Dairy Open Day which took place on Tuesday, 4th July. 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/

For this week’s podcast version of the Let’s Talk Dairy webinar series, James Dunne, Teagasc Dairy Specialist, is joined by Dr George Ramsbottom, Teagasc Signpost Advisory Programme, to provide an overview of what's involved in the climate advisory programme for dairy farmers. 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/

Pat Tuohy, Senior Research officer at Teagasc Moorepark, is on this week’s Dairy Edge podcast to discuss the drainage status of grassland peat soils in Ireland. Pat and his colleagues, Lillian O’Sullivan, Conor Bracken and Owen Fenton have recently released a review paper that when accepted into the national inventory by the EPA, will be of great significance in the Land Use, Land Use Change and Forestry (LULUCF) sector of carbon emissions. Pat explains how it can be difficult to have the correct figures in this sector relative to others and gave examples of how you know how many animals are in the country, you know what quantity of diesel was burned and consequently, the figures for emissions are relatively robust. However, with Ireland being one of only three countries (Denmark and the Netherlands being the others) that are seen as net emitters of carbon from soil, work is ongoing to get better figures to feed into national inventories. It is currently estimated that 345,000ha of land in Ireland is drained peat soils and this is releasing nearly 9.2 million tonnes of CO2 each year. Where there is no knowledge of drainage status, it must be assumed that all the land is drained. This is how the 345,000ha figure was arrived at and Pat and his colleagues conducted a review to see if this really was the case. Pat went on to say that drains would need to be <5m apart to effectively drain peatland and the sheer cost would be uneconomical at great scale so that partial or localised drainage was more likely. Trawling through old survey documents gathered from Teagasc offices and labs down through the years, a substantial survey presented by Liam Galvin at a conference in the Netherlands in 1986 suggested that only 70,000 ha of these grassland peats were actually drained and that 20,000ha of this was now redundant. This combined with other surveys has allowed Pat and the others to arrive at a figure of 90-120,000 ha as being a more robust estimate of the actual area of drained grassland peats in the country. While only 8-10% of the farms on the heavy soils programme would classify as grassland peat soils, the implications are still significant because as well as reducing the emissions associated with these soils from >9 million to nearly half that, it may also have implications under the Land restoration laws that are being proposed.Pat finishes by explaining that work will continue on many fronts to improve and further refine figures for both land areas but also emission factors mentioning the role of the National Agricultural Soil Carbon Observatory (NASCO) which will be working in particular on establishing better emission estimates for many land types under different management conditions across the country. 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

For this week’s podcast version of the Let’s Talk Dairy webinar series, James Dunne, Teagasc Dairy Specialist, is joined by James O'Donoghue, Teagasc dairy advisor based in Monaghan, to give an update as to what has been happening in the Monaghan area over the last couple of weeks and the things to look out for. 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/

For this week’s podcast version of the Let’s Talk Dairy webinar series, Martina Gormley, Teagasc Dairy Specialist, is joined by Raymond Goggin, Bandon dairy farmer and Teagasc/Dairygold Joint Programme participant, to get an update on what's been happening on the farm. 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/

Laurence Shalloo, Head of the Animal & Grassland Research and Innovation Programme at Teagasc Moorepark, joins Stuart Childs on this week’s Dairy Edge podcast to discuss the challenges and opportunities facing the dairy industry in the forthcoming years. Laurence looks back at challenges that were there in the late 2000s when expansion was beginning to kick off and there were many questions to be answered at many levels at that time. The industry working together came up with the solutions, he says, and this should give us lots of hope for the future also. Laurence went on to say that not everyone was in agreement in dealing with the previous challenges but by getting together and thrashing out the items of concern it led to the solutions being found. Laurence discusses water quality trends and while a recent EPA report isn’t looking favourable, Laurence quotes numbers that would suggest there is movement in the right direction, albeit not at the speed that we would like to see. He also spoke about the carbon footprint of Irish dairy which is really low already but we have the scope to drop that further. Research being done currently is reducing the output from the industry as well as the changes in farm practices. Speaking about the labour shortage in the economy as a whole, Laurence talks about reducing the labour demand on farms by becoming more efficient in terms of the labour requirement, but also by being more aware of what dairy farms have to offer in terms of opportunities for people, be they short term or long term opportunities. Finally, Laurence welcomes everyone to attend the Open Day next Tuesday July 4th starting at 8:30am and encourages people to engage as Teagasc want to get feedback from people at the coalface. For more details on the Open Day go to:https://www.teagasc.ie/corporate-events/moorepark-open-day/ 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

For this week’s podcast version of the Let’s Talk Dairy webinar series, James Dunne, Teagasc Dairy Specialist, is joined by Emer Kennedy, Teagasc Researcher, to discuss milking 10 times a week in the second half of lactation. 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/

On this week’s episode of the Dairy Edge, Mark Waters, Co-ordinator of the DNA Registration Project at ICBF joins Stuart Child to discuss the National Genotyping scheme that was launched recently by the Minister for Agriculture. Mark starts by telling us exactly what genotyping is and what it has to offer both farmers and the industry as a whole. He says that it is hard to overstate the value of genotyping and that the big thing will be the rate of gain that will be achievable. This has the potential to allow for more palatable actions with regard to climate change targets compared to some of the actions that are currently being suggested, such as a large scale reduction in animal numbers . Mark then explains how farmers can sign up for the scheme, what they have to do in 2023 and what is expected from 2024 onwards when the DNA registration process will start in earnest. Finally, Mark highlights that the purpose of the scheme is to genotype the existing herd to allow for the DNA registration process to become a reality and that people are committing to this when signing up. It is imperative that people take samples and return them in a timely manner to facilitate preparation for the DNA registration next spring. 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

For this week’s podcast version of the Let’s Talk Dairy webinar series, James Dunne, Teagasc Dairy Specialist, is joined by Donal Patton, Teagasc, to give an update on a new research trial which is looking at incorporating Clover into grass swards in Teagasc Ballyhaise. In 2021 the new 5-year systems trial began looking at transitioning from high levels of Nitrogen (N) usage to low levels of imported N in Ballyhaise College. 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/

Brendan Horan, Farm Systems researcher at Teagasc Moorepark, is on this week’s Dairy Edge podcast to discuss multi-species swards (MSS) and the reason he and his team are researching them in the multi-milk systems trials at Curtin’s Farm. Brendan starts by telling us the policy context for looking at MSS stemming from the Farm to Fork strategy that is looking for reductions in the amount of inputs going into farming systems, to minimise environmental impacts of farming, increase resource use efficiency and increase biodiversity. Following on from the policy piece and the requirement to reduce the nitrogen footprint of the farming system, the third piece of the jigsaw is climate change and how are we going to deal with potentially drier summers and wetter winters. In that context, multi-species have the potential to reduce the nitrogen requirement as well as offering increased sward diversity that might have the potential to allow us to adapt to changing weather patterns. Brendan went on to say that on the multi-milk trial, multi-species swards are growing similar quantities of forage, showing increases in milk solids output during the mid-season, but very importantly, have the potential to reduce nitrate leaching by 5-10% compared to standard perennial ryegrass swards that are commonplace currently. Finally, Brendan encourages farmers to try some on their farms as farmers will need to learn how to farm these swards and the best way to do this is to try it. Furthermore, assuming that good perennial ryegrass and clover varieties are used, these swards, while potentially not persisting as multi-species swards, will continue to persist as high quality grass clover swards in the medium to longer term on farms. 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

For this week’s podcast version of the Let’s Talk Dairy webinar series, James Dunne, Teagasc Dairy Specialist, is joined by Lorcan Dooley, Teagasc Dairy Advisor, based in Portlaoise, Co. Laois to discuss where the focus should be on dairy farms for June. 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/

For this week’s podcast version of the Let’s Talk Dairy webinar series, James Dunne, Teagasc Dairy Specialist, is joined by is joined by Liam McCabe, Dairy Sector Manager, Bord Bia to give an insight into the dairy market outlook for the second half of 2023. 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/

For this week’s podcast version of the Let’s Talk Dairy webinar series, James Dunne, Teagasc Dairy Specialist, is joined by Chloe Millar, Teagasc, to give an insight into the Tipperary Calf to Beef Demo Farm. 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/

Don Crowley, Milk Quality Specialist at Teagasc is on this week’s Dairy Edge podcast to discuss how to stay in control of somatic cell count (SCC) during the mid-lactation period. Don first explains how the high milk price in 2022 was a disincentive to people to be ruthless with regard to SCC as there was no real financial ramifications for supplying high SCC milk as the penalty was small relative to the high milk value. Consequently, Don has seen more issues with SCC this year as people pay for their sins of the past with high SCC cows having infected other cows in herds and now they are struggling to deal with the issue. Don advises people to ‘know your enemy’, so following milk recording, identify high SCC cows, use the CMT test to identify the offending quarter or quarters and sample these to identify the strain of bacteria that you are up against. Knowing this will help you decide on the best course of action to take with the culprits. In some cases, where appropriate and using the correct product, young cows may be treated with some positive consequences, however, older cows will have a lower success rate at less than 50%. Drying off quarters may also work in some situations and Don describes how to do this but in some cases, the only solution is to actually cull the cow as they have a chronic infection and cannot be cured. Don recommends that people don’t put cows identified as chronic in calf to avoid the temptation to keep them if in calf at the end of the season. Finally, Don says that in lower milk price years, SCC management is important to avoid having to dry cows due to SCC issues in late lactation when milk value is at its highest and that staying on top of it now is the best defence. Culling a few cows might be a tough decision for many but the headaches that high SCC cause are not worth it so people need to stop the spread now by whatever means works best on their farm and ensure that chronically infected cows, if not culled right now, definitely leave the farm at the end of the year. 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

For this week’s podcast version of the Let’s Talk Dairy webinar series, James Dunne, Teagasc Dairy Specialist, is joined by Padraig O'Connor, Teagasc to discuss best practice in milking routine. 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/

For this week’s podcast version of the Let’s Talk Dairy webinar series, James Dunne, Teagasc Dairy Specialist, is joined by Pat Tuohy, Teagasc, to give an insight into the Teagasc Heavy Soils Programme - Achieving Grazing Success. 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/

On this week’s episode of the Dairy Edge, Eddie Burgess, Specialist in the Agricultural Catchments Programme, talks about minimising nitrate loss in farming to help improve water quality. Eddie first explains the Agricultural Catchments programme and what it does, contributing to the body of evidence required to support changes to nitrate regulations within Ireland Eddie says that there will always be nitrate loss occurring regardless of the land use but that it is important to minimise the amount of it in order to attain the standards required. He also explains the rationale for the closed period and says that half of the nitrate loss in catchments occurs during the closed period which is generally only approximately a quarter of the year. Given this, it is important that levels of surplus nitrogen, that is nitrogen in excess of crop requirement, are kept to an absolute minimum at this time of year to keep the losses as low as possible. To this year, slurry storage is important and the ability to store organic manures for periods greater than the closed periods is an important factor in reducing nitrate loss to water. Eddie encourages farmers to assess their situations and make adjustments - be that extra storage or planning to use their organic nitrogen better throughout the growing season to minimise the quantities being spread late in the year when water tables will inevitably rise thus carrying surplus nitrogen to below the rooting zone. However, Eddie points out that there has been a consistent reduction in the losses in the Timoleague catchment over the last four years which certainly has in some part come about due to practice changes and Eddie says that if farmers continue to be prudent with their use of all nutrient sources on their farms, then water quality can continue to move in the right direction without having to reduce stocking rate. 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

For this week’s podcast version of the Let’s Talk Dairy webinar series, James Dunne, Teagasc Dairy Specialist, is joined by Donal Ronayne, dairy farmer from Co. Mayo with an Aurivo Programme update - a farmer's perspective. Donal is a participant of the Teagasc/ Aurivo Joint Programme and gives an update on how the Spring went on his farm as well as an insight into his farm and farming system. 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/

For this week’s podcast version of the Let’s Talk Dairy webinar series, James Dunne, Teagasc Dairy Specialist, is joined by Seamus Nolan, Teagasc Advisor based in the Roscommon/Longford Advisory Region, to give an update from the grass roots. 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/

For this week’s podcast version of the Let’s Talk Dairy webinar series, Patrick Gowing, Teagasc Dairy Specialist was joined by dairy farmer, Eugene Lawler, to discuss matching stocking rate to grass grown. 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/

For this week’s podcast version of the Let’s Talk Dairy webinar series, James Dunne, Teagasc Dairy Specialist was joined by Ruth Fennell, Teagasc Dairy Advisor, to discuss breeding beef from the dairy herd. 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/

For this week’s podcast version of the Let’s Talk Dairy webinar series, George Ramsbottom, Teagasc Dairy Specialist, was joined by Steven Fitzgerald, Waterford dairy farmer and Teagasc/Tirlán Future Farm Programme participant to get an update on what's been happening on the farm. Steven gives an insight into how the calving season is going, his experience of using sexed semen on the farm, milk production update and the grass situation on the farm. 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/

For this week’s podcast version of the Let’s Talk Dairy webinar series, George Ramsbottom, Teagasc Dairy Specialist, was joined by Joe Patton, Head of Dairy Knowledge Transfer, Teagasc, to discuss the nutrition of the spring calving cow ahead of breeding. 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/

For this week’s podcast version of the Let’s Talk Dairy webinar series, Patrick Gowing, Teagasc Dairy Specialist was joined by Eamon Fagan, a Westmeath dairy farmer, to discuss sexed semen - a farmer's perspective. Eamon gives an update on how things have gone for the Spring so far on the farm and what his plan is to the end of the first round. 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/

Laurence Feeney, CEO of the Irish Holstein Friesian Association (IHFA), is on this week’s Dairy Edge podcast to discuss how pedigree herds are preparing for future challenges through their breeding. Laurence started by telling us a little bit about his background from his time involved in some breeding projects on the home farm in Co. Meath to his time spent with Progressive Genetics for over 20 years, before taking up his current position as CEO of the IHFA. Laurence explains the breeding objectives of IHFA members and says that as fertility has improved so significantly in the last number of years, their members are now looking at traits such as mastitis and lameness to ensure the longevity of their cows can be matched by their ability to stay walking well and continuing to produce high milk quality. As a consequence of these areas of focus, they are seeing a little more emphasis being cast on conformation traits. When discussing banding, Laurence cautions against making massive system changes in response to the impact banding may have on farms as massive system changes can make systems more complicated and not necessarily more financially rewarding. He suggests that people need to focus on increasing efficiency and the milk solids sold from their farms with limited or no increases in milk litres and reminds people that good fertility leading to herd maturity alone can increase milk output on farms. He also says that while IHFA members don’t generally have issues selling their dairy bull calves or their dairy beef calves, they are advising people make every effort to maximise the beef potential of the beef calves that they produce on their farms and to be prepared for any changes that may be coming into the future. An objective for all farmers in his opinion should be to have a good fertile herd that results in a reduced requirement to carry non-productive stock and maximise the productive animals they can carry within their stocking rate and nitrate limits. This efficiency will be important both financially and environmentally. 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

For this week’s podcast version of the Let’s Talk Dairy webinar series, George Ramsbottom was joined by Don Crowley, Teagasc to discuss less than 100 Somatic Cell Count (SCC) in the first 100 days. 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/

For this week’s podcast version of the Let’s Talk Dairy webinar series, George Ramsbottom was joined by Denis Brassil, Teagasc to give an update on the Kerry Monitor Farms where 1/3 are through their first 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/

Patrick Gowing, Teagasc Dairy Specialist, joins Stuart Childs on this week’s Dairy Edge podcast to talk about the options available to dairy farmers impacted by the introduction of the new Nitrates banding. Patrick explains that people need to optimise their N allowance on their farms by making sure that they are efficient in terms of the stock numbers and type that they have on their farms. He then discussed a number of different options from the exporting of slurry, to contract rearing the young stock, leasing additional land and reducing cow numbers - or a combination of all as solutions to the impact of banding. Finally Patrick says that in reality, this year is no different to any other with the exception of the introduction of the banding, in that people should sit down every year anyway and assess their farm’s physical and financial performance and make decisions such as additional land leasing on the basis of solid justification from a farm performance - and more importantly from a financial point of view - rather than simply stay doing what you are doing as this might not be the right decision for your farm. 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

For this week’s podcast version of the Let’s Talk Dairy webinar series, George Ramsbottom was joined by Aidan Lawless, Dairy Unit Manager, Teagasc Johnstown Castle to discuss spring grazing at Johnstown Castle. Johnstown Castle has a herd of 140 cows of whom 90 are winter calving cows. While calving is well on the way in the spring cohort of the cows, Aidan focuses on the 90 strong autumn calving unit because this unit is well in milk production and is managed as a separate unit at Johnstown Castle. 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/

For this week’s podcast version of the Let’s Talk Dairy webinar series, George Ramsbottom was joined by Niall Walsh, Technologist at UCD Lyons Estate to get an update on spring grazing at Lyons Estate. 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/

For this week’s podcast version of the Let’s Talk Dairy webinar series, George Ramsbottom was joined by Mike Egan, Teagasc, to give a review of dry matter intake in cows in early lactation. 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/

Sarah Higgins, Ruminant & Equine Manager with MSD joins Stuart Childs on this week’s Dairy Edge podcast to talk about Bovine Respiratory Disease (BRD) and its impact. Sarah outlines what BRD is, how it impacts on animals and what people can do to reduce the impact it has on their herds. Sarah explains that while vaccination from the day of birth against RSV and Pi3 is now possible, this alone is not going to solve respiratory issues on farms and farmers need to take a broader view of trying to limit the effect of the disease. Finally, Sarah spoke about coughing cows and explained that this is in effect another symptom of BRD on farms with increased resistance to lung worm doses a significant causal effect on some farms. She cautioned that people need to consult with their own veterinary practitioner to develop an appropriate strategy to deal with BRD on their own farms. 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

For this week’s podcast version of the Let’s Talk Dairy webinar series, George Ramsbottom was joined by Mike Dineen, Teagasc to discuss supplementation guidelines for cows in early lactation. Elsewhere on the webinar, John Maher, Grass10 Programme Manager gave an update on the grass situation for this week. 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/

Clarissa O’Nuallain, HR Services Manager with IFAC, joins Stuart Childs on the latest Dairy Edge podcast to discuss the legislation that affects employers and that is very important for farmers who are employing people to be aware of. Clarissa emphasised the importance of contracts being issued to staff and went on to outline the risks of not issuing these. She then discussed the probation period as well as the new minimum wage requirements and maximum hours in a week. Clarissa also went on to talk about the new public holiday in February and how that impacts on employers and employees. Finally, Clarissa reminded farmers that they need to review their employment legislation position and make sure that if they are not currently compliant that they make moves immediately to become compliant with the legislation and seek professional advice where necessary. 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

For this week’s podcast version of the Let’s Talk Dairy webinar series, Stuart Childs, Teagasc Dairy Specialist discusses best practice around weaning. The webinar was run in conjunction with the series of Animal Health Ireland (AHI) and Teagasc CalfCare events which took place in January on farms across the country. 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/