The Dairy Edge

For this week’s Grass10 grazing management update, John Maher highlights the top actions that need to be done, including: Average farm cover dropping Assess AFC on farm Assess % area grazed Implement on-off grazing Read more from the latest Grass10 newsletter at: https://bit.ly/Grass10-27thOct 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 we come towards the end of the lactation, getting the drying-off process right is important to ensure good udder health and set cows up correctly for the next lactation. This week, James Dunne is joined by Padraig O’Connor from Teagasc to go through best practice when drying off, from planning and preparing cows to carrying out the process and managing cows in the days afterwards. 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 Grass10 grazing management update, John Maher highlights the top actions that need to be done, including: Prioritise grazing residuals Update autumn grass budget Prepare for changing weather Read more from the latest Grass10 newsletter at: https://pasturebase.teagasc.ie/Grass10%20Weekly.pdf?=20261023 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

Martina Gormley, dairy specialist in Athenry, Co. Galway, joins Stuart Childs to discuss a survey on winter feeding practices that she completed with a number of farmers across the country over the winter period 2025/26. The first thing Martina highlights is that winter feeding takes significant time. The survey of more than 70 dairy farmers found an average of 14 hours per week spent feeding silage, with wide differences between farms. Average time was six minutes per livestock unit per week. Some things can influence the speed of feeding out such as farm layout and equipment. Limited feed space, using several yards, transporting silage and handling bales with unsuitable equipment were common sources of creating extra work. Around half of farmers said they lacked enough feed space, and 40% of the people surveyed were still using a fork or similar tool at some stage during the feeding process. A starting point for farmers is to time their own feeding routine and target the main bottleneck. Some of the main options that will improve speed are improving feed space, using suitably sized grabs or bale-handling equipment be that a bale slice or bale unroller. Obviously, having silage closer to livestock will also lend to the speed of feeding and is something to factor in for any future developments. 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

Teagasc economist, Trevor Donnellan, joins James Dunne to discuss the latest National Farm Survey results for 2025, focusing on the Irish dairy enterprise. Trevor explains why Teagasc conducts the National Farm Survey, outlines the key figures for farm income and production costs, while also exploring the changing structure of Irish dairy farming. Plus he highlights the main differences in high vs low margin farms. Finally we discuss how 2026 will look significantly different to 2025. 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 Grass10 grazing management update, John Maher highlights the top actions that need to be done, including: Prioritise grazing residuals Update autumn grass budget Apply lime while ground conditions are suitable Read more from the latest Grass10 newsletter at: https://bit.ly/Grass10-13thOct 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 Grass10 grazing management update, John Maher highlights the top actions that need to be done, including: Prioritising grazing residuals as we head into the final rotation Farms should begin the final rotation early-mid October Updating autumn grass budget Grass growth will be between 40-50 kg DM/ha/day over the next weeks As closing begins on farm set the farm up to graze 60% by early November Read more from the latest Grass10 newsletter at: https://bit.ly/Grass10-6thOct 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 we head into the final grazing rotation of the year, there’s plenty for farmers to be thinking about in terms of grazing the final round - the grass budget, closing paddocks and getting the farm set up correctly for next spring. So, to talk us through where things are at and what farmers should be focusing on over the coming weeks, James Dunne is joined by Teagasc grassland researcher Mike Egan. 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

Dr. Margaret Kelleher, Genetics Operation Manager at ICBF, joins Stuart Childs to discuss the most recent update in September and to learn more about the COW index that farmers should be using more in their herd to identify the cows that require career changes! Margaret explains that September evaluations were relatively stable, as they tend to be at this time of year in the seasonal system that we have here in Ireland, but ICBF continues to receive and update large volumes of data, including milk records, calving records, factory data, mart data and genotypes on a daily basis that they then gather together and add to the existing information to update the details of the animals on the database. This is a job that takes about 2 months to do and as soon as an update is published, ICBF start on the process for the next update almost immediately. We then moved to the main core of today’s conversation, the COW (Cow’s Own Worth) Index which Margaret outlined as a live herd-specific tool that ranks cows using current performance, predicted future performance and replacement cost. Where good data is entered, this index can be used by farmers to identify the bottom 10–15% to be considered for culling. It has the advantage of pulling milk performance, calving date and future potential together to help cut through the noise when trying to make culling decisions. For the tool to be most effective, accurate recording of information is essential. Milk recording, fertility and scanning data have a major impact, while recording mastitis, lameness and temperament would make the Cow Index more accurate and useful for the individual farmer. EBI is the tool to use to identify the most profitable cows to breed from, COW is for culling decisions. 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 Grass10 grazing management update, John Maher highlights the top actions that need to be done, including: Prioritise grazing residuals Monitor growth rates and update grass budget Read more from the latest Grass10 newsletter at: https://bit.ly/Grass10-29thSeptember 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 Grass10 grazing management update, John Maher highlights the top actions that need to be done, including: Assess farm cover and growth rates Do grass budget to plan supplementation Make the best use of organic nutrients Read more from the latest Grass10 newsletter at: https://pasturebase.teagasc.ie/Grass10%20Weekly.pdf?=20260924 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

Cash flow is always an important part of running a dairy farm, but in a year like 2026, keeping a close eye on the money coming in and going out has become even more important. While milk price remains behind the levels experienced in recent years, farmers are also facing significant increases in costs due to both geopolitical issues in the Middle East and also the prolonged dry spell. So, how should farmers be looking at their cash flow, what are the warning signs that a cash deficit could be developing, and what practical steps can be taken before it becomes a bigger problem? Patrick Gowing, Teagasc dairy specialist who has a particular focus on farm financial management joins James Dunne to look at cash flow on dairy farms in 2026, how farmers can identify potential pressure points, and what options are available to manage them. 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 Grass10 grazing management update, John Maher highlights the top actions that need to be done: Set a 35 day rotation length Do grass budget - phase out silage supplementation Make the best use of watery slurry Read more from the latest Grass10 newsletter and subscribe for weekly updates at: https://bit.ly/Grass10-15thSept https://bit.ly/Grass10-18thSeptember 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

John McCabe, Seamus Kearney and Sean Callan, Advisors on the Teagasc Aurivo, Teagasc Tirlán and Teagasc Lakeland joint programmes, join Stuart Childs to give a more countrywide feel for the situation on farms around Ireland currently following the recovery in grass growth in the last few weeks. The impact of the drought varied significantly by region with the west generally less affected, while parts of the Lakelands, due to the geography of the catchment, and especially the south and east experienced major reductions in grass growth and farm cover which in turn led to substantial supplementary feeding. Seamus explains that the winter fodder shortages are the main concern and that although grass growth and farm covers have recovered, many farms in the Tirlán catchment have used large quantities of silage and meal during the summer. Fodder budgets have identified shortages of approximately two bales per cow on the lighthouse farms, making early feed purchasing and planning essential. Meanwhile, some of farms on the Lakeland programme have significant surplus but with wet starts and ends to the year more common, it may well be needed in the future. The key message is to quantify and act early. Farmers should complete fodder budgets, manage the final grazing rotation carefully, assess grazing infrastructure and improve if possible or plan to improve in the future to maximise opportunities to get cows to grass even in challenging conditions. Where deficits have been identified, consider options such as buying fodder, using meal to stretch existing supplies, and/or removing underperforming/empty cows earlier to protect winter feed stocks. 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 Grass10 grazing management update, John Maher highlights the top actions to be done: Set a 35 day rotation length Do a grass budget to reduce supplementation Consider liming Read more from this week’s Grass10 newsletter and subscribe for weekly updates at: https://bit.ly/Grass10-8thSeptember 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

Teagasc ruminant nutritionist, Aisling Claffey, joins James Dunne to discuss managing dairy cow nutrition as we move out of the drought conditions. With many cows having been fed increased levels of silage and concentrate, the return to grass needs to be managed carefully. We’ll discuss how farmers can make decisions around reducing silage and concentrate, what to monitor in cow performance, and also what to look out for with young stock grazing outside blocks. 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 Grass10 grazing management update, John Maher highlights the top actions to be done for this week: Set a 30-35 day rotation length Make a farm specific fertiliser/slurry plan Do a fodder available budget Read more from this week’s Grass10 newsletter and subscribe for weekly updates at: https://bit.ly/Grass10-1stSeptember 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

Dr. David Wall, Enterprise Leader of the farms and estate at Teagasc’s Environment Research Centre in Johnstown Castle, joins Stuart Childs to discuss the timing of fertiliser applications over the coming weeks to maximise the return from nutrients applied while minimising the risk to water quality. This is particularly important in drought-affected areas, where low grass growth and reduced nutrient uptake have increased the risk of nutrient losses. David first addresses the concept of calendar farming, explaining that fertiliser deadlines are driven by declining nutrient uptake rather than soil trafficability. As daylight levels fall, grass growth and nutrient demand naturally decrease. Applying additional nitrogen above crop requirements will not generate extra growth and, particularly from mid-October onwards, will instead increase the risk of nutrient losses. Following the recent drought, David says farmers should make the most of natural soil mineralisation over the coming weeks. With moisture returning while soils remain warm, mineralisation can supply approximately 1 kg N/ha per day, potentially supporting around 35 kg DM/ha per day of grass growth. Lime also has an important role to play. Correcting soil acidity can improve nutrient availability and help release significant quantities of soil nitrogen over time, which can then support further grass growth. Despite the temptation to apply heavily now that the drought has broken, David advises farmers to use fertiliser and slurry sparingly and avoid over-application. In drought-affected areas where growth has resumed, applications of around 20–25 kg N/ha from fertiliser or slurry can provide additional growth on top of what soil mineralisation is already supplying. Slurry should also be prioritised where appropriate, particularly where tanks need to be emptied before October. David recommends applying slurry regularly over the coming month ahead of the closing period commencing on October 1st. This approach will help maximise the return from the nutrients applied, reduce the risk of losses to water and also help spread contractor workloads over the coming weeks. 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 Grass10 grazing management update, John Maher highlights the top actions to be done for this week: Do a fodder available budget If fodder reserves are below target, take action Assess paddocks individually for grass growth Read more from this week’s Grass10 newsletter and subscribe for weekly updates at: https://bit.ly/Grass10-25thAugust 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

Joe Patton, Head of the Teagasc Dairy Knowledge Transfer programme, joins James Dunne with an update on the current situation on dairy farms across the country following the prolonged period of dry weather. Joe explains the results from the Teagasc National Fodder Survey, which were presented at the National Feed and Fodder committee meeting, and he outlines the priorities for affected farmers regarding winter feed, reducing herd demand, nitrogen fertiliser and seeking advice where needed. 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