Agriland Podcasts

In the latest episode of Agriland's limited podcast series "The Dairy Trail", technical dairy specialist, Cathal O'Shea visited the farm of Dan and Danny Somers in Co, Wicklow.

The father and son partnership are milking 230 Montbéliarde's in a split calving system, with 40-50 cows calving down in autumn.  

Dan talks on how they got into Montbéliarde's and how the herd is working out for them on their farm.

He tells us about the diet they feed over the winter months to achieve their target of 7000 litres at 557kg/MS.

Dan also talks about the current tasks at hand on farm, between drying-off and calving down.

We hear about balancing issues with banding, and dive into calf care, breeding, grass management, lameness, and the farms infrastructure. 

Brought to you by Nedap Livestock Management.

Charles O'Donnell and Kathleen O'Sullivan bring you the biggest stories of the week in Irish agriculture from Agriland, which this week includes:

• Bluetongue outbreak in Northern Ireland;
• Bird flu in Cavan;
• Developments on the nitrates derogation;
• Payments get underway for several schemes;
• Outlook for 2026 farm incomes;
• Department confirms several ACRES changes.

Don’t forget to rate, review and follow The Farming Week, Agriland’s weekly review of Irish agriculture, and visit Agriland.ie for more. 

Over the past week Agriland reported on the news that there was a suspected bluetongue case reported on a farm near Bangor, Co. Down in Northern Ireland.

Results from the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) active surveillance for bluetongue indicated the presence of the disease in two cows.

As a result they have activated stringent disease control measures including a 20km temporary control zone and restrictions on the movement of livestock.

In this episode of AgriFocus, Agriland editor Stella Meehan speaks to Dr. Gerald Barry, assistant professor of virology and deputy director of the One Health Centre at University College Dublin (UCD).

He explains how bluetongue is detected, the ways in which it spreads and why vaccines are not the ultimate panacea.

He has stressed that rapid robust surveillance now needs to be completed both north and south of the border.

Go beyond the headlines with our podcast series – AgriFocus – where we take a closer look at some of the key issues that directly impact on farmers, rural communities and the agri-sector.

In the latest episode of 'The Dairy Trail', technical dairy specialist, Cathal O'Shea visited the farm of John Wynne in Co, Wicklow.

John is in a liquid milk contract, with 45% of the 320 head herd milking through the winter.

John talks about the feeding and breeding routines in place on the farm that allow them to achieve their 580kg of milk solids target.

John also speaks on calf management, drying off and housing the spring calving herd, and looks at the year in review in terms of grass management and lameness monitoring. 

Brought to you by Nedap Livestock Management.

Francess McDonnell and Kathleen O'Sullivan bring you the biggest stories of the week in Irish agriculture from Agriland, which this week includes:

• Commission backs nitrates derogation;
• What’s the latest on scheme payments;
• New antiparasitic rules to come into force;
• Bird flu cull numbers;
• The hottest heifer in the country.

Don’t forget to rate, review and follow The Farming Week, Agriland’s weekly review of Irish agriculture, and visit Agriland.ie for more. 

*This podcast is brought to you by Nephin Renewable Gas, Irelands leading biomethane developers in Ireland.

In Agriland's newest podcast 'It Started With Slurry' Breifne O’Brien sits down with Eoin Lynch, the slurry mad Mitchelstown farmer who went viral at the National Ploughing Championships. 

On the first episode we hear about..

• Growing up in Ireland after being adopted from Vietnam;
• Learning to farm from his grandfathers;
• Why he and his friend are called “The Fast & The Furious” on the farm;
• His love of hurling and cars;
• Some surprising career plans;
• His passion for Irish traditional music;
• A live tune on the accordion!

 Don’t forget to rate, review and follow 'It Started With Slurry and visit Agriland.ie for more.  

In general most dairy farmers have had a relatively good year but since July there has been a downward trend in milk prices which has only accelerated in recent months.

Teagasc has forecast that 2025, on average, will likely be “the second most profitable year on Irish dairy farms after 2022”.

However as co-ops and processors have repeatedly highlighted since the summer months milk supply growth is outpacing demand which in turn is hammering commodity prices.

In this episode of AgriFocus Francess McDonnell chats to Tom Booijink, a senior dairy specialist with Rabobank, focused on Europe and Africa on what the outlook may be for Irish dairy farmers in 2026.

Tom has warned that it is likely that next year “will start with low milk prices” and it could be challenging to begin with.

But he believes demand for dairy remains good and “for the longer term” he is optimistic.

Go beyond the headlines with our podcast series – AgriFocus – where we take a closer look at some of the key issues that directly impact on farmers, rural communities and the agri-sector.

In the first episode of season three of Agriland's limited podcast series 'The Dairy Trail', we caught up with the 2025 NDC & Kerrygold Milk Quality Award winner, Michael Ryan.

The Tipperary man spoke on the end of the grazing rotation, preparations for a successful dry-off, breeding and much more.

Agriland's limited podcast series 'The Dairy Trail' takes listeners inside the yard of dairy farms across the country to hear what is happening on the ground.

Brought to you by Nedap Livestock Management.

Charles O'Donnell, Aisling O'Brien, Breifne O'Brien and Cathal O'Shea bring you the biggest stories of the week in Irish agriculture from Agriland, which this week includes:

• Milk price cuts continue;
• New bonus for young sheep farmers;
• National Beef Conference and latest beef prices;
• Organic Farming Scheme opens for applications;
• Kerry farm family tormented by sheep thefts;
• Mercosur deal edges closer despite continued concerns;
• Agri-Food Regulator issues "call to action" on transparency;
• Concern over calving gate mechanism issues

Don’t forget to rate, review and follow The Farming Week, Agriland’s weekly review of Irish agriculture, and visit Agriland.ie for more. 

Charles O'Donnell, Aisling O'Brien and Breifne O'Brien  bring you the biggest stories of the week in Irish agriculture from Agriland, which this week includes:

• ACRES and Sheep Welfare Scheme payments;
• Warning of ‘very challenging’ 12 months ahead for dairy farmers;
• Heydon 'monitoring' bovine TB valuation ceilings;
• ICSA protest outside Dáil over Mercosur;
• Third bird flu farm outbreak as housing order comes into force;
• EU Parliament and Council reach deal on CAP simplification
• Farm families bring protest over CPOs and greenways to Leinster House

Don’t forget to rate, review and follow The Farming Week, Agriland’s weekly review of Irish agriculture, and visit Agriland.ie for more.