The Beef Edge

In advance of spring calving season, Teagasc Nutritionist, Aisling Claffey, and Teagasc Researcher and Vet, John Donlon, join Catherine Egan for a 3 part series on the Beef Edge podcast. 

On the first part, Aisling Claffey focuses on nutrition pre and post calving.

Aisling explains how, at calving at this time of year, we see a lot of animal health problems. Obviously cow condition, particularly body conditions score is important relating to these issues.

Overall cows were in good condition at housing this winter, but during the dry period, cows should be fed 65-68 DMD silage to manage body condition.  Cows should be penned accordingly to ensure that thin cows are not bullied at the feed barrier and receive adequate feed.

Many herds will have started feeding a pre calving mineral already and Aisling discusses the key ingredients in a pre-calving mineral to support foetal development.

There are a variety of options for supplementing minerals be it bolus, dusting or buckets.

Next week John Donlon will discuss calving the suckler cow.

For more episodes from the Beef Edge podcast, visit the show page at:
https://www.teagasc.ie/thebeefedge

 
Produced on behalf of Teagasc by LastCastMedia.com

Market intelligence specialist, Phelim O’Neill with the Irish Farmers Journal, is on this week’s Beef Edge podcast to reflect on 2024 and discuss the market outlook for 2025.

Looking back on 2024, Phelim discusses the increase in price seen in all cattle categories. Even with this increase in price, there is still a difference between UK and Ireland prices.

Phelim also comments on Irish exports for the past year and looks to the year ahead. With overall beef production down in Ireland and within the EU, Phelim says this is reflected in a decrease in suckler cow numbers and highlights the possible opportunities and challenges this will have.

Finally, Phelim concludes, beef prices are expected to be maintained based on the supply of beef and demand coming into 2025.

For more episodes from the Beef Edge podcast, visit the show page at:
https://www.teagasc.ie/thebeefedge

 
Produced on behalf of Teagasc by LastCastMedia.com

Michael Fagan, technician on the Newford demonstration farm in Co. Roscommon, is on this week’s Beef Edge podcast with an update on the farm and a review of the year since moving from Athenry Co.Galway. 

Michael outlines how the move has been busy with repurposing sheds, reseeding, installing paddocks and water systems, all the while getting used to the overall change in location and soil type of the farm.

Due to weather conditions, weanling and finishing performance is back and Michael discusses finishing cattle performance and management of the cows prior to calving.

For more episodes from the Beef Edge podcast, visit the show page at:
https://www.teagasc.ie/thebeefedge

 
Produced on behalf of Teagasc by LastCastMedia.com

Kilkenny farmer Liam Cassin is on this week’s Beef Edge podcast to discuss his contract heifer rearing system. 

Liam moved from sheep to suckler cows and started contract heifer rearing 14 years ago. The steady monthly cashflow alongside the reduced financial input of purchasing stock are key benefits for Liam.

Grassland management and a good paddock system are very important to make the system viable in order to reach the target weights, according to Liam.

Initially starting with one dairy farmer, Liam has increased the system to now working with four farmers contract rearing heifers. 

The dairy farmer visited Liam’s farm and viewed the farm and Liam visited their farm initially. From there the business has thrived and each contract is different as Liam describes.

Further information is available here:

https://www.teagasc.ie/rural-economy/farm-management/collaborative-farming/contract-heifer-rearing/

For more episodes from the Beef Edge podcast, visit the show page at:
https://www.teagasc.ie/thebeefedge

 
Produced on behalf of Teagasc by LastCastMedia.com

Dr. Natascha Meunier, Beef HealthCheck Programme Manager, is on this week’s Beef Edge podcast to discuss how to control liver fluke effectively and understand it better.

Liver fluke is estimated to cost at least €90m to the Irish industry through reduced production and Natascha highlights how the incidence of liver fluke on this year’s Beef HealthCheck reports have doubled from 1% to 2%: 

https://animalhealthireland.ie/programmes/beef-healthcheck/beef-healthcheck-online/

Each year, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) in collaboration with Met Éireann, UCD, Teagasc and Animal Health Ireland advises farmers of the predicted risk of disease caused by liver fluke (Fasciola hepatica) infection in livestock for the following winter. 

This year’s forecast, based on meteorological data gathered between May and October 2024 by Met Éireann, predicts infection being most prevalent in the west and northern half of the country, with a somewhat lower disease prevalence in the southeast of the country. 

Further details here:

https://www.gov.ie/ga/preasraitis/48ce4-liver-fluke-forecast-november-2024/

Natascha explains that while the Beef Health Check report is retrospective, it’s important to review when cattle are finished if the health plan is working.

Natascha also discusses the importance of faecal sampling and the different treatment options.  It’s important for farmers to be vigilant especially if liver fluke has never been an issue on their farm in the past and she explains how rumen fluke can be identified and when to take action.

With the majority of stock housed in the past few weeks, Natascha advises in relation to respiratory issues, anthelmintics and importance of housing ventilation and air quality.

For further information on AHI Liver Fluke - The Facts:

https://www.animalhealthireland.ie/ckfinder/userfiles/files/Animal%20Health%20Liver%20Fluke%206pp-web(1).pdf

For more episodes from the Beef Edge podcast, visit the show page at:
https://www.teagasc.ie/thebeefedge

 
Produced on behalf of Teagasc by LastCastMedia.com

Teagasc research officer Dr. Patrick Forrestal, is on this week’s Beef Edge podcast to discuss the practical nutrient management solutions that beef farmers can implement on their farms to increase efficiency, reduce costs and address environmental pressures facing the sector.

This is a recording from the Teagasc National Beef Conference held on November 19th.

Further details from Patrick’s presentation are available at:

Presentation: 

Practical nutrient management solutions (PDF)

Paper: 

Practical nutrient management solutions (PDF)

Watch a video recording of Dr Patrick Forrestal's presentation:

https://youtu.be/euD2ERfN1zE

For further information on the conference please visit www.teagasc.ie/beefcon24

For more episodes from the Beef Edge podcast, visit the show page at:
https://www.teagasc.ie/thebeefedge

 
Produced on behalf of Teagasc by LastCastMedia.com

There’s a bonus Beef Edge episode this week with Future Beef programme manager, Martina Harrington, discussing the innovations on Future Beef suckler farms which are driving sustainability.

This is a recording from the Teagasc National Beef Conference held on November 19th.

Further details from Martina’s presentation are available at:

Paper: 

Driving Sustainability Innovations on Future Beef Suckler Farms (PDF)

Watch a video recording of Martina Harrington's presentation:

https://youtu.be/x32GOxrr030

Find out more about the Future Beef Programme:

https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/beef/demonstration-farms/future-beef-programme/ 

For further information on the conference please visit www.teagasc.ie/beefcon24

For more episodes from the Beef Edge podcast, visit the show page at:
https://www.teagasc.ie/thebeefedge

 
Produced on behalf of Teagasc by LastCastMedia.com

Teagasc researcher Dr. Peter Doyle outlines the impact of red and white clover on animal performance in suckler calf-to-beef production systems on this week’s Beef Edge podcast.  This is a recording from the Teagasc National Beef Conference held on November 19th.

Further details from Peter’s presentation are available at:

Presentation: 

The impact of red and white clover on animal performance in suckler calf-to-beef production systems(PDF)

Paper:

The impact of red and white clover on animal performance in suckler calf-to-beef production systems(PDF)

Watch a video recording of Dr Peter Doyle's presentation here:

https://youtu.be/_yPqOPCMyDs 

For further information on the conference please visit www.teagasc.ie/beefcon24

For more episodes from the Beef Edge podcast, visit the show page at:
https://www.teagasc.ie/thebeefedge

 
Produced on behalf of Teagasc by LastCastMedia.com

Health & Wellness coach, Shane Pearson, joins Catherine Egan on this week’s Beef Edge podcast to discuss key tips to staying resilient on the farm through stressful times of the year.

Studies show that many farmers experience poor mental health, high rates of burnout, and physical health issues related to stress and Shane highlights a number of resources available for farmers and which can be accessed at:

https://www.teagasc.ie/media/website/publications/2024/Positive-Mental-Health.pdf

Farmers frequently face heightened stress during calving season, market preparations and inspections. By applying the 5 Ps of Resilience—Presence, Purpose, Power, People, and Preparation—farmers can build a solid foundation to handle stress, keep operations running smoothly, and sustain mental and physical well-being through each season. 

Resilience isn’t about eliminating stress, it’s about having the right ‘shock absorbers’ to take each challenge in one’s stride, allowing farmers to manage their unique demands with greater ease and balance.

Shane will be speaking at the Teagasc National Beef Conference which is taking place on 19th November in the Landmark Hotel Carrick on Shannon, Co Leitrim, at 5pm.

 Other speakers at the National Beef Conference include:

·      Dr. Peter Doyle, Research Officer, Teagasc Grange, will outline the impact of red and white clover on animal performance in suckler calf-to-beef production systems

·      Dr. Patrick Forrestal, Senior Research Officer from Teagasc Johnstown Castle, will discuss some practical nutrient management solutions that beef farmers can implement on their farms to increase efficiency, reduce costs and address environmental pressures facing the sector

·      Dr. John Donlon, Research Officer, Teagasc Grange, will out outline ways to control pneumonia in suckler weanlings

·      Eoin Ryan, Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, will discuss the risks for Irish cattle farmers in relation to bluetongue

·      Martina Harrington, Programme Manager, Future Beef Programme, Teagasc, will outline innovations from the participants of Future Beef Suckler Farms

For further information go to: 

www.teagasc.ie/beefcon2024

For more episodes from the Beef Edge podcast, visit the show page at:
https://www.teagasc.ie/thebeefedge

 
Produced on behalf of Teagasc by LastCastMedia.com

Liam McWeeney and Noel Prunty from Teagasc Ballyhaise Agricultural College join Catherine Egan on this week’s Beef Edge to discuss the beef system, review of the performance to date and preparing for winter ahead.

Liam first outlined the 32 cow suckler herd that is operated in a suckling to finishing system. Bulls are finished under 16 months and heifers are kept as replacements or finished under 20 months of age. The beef unit is 24ha of heavy soil type with some of the farm low lying.

AI is used on the farm to breed replacements and a Charolais stock bull is also used. Breeding went well this year and it done over 9 weeks with 92% of the cows proving in calf.

Bull weanlings were housed last week and are being fed 3kg/head/day of concentrates. Liam outlined the management up to finishing. Last year’s bulls averaged 390kg when finished at 14months of age.

Noel outlined the management indoors in the coming months and performance of heifers born in 2023.

Heifers calve at 24 months and Liam explained the management of the heifers to reach a target weight of 420kg by breeding, while Noel highlighted the importance of the herd health plan on the farm and over the housing period.

For further information on Teagasc Ballyhaise Agricultural College go to:

https://www.teagasc.ie/education/teagasc-colleges/ballyhaise/

For more episodes from the Beef Edge podcast, visit the show page at:
https://www.teagasc.ie/thebeefedge

 
Produced on behalf of Teagasc by LastCastMedia.com