The Sod Pod

On this episode James is joined with John and David and they discuss their recent trip to France.  They visited the HQ of Timac International in the picturesque St. Malo in Brittany, France.  They where accompanied with some of their colleagues and two Teagasc members, David Wall and Michael O'Donovan.
The lads also discuss, soil structure, fertiliser regulations, clover and Grassland management.
There was also a cameo appearance for Berty, Johns pet dog and boss of the house.

The Sod Pod;  https://ie.timacagro.com/podcast-the-sod-pod/

On this episode we are joined again by Bernard Furlong, the Grassland Agro Consultant Vet.
Bernard previously featured on two occasions, episode seven; The Vets Perspective and episode eight; Pica The Vets point of view.
On this episode Bernard joins James Freeman and John O'Loughlin, giving his insight into topics including vaccinations, animal health, calf scour, housing conditions and calving down.

The Sod Pod;  https://ie.timacagro.com/podcast-the-sod-pod/

On this episode we are joined by Conor Quinlan, Dairy Hygiene Manager, from Grassland Agro.
We discuss a range of topics on how to manage risk in the dairy parlour from Somatic Cell Count (SCC), Total Bacterial Count (TBC), Thermodurics, Chlorine Free and Selective Dry Cow Therapy (SDCT).
Conor gives a great overview of the issues we can see on farm and simple steps to help resolve them.

The Sod Pod;  https://ie.timacagro.com/podcast-the-sod-pod/

On this episode John and David set off to the Teagasc Johnstown Castle Open Day; Farming for a Better Future - Technologies for Today and Tomorrow.
The lads caught up with many people for a chat.
They met with Ellen Fitzpatrick, currently finishing her PhD on grass and clover in Teagasc Moorepark and soon to start a new post in Teagasc Johnstown Castle.

Lillian O'Sullivan, research officer in Johnstown Castle working on soil sustainability and land use management

Pat Tuohy, research officer in Teagasc Moorepark. Work includes land drainage, soil physical and hydrological properties and farm infrastructure.

David Wall, soil scientist, biochemist and enterprise leader with Teagasc based in Johnstown Castle, Co. Wexford.

Three of our Grassland Agro Advisors, Lauren Stanley, Ed Healy and Noel Hamell.

Liam Woulfe, Managing Director of Grassland Agro also joined the lads to give his insight.

The Sod Pod;  https://ie.timacagro.com/podcast-the-sod-pod/

On this episode we are joined by Heavy Soils Farmer, Danny Bermingham.  Danny farms some very challenging land in Doonbeg, Co. Clare.  In 2018 he won the Teagasc Grass10 Disadvantaged Farmer of The Year.
Danny is also part of the Teagasc Heavy Soils Programme since 2011.  The farm has a mix of mineral and peat soils with an average rainfall of 1,250mm annually.  
Danny is a huge advocate for Grass measuring and has been doing so for the last 15 years.  He also is a big fan of liming and has a little and often approach.

The Sod Pod;  https://ie.timacagro.com/podcast-the-sod-pod/

On this episode we are joined by 3 more of our 6 Professional Work Placement Students.
They are Edmond Casey, James Downey and Sean O'Sullivan.
These students got to be engrained within Grassland Agro and got to be involved in all aspects of the business, from farm visits and advice, internal training, factory tours and projects.
The three students on this episode all hail from County Cork and do Agricultural Science in University College Cork under Professor Frank Buckley.

The Sod Pod;  https://ie.timacagro.com/podcast-the-sod-pod/

On this episode we are joined by 3 of our 6 Professional Work Placement Students.
These students got to be engrained within Grassland Agro and got to be involved in all aspects of the business, from farm visits and advice, internal training, factory tours and projects.
the three students who join us are Laoise Cullen from Wicklow.  Laoise is in DKIT doing Sustainble Agriculture and will start her masters in September.
We also have Sean Keane from Mayo.  Sean is doing Animal and Crop Production in UCD.  And the third participant on this episode is Ciara Collins from Tipperary.  Ciara is doing Environmental Science and Agriculture in TUS Thurles.

The Sod Pod;  https://ie.timacagro.com/podcast-the-sod-pod/

On this episode we are joined by Dr. David Wall.  David is a soil scientist, biochemist and enterprise leader with Teagasc based in Johnstown Castle, Co. Wexford.
David gives a passionate debate about the future development of Irish agriculture and bridging emerging knowledge gaps and demonstrating the full potential of Irish farming systems to deliver multiple services for farming families and wider society.  He is also a huge advocate of soil health, structure and biology.
David also talks about the importance of soil pH and the importance of your liming programme.

The Sod Pod;  https://ie.timacagro.com/podcast-the-sod-pod/

On this episode we discuss reseeding grassland.  Reseeding is done for many reasons.  The main ones are to increase productivity of the farm and carry more stock per acre.  It helps increase the live weight gain and creates faster regrowth.  Its helps to increase silage quality and palatability.
The first stage of carrying out a reseed is to take soil samples from the area to be reseeded. One soil sample should be taken from every 5 hectares planned for reseeding, the samples should be representative of the entire field/paddock.
Soil tests are crucial to find out what levels of Lime, Phosphorous and Potassium are needed at reseeding.
Grazing during the summer and autumn months and resting over the winter will have the best possible results for the reseed and mean it will increase grass production on the farm immediately for the years to come.

The Sod Pod;  https://ie.timacagro.com/podcast-the-sod-pod/

On this episode we are joined by Simon Delaney.  Simon is a Technical Agronomist with Grassland Agro for four years, working in the North and East Cork region.  A proud Tipperary man from Cashel, Simon gives us an insight into his role as a technical agronomist with Grassland Agro.
Simon talks about what he sees on farms every day and also gives us an insight into the farming partnership he entered with his Dad, Richard and uncle Eamonn.
They combined their two herds which are now all milked in Clonoulty and their next steps for reseeding and soil health.
This story also ties in lovely with some of the topics covered on the last episode in relation to social sustainability.
Mind yourself out there, farm smart, farm safe.

The Sod Pod;  https://ie.timacagro.com/podcast-the-sod-pod/