The Beef Edge

Future Beef programme farmer, John Dunne, from Co.Offaly  is on the Beef Edge podcast this week to give an update into his suckler beef and dairy beef finishing systems, the breeding season, their grassland management and the upcoming National Beef Open Day taking place on 5th June.
 
John farms alongside his son James just outside Portarlington, operating a highly profitable and progressive beef system, combining 79 suckler cows with a dairy calf-to-beef enterprise where 140 dairy calves are purchased annually and brought right through to finish or stores under 24 months of age .
 
John discusses breeding season and the use of AI on the farm and the difficulty of managing grass in the current weather conditions. 
 
Silage will be harvested this week on the farm and John outlines the management of the dairy beef calves up to weaning and the importance of visually assessing calf health in addition to  the management of health and nutrition on farm. 
 
The farm borders the River Barrow catchment area and John explains the range of key measures being adopted on the farm to improve water quality.
 
The Future Beef National Open Day takes place on Friday 5th June @ 6:30p and fo further details go to: 
https://teagasc.ie/event/futurebeef-farm-walk-john-and-james-dunne/
 
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

Grass10 advisor Nikki Kennedy has the monthly grass update from around the country and tips for the month ahead.
 
Nikki highlights that drought conditions are being experienced in the east and she discusses management tips for grazing in the weeks ahead. With silage being harvested in the coming weeks Nikki describes the actions to ensure quality silage, whilst also assessing the categories of animals on the farm needing the different qualities.
 
Finally Nikki gives her top tips for the month ahead and has details on the upcoming grassland village at BEEF 2026 taking place 1st July in Teagasc Grange.
 
You can subscribe to the Grass10 newsletter here:
https://www.teagasc.ie/crops/grassland/grass10/grass10-enewsletter/
 
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

Future Beef Programme farmer, John Pringle from Co. Wicklow, joins this week's Beef Edge to give an insight into his suckler beef system finishing bulls at under 16 months, preparing for silage and the upcoming National Beef Open Day taking place on 29th May at 6:30pm.
 
John details his sheep and beef enterprise and how the farm has evolved over the last number of decades. 
 
He describes the management of the bulls from weanling to finish on the farm and the plans for bulls being finished in 2026. 
 
The role of good health measures play an important factor in reducing stress and maintaining thrive. 
 
John is highly focused on efficiency and grass utilisation and describes how the system changed in recent years with improved utilisations, closing farm in the autumn and applying lime since joining the Future Beef programme. The plan is to harvest silage in the coming week with the target to make over 70 DMD.  
 
Breeding season has been going well so far and John has implemented a synchronisation protocol for the heifers for the second year in a row. 
 
The investment in sheep and cattle handling facilities along with a new shed has improved labour efficiency and health and safety on the farm.
 
Join us on Friday, 29th May at 6:30pm for a Future Beef National Farm Walk on the farm of John Pringle, Kilacloran, Aughrim, Co. Wicklow. Eircode: Y14 PT99.
 
For further details: 
FutureBeef Farm Walk - John Pringle - Teagasc | Agriculture and Food Development Authority
 
 
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

With breeding season under way, Teagasc researcher, Peter Doyle, joins this week’s show to give an update on the Derrypatrick herd.
 
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

Pat Joyce from Co. Galway, who operates a contract heifer rearing system, and his Teagasc advisor, Charlie Devaney, join this week’s Beef Edge to give an overview of the farm and the steps that Pat takes to make good quality silage.
Pat farms outside Williamstown in Co.Galway; having previously operated a suckling system, he changed in 2017 to contract rear heifers for a dairy farmer. This system has grown and expanded to over 100 heifers bring reared in recent years on two blocks of land.

Maximising weight gain as cost efficiently as possible is key, Pat advises, and this is achieved on farm by increasing grass utilisation through an extensive paddock system.
 
Breeding is a labour intensive part of the system with close observation of heifers on the home block used to detect heifers, along with tail paint and scratchcards. The am/pm rule is used for AI on the farm. This year Pat has installed SenseHub to aid heat detection on the outblock.
 
Managing costs on the farm is very important especially making quality silage which is something Pat has focused on a lot on in recent years. Pat has also red clover on the farm and he discusses how it is managed so far this year and the plan for the year ahead.
 
Plus, Pat highlights a few tips for any farmer considering going contract rearing.
 
Local Teagasc advisor, Charlie Devaney, concludes with advice for farmers making silage this year, particularly where ground hasn’t been grazed.
 
If you missed the recent Silage Webinar, watch it here: 
Gearing up for Silage 2026 - Webinar
 
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