Teagasc
Signpost Series: Use of rapeseed cake to reduce GHG emissions in beef cattle
updated
Together with some of his students, he spent a day with staff from the ACP who updated visitors on findings and provided insights from the programme including the value of the ACP’s long-term, high resolution water monitoring.
Timoleague Catchment was chosen due to its dominant free draining soils and the fact that the area represents one of the most intensively farmed area in Ireland. There are four sites in total now.
Ognjen Zurovec, Soil Scientist in the Agricultural Catchments Programme provides more information in this short clip.
The final event of Agricultural Catchments Week, water quality in the Timoleague Catchment has been monitored for over a decade. The catchment is located south of the village of Timoleague near Clonakilty in Co. Cork. It is 758ha in area and 85% of the land is in grass with 4% tillage. Dairying is the predominant land use in this catchment and the stocking rate is among the highest in the country.
Bridget Lynch, Senior Research Officer, Teagasc ACP provides more information as to what to expect at the open day in this short clip.
We have to be very diligent about the varieties that we do pick because we know that reseeding is a very costly process, costing in the region of €1000 per hectare and the varieties that we choose, the establishment methods and the management post establishment, will determine how soon we can repay off this investment.
Typically, from the benefits of including perennial rye grass and white clover on our swards, we know that the cost of reseeding can be recuperated over a two to three year period, and that's through extra animal production from extra forage grown with reduced levels of fertilizer inputs.
John Douglas, Teagasc Grass10 Advisor discusses nutrient management in this short clip. Nutrient management includes nitrogen and P and K management for clover swards.
They made a big effort in Grange last year to get white clover into the grazing swards and red clover into some of the silage swards. So this time last year in April, they made a big effort to identify the paddocks that were suitable for white clover. This included paddocks that had good soil fertility of pH 6.5 and good P and K indexes of 3 or greater.
The team also wanted swards that had also had good openness for clover to establish in, through oversowing. So what they done was that they got a medium leaf white clover seed and used an Einböck machine in April to oversow the swards. They found that April was the most successful month to oversow clover compared to months later on in the year.
Laura Lynch won the Drystock category. Laura comes from Athy, County Kildare and completed the Level 6 Specific Purpose Certificate in Farming (Distance) at Teagasc, Mullingar.
Amanda Draper was the top student in the Other Land Based Enterprises Category. Amanda comes from Cork and has graduated with distinction on both Level 5 and Level 6 in Equitation at Teagasc. Kildalton College.
Speaking at the awards, Michael Berkery, Chairman of FBD Trust, said ‘FBD is committed to supporting education in agriculture. We are delighted to continue sponsoring the Teagasc / FBD Student of the Year awards this year. On behalf of the team at FBD, I would like to congratulate the finalists on their achievements and wish them all the very best in their future farming careers.’
Dr Anne Marie Butler, Head of Education in Teagasc congratulated the finalists and thanked education colleagues for their commitment and dedication. She said that in 2022, almost 4,500 students successfully completed training with Teagasc and were awarded a QQI certificate
Meghan moved to Ireland from Australia almost 6 years ago to farm and despite coming from a farming background, learned quickly that farming in Ireland was quite different to what she was used to. Meghan wanted to learn how to farm efficiently and sustainably, so she chose to do the Green Cert in Teagasc, Midleton. The course has allowed Meghan to refresh her basic agricultural knowledge and upskill herself to become a capable Irish farmer and a partner in their farming business. Her future goals are to build-up a successful Dairy Beef enterprise to complement their current operations.
Neil farms with his parents and sisters in Bluestack country in Co. Donegal. Neil’s parents have a small suckler herd comprising of Lm x Ch x BB cows and lowland flocks that are Texel x Milford Charolaise and the farm itself is heavy and peaty. Now at the age of 25, Neil and his parents are in discussions about how to best manage his status as a young trained farmer: his mother has purchased land that will be transferred in to his name to avail of Stamp Duty Relief. In addition to this, they are investigating the possibility of a partnership being formed.
Jathan grew up on a dairy farm in Co. Clare and is a keen hurler for his local club and his county. He joined Gurteen College in 2020 to complete the Level 6 Advanced Certificate in Agriculture - Dairy Herd Management. Attracting him to this course was his love for farming and also Gurteens excellent facilities and high quality lecturers. Jathan is passionate about farming and is driven to returning to the home farm in Clonlara to farm alongside his grandfather. Jathan’s goal is to expand his knowledge of farming to the fullest extent possible, so that he can become the best farmer he can be.
Paul arrived in Pallaskenry after completing Level 5 in Clonakilty Agricultural College. He went on to complete the Level 6 Advanced Certificate in Agriculture (Mechanisation) in Pallaskenry and as part of his major project made a unique Elephant Trunk Round Bale Handler, using only recycled materials from the home farm. Paul completed his work placement in Atkins Farm Machinery Garage in Cork.
Tim completed a Level 6 Green Cert part-time in Macroom, Co. Cork. Tim chose to do this course to give himself the knowledge to approach farming in a sustainable and efficient manner while learning skills that he could apply to improve his own farm. The part-time Green Cert course was the perfect choice for Tim as he could keep his day job while studying at night. His future plans are to improve breeding for better protein and solids and focus more on reseeding to increase grass growth quantity and quality thus reducing chemical fertiliser.
Michael completed the Level 6 Specific Purpose Certificate in Farming (Part-Time) in Teagasc Athenry. Michael brought an energy to the small class group in his technical ability, stockmanship and willingness to discuss what we were covering in class, often bringing new topics to the discussion which we all learned from. He was also a supportive class mate encouraging the other students to participate in the lighter side of things such as the purchase of a Limousin heifer by the group to raffle for their chosen charity.
Prabhjit was born in India and grew up on a farm with many generations before him farming the land so has an instinctive love for plants, animals and nature. Prabhjit completed a Level 6 Advanced Certificate in Horticulture (Nursery Stock Production) in Botanic Gardens and is now doing a Level 7 BSc in Horticulture with Botanics and SETU. Outside of class, Prabhjit is a seed collector, and passionate about propagation and exotic seeds. Prabhjit wants to continue to Level 8 and in the future would like to teach horticulture.
Amanda graduated with distinction on both Level 5 and Level 6 in Equitation at Teagasc, Kildalton College. Amanda began working with horses from a young age which inspired her to develop her career in the equine industry. Kildalton College was the perfect fit, offering Amanda a practical and hands on approach. The courses gave her the opportunity to refine and develop her riding, handling and management skills. Amanda has since completed the International British Horse Society coaching qualification and has been offered a full time position as an international groom.
Gearoid had an interest in forestry from a young age along with a passion for working outdoors & being in nature which led him to completing the Level 6 Advanced Certificate in Forestry at Ballyhaise Agricultural College. The forestry course offering the perfect combination of practical & theory based learning really attracted Gearoid to the course. Ballyhaise College proved to be a great learning environment for Gearoid and he immersed himself in all projects showing excellent leadership and motivational skills. Since graduating Gearoid continues to work in the forestry industry.
Ryan completed the Level 6 in Drystock Management at Teagasc, Ballyhaise College. He choose to do this course from the recommendations of past students who had told him it was a perfect fit for him. During the course, Ryan was nominated as the Level 6 Drystock Student of the Year within Ballyhaise. Ryan has been nominated as our Agricultural Student of the Year due to his positive contribution to the course combined with excellent academic achievements on the modules throughout.
Gavin completed the Level 6 Advanced Certificate in Agriculture (Dairy Herd Management) in Mountbellew Agricultural College. Gavin has extensive knowledge of many different aspects of agriculture and also a very strong practical background from working on the dairy farm at home. Gavin rarely missed a day in the college despite traveling a distance each week. He was a very committed student always diligent in his approach with excellent critical abilities and presented his work on time and to a high standard for the duration of his time with us.
Laura completed the Level 6 Specific Purpose Certificate in Farming (Distance) at Teagasc, Mullingar. Laura was an excellent student from day one and never missed a class, got stuck into practicals and always got involved in discussion. Her results reflected the hardwork she put into the course. Her work ethic didn’t slow down even when she gave birth to her baby near the end of the course
Hanna completed the Distance Education course in Kildalton College in 2021. Hanna was motivated to do this course to increase her knowledge and confidence on the farm and really enjoyed the practical hands-on nature of the course. Hannah is centrally involved in the new sheep’s milk enterprise along with her husband George on Ballyhubbock Farm in the Glen of Imaal where they milk East Friesian ewes and produce ice-cream, Halloumi, milk and Kefir products. Hannah managed to balance work, family and study, during Covid restrictions and still contribute positively to her course.
Owain completed the Level 6 Advanced Certificate in Agriculture – Dairy Herd Management at Teagasc Clonakilty College. Owain was engaged, interested and inquisitive during his time on the course and was involved in activities such as fundraising events in the college. Owain gained a lot of valuable experience on placement and his placement hosts were very complimentary of him.
Fred is a suckler farmer and completed the Level 5 & Level 6 Certificate in Agriculture (Green Cert) at Teagasc Roscommon. He was motivated to do this course to put himself in a position to start a farm in his own right, with the knowledge his family had passed to him plus the modern knowledge and techniques the course would give him. The course has equipped Fred to farm more efficiently, sustainably and maintain a quality producing livestock farm. Fred choose Teagasc as their advisors are on farms every day of the week and have a wealth of knowledge on how farmers achieve results
Ellen hails from a dairy farm in Co. Meath and works part-time on the farm along with being a fulltime teacher. Ellen completed the Level 6 Distance Green Cert at Teagasc, Navan, Co. Meath as she wanted to become more confident in the everyday running of the farm and really look at the science behind farming. The course helped Ellen to become more familiar with the business aspect of running a farm and the key drivers of profit. Ellen was noted for her exceptional attention to detail during the course and her deep knowledge of both the husbandry and technical aspects of farming.
Elsewhere in the webinar, John Maher, Teagasc Grass10 Manager gives an update on the grass situation for the week and latest grass tips.
Donal is a participant of the Teagasc/ Aurivo Joint Programme and gives an update on how the Spring went on his farm as well as an insight into his farm and farming system.
Elsewhere in the webinar, John Douglas, Teagasc Grass10 Advisor gives an update on the grass situation for the week and an overview of the latest grass tips from the Grass10 team.
The Signpost team held a briefing for Signpost partners and farmers on this AgNav platform and the role it will play in engaging farmers in climate action.
AgNav is an online farm sustainability toolkit that provides farmers with accurate and verifiable data to support decision making on farm. AgNav has been trialled with a number of Teagasc Advisors and Signpost demonstration farms in March 2023 through full day workshops and will be further piloted in the next twelve months through regional workshops.
To support the agri-sector’s delivery against the Climate Action Plan, AgNav aims to work with 10,000 farmers per year from 2024. AgNav will have a broad focus and consider sustainability topics which include GHG emissions, water quality, biodiversity, and soil health.
Initially, AgNav will be available to all Irish beef and dairy farmers, regardless of their affiliation with the AgNav partners.
Elsewhere in the webinar, Joseph Dunphy, Teagasc Grass10 Advisor gave an update on the grass situation for the week as well as the latest Grass10 tips for the week ahead.
He tells us about some of the key performance figures. Conception rate and farrowing rate are at 90% and 88% respectively for the first three months year to date. Production figures in the farrowing house are improving, born alive is up to 16, average birth weight is 1.5 and mortality is down to 13%. The three week batch system limits the cross fostering availability and the research element on the farm adds a component of mortality over a commercial unit.
At the end of lactation, piglets are weaning at 8.5kg which is up a little from last year, they are weaning 13.5 to 13.75 piglets per litter. Therefore weaning 115 - 120 kg per sow, which is a great improvement over the last few years. Tomás puts this gain down to the amount of creep feed piglets are consuming pre weaning, which has benefits for weight gain post weaning. They also wean intact litters which has benefits for the pigs post weaning too.
Tomás tells us they have made some changes to the breeding herd on the research farm, in the past they have always brought in replacement gilts, but have recently decided to start breeding their own replacement gilts. As a consequence the breeding herd has reduced down to 150 from 200 at the moment, in the next number of months they aim to bring this figure up again.
On-site generation of renewable electricity has become an element of many farming businesses across Europe. Many renewable projects get stopped in their tracks due to a lack of capacity in the grid.
Elsewhere in the webinar, John Douglas, Teagasc Grass10 joined the webinar to give an update on the grass situation for the week and the latest Grass10 tips.
This new programme is available to everyone and is free of charge.
The programme will provide a dedicated advisory and training support to farmers to identify and help implement climate and sustainability actions that will be appropriate to your farm.
Find out more information or signup for the programme at www.teagasc.ie/signpostsignup
Areas that were covered included:
- Planning requirements
- Types of hydro
- Feasibility studies
- Selling to the grid
- Cost of construction
- Maintenance costs
- River/site suitability
- Protecting the spawning fish
- Labour input
- Government agencies involved
- Where do I get advice
Philippa and Hannah, utilising Connemara Pony; Irish Draught; Thoroughbred; traditional and warmblood cross examples, gave an insightful explanation of their involvement in the amateur performance and showing markets.
Plenty of key advice was shared in relation to the production and marketing of these horses/ponies and what their customers place value on.


