The sun shone down on us for the Moorepark open day. Sunscreen was available everywhere. There was so much to learn and discuss. It will take weeks to absorb it all.

There are approximately 18,000 dairy farmers in Ireland. Over 12,000 attended the research revealing, knowledge transferring and information gathering day. Why? To improve our businesses while being mindful of protecting the environment and being utterly committed to the food we produce and the welfare of the animals in our care. That attendance demonstrates some commitment from dairy farmers.

\ Donal O'Leary

The male calf

It was mind bogglingly upsetting recently to see footage of the ill treatment of our calves in France. Every dairy farmer in the country is genuinely appalled and worried. We have to name it. But it is terribly sad that we cannot have an adult conversation about it where we explore solutions without the emotive bashing of our livelihoods.

So, one of the issues of the day was discussion about the sale of male calves from the dairy herd. There was a welcome openness about tackling the issue.

\ Donal O'Leary

The solutions are not clear cut. If it can be made feasible, sexed semen will improve the problem. There is a way to go before dairy farmers will take the chance. Conception rates still run 10% behind conventional semen and need more farmer expertise on assessing the cow’s heat. But the advice is coming.

Here in Woodside, we have a herd of handsome, hard-working crossbred cows. We are lucky, we are there. The work is done and consequently we will have much fewer pure Jersey-cross bull calves next spring.

While we have to be mindful of the calf we have for sale, our business is dairy and that will continue to be the priority

Most will be kept for breeding. Crossbred cows are robust, economical and good producers. They leave a good profit margin. Any cow not bred for a heifer was put in calf to Angus.

While we have to be mindful of the calf we have for sale, our business is dairy and that will continue to be the priority. Nevertheless, we will do all in our power to produce a better calf for sale. As Donagh Berry said, “We have to have a socially acceptable beef system”. Going forward that might mean keeping our calves for a while longer.

The need for increased calf-rearing facilities for this was highlighted by Teagasc. It is a priority for me. The budget will have to be adjusted. But firstly the figures will have to be done. Another pointer for us was the advice to maintain 20% clover in the grass. We put in the seed but we find it difficult to keep it there. Apparently this is a common problem. But 20% inclusion of clover will give you 10% more milk. A no-brainer then.

Avoid system drift

The first four boards gave us the key messages. In general, average incomes on dairy farms are up with the level of indebtedness down. Sustainable growth will be achieved by avoiding the risk of ‘system drift’ by continuing to place the emphasis on profit rather than output. The keys are improving grass utilisation on farms and six-week calving rate. Every decision flows from these core principles. The average grass grown on farms is 8t/ha. The target is 13t and we know that this is more than achievable.

\ Donal O'Leary

To quote Michael O’Donovan: “If you don’t measure grass, how can you improve?” This means at least 30 walks per year and 10 grazing rotations. The mantra is; Measure, Manage, Respond! Aim for a long grazing season, ensure high soil fertility and have good infrastructure.

It is 60 years since Moorepark was established

We were happy that we were ticking most of the boxes. This is what this day was about; assessing ourselves against research and going home with the tools to do better business.

It is 60 years since Moorepark was established. In that time, the Teagasc team has provided a national strategy for the development of the dairy industry, particularly developing a model for the post-quota era, researching it carefully and promoting it through the advisory service. The strategy has been adopted enthusiastically by most farmers and is now proving to be sustainable and profitable. The challenges continue and as director of Teagasc Gerry Boyle said that science never rests, it is continually changing and we can be certain that new research will provide new solutions to address our issues on the farm, nationally, internationally and globally.