Specialist: beef
Declan Marren on 24 Jan 2021
Minimising silage losses at feed-out this winter
Up to 30% of silage crops never get eaten by the animal due to poor management at harvest and feed-out time.
Kieran Mailey on 23 Jan 2021
Beef management: five jobs to do before calving starts
Suckler farmers should look to get as many smaller jobs completed now, leaving them better prepared for the start of calving. Kieran Mailey outlines some tasks to complete.
Declan Marren on 20 Jan 2021
Thrive: preparing the calf rearing shed
Planning ahead and having the calf shed ready for calf arrival can reduce the stress on both calf and farmer in the weeks to come.
Kieran Mailey on 19 Jan 2021
Beef management: dealing with ringworm in young cattle
Ringworm is a fungal skin infection that usually affects young cattle and thrives in sheds with low natural light and high moisture levels.
Declan Marren on 20 Jan 2021
Key considerations for calf housing
The recent AHI/Teagasc CalfCare webinar discussed the most important aspects of successful calf housing.
Kieran Mailey on 16 Jan 2021
Beef management: five tips for spreading slurry in early spring
With the slurry season opening in parts of the country, Kieran Mailey outlines some tips for making best use of the slurry applications in early spring.
Declan Marren on 20 Jan 2021
The figures behind dairy beef systems
Declan Marren takes a look at the Thrive dairy calf to beef costings from the demonstration farm in 2020.
Contributor on 20 Jan 2021
Five top tips on keeping calves healthy this spring
Donal Lynch outlines five top tips on keeping calves healthy this spring
Kieran Mailey on 12 Jan 2021
Beef management: time for a mid-winter weight check on replacement heifers
Weighing replacement heifers midway through winter will give a good indication if animals are likely to meet target breeding weights.
Declan Marren on 10 Jan 2021
Managing straw usage and minimising waste this winter
On beef farms with dry-floor sheds, the straw bill can be quite significant each year. Declan Marren outlines some tips to get the best use out of every bale this winter.
Kieran Mailey on 09 Jan 2021
Beef management: five tips to prepare for spring calving
With the start of the spring-calving period approaching fast, following the outlined tips will leave suckler farmers prepared for the busiest time of year.
Darren Carty on 13 Jan 2021
Rubber slat mats deliver benefit in Teagasc finishing trial
A study carried out in grange recorded a 0.17kg higher daily liveweight in animals housed on rubber mats placed on concrete slatted floors compared to animals housed on just a concrete slatted floor.
Kieran Mailey on 13 Jan 2021
Beef management: 10 tips for a successful spring calving
With spring calving set to start on Irish suckler farms, Kieran Mailey outlines some tips for getting live calves on the ground.
Adam Woods on 06 Jan 2021
Slurry season opening, managing in cold weather and having a COVID-19 plan
In this week's beef management notes, Adam Woods take a look at slurry spreading, managing in cold weather and having a plan in place for COVID-19
Kieran Mailey on 05 Jan 2021
Beef management: time to start feeding pre-calving minerals
With spring calving just weeks away, suckler farmers should be starting to feed pre-calving minerals to cows.
Declan Marren on 05 Jan 2021
Caution when feeding forage crops in frosty weather
With temperatures dropping significantly this week, farmers outwintering stock on forage crops need to be extra cautious.
Declan Marren on 06 Jan 2021
Thrive: housed heifers struggle to leave a positive margin
Declan Marren looks at the production performance and economics of the last eight heifers slaughtered on the Thrive demo farm.
Kieran Mailey on 06 Jan 2021
BETTER Farm NI: five management jobs for January
Kieran Mailey outlines five management tasks to complete on suckler farms during January.
Kieran Mailey on 02 Jan 2021
Beef management: five tips for grazing forage brassicas
On farms that outwinter cattle on forage crops such as kale, there are a few basic management steps required to keep cattle healthy. Outlined are five tips to follow.
Declan Marren on 27 Dec 2020
Teagasc beef conference: beef production from grass-forage diets only
Recent trial work at Teagasc Grange has looked at the target pre- and post-grazing sward heights for beef animals.