Grass quality
John Crowe on 02 Oct 2021
The Grass Week: getting a high percentage of the farm closed in October
On the 1 October the focus should be on getting the farm set up for the last rotation writes John Crowe
Shane Murphy on 29 Sep 2021
Camera at the Mart: fed cattle to €1,760 in Thurles
Demand for fed cattle again proved strong, but numbers are tightening for more forward stock.
Declan Marren on 29 Sep 2021
Watch: targets being hit on Mayo Thrive dairy beef farm
Martin and Marie Keating are pleased with performance at grass this season, although it hasn’t all been plain sailing.
John Crowe on 25 Sep 2021
The Grass Week: achieving good graze outs on heavy covers
Strip-grazing heavy covers helps to achieve target graze-outs while ensuring there is quality grass for the last rotation, writes John Crowe.
Declan Marren on 22 Sep 2021
Thrive: maintaining performance in dairy-beef calves this autumn
Performance at grass can often be quite poor over the last few weeks at grass in autumn. Declan Marren looks at some steps to take to maintain liveweight gain in the runup to housing.
John Crowe on 08 Sep 2021
Excellent conditions for achieving target residuals
John Crowe and Declan Marren discuss growth rates and achieving good graze outs as we head into last couple of rotations.
Declan Marren on 18 Aug 2021
Thrive: finishing phase commences on demo farm
It is a case of one final push for the finishing stock on the demonstration farm with meal feeding at grass commenced prior to slaughter. Declan Marren reports.
John Crowe on 18 Aug 2021
Grass+Dairy: getting graze-outs right in August
John Crowe and Declan Marren discusses the importance of an autumn grass budget and achieving good graze outs now to set the farm up for the last number of grazing’s
John Crowe on 14 Aug 2021
The Grass Week: make the most of rising growth rates
Managing autumn grass starts now for farms across the country, writes John Crowe.
Kieran Mailey on 11 Aug 2021
Do your sums before buying store lambs
When buying store lambs, it is important to know what you are buying and to complete a quick finishing budget to see if a margin can be made.
John Crowe on 11 Aug 2021
Getting the farm set up for autumn grazing
John Crowe takes a look at the targets for building covers to maximise days at grass this autumn.
Declan Marren on 11 Aug 2021
Thrive: maintaining calf performance this autumn
Autumn performance at grass is often the period when calves fall behind target weight. Declan Marren looks at measures to take to help maintain performance over the next three months.
Darren Carty on 07 Aug 2021
Mid-season review of sheep drafting performance
Flocks lambing towards the end of February and throughout March should keep an eye on drafting progress, with attention soon turning to building autumn covers.
John Crowe on 04 Aug 2021
Grass+ dairy: growth rates are slow to recover
John Crowe and Declan Marren discuss poor growth and the need to start building covers for the autumn.
Declan Marren on 04 Aug 2021
Thrive: meal feeding at grass commences for finishing stock
The 2020-born stock were weighed last week and divided into batches for meal feeding at grass.
John Crowe on 31 Jul 2021
The Grass Week: grass quality and fertiliser application
Now is the time to make a plan for your last two applications of nitrogen for 2021, writes John Crowe.
Bill O'Keeffe on 28 Jul 2021
Farmer Writes: grass growth stalls across the farm
The high temperatures have disappeared for the moment at least which is taking some pressure off cows, writes Bill O'Keeffe.
John Crowe on 28 Jul 2021
Grass+: rain arrives for some while others wait
John Crowe and Declan Marren discuss grass availability and grazing targets as growth is predicted to rise.
Declan Marren on 21 Jul 2021
Grass+ Beef: growth slowing but cattle content
Grass growth rates are slowing as temperatures remain high with no rainfall in most areas. On drier farms steps need to be taken to reduce grass demand.
Brian Nicholson on 21 Jul 2021
Farmer Writes: grass still under pressure despite the rain
This week, Brian Nicholson discusses weaning, grass management and a break away from the farm.