Meal
Aidan Brennan on 10 May 2021
Dairy management: welcome lift in temperatures
Mean air temperatures are in double digits for the first time since the end of March, writes Aidan Brennan.
Bill O'Keeffe on 05 May 2021
The woolly hats won’t be put away anytime soon
We should be able to stay on grass and meal only for the moment here and leave the silage in the bales, but heat is urgently needed to bring on grass enough to start producing any sort of surplus.
Declan Marren on 02 May 2021
Bulls v steers: can the efficiencies be ignored?
Declan Marren takes a look at what the research says on the comparison of bulls and steers on both production and meat quality aspects.
Declan Marren on 19 Apr 2021
The final finish: feeding strategies for the finishing phase
Declan Marren looks at what it takes to get the finishing diet correct for different dairy-beef systems.
Declan Marren on 16 Apr 2021
Watch: grazing update from Tullamore Farm
Declan Marren caught up with Shaun Diver this week to see what's been happening on Tullamore Farm.
David Wright on 14 Apr 2021
BBC Blue Peter change meat free message
The popular BBC programme had originally encouraged children to go meat free for two weeks
Kieran Mailey on 14 Apr 2021
Feed prices forecast to rise again in May
Growing demand for a limited supply of maize is fuelling further rises in the feed trade within NI.
Aidan Brennan on 07 Apr 2021
Dairy management: Weather, feeding rates and calves
Aidan Brennan looks at the impact of the cold weather on grass growth and says now is the time to be weaning the oldest calves
Kieran Mailey on 24 Mar 2021
Fertiliser prices to rise again in April
Fertiliser merchants across NI indicate that further price increases are expected on new stocks delivered in April.
Derek Robinson on 17 Mar 2021
The annual dilemma with surplus lambs
The ideal at lambing is plenty of doubles and a few singles writes Co Down sheep farmer Derek Robinson
Kieran Mailey on 16 Mar 2021
Beef management: weaning stores off meal before turnout
Phasing concentrates from store cattle diets will help smooth the transition to a grass-only diet at turnout time.
Declan Marren on 06 Mar 2021
Thrive roundup: demo farm struggles to leave a margin and managing calf arrival
This week's Thrive dairy beef roundup looks at the economics on the demonstration farm and managing calves over the first 48 hours after arrival.
The Dealer on 03 Mar 2021
Dale Farm recipe for Meat-free Monday
Stuffed roasted aubergine topped off by Spelga yoghurt wouldn't be my idea of a hearty meal.
Kieran Mailey on 03 Mar 2021
Feed prices edge up again for March
Ration prices continue to increase in NI with merchants adding up to £10/t for March.
Kieran Mailey on 03 Mar 2021
NI Sheep Programme: gross margins rising on hill farms
With benchmarking completed for 2020, programme adviser Senan White analyses the farm performance, starting with an overview of the five hill farms.
Kieran Mailey on 02 Mar 2021
Beef management: time to make a call on finishing or grazing store cattle
For farmers with forward store cattle on farm, early March is a good time to make the call on whether these animals will be finshed out of the shed or go back to grass.
Kieran Mailey on 10 Feb 2021
Feed prices stabilise after recent surge
Prices for livestock feed have stabilised during February after significant increases last month
John Egerton on 03 Feb 2021
Farmer Writes: in a quandary over a dead suckler cow
It is a three-hour round trip to the lab for a post-mortem, writes Fermanagh farmer John Egerton.
Kieran Mailey on 26 Jan 2021
Beef management: moving store cattle into the finishing period
Weighing store cattle and doing up a simple budget in early will leave farmers better placed when deciding if a margin can be made by finishing such animals out of the shed.
James Strain on 19 Jan 2021
Farmer Writes: cow camera makes for unpopular viewing at Netflix time
Donegal suckler farmer James Strain muses over the potential to cut out meal in his calved cows' diet.