Practical farm-level advice and international dairy market trends are among the topics to feature in the Teagasc national dairy conference 2025.

The conference will run on 26 November in the Talbot Hotel Clonmel, Co Tipperary, and on 27 November in the Kilmore Hotel, Co Cavan.

Teagasc has said that while the conference comes in a year that has been generally positive for dairy farmers with strong milk prices and decent grass growth, the last number of months have borne witness to a milk price downturn.

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The prevailing milk price challenge “sharpens the focus on the need for good technical performance and cost control”, Teagasc said.

Its head of dairy knowledge transfer Joe Patton stated that the conference line-up includes farmers, researchers and advisers.

Milk market

“Chris Walkland, renowned milk market analyst, will present on the international milk market situation, while Tony and Stephen Kenny and Oisin Gallen will share their approaches to dealing with the situation on the ground,” Patton commented.

“These sessions will be complemented by short practical papers in the afternoon.

“A highlight of this year’s programme is a keynote from Professor Donagh Berry, Teagasc and VistaMilk, on 25 years of progress in EBI.”

Teagasc’s regional advisory manager in Tipperary Donal Mullane said that all dairy farmers and industry stakeholders are invited to attend.

“There are very important policy challenges facing dairy farmers in the short and medium term, from nitrates to generational renewal,” he said.

Regional advisory manager in Cavan Tom Kelleher flagged the conference as a “great chance to share conversations with dairy farming colleagues from different parts of the country”.

“The conference sessions on new models for dairy farming will be a very interesting topic in both Clonmel and Cavan.

“It is very much a farmer-focused programme, so we encourage attendance as a family or as part of your discussion group.”