The theme of this year’s Teagasc national beef conference is "addressing the challenges" and it comes towards the end of a very tough year on beef farmers. Beef farmers have faced many challenges so far in 2018, with snow storms in March and drought over the summer. This has meant some are under severe financial strain as a result of increased costs.

Recent beef price pressure has compounded this issue, with many operating their farm business for little or no profit. While Teagasc is not able to provide all the answers, this year's conference aims to alert farmers to how things can be tweaked inside the farm gate to improve profitability.

Presentations

  • The first presenter, Dr Maria Guelenzo from Animal Health Ireland will outline some recent results from an IBR pilot programme that has taken place on the Teagasc/Irish Farmers Journal BETTER farm programme demo farms. IBR is a national issue and its eradication is critical to high health status, high productivity gains and ensuring Ireland retains access to important export markets.
  • Professor Donagh Berry will present details around the dairy beef index. The index will aim to inform dairy farmers how to select bulls with short gestation, easy calving but also retain some profitable finishing traits through carcass weight and carcass quality.
  • The final part of the first session will be presented by Teagasc advisor Tom Coll, who will outline how a group of beef farmers in Sligo and Leitrim have come together to form a contract-rearing discussion group. He will also go through some of the positives and negatives of contract rearing from a beef farmer’s perspective.
  • Resistance

  • The second session will see Dr Orla Keane from Teagasc Grange present some recent research findings on anthelminthic resistance on dairy calf to beef farms. She has found some alarming results especially in relation to ivermectin resistance on farms and will outline how farmers can overcome the resistance issue.
  • Nicky Byrne, also from Teagasc Grange, will outline how beef farmers should select grass varieties when choosing grass mixes for their farm and will also present some results from the Teagasc on-farm cultivar trial.
  • Finally Alan Dillon, Teagasc will outline some of the coping mechanisms employed on some of the Teagasc/Irish Farmers Journal BETTER farm beef programme farms during what was a very tough 2018. He will also outline how 2018 has impacted financial performance and how it has changed farm plans.
  • Read more

    Beef price update: cow kill rising as dairy herd expansion continues

    Watch: managing autumn grass – the targets

    Getting a feel for body condition score the three points