Agritech has announced the appointment of Amie Coonan as Commercial and Technical Development Manager, strengthening the company’s technical and on-farm advisory offering to farmers nationwide.

From Birdhill, Co. Tipperary, Amie is a graduate of University College Dublin, holding a Bachelor of Agricultural Science in Animal and Crop Production. She brings a strong blend of commercial experience and practical farming knowledge to her new role.

Amie joins Agritech from ABP, where she held the position of Farm Liaison Team Leader. In this role, she worked closely with both beef and dairy farmers, providing technical advice across beef genetics, animal nutrition, soil health and grassland management. Prior to this, Amie worked with Dairygold as an Area Sales Manager, responsible for feed, fertiliser and farm requisites sales across the Munster region.

In addition to her professional experience, Amie is actively involved in farming at home. Along with her partner Shane, she operates a suckler and dairy calf-to-beef system. Her commitment and innovation in the sector were recognised in 2025 when she was awarded the FBD Drystock Young Farmer of the Year.

Commenting on her appointment, Amie said, “I am delighted to join Agritech and look forward to working with the sales team and farming customers alike, offering practical support and technical advice to optimise on-farm performance.”

Agritech are known as one of Ireland’s leading specialist agricultural companies in Ireland working out of a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Co. Tipperary.

Speaking about Amie’s appointment, Agritech’s Managing Director, Brian O Slatarra said, “the appointment reflects our continued focus on delivering practical, science-based solutions and strong technical support to farmers, helping them improve efficiency, sustainability and profitability at farm level”.

Agritech, one of Ireland’s leading agricultural input specialists, is currently recruiting Full-Time Sales Advisors in Monaghan, Louth and Donegal. Manage farm visits, hit targets, and ensure customer satisfaction. Competitive pay plus commission. Grow your sales career. Apply today at careers.agritech.ie or email careers@agritech.ie

As one of Ireland’s leading specialist agricultural companies, Agritech is renowned for manufacturing and distributing a range of quality and innovative nutrition and forage products.

At Agritech, you’ll have the independence to grow your income, build relationships, and develop your potential. With unlimited earning opportunities, long-term progression, and a team that backs you every step of the way, this is your chance to build a successful professional sales career in agribusiness.

Key Responsibilities:

• Meet & support farmers in your region, building long-term relationships

• Drive new business and nurture existing accounts

• Promote Agritech’s range of proven nutrition and forage solutions

• Conduct on-farm advisory visits, recommend solutions, and follow up

• Achieve or exceed sales targets and capture repeat orders, and report on performance

• Participate in events and demonstrate technical expertise

Candidate Profile :

• Commercial mindset, self-driven, goal-oriented

• Strong farming interest and background

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills

• Full clean driving licence and willingness to travel daily across your region

What We Offer:

• Competitive salary + bonus + holiday pay

• Company vehicle

• Structured training and continuous support

• Progression within a growing company

• Collaborative and flexible work environment

How to Apply?

If you are interested, submit your reply at careers.agritech.ie or directly to careers@agritech.ie

No two years are the same. This year, first-cut silages should be of better quality than 2024 and second cuts have yielded well. Winter will inevitably arrive, so a little preparation now can help us make informed decisions.

Year-on-year, grass silages can be extremely variable in nutritional qualities. May weather in 2025 allowed many to take their first cut slightly earlier than in recent years. Before the housed period, it will be important to test the silages available in the yard and plan accordingly.

For dry cows, silage quality will dictate the condition of cows at calving, and dilution/corrective feeding may be required.

The target Body Condition Score (BCS) is typically 2.75-3.0 at dry off and 3.0-3.25 at calving. To achieve this, we aim for a maintenance-type diet over the 60-day dry period. Silage with a DMD of 68-70% will generally suffice.

For thin cows, drying off early is the preferred option. If dried off early (e.g., 10-12-week dry period), cows fed average quality silage (68-70% DMD) should have an increase in BCS of approx. 0.5 units before calving.

For youngstock, feeding rates will also be dependent on silage quality results. If we take the same silage used for dry cows above with our youngstock, offering a silage-only diet, a weight gain of only 0.3kg/day can be expected over the winter from a 70% DMD silage. Approximately 1.5-2kg of concentrate would be needed here to achieve target winter growth rates. Is there a higher quality forage available for youngstock?

Target Body Condition Score (BCS) is typically 2.75-3.0 at dry off and 3.0-3.25 at calving.

Fodder Budget

Conducting a quick fodder budget to highlight reserves or deficits is crucial, and the sooner it’s done, the more options there are to bridge the gap. Having surplus silage on farm is a strong position. Housing could come early, or Spring 2026 may be harsh. Removing surplus grass now improves quality and provides more options later.

For further advice, contact your local Agritech Sales Advisor here. 

In recent weeks, slow growth has been the common factor noted across the regions, with much of the focus devoted to balancing grass availability and maintaining quality.

Where grass growth is slow, wasting grass must be avoided. Residuals of 3.5 – 4cm must be achieved in order to create high-quality covers for the next rotation when growth rates will hopefully rectify themselves. Grass walks should be undertaken at least once weekly but ideally twice weekly where grass is tight.

Milk output must also be monitored; average milk yield decline should be no greater than 2.5% per week at this point in lactation.

Where volume or solids are falling quicker than this, quality and quantity of grass needs to be revised. Where quality is low, or silage is introduced into the diet, ensure the cows’ energy requirements are being met accordingly. Increased supplementation may be required.

Reduced energy density in the diet will result in decreased milk protein % and reduced milk output. Once growth has increased and quality has been rectified (with breeding also concluding), feeding rates can be reduced.

Looking ahead to the winter, now is a good time to assess how much fodder is on farm with first cuts completed, while some early 2nd cuts and surplus bales have been taken.

It’s important to plan for the forthcoming winter while noting how much subsequent forage remains unharvested.

At this point, Spring-born calves should have smoothly transitioned to grazing.

Weighing scales remain one of the most underutilised management tools on farm and should be used to gauge where we are at regarding target weights ~ 200kg by mid-September (33% of mature cow weight) or 07-0.8kg/hd/day.

Parasite burdens can also have a huge impact on youngstock performance over the 1st grazing season and should be discussed on a herd-by-herd basis with your veterinary practitioner.

For more information and calf rearing advice, contact your local Agritech Sales Advisor here. 

Farmers must prioritise the next generation of milking cows by ensuring that the target weights of their replacement heifers are realised over the coming months.

With this in mind, heifers should reach 30% of their mature bodyweight at six months of age and achieve 60% of mature weight when bred at 15 months.

Over the next few months, optimal average daily gain may be difficult to maintain when grass growth/quality declines and grazing conditions become more challenging. So it is important to consider where your replacement heifers are in relation to targets (% of mature weight) currently.

By weighing heifers in early autumn as opposed to weighing at the point of housing, farmers can identify which animals are behind target. The best advice is to group accordingly and make alternative plans for heifers below their target weights.

Underweight heifers are considered to be those that are 5% or more below target bodyweight. Therefore, the regular weighing of heifers can help farmers to keep track of performance through the season.

Heifers that are lighter than this should be separated and given priority access to the highest quality grass and be re-introduced to concentrates depending on their weight relative to the herd’s target.

Higher weight gains can be achieved from grass rather than from winter/silage diets and a good response to autumn supplementation can be achieved. Should grass be in short supply and quality or when conditions are deteriorating, under-target replacement heifers should be fed a supplement until housing time to maintain weight. To increase growth rates, 1-2kg of concentrate/head/day should be sufficient.

Research shows that youngstock at grass in summer can achieve a weight gain of 0.85kg/day on grass alone. Come the autumn, where 1kg of concentrate plus high-quality grass are offered, average daily gains of 1kg/head/day can be achieved.

For more information, contact your local Agritech Sales Advisor here.

Thanks to altogether more pleasant conditions this Spring, farmers have enjoyed a welcome respite from the poor weather they worked through during the previous two years.

With cattle out earlier and, just as importantly, remaining out to graze in healthily growing paddocks, refilling forage reserves has not weighed on farmers’ minds nearly as heavily as it did during the first halves of 2023 and ’24.

Of course, when casting an eye five to six months down the line, refilling pits remains a significant consideration. But the better weather experienced in recent months means that farmers are in a better position to build up a reserve of high-quality silage with those (literally) cold and rainy days in mind.

As Teagasc has noted, grass digestibility decreases by 2 to 3% units per week from mid-May onwards. This is due to the increasing levels of stem in grass as the crop matures in addition to the accelerated decline in stem digestibility.

High quality silage permits flexibility in feed plans for both milkers and dry stock/dry cows. Earlier cutting, which recent conditions have facilitated, also permit quicker and earlier regrowths for subsequent cuts, which in turn leads to increased annual yield per hectare. The mean DMD of Irish silages comes in at approximately 69% DMD – which is well below the requirements of a lactating dairy cow.

The effects of silage DMD on dairy cow performance 

At one point, every farm will have 80% DMD grass available to them in the field; however the decision is typically made too late regarding cutting date. Once seed heads appear by late May, DMD will be, at most, approximately 70% at, before declining by 1% DMD every two to three days after that. Each 1% increase achieved equates to a +0.33kg daily milk yield increase.

Farmers should also be aiming for a dry matter content of approximately 25%. Where wilting continues for long periods, grass quality will deteriorate, leading to significant energy losses. In ideal conditions, this will be achieved in a 24-hour wilt.

The use of a silage additive has long been proven to improve fermentation and lend to less waste/losses. Agritech’s GrasZyme Sugarboost is proven to: Increase ADG by 110g/head/day in beef situations and in dairy scenarios; Increase Dry Matter intakes by 0.4 kg/head/day, resulting in milk protein percentage increases of 0.09%. Fermentation losses are also reduced by an average of 6.1% where an additive is used (equating to 30t additional feed, in a 500t pit).

For further advice, contact your local Agritech Sales Advisor.

The pleasant and warmer weather experienced during the first half of April finally brought about a welcome increase in grass growth, largely in line with the five-year average for this time of year.

Many paddocks identified for reseeding were sprayer, harrowed and sown at the start of April, with many more earmarked for the coming weeks. As Teagasc has noted, reseeding increases the farm’s overall productivity and allows higher animal output per hectare relative to permanent pasture.

The benefits of reseeding are well established since it represents the fastest on-farm investment return. Reseeding also helps farms to increase Nitrogen Use Efficiency (NUE) by minimising nitrogen losses to water. It also improves yield and quality and helps to reduce the requirement to buy feed.

However, it’s worth re-emphasising several other benefits that arise from reseeding. Research indicates that new leys, when compared to older permanent pasture:

• Are 25% more responsive to applied Nitrogen;
• Results in more available grass in the shoulders of the season;
• Results in faster re-growths and
• Increases total annual production /ha.

Teagasc estimates that a low portion of perennial ryegrass in the sward is costing the average dairy farm up to €300/ha in lost grass production during the growing season.

When planning a reseed, the largest gains will be made by replacing the oldest/least productive swards e.g., your paddocks with the least number of grazings last year.

Where reseeding or sward rejuvenation occurs, clover inclusions cannot be overlooked for obvious reasons due to its nitrogen-fixing abilities. Soil fertility must be centric to the reseeding protocol, especially where we want a successful clover establishment (alongside good management practices in the first 12 months).

Over-sowing clover on grazing paddocks can work well – while the best opportunity to incorporate clover into a sward is always at the point of reseeding.

For further advice, contact your local Agritech Sales Advisor.

While the initial days/weeks of calf rearing may appear to be the most labour-intensive stage for farmers, the first season at grass can prove a more difficult phase for them to manage.

Nutritionally, success is measured by developing the calf as best as possible prior to introducing grazed grass. Given that newborn calves are born with undeveloped rumens, the initial objective is to assist such rumen development prior to being weaned off milk. This enables them to become cost-effective forage consumers.

Rumen development begins within the first few days of life and is advanced by exposure to healthy bacteria from the environment and the consumption of solid feeds. Introducing a palatable calf-starter ration/nut from 3 days of ages (18% Crude Protein) is important, along with access to fresh, clean water and high-quality clean straw ad-libitum (no haylage/silage).

Weaning on a weight basis alone can create a false sense of security in terms of how ready calves are for the next stage of nutrition. Weaning shouldn’t be considered until calves are intaking a minimum of 1.5kg concentrate/day in grouped pens – which indicates that the calf’s dry matter intakes can cope with the transition to a 100% solid diet.

Year-on-year, cases of calves suffering from setbacks following their introduction to grass can also prove a major influencing factor.

Nutritionally, spring grass can be high in oils like conjugated linoleic acid, sugars and potentially nitrogen, which young, underdeveloped rumens can find it hard to adjust to. Low covers of grass also have very little fibre, which is a key substrate for good rumen health.

Calves aren’t fully functioning ruminants, which is why additional care and attention is required at so critical a phase in their development.

Greater rumen development in early life can help combat such issues, alongside the following: offering concentrates post-turnout, grazing slightly heavier covers until calves having adapted to grazing, offering a fibre source to ease the transition and/or strip grazing calves to ensure stem content is also being grazed.

For more information and calf rearing advice, contact your local Agritech Sales Advisor here.

The importance of colostrum management protocol cannot be over-emphasised, as many scour-related issues on farm directly correlate to insufficient passive transfer.

Feeding colostrum on farm

The ‘3-2-1 Rule’ is worth recalling at this time of year:

1. Offer milk from the dam’s first milking.
2. Within the first two hours of birth.
3. Offer at least three litres (10% of birthweight).

Typically, there’s sizeable variation in colostrum quality within a herd, with Teagasc research showing that approximately 20% of a herd may have poor quality colostrum, i.e., insufficient antibodies for the calf. Many farmers have started to test colostrum quality using a refractometer to ensure calves are receiving a high-quality first feed, with the threshold of a Brix value > 22% being the quality standard.

Pooling colostrum is regularly practised on farm due to labour constraints. However, combining colostrum from several cows increases the risk of disease spread (e.g., Johnes), reduces passive transfer and dilutes high-quality colostrum. Therefore, aim to offer calves a ‘one-dam-to-one’ calf system to avoid such issues occurring.

It is also important to remember that the calf’s first opportunity to get an infection is through its navel or mouth. Therefore teats, the underbelly of the cow and contact with the calving pen bedding can become a source of infection for a new-born calf. Prolonged time spent in the calving areas is frequently a key issue with disease transfer in herds.

Recent survey results from Moorepark of 48 commerical farms highlighted that stomach tubes and bottles with teats had the greatest quantity of bacteria present.

High levels of hygiene are required when collecting, feeding and storing colostrum with research indicating that clean (no dirt contamination) colostrum allows for increased antibody absorption. Bacterial contamination competes with antibodies at gut level, resulting in reduced passive transfer.

Recent survey results from Moorepark of 48 commerical farms highlighted that stomach tubes and bottles with teats had the greatest quantity of bacteria present.

Excess colostrum can be stored in a fridge at 4°C. However, bacteria will still grow so it can only be refrigerated safely for 24-48 hours. It is an all-too-common sight to see buckets of colostrum in the parlour/dairy, where ambient conditions arise, bacterial counts can double every 20 minutes.

For more information and advice, contact your local Agritech Sales Advisor here.

As spring looms ever closer, we fast approach the influx of the next generation of calves on farm. Replacement heifers born over the next few weeks will calve down in February 2027, become the herds mature stalwart cows of 2030 and the influence we can have on the beginning of their lives will long be felt regarding longevity, milk production, and overall herd health.

Year on year we will discuss, read and write about 3-2-1 rules and how important colostrum management is. Yet conversations still arise around how best to avoid scour outbreaks in sheds, anti-scour remedies etc., and as we face into another spring a back-to-basics approach should be taken with colostrum.

Get the basics right

Its important to remember that the calf’s first opportunity for infection is via its navel or mouth – and its first contact from both will happen in the calving pen. Cows’ underbelly, teats and calving pen bedding become the first source of possible infection for a new-born calf. Hence the importance of good dry cow cubicle management. Prolonged time spent in calving areas are often a key issue with disease transfer in herds, especially where unhygienic conditions as also a factor. From here, all feed equipment must be disinfected before colostrum is collected and fed. Dirt contamination of colostrum is now known to have a negative effect on passive transfer and therefore cleanliness of the collection process is vital.

Storage is also imperative – it is an all-too-common sight to see open buckets of colostrum in the parlour/dairy – and where ambient conditions arise, bacterial counts can double every 20 minutes. A dam-to-calf systems is obviously the ideal, however during extremely compact calving periods this can sometimes be difficult to obtain. Colostrum quality will vary massively between cows depending on age/parity, volume produced, dry period length, and dry cow nutrition, etc.  If we can avoid pooling and use a 1-cow to 1-calf option. At the very least where pooling occurs colostrum must be Brix tested to avoid dilution happening with poor quality colostrum.

Vaccination of the dam is also a key consideration to help reduce risks around calf health. However, it is worth noting, that passive transfer from a vaccine only occurs from dam-calf via colostrum and transition milk, so all of the above applies to get full coverage from vaccinating the herd.

Research has shown where passive transfer is 100% successful mortality rates of <5% is achievable, in stark contrast where passive transfer rates of 85-90% is achieved, mortality rates can increase to ~ 8%.
Treat colostrum management with the respect and attention it deserves.