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. 

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.

Although it seems almost too early to admit, and it doesn’t appear to have been that long since ‘winter mode’ ended, but Winter 2024 is approaching, and a little bit of preparation over the next few weeks will help to set ourselves up and make informed decisions around management.

Year-on-Year grass silages can be extremely variable in nutritional qualities, and after a difficult growing season, large variation in quality between cuts may also be seen. Testing what silage is available in the yard is crucial to plan accordingly.

For dry cows, silage quality will dictate the condition of cows at calving, and dilution/corrective feeding may be required. Stretching silage with dry cows may also be required where deficits occur in feed budgets, and knowing silage nutritional analysis is a must in these cases.

Target BS at dry off is typically 2.75 – 3.0 and at calving is 3.0 – 3.25 – therefore we are aiming for a maintenance type diet over the 60-day dry period; 68-70% DMD silage will suffice here.

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. Some

1.5 -2 kg of concentrate would be needed here to achieve target winter growth rates. Is their higher quality forage available for youngstock7

Fodder Budgeting

After the delayed spring, silage reserves have been depleted in many yards. Coupled with poor growth over the summer, refilling that reserve has proven a constant challenge for some. Conducting a quick fodder budget to highlight sufficient reserves or a deficit is crucial, and the sooner this is completed the more options that are available to help bridge the gap.

For more information contact your local Agritech Sales Advisor.

For many this spring, milk protein percentages have proven a struggle, with average quality silage making up a large proportion of the diet. Youngstock turnout was delayed and we are now trying to make up ground to ensure breeding target weights are met. Counteracting these issues led to an increased meal bill where silage quality was poor.

Remember, grass silage makes up approximately one quarter of the annual feed budget on the average Irish dairy farm and is even greater in beef situations.

At one point, every farm will have 80% DMD grass available to them in the field. However, the decision is often made too late regarding the cutting date.

Flexibility in feed plans

Where silage stocks are depleted, the temptation to chase bulk may creep in. However, it is well proven that high quality silage allows for flexibility in feed plans. Earlier cutting also allows for quicker and earlier regrowths for subsequent cuts, leading to increased annual yield per hectare.

Once seed heads appear typically by late May, DMD will be around 70% at most and will drop by 1% DMD every two to three days after that.

With the renewed value now placed on our main home grown forage, achieving a good fermentation to preserve it is critical. The use of a silage additive has long been proven to improve fermentation, lending to less waste/losses.

Agritech’s GrasZyme Sugarboost is proven to: Increase ADG by 110g/head/day in beef situations, Increase Dry Matter intakes by 0.4 kg/head/day and milk protein percentages by 0.09% – while also reducing fermentation losses by 6.1% (equating to 30t on a 500t pit).

For more information, contact your local Agritech Sales Advisor. 

Where are we regarding grass currently?

Grazing conditions on many farms in February were better than ever expected, however inclement weather conditions in the last week, coupled with low growth rates to date so far, have resulted in many farms having to plan ahead to stretch what grass is still available to the herd. The aim here is to keep a level of grass in the diet and strategically use on/off grazing over the next few weeks until growth rates increase.

For later-type farms, the priority is to get an amount of grass into the diet as soon as possible. The energy content of grazed grass varies from 1.05 UFL per kg dry matter for leafy fresh spring grass, to 0.85 UFL per kg dry matter for very stemmy grass in the autumn. However, relative to an indoor grass silage diet (72-77% dry matter digestibility silage varying from 0.81-0.86 UFL), grazed grass has a significantly higher energy content.

Current grassland management advice: 

• Walk the farm weekly to assess grass availability (grazing conditions should be monitored on a more frequent basis and on an individual paddock basis).
• The average farm cover (AFC) on many farms is dropping below 600 kg DM/ha, and the temptation where conditions are favourable is to keep grazing hard.
• Hold AFC above 600 kg DM/ha until early April, which may mean decreasing your demand with silage buffer and/or increasing concentrates.
• Match demand to grass growth (e.g., growing 15 kg/day with a stocking rate 2.5 LU/ha = allocating 6 kg DM of grass/LU/day).
• Where AFC drops below 550 kg DM/ha, growth will be significantly hampered.

What’s the target?

The target is to have 65% of the platform grazed by March 17^th. Many farms due to favourable grazing conditions in early February are well ahead of this target and must avoid running tight/running out of grass until growth rates increase. Where this is an issue, aim to graze no more than approximately 2% of the platform per day.

Striking the balance with fresh cows

As many farms still have fresh cows being introduced to the main herd on a daily basis, it is important to remember how vital it is that these cows are achieving their dry matter intake potential. Offering freshly calved cows a silage buffer with an element of fibre will help alleviate the pressure they may be under and reduce the risk of LDA’s/digestive upsets. A balance must be struck between achieving good graze-outs, while not restricting fresh cows’ intakes – this will require close monitoring. High output herds will be in a similar situation, whereby the transition to grass should be managed correctly.

Remember, a cow will typically reach peak milk output 6-8 weeks post-calving but will only reach peak dry matter intake 10-12 weeks after calving. Feeding rates in the parlour currently will be dependent on the amount of grass in the diet and cow output, however, below is an example of a typical herds feeding requirements while on/off grazing currently.

For further advice on grassland management, contact your local Agritech Sales Advisor.

Making one big bulky cut, may appear to get you more silage in the yard, however with delayed/late first cut silage, both quality and quantity are compromised. A delayed heavy first-cut reduces annual yield/ha and can create problems when it comes to salvaging second/third-cut crops later in the year. Alongside this, grass growth rates are typically at their highest over the next few weeks, so delaying first cut means that farmers are not taking full advantage of rapid regrowth.

A general rule of thumb is to target a 50:50 split in quantity in both first and second cut (E.g., 20 tonnes per acre to be achieved in total. Ideally, this is a 10-tonne high quality crop in both cuts. Where first-cut is let go to a 13-tonne crop, the ideal quantity of harvest for second-cut crops may only be approximately 7 tonne).

Farms that routinely take earlier first cuts have higher and better-quality annual silage yields. Not only this, but in years such as 2012/13 or 2018 when farmers faced fodder shortages across the country, having higher quality silage was far more valuable. When high-quality silage is available in the yard, options of stretching supply are endless (e.g., dilution with straw, using cheap alternative straights, restricted intakes where headspace is sufficient). However, from a nutritional point of view, the option with poor quality silage is simple, ad-lib access and more meal.

Completing a fodder budget?

A good starting point is how much silage is leftover this spring. Check the current silage stock on your farm. From there, estimate how long you typically feed for in the winter months and always allow for a 3–4-week safety reserve. Finally, complete an assessment of stock numbers that will be carried over the winter months.

Silage requirements based on animal type: 

Measuring pits on farm

Length x breadth x average height in metres, divided by 1.35 = tonnes of grass silage

Or

Length x breadth x average height in feet, divided by 45 = tonnes of grass silage

Can we get more silage in the pit?

Agritech’s GrasZyme Sugarboost is proven to retain a higher proportion of silage in the pit post-harvesting. Losses on average will be reduced by 6.1%, this would equate to 6.1 tonnes of extra silage in every 100 tonnes ensiled. For example 1,000 tonne silage pit, + 61 tonne more available silage. With current silage costs, this would equate to a return on investment of 2:1, before taking animal performance benefits into account from treated silage.

More Information: 

For more information on assessing current silage stocks, and on GrasZyme Sugarboost, contact your local Agritech Sales Advisor.

Silage harvesting is a major cost on Irish farms, therefore it is most important that the desired level of quality is achieved.

Dry Matter Digestibility (DMD) indicates the feeding value of a forage crop. In grass silage, it refers to the percentage of grass dry matter that an animal can digest to support their feed requirements. To make high DMD silage, the grass sward needs to contain a high leaf content. DMD is also linked to harvest date, with research showing that a crop harvested on June 2nd versus a harvest date of May 20^th, resulted in a DMD drop of as much as 5%.

Key considerations
Weather will be the main dictating factor with silage harvesting. However, during periods of broken weather, where a window of opportunity appears, avoid delaying harvest. Delaying first cut will cause a large drop in quality and reduce second cut yields significantly.

Grass sugars are the main consideration for crop preservation (Sugar being the food required for fermentation bacteria). The target for good preservation is 3%. Cutting time (early afternoon) and cutting conditions will have the greatest impact on sugar content in grass.

Grass nitrates can affect preservation by increasing buffering capacity. A grass crop will on average use up 2 units of N per day for first cut. Nonetheless, this is only a general rule and should not delay cutting date. Wilting silage to approximately ˃28% will help decrease nitrates.

Wilting is very beneficial to silage preservation where sugars are marginal and/or nitrates remain elevated. The aim should be to increase crop dry matter to 25-30% with pit silage and 30-35% with baled silage. Over wilting can cause issues when feeding out silage, such as heat loss/secondary fermentation.

Using a silage additive

The application of a proven silage additive, such as Agritech’s GrasZyme Sugarboost, at ensiling is a very important part of securing as much of the quality in the winter forage as possible – speeding up preservation and retaining more of the feed value within the pit, alongside less waste/losses.

From a total of 19 independent trials, GrasZyme Sugarboost has proven to deliver:

• + 1 litre of milk per cow per day and .09% milk protein increase
• + 110g daily live-weight gain in beef animals
• 1% reduction in dry matter losses

For further information, contact your local Agritech Sales Advisor.  

With increased levels of grass growth on many farms at present, this will give an opportunity for surplus grass to be cut as autumn grass silage. While the quality of this grass silage is excellent, preservation is an issue due to a number of factors.

With rapid growth and the days becoming shorter, this grass contains little fibre and is low in dry matter. As a result, water soluble sugar is limited and the natural lactic bacteria which naturally grow on the grass plants in the summer have lower populations at this time of the year.  

To preserve as much true feeding quality in this silage, it is essential to treat with a good quality silage additive like GrasZyme Sugarboost. This will ensure adequate lactic producing bacteria on the crop, leading to rapid fermentation by using both the water soluble and fructan sugars available in the crop. Speeding up the fermentation process will reduce energy losses and ensure 20% less true protein is broken down, making it more available to livestock. 

By ensuring excellent preservation, each 5 KG of quality silage voluntarily eaten by the animal = a saving of 1 KG of purchased ration per day of feeding.

Maize Silage

It is also looking like another bumper year for maize crops in terms of quality and yield. Maize silage is one of the most complementary feeds to grass silage as it is high in starch and fibre and is slowly digested in the rumen. Cows fed maize silage as part of their total forage intake have reported milk yield increases of 8%-10%, and cattle have shown increased daily live weight gains.  

Maize silage is an expensive crop to grow and ensile, so pit preservation is critical. Here are some clamping tips to reduce ensileable losses:

1. Ensure pit and loading area are clean.
2. Use side sheeting down by the wall, leaving sufficient plastic to reach half way across the clamp from both side walls.
3. Apply an additive at harvest that has proven to maintain pit face stability at feed out for up 10 days e.g. Ensile Bio
4. Consolidate the clamp well and ensure a level finish.
5. Use three sheets of high quality plastic [one being a vacuum sheet]. Seal down well with sand bags and tyres.
6. Protect the clamp from bird damage by applying Zill cover.
7. Keep a straight, clean clamp face at feed out.
8. Bait the surroundings well to prevent rodent damage.

Pit face stability is extremely important as the energy lost will not only reduce animal feed intake but will also lead to valuable energy losses from the clamp. Untreated clamps are at a high risk of secondary heating which can cause between 10% and 24% waste.

Ensile Bio is designed to preserve the crop in the shortest time possible and does so by producing acids which minimise the growth of yeast and moulds that naturally grow on high dry matter starch crops. By producing these acids rapidly, it ensures a stable pit face at feed out for up to 10 days.

The value per acre of maize is €900 plus harvest and the clamping cost of €150 gives a total of €1050 per acre. At 10% spoilage, this equates to €105 per acre of feed that the animals don’t eat. An ensile cost of €35 per acre for a 20 tonne crop is a very cheap insurance on a valuable winter feed.

For any further advice on grass or maize silage or to choose a suitable forage additive, contact your local Agritech distributor or click here.