News
Assessing Silage Stocks
With concerns over having sufficient levels of silage stocks available for the winter, quality over quantity is the best advice when it comes to...
Pica in dairy cows – what is it and how best to treat it
PICA is often a noticeable issue on farm during this time of year, which can have negative effects on the breeding season. Pica is often defined as...
Summer nutrition for the dairy herd
At this point in the year, with breeding underway, the focus on nutrition should be centred around always having high quality grass available to the...
Understanding Silage Fermentation
With increasing costs involved in silage making this year, coupled with higher feed prices, having high quality silage is a valuable asset on farm....
Silage making – Improving quality to alleviate cost pressures
In the current climate of rising farm input costs, the focus must be turned towards increasing efficiencies inside the farm gate – which includes...
Encouraging calf rumen development
Newborn calves are born with undeveloped rumens, yet they will spend most of their lives as fully functioning ruminants. The main objective over the...
Optimising grazed grass in the dairy cow diet
Dairy cow diets that contain a high proportion of grazed grass will have greater energy density, which is extremely beneficial in early lactation....
Have we forgotten about the post-calving cow?
In general, we are quite good at focusing on mineral provision for the dry cow. However, thereafter we often discount the mineral requirement of the...
Selecting a calf milk replacer this spring
The first 0-6 months in a calf’s life is crucial. According to Teagasc research, although the first 6 months of life only equates to 8% of that...
Calving 2022 – Preparing for the new arrivals
As we fast approach the onset of calving, it is important to have an organised plan in place to achieve a successful calf rearing programme. The...
“We have cut lameness completely out of the herd”
In intensively fed animals, there is a constant challenge to juggle the balance between optimising milk and meat output in the most economical way,...
How this Longford farmer protects his herd from milk fever
How you feed and manage your herd during the dry cow period will influence subsequent yields and fertility, along with conditions which manifest...