The Beef Edge

With many beef farmers balancing part-time work off the farm, this episode marks the first in our new monthly series, ‘Managing Labour on Farm’. 
 
Father and son, Eamon and Donnchadh McCarthy from Youghal, and participants in the Future Beef Programme, share how they successfully run their suckler-to-beef system whilst both working off-farm.
 
Labour efficiency on the farm is very important and like many farms, the biggest labour pinch points during the year are calving, breeding and finishing which are managed around their off farm work. 
 
Calving in the spring, prior to Donnchadh starting work as an AI technician, is critical and is compacted to 6 weeks. 
 
Previously, calving in both spring and autumn had a huge impact on labour demand with the two calving seasons and breeding periods. 
 
A good farm paddock system has helped bring cows back to the yard with roadways highlighted as a job for the future to make life easier. 
 
Investments on the farm around housing and handling facilities have made a big difference to saving time and labour particularly handling cattle during the herd test and throughout the year. 
 
Finishing bulls under 16 months is quite labour-intensive but most feeding is carried out with the feeder when concentrates are fed ad lib and this doesn’t need to be done daily, thus reducing labour. In the future investment in a meal store to enable the tractor and loader do most of this work is being considered.
 
Eamon and Donnchadh also discuss the various technologies being used on the farm to minimise labour such as SenseHub and PastureBase Ireland to measure grass. 
 
The fertiliser dispersal stand has also been very important on the farm for health and safety and you see more on it here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7uinpDPbK0
 
Further updates from the McCarthys are at:
https://teagasc.ie/animals/beef/demonstration-farms/future-beef-programme/farmers/eamon-donnchadh-mccarthy/
 
For more episodes from the Beef Edge podcast, visit the show page at:
https://www.teagasc.ie/thebeefedge
 
Produced on behalf of Teagasc by LastCastMedia.com

For this second of a two-part series focused on the Commercial Beef Value, Ciaran Conway who runs a weanling to finishing heifer system with his son Diarmuid outside Mullingar Co. Westmeath, discusses his system and use of CBV on their farm which was awarded 2025 Suckler Finisher Award for Ashbourne.
 
High-CBV continental weanlings, disciplined management and a grass-driven system underpin the reliability and strong carcass results achieved.
 
Ciaran discusses how grass is central to his system and the key grassland management practices that drive performance. 
 
Buying over 300 cattle a year, a good herd health plan is essential and Ciaran outlines his health protocol.
 
Ciaran also works off farm as a nutritionist and discusses his finishing programme for the stock when they are housed.
 
The system, finishing around 24 months, is tightly managed and Ciaran outlines the role CBV plays in purchasing cattle in addition to visuals and price.
 
For further info:
https://www.icbf.com/continental-quality-high-cbvs-driving-performance-on-the-conway-farm/
https://www.icbf.com/commercial-beef-value-cbv/
 
 
For more episodes from the Beef Edge podcast, visit the show page at:
https://www.teagasc.ie/thebeefedge
 
Produced on behalf of Teagasc by LastCastMedia.com

Over the last few years, farmers have become more aware of the Commercial Beef Value – or CBV – and so, this week is the first of a two-part series on the importance of CBV.
 
The ICBF’s Research Project Co-ordinator, David Kelly, who is based in the Tully Research Centre, joins the show to discuss the latest information and findings at Tully with regards to CBV. 
 
David highlights the fact that farmers finishing cattle are seeing measurable margin differences between high and low CBV cattle. He discusses continental, dairy beef and dairy cross dairy cattle. 
 
He outlines the impact on profitability on the high-CBV dairy-beef cattle finishing earlier and grading better and he explains that while genotyping significantly improves CBV reliability, it is also influencing breeding decisions on farm.
 
 
For more episodes from the Beef Edge podcast, visit the show page at:
https://www.teagasc.ie/thebeefedge
 
Produced on behalf of Teagasc by LastCastMedia.com

Over the last decade the Irish agriculture and food sector has grown, developed and modernised. Teagasc recently launched the Teagasc Enterprise Road Maps and on this week’s Beef Edge podcast, Teagasc Head of Drystock, Pearse Kelly, and Beef Enterprise Leader, Dr. Paul Crosson at Teagasc Grange, discuss current performance, market outlook, sustainability priorities and future targets for Irish beef.
 
Beef farming is one of the larger sectors in Irish agriculture and accounts for one third of overall agricultural output due partially to a strong period of increased prices. Approximately 80% of Irish farms carry some beef animals with 55% of Irish farms considered to be specialist beef producers. 
 
In recent years there has been an increase in the volume of beef produced from animals born in the dairy herd (now approximately 60% of the total) in comparison to progeny from the suckler herd and we have seen a decrease in the number of suckler cows over the same period. Suckler cows account for approximately a third of the total cows (beef and dairy) in Ireland.
 
Beef farm input costs have remained stable, while output values have risen due to a strong export market. As a result, farm income from production is expected to grow. However, the sector remains highly dependent on income support measures to maintain profitability. 
 
Teagasc will continue integrating research and knowledge transfer efforts to enhance the economic sustainability of the Irish beef sector. Our focus remains on lowering production costs, improving performance and sustainable output, and accelerating genetic progress at the farm level
 
New and emerging technologies may provide opportunities to optimise farm operations, improve animal performance, and support more sustainable and profitable beef production. Teagasc will evaluate the potential impact of these new technologies on Irish beef farmers and demonstrate their benefits by collaborating with our network of demonstration farmers who are actively implementing them on their farms.
 
Further details at:
Teagasc Road Map Series 2030 – Overview of Irish Agriculture and Food - Teagasc | Agriculture and Food Development Authority
 
 
For more episodes from the Beef Edge podcast, visit the show page at:
https://www.teagasc.ie/thebeefedge
 
Produced on behalf of Teagasc by LastCastMedia.com

Mark Plunkett from the Teagasc Signpost Programme joins Catherine Egan on this week’s episode of the Beef Edge podcast to discuss soil fertility and planning for the year ahead. 
 
Mark outlines how only 13% of the soil on drystock farms is optimum for pH, P and K. While there has been a big rise in recent years with the amount of lime being applied, in 2026 another 500,000 tonnes are still needed. 
 
Mark explains the benefits of lime on climate and production and says that farmers should use soil test results to prioritise where fertiliser money is spent through updating the nutrient management plan.  
 
Mark also discusses the application of nitrogen and slurry this spring to maximise efficient use and he says it is important to target slurry to silage ground.
 
Further details on the Signpost Programme are at:
https://teagasc.ie/environment/climate-change-air-quality/signpost-programme/
 
For more episodes from the Beef Edge podcast, visit the show page at:
https://www.teagasc.ie/thebeefedge
 
Produced on behalf of Teagasc by LastCastMedia.com