The Dairy Edge

For this week’s Grass10 grazing management update, John Maher explains why opening farm cover measurement should be prioritised this week.
 
Plus he discusses the importance of completing a spring rotation planner in PastureBase with the target for March 1st to have about 30% of the farm grazed.
 
Read more from this week’s Grass10 newsletter and subscribe for weekly updates at:
https://bit.ly/Grass10-3rdFebruary
 
For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at:
https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/
 
The Dairy Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.com

Padraig O’Connor, Dairy Technician with Teagasc in Grange, joins Stuart Childs with tips and advice for the month of February.
 
Padraig discusses the management of the freshly calved cows as a separate group.  Keeping these cows in for a few days after calving in a fresh-calved group allows recovery, easier observation and reduced bullying. Control of the colostrum group also simplifies milking management and use of available help.
 
Padraig then talks about testing colostrum quality with a refractometer.  Use a Brix refractometer (target >22%) to quickly check colostrum quality. This helps ensure adequate passive immunity for calves and flags potential diet issues. If readings are low, review the dry cow diet. Short-term protein supplementation (e.g., soybean meal pre-calving) may help improve quality.
 
With reports of many cows over-conditioned this year, milk fever is a real risk. Padraig recommends focussing on correct dry cow minerals (especially magnesium), appropriate body condition (≈3.0–3.25), and controlled feeding for later calvers where feasible. Milk fever is a gateway disease linked to retained cleanings, mastitis, and fertility losses.
 
Finally, Padraig advises people to prepare early for spring grazing opportunities.  Even with poor weather, monitor drier paddocks and be ready to turn cows out for short (2-3 hour) grazings to reduce feed costs and support production. Set up fences and access in advance to act quickly when conditions allow; short grazing bouts can work without paddock water if cows have good access in sheds.
 
For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at:
https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/
 
The Dairy Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.com

For this week’s Grass10 grazing management update, John Maher gives an update on the first set of figures in terms of grass supply from PastureBase Ireland. Plus he talks about the grazing management plan for the spring.
 
Read more from this week’s Grass10 newsletter and subscribe for weekly updates at:
https://bit.ly/Grass10-27thJanuary
 
For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at:
https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/
 
The Dairy Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.com

This week’s Dairy Edge is from a recent Teagasc webinar entitled, ‘TB Update – Understanding the Recent Changes for Your Dairy Farm.’
 
TB continues to be a major challenge for the dairy sector, with herd incidence rising above 6% in 2024. There are now significant changes being introduced through the new TB Action Plan.
 
James Dunne hosted the webinar and was joined by Damien Barrett, Head of the Ruminant Animal Health Programme with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, and Joe Patton, Head of Dairy Knowledge Transfer with Teagasc. 
 
Together, they outlined the key policy changes, current TB trends, and what these developments mean in practical terms for dairy farmers, particularly around herd management, animal movement and biosecurity.
 
Link to webinar:
https://youtu.be/naefVhMC-ZU
 
Link to new TB action plan:
https://assets.gov.ie/static/documents/d4cfc18d/7784-DAFM_TB_Action_Plan_LR.pdf
 
For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at:
https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/
 
The Dairy Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.com

For this week’s Grass10 grazing management update, John Maher has a few tips before the grazing season gets going and he gives a summary of the farmers’ contributions from Nutrient Management Week 2026.
 
Read more from this week’s Grass10 newsletter and subscribe for weekly updates at:
https://bit.ly/Grass10-20thJanuary
 
For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at:
https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/
 
The Dairy Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.com