The Dairy Edge

Dr. Margaret Kelleher, Genetics Operation Manager at ICBF, joins Stuart Childs to discuss the most recent update in September and to learn more about the COW index that farmers should be using more in their herd to identify the cows that require career changes!

Margaret explains that September evaluations were relatively stable, as they tend to be at this time of year in the seasonal system that we have here in Ireland, but ICBF continues to receive and update large volumes of data, including milk records, calving records, factory data, mart data and genotypes on a daily basis that they then gather together and add to the existing information to update the details of the animals on the database. This is a job that takes about 2 months to do and as soon as an update is published, ICBF start on the process for the next update almost immediately.
 
We then moved to the main core of today’s conversation, the COW (Cow’s Own Worth) Index which Margaret outlined as a live herd-specific tool that ranks cows using current performance, predicted future performance and replacement cost. Where good data is entered, this index can be used by farmers to identify the bottom 10–15%  to be considered for culling. It has the advantage of pulling milk performance, calving date and future potential together to help cut through the noise when trying to make culling decisions.
 
For the tool to be most effective, accurate recording of information is essential. Milk recording, fertility and scanning data have a major impact, while recording mastitis, lameness and temperament would make the Cow Index more accurate and useful for the individual farmer. EBI is the tool to use to identify the most profitable cows to breed from, COW is for culling decisions.

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 highlights the top actions that need to be done, including:
Prioritise grazing residuals
Monitor growth rates and update grass budget

Read more from the latest Grass10 newsletter at:
https://bit.ly/Grass10-29thSeptember

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 highlights the top actions that need to be done, including:
Assess farm cover and growth rates
Do grass budget to plan supplementation
Make the best use of organic nutrients
Read more from the latest Grass10 newsletter at:
https://pasturebase.teagasc.ie/Grass10%20Weekly.pdf?=20260924 

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

Cash flow is always an important part of running a dairy farm, but in a year like 2026, keeping a close eye on the money coming in and going out has become even more important.

While milk price remains behind the levels experienced in recent years, farmers are also facing significant increases in costs due to both geopolitical issues in the Middle East and also the prolonged dry spell.
 
So, how should farmers be looking at their cash flow, what are the warning signs that a cash deficit could be developing, and what practical steps can be taken before it becomes a bigger problem?

Patrick Gowing, Teagasc dairy specialist who has a particular focus on farm financial management joins James Dunne to look at cash flow on dairy farms in 2026, how farmers can identify potential pressure points, and what options are available to manage them.

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 highlights the top actions that need to be done: 
Set a 35 day rotation length
Do grass budget - phase out silage supplementation
Make the best use of watery slurry

Read more from the latest Grass10 newsletter and subscribe for weekly updates at:
https://bit.ly/Grass10-15thSept
https://bit.ly/Grass10-18thSeptember 

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