The theme of Teagasc's national dairy conference is ‘robust dairying for future challenges’ and will aim to deliver solutions to the future challenges faced by Irish dairy farmers.

The event is taking place at Limerick Racecourse on Wednesday 27 November.

Following difficult grazing seasons in the last few years, the conference will address the challenges at farm level in the early session, which is titled ‘achieving grazing objectives in real world conditions’.

Áine Murray of Teagasc Moorepark and Donal Patton of Teagasc Ballyhaise will discuss managing grazing in challenging conditions.

Limerick dairy farmer Michael Carroll - joint winner of the nutrient management category of the sustainable grassland farmer of the year 2023 - will then explain how he manages his farm to achieve grazing targets at different stages of the year.

Michael will focus mainly on challenging periods in the shoulders of the year, such as those experienced in autumn 2023 and spring 2024.

The difficult grazing seasons have also coincided with a reduction in nitrogen allowances on Irish dairy farms and the second session on ‘nutrient use on dairy farms – improving margins at lower environmental impact’ will address this concern.

Protected urea

Teagasc researcher in Johnstown Castle Patrick Forrestal will examine the performance of protected urea.

Director of research at Teagasc Professor Pat Dillon will outline the main actions that dairy farmers need to take to address Irish water quality.

Finally, another award-winning Limerick dairy farmer John Macnamara will outline how he is trying to farm to deliver better nitrogen use efficiency.

Workshops

Workshops on a number of important topics will be the order of the day after lunch.

People attending will choose three options from the following six topics.

  • 1. Reducing TB risk in dairy herds.
  • 2. Meeting herd feed requirements for winter and spring.
  • 3. Lessons learned from the Clover150 programme in 2024.
  • 4. Controlling dairy production costs in 2025.
  • 5. Successful use of sexed semen in Irish dairy herds.

  • 6. Managing calves for better health outcomes.

    • Speaking at the launch of the conference, Teagasc dairy specialist Stuart Childs said: “It has been a challenging 12- to 18-month period on Irish dairy farms due to weather challenges, associated impacts on animal performance and the subsequent financial challenges from low output and low milk price.

    "Thankfully, the recent weather and upturn in prices has helped to improve overall sentiment on the ground.

    "This conference is aimed at addressing issues that people encountered in the last 12 to 18 months and are likely to encounter again in the future.

    "We hope that farmers will take something from the day that will better equip them to deal with any of those challenges in the years ahead.”

    Also speaking at the launch, Teagasc regional advisory manager in Kerry/Limerick Majella Moloney said that the format of the day and the lineup of speakers will make for very interesting debate on the solutions to challenges facing the dairy industry over the next few years.

    Farmers are advised to register ahead of the event online here.