The Beef Edge

Kilkenny farmer Liam Cassin is on this week’s Beef Edge podcast to discuss his contract heifer rearing system.  Liam moved from sheep to suckler cows and started contract heifer rearing 14 years ago. The steady monthly cashflow alongside the reduced financial input of purchasing stock are key benefits for Liam. Grassland management and a good paddock system are very important to make the system viable in order to reach the target weights, according to Liam. Initially starting with one dairy farmer, Liam has increased the system to now working with four farmers contract rearing heifers.  The dairy farmer visited Liam’s farm and viewed the farm and Liam visited their farm initially. From there the business has thrived and each contract is different as Liam describes.  Further information is available here:https://www.teagasc.ie/rural-economy/farm-management/collaborative-farming/contract-heifer-rearing/ 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

Dr. Natascha Meunier, Beef HealthCheck Programme Manager, is on this week’s Beef Edge podcast to discuss how to control liver fluke effectively and understand it better. Liver fluke is estimated to cost at least €90m to the Irish industry through reduced production and Natascha highlights how the incidence of liver fluke on this year’s Beef HealthCheck reports have doubled from 1% to 2%: https://animalhealthireland.ie/programmes/beef-healthcheck/beef-healthcheck-online/ Each year, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) in collaboration with Met Éireann, UCD, Teagasc and Animal Health Ireland advises farmers of the predicted risk of disease caused by liver fluke (Fasciola hepatica) infection in livestock for the following winter.  This year’s forecast, based on meteorological data gathered between May and October 2024 by Met Éireann, predicts infection being most prevalent in the west and northern half of the country, with a somewhat lower disease prevalence in the southeast of the country.  Further details here:https://www.gov.ie/ga/preasraitis/48ce4-liver-fluke-forecast-november-2024/ Natascha explains that while the Beef Health Check report is retrospective, it’s important to review when cattle are finished if the health plan is working. Natascha also discusses the importance of faecal sampling and the different treatment options.  It’s important for farmers to be vigilant especially if liver fluke has never been an issue on their farm in the past and she explains how rumen fluke can be identified and when to take action. With the majority of stock housed in the past few weeks, Natascha advises in relation to respiratory issues, anthelmintics and importance of housing ventilation and air quality. For further information on AHI Liver Fluke - The Facts:https://www.animalhealthireland.ie/ckfinder/userfiles/files/Animal%20Health%20Liver%20Fluke%206pp-web(1).pdf  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

Teagasc research officer Dr. Patrick Forrestal, is on this week’s Beef Edge podcast to discuss the practical nutrient management solutions that beef farmers can implement on their farms to increase efficiency, reduce costs and address environmental pressures facing the sector. This is a recording from the Teagasc National Beef Conference held on November 19th. Further details from Patrick’s presentation are available at: Presentation: Practical nutrient management solutions (PDF) Paper: Practical nutrient management solutions (PDF) Watch a video recording of Dr Patrick Forrestal's presentation:https://youtu.be/euD2ERfN1zE For further information on the conference please visit www.teagasc.ie/beefcon24  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

There’s a bonus Beef Edge episode this week with Future Beef programme manager, Martina Harrington, discussing the innovations on Future Beef suckler farms which are driving sustainability. This is a recording from the Teagasc National Beef Conference held on November 19th. Further details from Martina’s presentation are available at: Paper: Driving Sustainability Innovations on Future Beef Suckler Farms (PDF) Watch a video recording of Martina Harrington's presentation:https://youtu.be/x32GOxrr030 Find out more about the Future Beef Programme:https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/beef/demonstration-farms/future-beef-programme/  For further information on the conference please visit www.teagasc.ie/beefcon24 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