The Dairy Edge

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

John McCabe, Seamus Kearney and Sean Callan, Advisors on the Teagasc Aurivo, Teagasc Tirlán and Teagasc Lakeland joint programmes, join Stuart Childs to give a more countrywide feel for the situation on farms around Ireland currently following the recovery in grass growth in the last few weeks.

The impact of the drought varied significantly by region with the west generally less affected, while parts of the Lakelands, due to the geography of the catchment, and especially the south and east experienced major reductions in grass growth and farm cover which in turn led to substantial supplementary feeding.

Seamus explains that the winter fodder shortages are the main concern and that although grass growth and farm covers have recovered, many farms in the Tirlán catchment have used large quantities of silage and meal during the summer. 

Fodder budgets have identified shortages of approximately two bales per cow on the lighthouse farms, making early feed purchasing and planning essential. Meanwhile, some of farms on the Lakeland programme have significant surplus but with wet starts and ends to the year more common, it may well be needed in the future.

The key message is to quantify and act early.  Farmers should complete fodder budgets, manage the final grazing rotation carefully, assess grazing infrastructure and improve if possible or plan to improve in the future to maximise opportunities to get cows to grass even in challenging conditions. 

Where deficits have been identified, consider options such as buying fodder, using meal to stretch existing supplies, and/or removing underperforming/empty cows earlier to protect winter feed stocks.

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 to be done: 
Set a 35 day rotation length
Do a grass budget to reduce supplementation
Consider liming

Read more from this week’s Grass10 newsletter and subscribe for weekly updates at:
https://bit.ly/Grass10-8thSeptember 

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