Gillian Dufficy

Protecting milk quality during dairy expansion
Protecting milk quality during dairy expansion

Thomas Dwan and his parents, Eddie and Ann, were the winners of the NDC & Kerrygold Quality Milk Awards in...

Farm accidents to hospitalise 2,000 farmers this year
Farm accidents to hospitalise 2,000 farmers this year

Farmers are more likely to be killed on-farm than on the roads, according to Eddie Wall, an inspector with the Health...

A simple ease to spring calving chaos
A simple ease to spring calving chaos

Spring calving is one of the busiest times of the year for Irish dairy farmers. For six-to-seven weeks, the workload...

‘New kid in town’ on nitrogen fertiliser market
‘New kid in town’ on nitrogen fertiliser market

The two main nitrogen (N) sources for Irish farmers are urea and calcium ammonium nitrate (CAN). However, there is now...

New entrant dairy farmer triples size of herd in 3 years
New entrant dairy farmer triples size of herd in 3 years

Padraig Keane milks 126 cows with his father John in Kilcormac, Co. Offaly. Having started out with a six-unit temporary parlour, milking...

Can raising cow numbers hurt farm profitability?
Can raising cow numbers hurt farm profitability?

Increasing cow numbers beyond what your farm can carry will severely impact profitability, contrary to the belief that expansion will...

Have you considered once-a-day milking?
Have you considered once-a-day milking?

For a number of reasons, once-a-day (OAD) milking is becoming an attractive option for Irish dairy farmers. Teagasc’s Brian Hilliard...

Sheep marts: Spring lambs meet a mixed trade
Sheep marts: Spring lambs meet a mixed trade

There has been some uplift in the heavy lamb trade at marts in recent days, as price increases of €3-7/head...

EBI proving its worth in the Next Generation Herd
EBI proving its worth in the Next Generation Herd

The Teagasc Next Generation Herd, assembled in 2012 and situated in Kilworth, Co.Cork, offers a forward view of the performance of...

Soil drainage – is it worth the initial investment?
Soil drainage – is it worth the initial investment?

Half of the soils in Ireland could do with a certain amount of drainage, according to Teagasc’s Dr. Pat Touhy. Speaking...

Pics: How to identify common grass weeds in your crops
Pics: How to identify common grass weeds in your crops

The key to controlling a grass weed problem is identification, according to Teagasc’s Ciaran Collins. This is important as farmers...

North American genetics take centre stage in Wicklow
North American genetics take centre stage in Wicklow

Victor Jackson milks a herd of 140 pedigree registered Holstein Friesian cows, alongside his nephew Richard, in Crossnacole, Kiltegan, Co....

Are you choosing the right beef bull for your dairy herd?
Are you choosing the right beef bull for your dairy herd?

Dairy farmers need to keep a number of factors in mind when selecting a beef bull for their dairy herd,...

Pics: €6,500 top price at Holstein Friesian open day sale
Pics: €6,500 top price at Holstein Friesian open day sale

In-calf heifers reached €6,500 at the Crossnacole sale, held in conjunction with the Irish Holstein Friesian Association (IHFA) open day on...

Is striking the optimum stocking rate really that important?
Is striking the optimum stocking rate really that important?

Under Irish grazing systems, dairy farmers try to achieve the perfect balance between cow and land performance. Cow performance is...

‘Timing of fungicide application is becoming more critical’
‘Timing of fungicide application is becoming more critical’

Septoria is the most destructive disease of Irish winter wheat crops and in the absence of commercially-viable, highly-resistant varieties, fungicides will...

Study shows scope to exploit faster, lower-cost establishment methods
Study shows scope to exploit faster, lower-cost establishment methods

Oilseed rape (OSR) is traditionally sown in 125mm rows at a seeding rate of 50-80 seeds/m². However, recent interest in...

WTO tariffs would have a ‘crippling effect’ on beef
WTO tariffs would have a ‘crippling effect’ on beef

World Trade Organisation (WTO) tariffs would have a “crippling effect” on any trade going between EU countries and the UK,...